2010 April/May Issue of South Central Golf

MAGAZINE

www.southcentralgolf.com April-May 2010 Vol. 17, No. 2

Hill Country Hideout TPC debuts in San Antonio

• WOGA inducts four • New clubhouses enhance section • Renovation fever • McGraw puts his stamp on Cowboy golf

GREAT GOLF, REWARDING RATES.

Spring has sprung. Enjoy the greens at Cherokee Hills. Play 18 holes of championship golf after 3 pm to take advantage of our $40 per person Twilight Rate. Or tee off a little later in the day for our Super Twilight Rate – $25 per person after 5 pm in April and 6 pm in May. Call our friendly golf staff to book a tee time. While you have us on the phone, be sure to ask about our special Cherokee Star Rewards® card rate, group tee times and special events.

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Alabama offers something for golfers of all abilities.

Namely, a big ol’ slice of humble pie.

When it comes to challenging public golf courses, Alabama has more than any other state. In fact, we’re the home of three of America’s 50 Toughest Courses as selected by Golf Digest. Testing your mettle is as easy as visiting Silver Lakes, The Shoals or the stunning new Ross Bridge near Birmingham.

They’re part of the mighty Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – 24 demanding gems that are winning accolades from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Golf Magazine to name just a few.

If you’d like to combine time spent in the beach with a little time spent relaxing on the beach, there are a half-dozen more world-class public courses on Alabama’s gorgeous Gulf Coast featuring designs by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Larry Nelson.

And more great golf finds are sprinkled throughout the entire state. Truly, if you’re looking for great golf and genuine hospitality on your next trip, you owe it to yourself to experience all Alabama has to offer.

w w w. w. a l a ab b ba am a m a .t . t r av av e l

Editor Production Manager Expo coordinator Copy Editor

New Clubhouses and renovations LaFortune Park, Oakwood CC...................8 Forest Ridge, TCC to upgrade..................10 Willow Creek has big plans.......................12 Shangri-La purchased..............................13 Destinations TPC San Antonio...................................14 Mike McGraw puts stamp on OSU.............16 WOGA to induct four . ..........................18 Howard Sherwood, master builder. ...........20 Money games abound...............................21 Equipment Morodz makes an impact. .........................22 Fourteen golf splashy in pga show. ...........23

Ken MacLeod Derek Hillman Craig Raguse Jenk Jones Jr.

Contributing Writers Mal Elliot Barry Lewis Ed Travis Art Stricklin Corinne Meyerson James McAfee Contributing Photographers Rip Stell Mike Klemme South Central Golf, Inc. 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Suite 200 • Tulsa, Okla. 74136 918-280-0787 • Fax - 918-280-0797 www.southcentralgolf.com • ken@southcentralgolf.com

Columns 24 Kim Richey - KGA 25 Mark Felder - OGA 26 Instruction Zone 26 Barry Thompson - PGA 27 Gene Mortensen - Rules 28 Jay Fox - ASGA

South Central Golf is distributed free at golf courses in Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Kansas, north Texas, and southwest Missouri.

The magazine is endorsed by the PGA South Central Section, PGA Midwest Section, and the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas state golf associations. South Central Golf is published five times annually, including our annual course directory. Subscriptions are $18 and are available by calling 918-280-0787 or on the website.

We also welcome your letters and comments via e-mail.

Departments 6 Around the Section 22 Equipment 29 Schedules and Results On the Cover Hole No. 1 on the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio.

Do your part. Go green!

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AROUND THE SECTION GolfTEC opens in OKC

High-tech instruction is on the way in Oklahoma City. GolfTEC, now with 138 locations nationally, opened at 12312 N. May Avenue in Oklahoma City on April 12.

GolfTEC is an indoor instruction facility that utilizes proprietary high speed video and motion measurement technology to assist PGA instructors in analyzing clients’ games. Nationally, it has more than 400,000 clients and has given more than 2,000,000 lessons. GolfTEC also features club fitting and access to a variety of equipment from major manufacturers.

The Oklahoma City store is the second franchise for Pat McTigue, a long-time South Central Section PGA professional and the director of instruction at the Tulsa store.

The Oklahoma City store will be manned by PGA members Darryl Court, store manager and Wade Walker, certified instructor.

McTigue said plans are to add a third store in the Norman/Moore area in the near future Opening day specials and more information can be found at www.golftec.com/oklahoma, or by calling the store at 405-749-0000.

PGA professional Joe Hassler will be joining the staff at the Tulsa location.

Sean “The Beast” Fister shows off his new driver, called The Punisher, now on sale.

Cozby promotes juniors

Cary Cozby capped off eight years as an officer in the South Central Section by winning his second consecutive PGA Professional of the Year award at the section’s annual meetings in March.

For Cozby, director of golf and CEO at Wichita Country Club, the term finished on a much stronger note than it began.

Shortly after becoming an officer in 1994, he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer and Cary Cozby. had to begin aggressive treatments. Since his recovery, he has become a father and also served as vice president and president of the section.

Cozby says junior golf was one of his big focuses as section president and should remain a hot-button topic.

“There are a lot of opportunities in junior golf,” he said. “The section needs to be a force in the junior golf scene in all three states we encompass (Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas). We need to have a tour similar to the AJGA, first-class in every respect. One that lets the kids get rankings. If we can do that, it will be great for golf, great for our section and also help produce better players.”

The section Junior Tour now has been very popular with beginners and intermediate level golfers. The 2010 schedule offers 54 events beginning in June for golfers ages 9-18. For more information, go to southcentral.pga.com and click on blue golf or call the section office 918-357-3332.

Cozby also said the commitment to junior golf must begin with every professional at his host facility.

“That’s where it starts,” he said. “It’s not a national program like Play Golf America.

It’s for each PGA professional at his own facility to have a commitment to junior golf.

That’s the way we’re going to get the golfers of tomorrow.”

The Beast offers driver

Three-time world Long Drive champion Sean “The Beast” Fister has designed a driver he insists will help the amateur golfer pick up extra distance and accuracy.

Called “The Punisher,” the new driver uses the same design philosophies Fister has used in making the clubs he has wielded in competition for more than 20 years.

“It was 20 years worth of trial and error,” Fister said. “This club gives me the shot trajectory, carry and distance I need but it is also very accurate. As you know, in my sport, if it doesn’t land in the fairway, it doesn’t count.”

Initial reaction to the new driver has been enthusiastic. Former President and fellow Little Rock resident Bill Clinton has purchased eight drivers, keeping one for him-

self and giving others to friends. Donald Trump used the driver at a recent outing.

“I’m having a lot of people tell me they hit if 20 yards farther than their current driver,” Fister said.

The drivers come in a variety of lofts and shaft flex and retail for $299. To learn more about the drivers, go to www.fistergolf.com.

Fister won the Long Driver’s Association national championship in 1995, 2001 and 2005, becoming the oldest player to win at 43 in 2005. His highest recorded swing speed is 171.2 mph, but he said he has designed The Punisher to be effective at the typical amateur swing speed of 90-105 mph. You can see a video of Fister discussing the club at http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=vADh0ZJbCb8

Felder to lead OGA

Mark Felder has been appointed executive director of the Oklahoma Golf Association by the board of directors.

Felder, who has been the OGA’s tournament director since 2002, will continue to direct OGA championships in addition to his new role.

Felder, who also has a background in golf as a PGA professional as well as an OGA administrator, replaces Steve Eckroat, who was “terminated for cause” in December according to earlier OGA statements. SCG has learned that Eckroat was released for financial irregularities relating to his accounting duties with the OGA. The rest of the OGA fulltime staff includes Jay Doudican, director of technical services

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AROUND THE SECTION including golf course ratings, GHIN handicap services, the OGA website and tournament results and publicity; and Morri Rose, director of the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour. “I’m tickled to death,� Felder said. “We’re entering our 100th year as an association.

We’re excited to have Morri on board with the junior tour. And we have great sites this year for our major tournaments.�

The State Amateur is at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, the State Senior is at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, the Stroke Play Championship is at Quail Creek Country Club and the Mid-Amateur at the new Patriot Golf Club in Owasso.

A complete schedule of OGA events is at www.okgolf.org.

