For the latest installment of our audio documentary series, Garrett Morrison heads out to the Oregon coast for the 2021 U.S. Hickory Open. At this event, players must use wooden-shafted clubs either made before 1935 or faithfully based on those models. Garrett spends the day walking around Gearhart Golf Links, talking to a variety of characters, including John Henry Williams, a club repair specialist who has set up a workshop on site; Tad Moore, a renowned club builder and a co-founder of the Society of Hickory Golfers; and Colin McNamara, who is in contention to win the tournament. Garrett’s main purpose is to understand 21st-century hickory golf: where it came from, how it’s played, and why some people get absolutely hooked by it.

Season 2 of Fried Egg Stories is brought to you by Precision Pro Golf.