Never a Dull Moment
Shangri-La Resort on Monkey Island, Oklahoma Always Has Something Going On By Glen Turk
Shangri-La’s modern clubhouse presides over the 9th hole on The Champions nine.
What will Shangri-La Resort’s owner Eddy Gibbs do next? After purchasing the historic property in 2010 after it had fallen into a state of disrepair, the founder of Tulsa-based Ameristar Fence Products has invested more than $90 million dollars in hopes of creating a modern-day Shangri-La. And I can tell you from firsthand experience, he has. Best known for its 27 holes of Championship golf (that New York Yankee legend Mickey Mantle once called home) and a luxury 119-room resort hotel, Shangri-La Resort is continually expanding their amenities to provide the ultimate year-round destination. The new 12-million-dollar activity park that opened this May includes a new racquet club facility with six outdoor tennis courts, six pickleball courts, basketball, sand volleyball, fire pits, a fishing pond, an outdoor event area, and a mini-Fenway Park replica, which will offer WIFFLE BALL providing fun for kids of all ages. Another important outdoor feature is a replica of one of the original anchors from the USS Oklahoma battleship, which was the inspiration for the name of the new activity park – “The Anchor”. The ship’s anchor stands proudly across from the new facility and display the names of the 429 personnel who perished
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for our country on this vessel when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1941. “We have expanded the recreational offerings to add to our popular championship golf course,” said Shangri-La President & CEO Barry Willingham. “We are also focused on providing more indoor entertainment options for our members and our hotel guests to make Shangri-La an attractive year-round destination for business groups and families alike.” Speaking of year-round amenities, their 11,000-square-foot indoor facility features, Hologate state-of-the-art virtual reality games, Trackman golf simulators, shooting simulators, escape room games, arcade games, pop-a-shot basketball, billiards and pingpong tables, shuffleboard, darts, a plethora of sporting event video screens, and the most inviting indooroutdoor bar and lounge on Grand Lake. The golf simulators include the ability for golfers to play all 27 holes of Shangri-La’s legendary course. Longtime Shangri-La Lead Assistant Golf Professional Ryan Dalton has taken on a new role at The Anchor as an on-premises Player Development & Fitting Specialist. With two Trackman simulators, players are now able to refine their game including an ability to play the same hole multiple times under Ryan’s watchful eye
P o ints o f Interes t 8|
What to Expect When Traveling to Monkey Island This Summer
to improve scores once they’re out on the course.
Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La marina is fully open for the 2021 season. Eddy’s will be serving patrons from 4:00 p.m. Fridays, and from 11:00 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays with extended hours of operation on holiday weekends. Live entertainment began May 22nd and continues through September with the areas top DJ entertainment on Friday nights and popular regional bands each Saturday night. Labor Day weekend will include live bands Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights with extended hours of operation through Monday for the weekend. In addition to top area bands weekly at Eddy’s, Doc’s Bar & Grill presents solo acts each Friday night. Courtesy slips are available at the adjacent Shangri-La Marina for those who prefer to travel to Shangri-La facilities via boat.
Once your tee time is set on the “outdoor” version of the simulator, golfers will experience 27 pristine holes divided into three nines, The Champions, The Heritage, and The Legends. While all three tracks offer a uniquely enjoyable challenge complete with dramatic green complexes and white sand bunkers, they all share another interesting facet – stunning views of the Oklahoma countryside that is born from Ozark Mountain foothills.
MORE MENUS, MORE VENUES!
JOIN THE SHANGRI-LA COMMUNITY! Residential Real Estate Sales have been setting records like everything else at Shangri-La. We continue to be excited about our residential real estate ventures as more and more people decide this is the community for their families. In our newest residential development, The Ridge at Shangri-La, twentyeight new homes have been sold! We have two spec homes under construction and we also have a new furnished model home available for touring! Only three remaining home sites are available in this great neighborhood. If you or someone you know is interested in making the ShangriLa lifestyle a permanent one, please contact Lane Worley at Coldwell Banker Shangri-La Realty (918-257-8484) to view our current inventory or design a new home! DOWNLOAD SHANGRI-LA’S FREE MOBILE APP If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to download the Shangri-La Mobile App! It is absolutely free – and it’s the best way to stay current with Shangri-La’s special offerings and events as well as current events and weather conditions. Just text the word GRAND to 855339-2122 to download the app. It’s that easy. You can also follow us on our website at www.shangrilaok. com, “Like” us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Your memories are our mission!
Summer 2021 www.MidwestGolfingMagazine.com
The outdoor bar area of The Anchor Activity Park overlooks a beautiful water feature.
PGA Director of Golf Rob Yanovitch details what else golfers should expect when making the trek to Shangri-La, which is ideally located between Tulsa and Branson, MO. “I really believe every hole on the golf course is unique and memorable. From the holes on beautiful Grand Lake to the Island Green of the Mickey Mantle hole, the course has just about everything a golfer can think of,” began Yanovitch. “With five sets of tees ranging from 7,2004,800 yards, the course is set up to challenge every level of golfer and offers a very diverse layout that demands the player to think through the hole. If you want to stand up on every tee and fire a driver, then you will probably struggle at Shangri-La. Although you can do that, it might not be the best play on every hole. It’s a thinking player’s course,” ended Yanovitch. The popularity of the golf course means Shangri-La’s hotel facilities are busy throughout the year with 119 luxury hotel rooms, 9,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, a full-service medical spa, fitness center, steam room and sauna, an indoor pool, and a sprawling 6,500-square-
foot outdoor resort pool with splash pad, tanning ledge, hot tub, food and beverage services, and fire pits just to name a few. The resort also offers casual family dining food and beverage services at Doc’s Bar & Grill, fine dining at The Summit Restaurant and Buffalo Bar, al fresco lakeside food & beverage service at the seasonally operated Eddy’s Lakeside Bar, and a relaxed atmosphere at the Monkey Grind coffee shop, a proud purveyor of Starbucks® coffee. Looking for even more activities in between rounds? Their full-service Shangri-La Marina located adjacent to the resort hotel also houses facilities of Sail Grand, which offers yacht charters, boat and personal watercraft rentals, and parasailing adventures. It’s easy to see from ShangriLa’s litany of amenities that the 115 acre property has it all – including the finest sunsets in the Sooner State and is it any wonder that twilight is the locals’ favorite time to play. “The famous Oklahoma sunsets are always quite beautiful,” explained Yanovitch. “But none more than the ShangriLa sunsets when viewed from the clubhouse that sits at the highest point on the property,” started Yanovitch. “Sitting in the Summit Restaurant on the top floor of the clubhouse as the sun sets reveals the brilliant colors reflecting off the lake as you look west down the Champions Nine and across Grand Lake. The golf course and lake vistas are nothing short of astonishing,” gleaned Yanovitch. What a difference a decade makes. Just over 11 years ago the once-proud resort was left for dead. But thanks to the dedication and devotion of Eddy Gibbs and his remarkable staff, Shangri-La Resort has recaptured its past glory in a monumental way! For more information on Shangri-La Resort, visit www.shangrilaok.com.
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while playing Shangri-La’s Champions nine. Summer 2021 9 www.MidwestGolfingMagazine.com