Felder was the head pro at Twin Hills Country Club in Oklahoma City for 13 years prior to joining the OGA in 2002. He was at John Conrad Golf Course for five years prior to his stint at Twin Hills.

“No 1 being he knows how to manage bent grass greens. He grew bent grass - our blend of bent grass - in the extreme heat of southern Texas and did it successfully. That was a huge factor.�

Davis was born and raised in Ohio, growing up in Coshocton where he got hit first job at Hilltop Golf Course. When he was 13, he would be dropped off there to play golf on a daily basis in the summer. The superintendent finally persuaded him to work for him in the mornings and play golf for free after that. A career was born.

Davis attended Ohio State where he graduated with a degree in turf grass science. Perry Maxwell, who designed Southern Hills, also did some work at the Scarlet Course at OSU while working with Dr. Alister MacKenzie.

Davis worked as an assistant at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., an A.W. Tilllinghast design, before going to Southern Hills’ new superintendent Kris Davis.   Australia for a stint at the Australian Golf Southern Hills finds new Club in Sydney. He returned to Columbus to where he oversaw construction and growfinish his degree and helped at Muirfield Vil- in. The association with the Nicklaus design superintendent in Texas lage and then landed a job at the New Alba- group continued in 2005 when he took on Very few golf course superintendents suc- ny Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature the Cordillera project, another Nicklaus cessfully grow bent grass greens south of Design just north of Columbus. venture and a club that was ranked the the Red River. Even fewer once you venture That led to a position as superintendent fourth best private club in the state by the south of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. at Cimarron Hills Country Club in George- Dallas Morning News soon after opening.

Kris Davis had beautiful bent grass greens town, Texas, another Nicklaus design, Davis supervised grow-in from 2005-2007. at Cordillera Ranch in Boerne just outside mILLIonS oF LeSSonS GIVen of San Antonio. The greens consisted of the same blend of A-1 and A-4 bent grass used at Southern Hills Country Club. “We were the only ones in the area who were not using some form of Bermuda greens,� Davis said.

It’s tough enough to successfully manage bent grass greens here in the heart of the transition zone. That Davis could successfully do so as far south as Boerne is one reason why he begins his new post March 1 as onLY the superintendent at Southern Hills.

Davis, known as KD to his friends, re60-MINUTE SWING places Russ Myers, who left in December to be the new superintendent at Los Angeles EVALUATION SESSION Country Club. Myers helped the venerable t " GBDU CBTFE EJBHOPTJT club earn rave reviews in the 2007 PGA t " QFSTPOBMJ[FE HBNFQMBO Championship and the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship and left the course in very t POMJOF MFTTPO BDDFTT good condition. “I know I’ve got big shoes to fill,� said GolfTEC Tulsa GolfTeC Tulsa 6010 S. MemorialDrive Drive 6010 S. Memorial Davis. “But I know I’ll be up for the chal918-622-3968 918-622-3968 lenge. I called Russ as soon as I got the job GolfTEC Oklahoma City and picked his brain. He had the exact same COMING 12312 N.SOON May Ave. 405-749-0000 GolfTeC oklahoma City greens we did and I wanted to know every GolfTEC is the nation’s golf improvement thing, from what fans to moisture levels to leader with millions of lessons given and a chemical programs.�

95% success rate. Call or go online today Southern Hills General Manager Nick to take aim on your next birdie!

Sidorakis interviewed six candidates identified by the search firm of Aspire Golf headed HURRY — OFFER ENDS MAY 15. *Offer expires 5/15/10. Prices and participation may vary.

by Tim Moraghan, former chief agronomist for the USGA. Davis stood out. “For numerous reasons,� Sidorakis said.

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New Courses and Renovations

The new clubhouse at Oakwood Country Club from the 18th hole (above) and the front entry.

Moving on up New digs for LaFortune Park, Oakwood CC

By Ken MacLeod There are very few new courses under construction in the South Central Section, but clubhouses are a different story.

Two of the more prominent new buildings to open this spring are at LaFortune Park in Tulsa and Oakwood Country Club in Enid.

LaFortune Park GC

In 2003 the entire 18-hole championship course and practice facilities were renovated. Now, with a roomy and airy new pro shop, grill and full-service restaurant, all that remains is a face-lift for the par-3 course.

And that’s on the schedule as well, probably in 2011.

LaFortune Park continues to set a standard for the complete golf package at the municipal level, from the maintenance standards to indoor and outdoor teaching, fullservice pro shop, junior golf programs and practice facilities.

The new pro shop is 3,900-square-feet with a full view of the practice green and the tee boxes at No. 1 and No. 10. It has two indoor bays for lessons or club fitting.

The restaurant, which should eventually have its own name, can seat up to 150. It will have a full menu and wait staff. On the east

side of the kitchen is the grill where golfers can order sandwiches, drinks, snacks or grill items at the turn or before and after a round.

“We haven’t had much golf weather yet, but the Wow! factor has been great from everyone in both the pro shop and restaurant,” said LaFortune Park Director of Golf Pat McCrate. “Everybody who comes through says they can’t believe how nice it is.

“The comment that I hear a lot that I’m somewhat uncomfortable with is ‘you guys deserve it.’ This is not about us. This is all of ours to enjoy. We all paid for it.”

The new clubhouse was part of a bond issue called Four To Fix The Country II. The original one paid for the golf-course renovation. The course is owned by Tulsa County, which also owns South Lakes Golf Course in Jenks.

Construction on the new clubhouse began in October 2008. The pro shop reopened in January and the restaurant and grill in March.

The building is a huge improvement over the cramped previous clubhouse that had been in place since the course opened in 1960. The course will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on Oct. 15 and special events are being planned.

Oakwood Country Club

Tim Mendenhall has been the head professional at Oakwood Country Club in Enid for 23 years. It only seems that long that the members and board have been discussing the need for a new clubhouse.

That day has nearly arrived. The beautiful stone and stucco building, complete with cherry wood doors, tile floors and spacious and tastefully appointed rooms, will open for donors on May 7, members on May 8 and a grand opening celebration on May 15.

The new clubhouse has a roomy mixed grill with a bar area, banquet room with a dividing wall, retractable projection screen and good views of the golf course.

Next are the men’s and women’s grills with their respective lockerrooms across the hall from each. These also have large windows overlooking the 18th green.

“The members are very excited and can’t wait for the opening,” Mendenhall said. “It’s going to be so much better than what we had.”

The pro shop is detached from the clubhouse and has not been renovated yet. That work will take place in the fall, with a new entry going in on the south side and the roof and exterior being changed to match the tile roof and overall look of the main clubhouse.

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New Courses and Renovations Golfers will now walk through the pro shop to get to the counter, which should help get the merchandise more attention as well.

The architects were the firm of Spangenberg Phillips of Wichita, while Henson Construction of Enid was the contractor.

The highly regarded golf course is a Perry and Press Maxwell design which opened in 1947. The club also recently built a new maintenance facility and has plans to rebuild the indoor and outdoor tennis facility and the swimming pool.

Members paid for the new clubhouse through a combination of assessments and donations.

Lake Murray Golf Course

A new 2,400-square-foot stone clubhouse will open May 1 at Lake Murray Golf Course, one of the eight golf courses owned and operated by the State of Oklahoma.

The new building will be a welcome improvement, said professional Wesley Chaney.

“It’s going to be a really nice building, something the park can be proud of,” said Chaney. He has been operating out of a 500square-foot cinder block.

Lake Murray is also making notable improvements on the course this spring. The current second hole, with the course’s lone Ber-

The spacious new pro shop at LaFortune Park Golf Course in Tulsa. muda green, will be phased out and replaced by a new par-3 with the largest green on the course. This hole will be the sixth hole.

On the back nine, a pond adjacent to the 15th hole has been dredged and rebuilt and there will be a waterfall feature on the 16th hole.

With the privatization of Chickasaw

Pointe, Lake Murray is ready to step up and be one of the flagship courses for Oklahoma tourism. It is well located, being just off Interstate 35 about halfway between Oklahoma City and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

“We’re in a great park and the golf course is in a very natural setting,” Chaney said.

