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Located on the shore of the St-Mary’s river, the Algoma District’s ‘steel city’ sits on traditional territory of the Ojibwe and has become known for its steel production and wood-processing industries, often leaving its numerous other amenities in the dark.
While the Sault isn’t known for being a golf hotbed, long time Canadian Golf Journalists’ Association member Rick Parnham and Sault based award-winning author Bryan Davies knew that there was much more below the surface than what’s been scratched.
In "Breaking A Hundred: A Century of Sault Golf", accomplished golf writer Rick Parnham (long time Canadian Golf Journalists’ Association member),and award-winning Sault based author Bryan Davies have completely deconstructed this conventional Sault golf community narrative, to present an intriguing, carefully researched history that reveals not only unique stories, and characters, but also tells the entire Sault city history from a unique perspective.”
When asked about how the book went from idea to hard cover, the motivation was quite simple.
“There’s so much that makes the Sault area special. You’ve got the beautiful waterfront, the rich Canadian-Italian heritage, but you’ve also got these great golf courses. This was a great
opportunity to bring some awareness around golf as one of the great things the Sault has to offer.”
Often times, golf literature tends to focus on what golf courses have to offer but very rarely on what courses offer to an area. For the pair of authors, this meant an opportunity to use Breaking100 as a vehicle to reveal unique stories and characters that continue to have a lasting impact on the area.
From courses that were, courses that were never, and the seven current courses that span across the Canadian American border, Parnham and Davies can tell you first-hand what makes the Sault golf narrative so unique.
“Each course offers such a unique playing experience; you’re going to get something special every time."
Their experience however doesn’t just come from walking the courses. With an open-minded approach, it didn’t take long for both Parnham and Davies to discover that there was so much more that needed to be told. From old handwritten notes to meeting those who have walked the grounds with famous golf course architect Stanley Thompson, Breaking100: A Century of Sault Golf unveils century old secrets that live to tell the day.
Davies can also recall when he discovered that the famous bullseye putter came from the Sault.
“I was a little surprised. The bullseye putter had such a global impact on the game and to discover that it originated in our own backyard back in 1941, it's just one of those things that you wouldn't know otherwise.”
Parnham and Davies hope that Breaking100: A Century of Sault Golf is the first of many books that aim to highlight Northern Ontario golf communities and everything they have to offer.
The pair recently launched their website www.breakingahundred.com and plan on using their platform to not only share their work but also bring the golf community together by allowing visitors to tell their own unique stories.
Their book Breaking100: A Century of Sault Golf can be purchased online by visiting https://algomamarketplace.com/products/books-and-literature/breaking-a-hundred-a-century-of-sault-golf/. Rick and Bryan will be donating $5 from every book sold to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation, and its Team Jacobs' charities as Sault native and Olympic curling champion Brad Jacobs contributes the book forward.
You can also get in touch with Rick and Bryan by following them on social media at @BreakingHundred on Twitter and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Breakingahundred