The 4^th Swiss Hickory Golf Open Championship, 22 August 2019, attracted about three dozen aficionados to the idyllic Alpine mountain village of Davos, Switzerland (site of the famous World Economic Forum each January). At 1500 meters altitude and with narrow fairways nestled between the mountains and the rail line, accuracy and strategic placement was required.

The 5469-meter, 130-Slope Davos Golf Club was in superb shape, despite heavy rains two days before, though the 16^th hole required a temporary green because a landslide of rocks buried the regular putting surface the month previous. During tournament play, a helicopter was performing clean up.

The individual low gross “damen” was Silvia Hefti from Alvaneu Bad, and the low gross “herren” was Felix Meier from Hittnau-Zürich.

Team honors were won by Swiss PGA member Paolo Quirici and Michele Clerici. In the net competition, Nick Hofer and Bernhard Haussener, both of Limpachtal, took the prize.

Maurus Lauber, organizer of the event, was low net for the men, and Michèle Lauber took women’s net honors.

The 2020 Swiss Hickory championship will be contested across two days next August at Golf Club Lugano, close to the Italian border and Lake Como. The 2021 event will be played in Limpachtal, north of Bern, the Swiss center of federal government.

For further results and event photos

Text written by RICK ADAMS