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New Courses and Renovations

Forest Ridge gets timely update

By Ken MacLeod Turn around and Forest Ridge, that dazzling newcomer, is suddenly 21 years old, all grown up and in need of a new suit.

Ranked among the top public courses in the state since it debuted in 1989, Forest Ridge is taking major steps to ensure it remains there. Owner Joe Robson has greenlighted the rebuilding of all bunkers and green complexes, as well as some strategic twinges.

Original architect Randy Heckenkemper has returned to oversee the renovation, working with the construction firm of Jones Plan headed by Justin Jones and in close consultation with superintendent John Babe and head professional Lance Allen.

“It’s been really fun to work with Randy again,” said Babe, who has provided continuity as the superintendent since construction began. “I’ve always felt like Forest Ridge has withstood the test of time. It’s always been a great test of golf. This will keep it at that level.”

“As good as Forest Ridge was when it opened, I know I’m a lot better at what I do now, and when we finish Forest Ridge will be that much better.”

All bunkers have been rebuilt with new liners. In many instances they have been moved closer to greens and now have higher sides with flashed-up sand, creating bet-

ter visibility from tees and fairways.

A good example is the par-5 11th hole, where almost invisible fairway bunkers used to gobble up many drives that first-timers may have felt were safely in the fairway.

No longer will there be any doubt; the rebuilt bunker complex on the right is clearly visible from the tee. Same goes on the par-4 14th, where the huge fairway bunker on the left is now visible from the tee, eliminating guesswork.

Bunker work on the back nine is already complete and most of the front nine work will be done by early May. Both nines remained open during the bunker work and will be open for uninterrupted play through the summer.

Nine holes will close on Aug. 23 to begin the green renovations. The other nine will remain open through Labor Day. The course plans to reopen Dec. 1.

The down time is limited because the greens will be sodded rather than seeded.

Plans are to use the Tyee bent grass which Heckenkemper installed in a recent renovation at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark. Tyee was also recently installed at the Dallas Country Club and other prominent courses in north Texas and seems to have supplanted the A-1, A-4 blends as the bent grass of choice for new courses and renovations in the transition zone.

Tyee has one characteristic that really ex-

cites Babe. In tests, it has proven resistant to the encroachment of poa annua, which has been the one persistent agronomic challenge for Babe. The old Penn Cross greens were susceptible to poa invasions, plus the course’s rye overseed program, while providing the best turfgrass conditions in town November through May, also probably made it more difficult to eradicate the poa.

The greens will return to their original size and maintain their original contours for the most part, with some tweaking by Heckenkemper.

“There are going to be a lot of very subtle changes on the greens,” Heckenkemper said. “Plus the greenside bunker complexes have been moved closer into play. There is less room to make a mistake and the depth and location of the bunkers all creates variety. You will have to have different bunker techniques to get to various pins.”

Other noticeable changes have included the removal of select trees to open up vistas, such as on the par-4 17th, where the left side of the fairway is visible from the elevated tee for the first time.

On other holes, such as the par-4 16th, select tree plantings will eventually place some additional accuracy demands on what was once one of the most feared tee shots in Tulsa but has turned into a fairly routine challenge.

“That’s one of the few areas where we had lost some difficulty over the years,” Allen said. “Overall, I don’t think the average golfer is going to come away thinking this is an easy course, or that we’ve made it any easier.”

Allen said the changes will enhance the aesthetics without changing the difficulty of the course.

“It’s going to be great to have the new greens and bunkers,” he said. “It’s going to keep us at the level people expect from Forest Ridge, which is the best.”

Oaks rebuilds bunkers

Oaks Country Club in Tulsa has replaced the material in all 46 of its bunkers, switching from old river sand to crushed white rock.

The new material is not only more visible, but due to the jagged nature of the individual particles is less likely to roll down the bunker faces, alleviating a maintenance concern.

“It doesn’t slide down and sink in as much,” said head professional Rick Reed.

Honors for BCG in Tulsa

Keith Kraus was named the agronomic rookie of the year and Mohawk Park in Tulsa was named the most improved facility in the end-of-year awards by Billy Casper Golf, Workers construct new bunkers by the 18th green at Forest Ridge. which operates 110 golf courses in 26 states.

10

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New Courses and Renovations Kraus was the superintendent at Mohawk Park in 2009 but has since moved to Page Belcher, the second course in Tulsa owned by the City of Tulsa and operated by BCG. He now oversees both facilities while Adam Boyne is now the superintendent at Mohawk Park.

Play at both public facilities increased dramatically in 2009. Page Belcher increased its rounds from 50,632 to 65,705 at the 36-hole facility, while Mohawk Park jumped from 39,579 to 48,684.

“It was a combination of factors,” said Tom Wolfe, who manages both courses for BCG. “We hit the marketing program hard and our new pass program had really favorable reviews. And the guys did a good job keeping the courses in good shape. We had a hiccup with a couple of greens at Stone Creek but we acted quickly to fix them and players appreciated that.

Meadowbrook’s new No. 1

Meadowbrook Country Club in Tulsa is losing its first hole, a dogleg left par-5, to a city road-widening project on adjacent 81st Street.

For many clubs, this would have spelled disaster. Fortunately for Meadowbrook, it had ample room to build a new starting hole just to the south of the original. It used part of the old No. 1 for the tees, then by clearing a woody drainage area it made way for a long par-4 that goes downhill, then back up to a kidney-shaped green with a rise in the middle.

The hole was constructed by Jones Plan of Tulsa and designed by Florida-based golf architect Bobby Weed. The hole plays more than 450 yards from the back tees and the prevailing south wind will cut across from left to right, making second shots to any back-right pin position a dicey affair, particularly as that side is guarded by a greenside bunker.

The hole has mounds to the left and right of the fairway designed to keep slightly errant shots in play, along with a fairway bunker complex left. It will require a long, straight drive and a quality second shot to have a chance at par, whereas the previous par-5 offered a good chance for golfers to start their rounds with a birdie.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenging hole,” Jones said.

The new hole has been sodded and should be ready for play by early June.

The green on the new first hole at Meadowbrook Country Club. the plans for a complete renovation of the clubhouse, while Rees Jones will provide the blueprints for an exhaustive redo of the venerable golf course.

The clubhouse will be up first with construction to begin in April or May. The pro shop, fitness areas, lockerrooms and a reception lobby will now be in the northeast

Photo by James MacLeod

wing. The former pro shop, bag room, men’s grill and adjacent dining areas will all be reconfigured into an expanded men’s grill, kitchen, dining and lounge areas.

Jones is celebrated as the “Open Doctor” for his work in renovating seven courses that have hosted U.S. Opens. Of more interest to TCC officials is his love and respect

With a view like this.

The challenge is keeping your mind on the game.

Tulsa Country Club

A club that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008 is laying the foundation for the next 100 years.

Tulsa Country Club has retained the services of two of the best renovation experts in the business. Tom Hoch will provide

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11

New Courses and Renovations

Rees Jones by the statue of A.W. Tillinghast at Tulsa Country Club. for A.W. Tillinghast, who originally designed Tulsa Country Club. Some of his holes and much of his bunkering and design flair have been lost over the years to various renovation and rebuilding projects.

“Everyone knows I’m a huge Tillinghast fan,” said Jones, whose redesign of Tillinghast’s Bethpage Black led to it being awarded two U.S. Opens, the first in 2002 and the next in 2009.

Jason Fiscus, TCC general manager, said the renovation will not only include all greens, tees and bunker complexes, but will

also include the grading and regrassing of all fairways, likely with U3 Bermuda grass successfully used at recent renovations at Southern Hills CC and Cedar Ridge CC. The course will retain its current routing and hole configuration, though some holes may be lengthened and others shortened.

It will likely be strikingly different visually, particularly around the greens and bunkers, and in terms of playability.

“The difference will vary from hole to hole,” Fiscus said. “Some holes we know from historical photos have changed con-

Willow Creek

Big plans for a south OKC club

By Ken MacLeod Instead of continuing a slow fade into irrelevance, Willow Creek Country Club in south Oklahoma City is determined to regain its role as a vibrant and integral focal point of the community.

