Nick Gibbs has worked with wood since childhood. He was inspired by his father, an officer in one of the Queen’s Guards regiments. When he wasn’t parading before Buckingham Palace and saluting the Queen, Nick’s Dad was in his workshop, making furniture, and on Saturdays taking his son to the local timberyard. He taught Nick the skills of using basic hand-tools, which Nick still emloys now that he produces replica golf holes in his small wooden workshop in rural East Sussex, near London. Nick even uses some of his father’s old tools.

Nick Gibbs founded Fairway Originals in 1998, wanting to pool his skills, experience and love of wood. Meanwhile, since then, he has enjoyed a successful career as a magazine editor, spending evenings and weekends prototyping designs and creating bespoke commissions. Having sold his publishing company, Nick now dedicates his days to producing replicas of famous and favourite holes, made from the finest English hardwoods, on courses anywhere in the world. Such has been the success of Nick’s craftsmanship that a Fairway Originals replica of the 8th Hole on The Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland was commissioned by The Royal and Ancient as a special tribute and gift for a leaving CEO.

Wherever a golf course may be, a unique Fairway Originals carving can be created as a gift, a tribute or a trophy, and for the fortunate few the celebration of a Hole-in-One. Nick will spend hours collecting images and plans of a course, sketch a design of the chosen hole and produce outline carvings, before dedicating his craftsmanship to the bespoke commission.