In celebration of over 100 years of golf on beautiful Cape Cod, Tee-Ball Golf, a golf marketing company from Yarmouthport, sponsored a unique celebration of the game in grand fashion on Sunday September 15, 2002 for the benefit of the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund.

Proceeds from the festival were donated to the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund in the name of Charles “Chay” Burgess, the Scottish born golf professional of the Woodland Golf Club in Newton, Massachusetts from 1908 to 1946.  Chay and Francis met when Francis was a 15-year-old caddie and schoolboy golfer practicing on the Woodland links. Chay began a voluntary tutorial and lifelong friendship with the young man and was by his side at Francis’ historic 1913 US Open victory and at both of his National Amateur wins. Francis always called Chay his “good luck charm” and credited him with “teaching him everything he ever learned about the game.”

This very special golf outing was held at the Donald Ross designed Bass River Golf Course in South Yarmouth. Not only was it  a day of relaxing and enjoyable golf but it was also one where all participants paid homage to the bygone era of knickers and hickory shafted clubs. Participants played the course using their own modern equipment in a modified “scramble” format and were required to play according to the USGA rules of 1913, the year of Ouimet’s historic US Open Victory. One of the most unusual rules was the “stymie” rule where instead of marking your ball on a green so that it does not interfere with an opponents line, the player can actually use his ball to block or “stymie” the other player’s shot.

All participants dressed in period outfits of plus four trousers or “knickers.”  Ladies had the option to play the round in long skirts or dresses.   At selected greens, player were required to make their putts with vintage putters and golf balls provided by the outing organizers. Vintage golf re-enactor’s gave demonstrations of the Hickory Era and the techniques that took place. Assorted prizes were provided from the many businesses and individuals that have long been associated with Tee-Ball Golf and its popular quarterly publication The Little Black Book of Golf.