A new group of investors pulled together

by Pat Downs, whose Strategic Solutions LLC played a vital role in river redevelopment in Oklahoma City, has pledged up to $10 million to help revitalize Willow Creek.

The group, named Country Club Holdings LLC, includes many community and business leaders who work or reside in south Oklahoma City and are eager to see Willow Creek once again become a crucial part of the local business and social fabric.

Willow Creek, which opened in 1952,

12

boasted a membership of close to 700 in the 1980s, a number that had declined to about 250 by 2009. The clubhouse décor had a tired look and the course even more so.

“If you feel a club is not heading in the right direction, it can be somewhat contagious,” Downs said. “Once some folks leave, others leave to go where their friends are playing.”

That slide has been reversed with the announcement of the group’s ambitious plans.

Downs said 22 charter members were added in February and early March.

Those plans include $1 million to reinvigorate the current clubhouse and improve agronomic conditions and standards on the golf course, including a return to hand mowing of greens.

Meanwhile long-term plans are being worked on to construct a new two-story

siderably from their original design. Others are very similar.”

Jones began touring TCC in 2008 and said he could find little evidence of Tillinghast touches that he had noticed elsewhere. On the other hand, he noted Tillinghast was known for adapting his style to the location.

“There was no typical Tillinghast course,” Jones said at the time. “I’ve worked on Quaker Ridge, Ridgewood, Baltusrol and Bethpage Black and each one was different.

“We can’t bring back the Tillinghast course, because the routing has changed so much. But we can bring back the Tillinghast style, which is shot options. And he did have a particular bunker style which we will be trying to bring back.”

Jones described Tillinghast’s bunkers as shallow and natural looking, with irregular lines and faces. An exception is Bethpage Black, where they are deep and terrifying.

“He believed you ought to enjoy playing golf, even if you’re playing badly. He wanted to make it a walk in the park, a visual experience as much as a playing experience.”

Construction is scheduled to begin in August. Holes will be shut down in small groups until the entire course is closed around Oct. 1. Depending on weather, the course will reopen in May 2011.

Cost of the clubhouse and course renovation is approximately $8 million, to be paid for through a combination of conventional bank financing, member assessments and member contributions.

clubhouse near the frontage road for Interstate 240. This would impact holes 12, 13, 16 and 17. Architect Randy Heckenkemper of Tulsa will be brought in to redirect the holes and provide other architectural tweaks to improve the course.

“Randy is already communicating with our superintendent on a variety of issues that will really help us,” Downs said.

Nine greens at Willow Creek were rebuilt in 2008. It is expected the others will be renovated going forward.

The current building would be converted to a fitness facility.

Downs’ team is looking at a thorough upgrade, possibly including a name change to shed any baggage associated with the declining status of Willow Creek.

“We’re looking at putting it back on the map and back on its feet,” Downs said. “In addition to the short-term cosmetic changes, we’re engaged in a re-branding study, looking at the name, logo, membership structure and rate structure -- every element of the club.”

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New Courses and Renovations

Shangri-La will get a new clubhouse and other improvements from owner Eddy Gibbs.

Shangri-La Sale restores hope

By Ken MacLeod If anyone can save Shangri-La Resort on Grand Lake near Afton, Okla., it is probably Eddy Gibbs.

Gibbs, owner of Ameristar Fence based in Owasso, recently purchased the resort from Peter Boylan II for an undisclosed sum.

Gibbs received a standing ovation and thunderous applause from residents and members when he announced his plan to restore the name of Shangri-La (Boylan had changed it to The Peninsula) and to build an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse.

The clubhouse will be located on the highest point of the property and will necessitate some reworking and renumbering of the holes on the Blue Course, a 7,012-yard Don Sechrest design that was once regarded as one of the best public-access courses in the state.

“It was really sickening where it was headed,” Gibbs said. “The membership had dropped from about 340 when I joined 12 years ago to about 85. You could bale hay on the course and the greens were like sand-

boxes that the kids play in.”

Gibbs will immediately beef up the maintenance budget and has plans to eventually redo the greens on the Blue Course. The Gold Course, a smaller but fun course, has been closed for the past two years, but Gibbs could reopen nine holes if his plan works and members and outside play return.

The previous lodge has been gutted and will be torn down, but there are still plenty of stay-and play-options. The “Roadhouse” has 64 recently restored rooms and there are also options in the nearby condo tower.

Existing holes 2 and 3 of the Blue Course will be sacrificed for the new clubhouse and an improved practice area. The starting hole will be the current 17th hole, followed by 18 and hole 3. Both nines will eventually end on par-5s.

Boylan had plans to build a four-star resort complete with hotel, restaurants and a conference center. The economy derailed Boylan’s plans, he said.

“It’s one of those things,” he said. “Timing is everything. We wanted to do something great for the state. It’s a real shame that we’re one of the only states in the area that doesn’t have a four-star resort. We did get a lot accomplished, including the first TIF (Tax Increment Financing) district done in the state’s history.

But with the hotel just not happening, I decided to let somebody else have it.

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“Eddy has been a member for a long time, he’s a real good guy and he’s passionate about the facility.”

The two-story clubhouse will feature a state-of-the-art pro shop and golf-cart storage on the ground level and a restaurant and bar located on the second level with decks offering view of the golf course and Grand Lake. Also planned are meeting and event space for parties, tournaments and a fitness facility.

In the 1970s and 80s, Shangri-La was a popular destination, with golf and all the activities on Grand Lake as well as tennis, bowling and other amenities available. In the last 20 years it has gone through several ownership changes and its standards have fluctuated with each.

Gibbs, 62, said he purchased Shangri-La more with his heart than his head.

“There’s probably not much of a worse investment you could make,” he said. “But I’m not in this to make money. In three years we may be able to break even if things go as planned.”

Work on the course will begin with new bunkers including white sand, rebuilt tee boxes and new women’s tees. Mark Thomas of Tulsa will be the clubhouse architect and Dale Forrest of United Golf will be the golfcourse contractor.

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13

Worth the wait

Golfers can decide at long-anticipated San Antonio TPC

By James McAfee San Antonio already has a good reputation across the country as a great place to get away for vacations with theme parks, the Alamo, the River Walk, good golf courses and great weather. The addition of the TPC San Antonio at the JW Marriott Resort will give visitors even more reasons to make the trip.

“It’s definitely something San Antonio and Texas can be proud of,” said Jim Terry, a long-time Texas golf professional who is general manager and director of golf at TPC San Antonio. “We’re attracting people to San Antonio that might never have thought about it before.”

After seeing for myself on a recent weekend trip along with long-time friend Mike Sheridan, I would agree with Terry, especially in regard to the golf at the AT&T Oaks Course, designed by Greg Norman with an assist from Sergio Garcia — must have been when the Spaniard was seeing Norman’s daughter.

Departing from the PGA Tour’s modern tournament-style course with expansive

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grass areas and spectator mounding, the Oaks features a more natural look with tree-lined fairways, perched and undulating greens with run offs to closely mown chipping areas and massive bunkers with edges emulating the canopies of the native oak trees.

Taking the advice of the starter and playing from the Club tees at 6,242 yards— course rating of 71.1 and slope of 138—we found there was ample room off the tees in the landing areas. We both felt that the true challenges were getting approach shots to the right sections of the undulating greens or being able to handle all the different chipping options if you missed the greens.

I did notice that there was a 78.4 course rating and a slope of 143 for ladies who wanted to play those same green tees, but don’t see many that will try it. Even ladies with double digit handicaps might find the forward tees at 5,514 yards with 74.1 and 132 numbers more then they want.

Playing from the Players at 6,624 yards (72.7 and 142) will probably be fine for long hitters, but the Tournament at 7.034 yards (74.7 and 145) should probably be only for

scratch or single digit handicap amateurs.

The course can be stretched to 7,435 yards from the Tiburon tees for the Valero Texas Open in May and I don’t see the red numbers going as low as they have in the past at the LaCantera Resort Course. Even the pros are going to have to be creative with their short games, trying to decide whether to use a putter or hybrid, a bump and run or to go with the usual wedge when they miss the greens—and they will miss more than usual because of the run offs.

