August 3, 2004

Mackinac Island, Mich.- The public is invited to explore the origins and history of golf when Mackinac State Historic Parks (MSHP) hosts an evening presentation and dinner on Friday, Aug. 20 at Fort Mackinac. The event begins at 6:45 p.m. and includes a chipping contest, Scottish-themed dinner catered by the Grand Hotel and a presentation on the history of golf by Greg Lyman, director of environmental programs for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

The winner of the chipping contest on the historic fort's parade ground will take home a "niblick" (a pre-20^th-century wooden club used like today's pitching wedge) crafted by visiting blacksmiths during the Benjamin Blacksmith convention on Mackinac Island.

The dinner will feature Scottish cheddar cheese soup, steak Barmarol and crusted halibut, clapshot (potatoes and turnips), and bread pudding with whiskey sauce.

Tickets for the event are $45 for adults and $41 for youths 17 and under. Reduced-price tickets for Mackinac Associates members (except Heritage) are $35. Advance reservations are required by Aug. 17 and may be made by calling (906) 847-3328.

Wawashkamo Golf Club on Mackinac Island will host a hickory club tournament the following day, Saturday, Aug. 21. Competitors will use authentic antique hickory-shafted clubs on the links-style course, which opened in 1898. Course information is available on the Web at www.wawashkamo.com.

Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and parks in Northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac region, and is an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. The sites include Fort Mackinac, Historic Downtown and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, as well as Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. The sites are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Visitor information is available on the Web at www.mackinacparks.com and by phone at (906) 847-3328 or (231) 436-4100.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.