I especially liked the closing holes where the leader will not be able to afford to coast at all. The 15th can be stretched to 464 yards and a par might make up a stroke. The 16th is a 183-yard par 3 from an elevated tee sitting on rocks and features a bunker in the middle of the green, like the sixth at Riveria Country Club. The 17th is a drivable par 4 for the long hitters, especially if Tour officials move the tees up, but avoiding a large bunker on the right side of the fairway may be difficult.

The 18th is a risk-reward par 5 where a player might have to make a decision to go for it rather than laying up with his second

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shot. A stream comes into play about 150 yards out, narrowing the lay up area, and then cutting into the front and right side of the green where it will catch short or pushed approach shots as Mike and I discovered.

There were only two forced carries, both on the front nine. A large pond guards the green on the par 3 third and a rock face can send your ball back into it if you come up short as Sheridan discovered. From the three back tees on the sixth, players must carry native grasses and a wasteland, but there was no concern for us from the green tees 40 yards to the right.

While we did not have the usual South winds on the day we played, I did notice that the downhill holes play into that prevailing wind while the uphill holes play down wind.

However, there are not a lot of elevation changes, only 100 feet of fall from the highest point to the lowest .

As the starter pointed out, four different types of Bermuda were used on the course—Champion on the greens, Tifsport on the fairways, Bandera in the roughs and Emerald on the tees, collars and approaches. It was a little early, but native Texas grasses should be more prevalent on the edges of play as the weather warms up.

Mike and I took a cart ride around the AT&T Canyons, designed by Pete Dye with an assist from Bruce Lietzke. Yes, the Dallasbased company bought the naming rights to both courses. Is that something we may see more of in the future?

The Canyons just did not have the normal punitive characteristics of a Dye design and is probably going to be better for resort play as evident from the shorter yardages, course ratings and slopes—74.1, 136 from the Cibolo at 7,106 yards, 71.9 and 131 from the Tournament at 6,622 yards, 69.8 and 127 from the Players at 6,142 yards, 67.5 and 120 or 73.7 and 131 for ladies from the Club at 5,609 yards and 70.4 and 118 from the forward or ladies at 4,968 yards.

The closing holes on the continuous-routed course (no return to the club after nine holes) did look more challenging and interesting with a long par 3 over a canyon on the 16th, a drivable par 4 on the 17th and the par 4 18th that can be stretched to 482 yards with lots of up and downs in the fairway.

Sheridan did point out that both courses will have closed-loop irrigation systems that will catch run off and recycle onto the course that will ensure the protection of the Edwards Aquifer. “This will be one of

the most ecologically friendly courses built in the U.S.,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said.

Environmental concerns had sidetracked original plans for this property by the PGA of America to make it into a PGA Village 10 years ago, but then the PGA Tour stepped in and completed the massive project.

While I did not get the chance to stay at the hotel, it’s colossal with 1,002 rooms and 85 suites, The standard rooms are reportedly larger than normal with an average of 460 square feet, and offer all kinds of stateof-the-art amenities. There’s also plenty of things for kids, including a large waterpark and a 1,100-foot-long lazy river for tubing.

To play the golf courses, one option is to stay at the JW Marriott. I did notice one package at $595 per person that included two nights of lodging and two rounds of golf. If given the choice, I would play the Oaks twice. Green fees were listed at $131 to $175. Golf packages are available by going on line at www.tpcsanantonio.com or calling 888-877-9193. Another option is to be a guest of a member. One nice thing is that your host does not actually have to play with you.

Hole No. 16 on the Oaks Course at San Antonio TPC.

South Central Golf Magazine • www.southcentralgolf.com

15

OSU coach Mike McGraw, right, with All-American Rickie Fowler. Photo courtesy OSU Athletics

The right fit at OSU McGraw keeps Cowboys at top

By Corinne Meyerson Thirteen years ago Mike Holder sat down with Mike McGraw and presented him with two stipulations.

One: Holder was not going to train McGraw as his assistant coach and see him go straight to Oklahoma or Texas.

Two: McGraw would never be the head coach of the Oklahoma State golf program because he was not an alumnus.

Eight years later, McGraw and Holder were having breakfast together at Karsten Creek before going their separate ways on recruiting trips, and Holder informed McGraw there was a chance Holder could be offered the athletic director’s position.

“I (McGraw) said, ‘I don’t know why you would do that. You’ve got a great thing going now.”

Holder was heading for a greater challenge. After 32 years, eight national titles, 25 conference championship and 110 AllAmerica players, Holder, under the urging of confidant T. Boone Pickens, was about to become the athletic director. More importantly for McGraw, he was also about to relent on his second stipulation.

“All good things must end,” Holder said.

“It just seemed to be the right time to turn the program over to a younger man. Mike McGraw looked like the perfect choice at the perfect moment in time. So, the rest is history.”

Holder’s move may have opened the opportunity of a lifetime for McGraw. It also brought the pressure of succeeding one of

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the most successful coaches of any sport in collegiate history.

One good way to relieve that pressure is to win the national title in your first season.

That McGraw did. Still, he won’t get full credit until he wins another with players that he recruited. That day is likely not far off, and would have occurred in 2009 if the NCAA had stayed with stroke play as the format for its national championship. OSU ran away with the stroke play portion before getting upset in match play, a format change Holder was instrumental in creating.

McGraw grew up a fan of the program and even caddied for Holder in one of his father’s Pro-Am tournaments at Ponca City.

Labron Harris , OSU’s head coach through 1972, and Holder brought the team to the Ponca City Country Club to practice, where McGraw continued to witness the blossoming OSU golf program.

“I had it in my mind that I was going to become an OSU golfer,” McGraw said. “That never did happen.”

McGraw played at the University of Central Oklahoma, lettering for three years, and was an honorable mention All-American in 1981, after a 16th place finish at the NAIA Championship.

He began his coaching career in 1987 as an assistant at Edmond Memorial High School.

After seven years and six state championships, he moved on to head the program at Edmond North High School in 1994, where he coached his teams to three state titles and won 36 of 46 tournaments.

“He had shown he could win at the high-

est level as a high school coach,” Holder said. “Really, coaching at any level, in my opinion, is just about the same.

“The only difference between high school and college is recruiting, and I felt like he had the personality and also the personal values to be an effective recruiter.”

McGraw’s squad is currently ranked No. 1 in the country, with four of his starters ranked in the Top 25, three of them being in the Top 10, according to Golfweek.com.

Peter Uihlein, a current Cowboy and one of the nation’s top golfers, said it was an easy decision to play for McGraw.

“He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet but he’s got an extremely competitive side to him,” Uihlein said. “On the course he’s very level headed and positive. Playing for him is great.”

After seven years as an assistant, McGraw moved over to the women’s team for the 2004-05 season, leading it to the Big 12 title and meriting conference coach of the year accolades.

One of the players he coached was first team All-American Annie Young, now OSU’s women’s coach Young said she learned the most in the one year McGraw coached her than in the three prior years she played.

“I think I am very lucky to have him as an example because he does it the right way,” Young said.

Knowing the “right way” could be because McGraw was raised in a golf family.

His father, Gervis, competed in the 1949 U.S. Open at Medina and was the club professional at the Ponca City Country Club.

McGraw’s older brother, Tim, was a state champion golfer at Ponca City High School.

His twin sister, Patty, played for OSU and has won nine Oklahoma amateur state titles and is currently the women’s golf coach at Central Oklahoma. She has been inducted into the WOGA Hall of Fame.

Although there was an unintentional pressure to pursue golf, for some time McGraw balked.

McGraw’s father started each of his seven children playing golf at five and McGraw was the only one who quit.

“I hated it and didn’t want to do it,” McGraw said. “But my dad never forced me to.”

McGraw came back to golf on his own terms at the age of nine and said he has had something to do with golf every day for the last 40 years.

“If he would have pushed me into it, I probably would have gone completely away from it,” McGraw said.

In his fifth season as the Cowboys’ coach he has already made his mark on arguably the best collegiate golf program in the country.

In McGraw’s first season, 2005-06, he led the Cowboys to their 10th NCAA title and won the Dave Williams Award for national coach of the year.

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He has coached the Cowboys to 18 tournament titles, three Big 12 Championships, earning Big 12 Coach of the Year at each, and has coached two First Team All-Americans, Ricky Fowler and Morgan Hoffmann.

McGraw said he hopes he can continue to build on the OSU tradition and to maintain and expand the donor base Holder built.

Most important, McGraw said he wanted to put his own stamp on the program he inherited.

“Although there were so many things I learned from Mike Holder that I still do today, I still wanted to put my own fingerprint on it,” McGraw said.

Holder said he is proud of what McGraw has already accomplished and said he couldn’t have chosen a better successor.

“He’s everything I thought he would be and maybe even more,” Holder said. “I think he’s got the program to achieve at a level that has never been seen by a golf program.”

McGraw said it was never even a dream of his to be the coach at OSU, because it didn’t seem to be attainable.

McGraw now sits in his office at Karsten Creek as the head coach of the best team in the country.

Just down the hall are trophies, plaques and a plethora of other OSU golf memorabilia symbolizing the greatness of the program along with the responsibility McGraw gracefully accepted.

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17

Inductee Pat Grant, second from left, with Patty Berg, Kate Smith and Helen Dettweiler at an exhibition at Shawnee Elks Club in 1941.

Class of distinction

WOGA adds four to Hall of Fame

By Ken MacLeod

golf in Oklahoma.

Grant has been on a remarkable joy ride of a life that not only includes tremendous accomplishments in golf but in the military and as an attorney for 30 years in San Antonio.

Her parents Bill and Ethel Grant ran Cushing Country Club, then a nine-hole sandgreens course, as one of their jobs during the Great Depression. Pat and her brother and sister grew up with the sport.

“We used to run out the back door and play to see who had to do the dishes,” Grant said.

Pat Grant is waiting for the mountain air to warm near her home in Cortez, Colo., so she can get back to her favorite pastime.

No, not golf. Those days are over. It’s flying ultralight aircraft that gets her heart racing.

“They are wonderful,” Grant said. “So easy to fly. You know how easy it is to keep a kite in the air? It’s just that easy to fly.

“You take off like a grasshopper and land like a butterfly.”

It’s likely that Grant is the only 89-yearold belly dancing ultralight pilot in Cortez or just about anywhere. It’s not unusual, however, for this extraordinary woman to be singled out for her accomplishments.

Grant will highlight an impressive group of honorees at the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Hall of Fame banquet April 25 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Advance tickets are $50. Contact Ann Watkins at aewatkins@brightok.net.

Also being inducted are Janice Gibson of Tulsa, a former LPGA player and now director of the First Tee of Tulsa; Beth Stone, a Muskogee native and LPGA Tour member from 1960-1979 as well as serving as LPGA Pat Grant with the state amateur trophy in 1940. president in 1978-79, and posthumously Early on, Grant had one club, a putter.

Joan Blumenthal, who served as the sec- She used it all the way around, a training ond women’s golf coach at the University of she said helped her greatly with long irons Oklahoma and was also an LPGA teaching later. professional and strong advocate for junior “If you can hit it with a putter, the two-

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iron seems easy,” she said.

Her first experience with the game came on a miniature golf course near a church.

“I teed up that ball and let if fly,” she said.

“I thought I was going to be buying a stained glass window in the Methodist church.”

In 1934 as a freshman, Grant won the girls division of the state high-school tournament and won again in 1936 and 1937. She also competed well on the boys’ team, as Cushing had just one team.

Grant became a popular teammate. Men would invite her to their ladder tournaments and the ladies to their district events in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

“Mom said I could play with them if I didn’t slow them down.” Grant said.

In 1939 at Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville she won the first of four consecutive WOGA state championships. She won again in 1940 at Indian Springs in Broken Arrow, 1941 at Southern Hills CC in Tulsa and 1942 at Shawnee Elks CC. That streak was interrupted by World War II. Grant enlisted in the Women’s Air Corps, where she spent the next 22 years and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, a rank achieved by only 60 of the 10,000 women who served in the WAC. The Army, Grant said, was “the best travel agent in the world.” She served in unique positions around the globe, including as the personal escort officer for Eleanor Roosevelt when she toured Germany and in the adjutant’s office at the Nuremberg war crime trials. She was also the commanding officer of the WAC detachment at Fort McPherson, Ga., and oversaw the construction of a golf course in Fort McClellan, Ala. The Army encouraged Grant to continue playing and competing. She returned to Oklahoma to recapture the WOGA state championship in 1946 in Oklahoma City and in 1949 at Muskogee CC. She held her own against Patty Berg, Babe Zaharias and other top golfers of the day in events across the country, including the Titleholders, at that time the equivalent of the U.S. Women’s Open. She could have had a successful professional career of her own, but has no regrets.

“It was a great life,” she said of her military career. “To see history being made, whether or not you recognized it at the time, was just an awesome experience.”

Grant, who had earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Oklahoma Baptist University in 1942, entered St. Mary’s University law school in 1963, emerging in 1966 with a Juris Doctorate degree, magna cum laude. She practiced civil law in San Antonio for the next 30 years before retiring. She moved to Colorado in 1999.

Although her law practice kept her off the links more than she would have liked, Grant could still play when she had a mind to. She set a women’s course record of 66 at Pecan Valley, the site of the 1968 PGA Champion-

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ship won by Julius Boros.

Although she stopped playing golf regularly in her 70s, Grant has not stopped enjoying life. She took up belly dancing in her mid-80s to keep in shape and because it looked like fun.

“Have you seen those girls who can just move one muscle at a time?” Grant asked.

“That’s something else. I never took it that seriously, but I still do some of the movements to keep limber.”

Keeping limber and not taking it too seriously sounds like a good prescription for a long and happy life.

Janice Gibson

Janice Gibson often has to tell her young pupils in the First Tee of Tulsa program not to let one bad shot affect the next or cast a pall over the round.

It’s advice she couldn’t take herself during her LPGA career, particularly on the greens.

“I was pathological,” she said bluntly. “I would miss a putt and get so mad. I put way too much pressure on myself. I was never like that with anyone else. But I thought it was simple. There’s a ball and there’s a hole and it should go in.”

These days, she has a greater perspective.

When a First Tee student such as Anthony Taylor of Choteau, who is legally blind, comes in with a great attitude for his lesson, Gibson melts.

“It changes me as an individual,” she said.

“How can I complain about a three-foot putt. I have no worries.”

Gibson grew up playing golf at Meadowbrook Country Club and competed well in the state amateur, though she could never get past nine-time champion Patty McGrawCoatney in the finals.

Gibson joined the LPGA Tour in 1986 after a successful stint at Oklahoma State, followed by a short apprenticeship on the Futures Tour in which she won three times in seven events. She and husband David, who was her caddie, were traveling in an old Mazda: no house, no insurance, no regular job and lots of pressure.

“That lasted about one tournament and David went home to get a job,” Gibson said.

Daughter Jessica arrived that rookie year and Gibson only played in three events. She played 27 events in 1987, but only made eight cuts and earned just over $7,000. The following year she made seven cuts and just over $9,000. She spent a lot of lonely weekends practicing at the course while the other girls played the tournament.

Her dad Virgil was on the bag by now and David would come out on occasion. Times were tough.

“There were times we were out there and we would pull into a McDonald’s and not have enough money for the three of us to eat,” Gibson said. “We were literally digging up every coin we could find. David would feed Jessica and we would go on. Thank goodness in those days you could go to a ProAm somewhere on Mondays and make about $700 to get you through the next week.”

Gibson began to play much better in 1989 and enjoyed a solid career until 1998, when injuries forced her to give up competing full time. She had learned how to teach golf while working with Jack Higgins in the offseason at the Higgins Golf Academy in Broken Arrow and turned that second passion into a full-time calling when the First Tee sought her out.

Now Gibson has helped bring the joy of the game to thousands of youngsters of all economic and social backgrounds.

“It’s very rewarding for me to give kids an opportunity, especially the ones who appreciate it and want to do it. That’s really special to me.”

Gibson’s own passion to compete will never go away. She still loves to play in tournaments, including the occasional LPGA event. She has, however, learned to let go and enjoy the moment.

University of Oklahoma. She served as president of the LPGA in 1977 and 1978 and left the LPGA Tour with back problems in 1981.

For the past 27 years, Stone and former LPGA player JoAnn Prentiss along with more recent partner Pam Bailey have owned Golf Stop, a discount golf store and customfitting center in Tucson, Ariz.

Stone served as LPGA president shortly after Ray Volpe was hired as the first LPGA commissioner in 1975. The issues facing the tour at that time were not that different than today in that sponsors and television packages were a concern, but the framework has changed entirely.

“The LPGA got off the track when the American kids stopped practicing and playing as hard as the Korean kids,” Stone said, noting that for the sponsors and the proams there have to be good players from the United States or fans tend to lose interest.

Stone closely follows all the technological advances in golf and remarkably says she can drive the ball farther now than when she left the LPGA Tour. And this even though she hasn’t played a round since 2007.

“It really is incredible what technology has done,” she said. “It’s a much better situation for the average player.”

Joan Blumenthal

Inducted posthumously will be Joan Blumenthal, the second coach of the women’s golf program at the University of Oklahoma.

She coached OU from 1975-82, leading the Sooners to Big Eight titles in 1978 and 1981.

She coached OU to nine tournament victories overall and was also an LPGA teaching professional and strong advocate of junior golf.

Blumenthal was an active fund-raiser for the United Way and was named the OU sports promotions coordinator in 1982. She resigned in 1984 due to medical reasons and passed away in 1985 at the age of 53 after a battle with cancer.

WOGA member Louise Blumenthal was Beth Stone married to Joan’s son Max, who also passed A Muskogee native, Beth Stone won the away at age 53 with a heart problem. She state high-school championship in 1955 and remembers Joan as a second mother and a 1956, won the WOGA woman of integrity.

Junior Championship “She played the game by the rules and twice, prevailed in truly believed that if you weren’t playing by the State Amateur in the rules, you weren’t playing the game,” 1960 and went on to a Louise said. “She gave 150 percent to every19-year career on the thing she did and expected the same out of LPGA Tour in which everyone else. she finished runner-up “She was friendly and had a good sense in five events. of humor, but you never had to wonder how Stone was also the you stood with Joan because she told you. first woman to earn a She had very strong character and a very varsity letter on the men’s golf team at the strong personality.”

South Central Golf Magazine • www.southcentralgolf.com

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Howard Sherwood has built many top golf courses in the region.

Howard Sherwood

If he builds them, golfers will come

By Mal Elliott A quarter of a century ago, Wichita’s Sherwood Construction took on a project of installing a sprinkler system at two municipal golf courses – Sim Park and Clapp Park. It was a small beginning of something big in the golf world.

Howard Sherwood, chairman emeritus of the board of Sherwood Construction, is a low-key, second-generation construction executive with a high-profile reputation. He is also a partner in Wildcat Construction, an affiliated company that has built four of the finest golf courses in Kansas in the past 10-plus years.

His two best are Flint Hills National Golf Club near Andover and the Colbert Hills course, located in those same Flint Hills farther north near Manhattan. The course was created by Jim Colbert, the former Senior PGA Tour money champion, to enhance the golf program at his alma mater, Kansas State.

That is also where the name of Sherwood’s Wildcat Construction firm came from. He has long been associated with KState. The Colbert Hills course is the basis for a foundation that is turning the Kansas State campus into one of the PGA’s official training grounds for golf-course managers and superintendents. Sherwood is chairman of the board for that program.

Flint Hills National has been ranked

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among the top 50 courses in the country while Auburn Hills is Wichita’s deluxe municipal layout. Colbert Hills, carved out of the rocky hills north of Manhattan, is considered a severe test of shot-making, stretching out to 7,525 yards from the back tees and carrying a par of 72 and a course rating of 77.4.

Colbert Hills has already been the host for one NCAA regional tournament and hopes to land another in 2011.

How did Sherwood’s Wildcat Construction get the job of building these courses?

Sherwood is a close friend of Tom Devlin, who built a fortune with rent-to-own franchises and hired Tom Fazio, a superstar among golf architects, to create Flint Hills.

Sherwood said he is grateful to Devlin for convincing Fazio that Sherwood could do the job.

“After all, Fazio’s name was on the line,” said Sherwood.

Devlin was right. The course has had nothing but rave reviews. It is Devlin’s dream come true. Fazio was skeptical but gradually accepted the arrangement.

“Fazio is a guarded personality,” said Sherwood. “I can’t say he ever patted us on the back, but he was proud of what we did.

I know he was.”

Sherwood Construction also did some of the construction work on Oklahoma’s newest private course, The Patriot in Owasso, a Robert Trent Jones II design.

The first course that Sherwood built from start to finish was The Heritage, in Johnson County near Kansas City. The architect on that one was the late Don Sechrest, who designed Terradyne Resort and Country Club east of Wichita. Sherwood did not land the Terradyne job but last year completed a Terradyne renovation that included a threehole practice facility and driving range.

Sherwood also built The Heritage, another Sechrest design, an upscale course in the Kansas City area.

Wildcat Construction was low bidder on the contract to build Auburn Hills west of Wichita in 2000. But Sherwood said his firm does not aggressively go after such jobs.

Golf-course building is not a high-dollar venture but is a “niche” business for Wildcat construction.

Most of the business Sherwood Construction does out of its offices in Wichita, Tulsa and Oklahoma City is street and highway construction, which can run in the hundreds of millions of dollars, compared with tens of millions for golf courses. Golf courses can be built for $10 million to $25 million, according to a posting at the Golf Course Builders’ Association website.

“You can build them cheaper than that,” said Sherwood. “Auburn Hills cost about seven and a half million.”

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Please see Sherwood, Page 28

• South Central Golf Magazine

Tournaments for all Opportunities for pros, amateurs

By Ken MacLeod From semi-professional mini-tours to amateur circuits, the opportunities for golfers to compete on a regular basis have never been greater -- perhaps to the detriment of some traditional tournament venues.

There are now four separate tours operating in Oklahoma where players can pay entry fees and then compete for a portion of those in return. Each has a full schedule of events planned for 2010. Each tour is slightly different in what it charges, how much it pays out, how it deals with handicapping issues, but all offer the opportunity to “put your money where your mouth is.”

The Twin Peaks Tour

associations.

But there are other competitive opportunities as well. The Golf Channel Amateur Tour, for instance, has full schedules in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. With the exception of certain “major” events, the tournaments are typically one-day affairs offering gift certificates and trophies. The tours track statistics and offer points and the chance to compete in regional and national events.

Golf Channel Tour events play in threesomes and all groups are expected to play in 4:30 or less. Time has been an issue with all the tours as golfers always seem to grind to a halt in tournament formats.

Website: www.golfchannel.com/amateurtour Membership fee: $199 Standard entry fee: $105 Flights: Six flights if sufficient participation.

The Twin Peaks Tour is not as much about the cash, although the top flight will play for pay. As tour founder Chad Morrison describes it, the tour will be about fun.

Morrison has six flights and expects the majority of his players to have handicaps in excess of 20. He will have the Twin Peaks girls out to help hand out awards at the conclusion of each tournament.

Website: www.twinpeaksgolftour.com Membership fee: $60 Standard entry fee: $80 Flights: 0-4, 4.1-8, 8.1-12. 12.1-16, 16.1-20, Traditional formats for competition exist 20.1-above. through country clubs and groups such as the Tulsa Golf Association (www.tulsagolfasThe Oklahoma Pro Golf Golf Channel Amateur Tour sociation.com) or Golf Inc. (www.golfincokc.

Competitive golf on the local level has com) in Oklahoma City. Almost all cities in Tour (O-Tour) traditionally been for amateurs unless the section have at least a match-play and Heading into its third season, the tour one was an actual PGA professional. The four-ball championship. In Tulsa, there is was purchased in January by a group led by Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas state golf also an eight-event schedule for the Tulsa Keith Coleman of Muskogee. It has grown associations offer a full menu of competi- Men’s Golf Association of events either at from 40 members in 2008 to 130 this spring tive events for the better players. Many city Page Belcher or Mohawk Park (www.tuland the current schedule has 16 events rang- organizations do also, as well as clubs and sagolf.org). ing from March 16 to Oct. 16. individual courses through their men’s golf Website: www.otourgolf.com Membership fee: $100 Standard entry fee: $125 including greens fees and cart.

Flights: 0-9 and 10-18

The Fairway Golf Tour

Burt Rieck has been operating the Fairway Golf Tour out of Edmond since 2001.

He wonders if four similar tours can all survive.

“Having four tours is going to be tough,” Rieck said. “I know how hard it is to get players to come out in this format. My players aren’t going anywhere.”

The Fairway Golf Tour has approximately 80 members and plays numerous events in Texas as well as Oklahoma.

Website: Fairwaygolftour.com Membership fee: $100 Standard entry fee: $125 Flights: Senior and non-senior

Long Shots Golf Tour

The Long Shots Tour is another new one for 2010. It was founded by Stephen Riley, a graphic artist from Dallas who moved to Edmond and had played in similar events in Texas. He has a 16-event schedule for 2010.

Website: www.longshotstour.com Membership fee: $100 Standard entry fee: $129 Flights: 0-9, 10-above

South Central Golf Magazine • www.southcentralgolf.com

21

MoRodz a hit at PGA Show

By Art Stricklin All Miami, Oklahoma’s Ryan Neel and Gus Russell wanted to accomplish by making their first appearance at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida this January, was to gain some extra notice for their golf alignment aids, MoRodz.

Maybe meet a few people, take a couple of orders, lay the groundwork for future sales, perhaps even get some extra sun at the Florida pool, if possible.

The two golf entrepreneurial dreamers never imagined their products would be one of the instant hits of the show, drawing international attention, tens of thousands of dollars worth of sales and a week-long sales stampede from which they’re still recovering.

“The show exceeded our wildest expectations,” said Russell, who personally helped drive the product down from their small facility in Miami.

“This has been my baby for a year and a half and to see it expand like this is just amazing,” Neel added.

The pair, who have dabbled in the golf business for many years, had never been to the annual PGA Golf Merchandise Show before, but felt their product – light fiberglass golf alignment rods, which could be customized – needed to be shown to a larger audience.

Hugely successful products like Adams Golf and SoftSpikes have received their national start at the PGA Show and every year there are plenty of golf dreamers hoping they will be the next big thing.

In 2009, MoRodz had become successful in the South Central Region, taking part in some junior tournaments, but the company had never showcased its product nationally.

“We wanted to go down there for the U.S. market, we never dreamed we would be dealing with the product all over the world,” said Neel, a lifelong resident of Miami.

But that’s just what happened as vendors from across the U.S. and other countries caught a glimpse of the golf alignment rods and saw the potential for customization.

“We wrote tens of thousands of dollars of new business just at the PGA Show,” Russell said. “It was crazy with all the people coming by. Just a whirlwind.”

Among some of the biggest new clients

22

Ryan Neal and Gus Russell show off the popular alignment rods in Miami, Okla. to take MoRodz international is Premier Licensing in the United Kingdom. It has the exclusive agreement with the English Premier League, the top level of soccer in the UK. Premier ordered the rods with a variety of motivational slogans on them, one of the most unique and successful niches of the local product.

“They are colorful, stylish, customizable,” Russell said. “Golf teachers can use them like a business card. Schools and junior academies can use them to promote their teams and facilities. We can print anything.”

The famous Sea Island Academy in Sea Island, Georgia, purchased a few dozen tworod tubes to use with its upscale clientele and large academy.

Russell said MoRodz are now being used as unique arrival gifts for charity or junior tournaments.

Neel, 30, first got the idea while watching golfers using just plain steel and fiberglass rods on the range, which they had purchased at a local hardware store, as alignment aids.

Russell, who moved back to Miami a few years ago to be closer to his mother, saw stories on professional golfers Annika Sorenstam and Phil Mickelson using the rods to help them get alignment for proper shots on the practice range.

“It’s such a simple product,” Neel said.

“Everybody can use one, but it was my idea to add color and style to the basics.”

Russell’s expertise had come from TV and various product sales. Now he’s promoting the newest and most colorful golf product, which can be used in a variety of ways.

“It seemed like a good investment and we covered our cost and much, much more

Photo by Nate Neel

early in the show,” he said.

After driving their product more than 1,000 miles from Miami, to the massive Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, the group of MoRodz employees, supporters and friends, including Neel’s brother Keith, a golf pro at Peoria Ridge in Miami, took turns working the booth.

“So many different people came by, it was just a whirlwind,” Russell said. “We’re just trying to ride the momentum now.”

The explosive growth has already forced Neel to find some additional space in the Miami Business Park, near the edge of town, and prepare for the new wave of expansion and orders.

“We’re just trying to catch up and keep up now, but it’s a wonderful thing.” Neel said. “We are just excited to expand and see where it all goes.”

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• South Central Golf Magazine

Hey good looking!

Fourteen Golf impresses at show

By Ed Travis Every golfer who sees the TC-910 irons, the latest model from Fourteen Golf, seems to have the same reaction: “Wow, these are really good looking irons.” In a world where club makers, by attempting to produce ever more forgiving designs, are producing clubs that aren’t especially pleasing to the eye, these irons stand out.

Fourteen showed them for the first time at the PGA Merchandise Show last January and admits the TC-910s are targeted at professionals and better playing amateurs.

However, for those of any handicap visually turned off by other irons having large offsets, thick top lines and wide soles, these are very appealing.

The TC-910 forged irons have a traditionally sized head with only a small amount of offset and a slightly rounded sole. Grooves are milled in the face and trapezoidal in cross section rather than V-shaped but still complying with the revised USGA regulations. Sets of 3-iron through pitching wedge are available at a suggested retail of $1,199.

Fourteen’s ‘PR speak’ about these goodlooking irons is appropriate. “The goal was to design a clean cavity-back iron that combines a lower CG and MOI with the classic forged feel.” During the years they spent perfecting the design Fourteen says a premium was placed on producing an iron for better players to give them the ability to work the ball to complement their better swings.

Chief Operating Officer Marcy Kamoda puts it, “The engineering team met their objective and more. These irons exceed the performance demands of our professionals but they are also forgiving enough to help the lower handicap golfers.”

An outside validation was given the TC910s when Golf Digest placed them on the “Hot List” this year in the Players category.

Fourteen Golf is new to U.S. golfers but has been in business since 1981 and until 10 years ago under the guidance of club designer Takamitsu Takebayashi engineered clubs for other companies. In fact, some of golf’s biggest names employed Fourteen’s designs. In 2000 Fourteen decided to begin manufacturing its own brand of clubs and

has been doing so with success in Japan and Asia. Now entering the American market, Kamoda said the strategy is to gain visibility first with their forged wedges and irons and then move on to the other clubs it makes.

The company name comes from the allowable number of clubs golfers can carry.

Fourteen does not just make irons for good players. For example the TC-550 forged irons are similar to TC-910s but made with mid-handicap golfers in mind. There is also a super game improvement PC-66X line which boasts tungsten weighting in the neck and a two-piece cavity back.

Fourteen is best known for its wedges, especially the MT-28 and the newest version, the MT-28V5.

The lineup is complete with men’s and women’s clubs from drivers to putters.

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23

KGA Views Kim Richey

KGA Executive Director With the centennial Kansas Amateur Championship as its centerpiece, to be contested this July at storied Prairie Dunes Country Club, the Kansas Golf Association’s 2010 Championship schedule figures to be one for the record books.

The 2010 KGA Championship schedule is highlighted by the 100th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship to be played at Prairie Dunes Country Club, July 19-25. The entry fee has been lowered, and the “lastchance qualifier� should bring out the best amateur Kansas golfers for this historic championship.

This year’s Championship docket includes competition for players of varying skill levels at ages from juniors only beginning their golf careers to the most seasoned of veterans and, as always, includes stops at many of the Sunflower State’s top facilities.

If you like to compete and golf is your game, then the KGA has a championship for you. And, it’s probably close enough to your home that you can sleep in your own bed! Even if your handicap is higher than “scratch�, many KGA events have a net competition, so you can still play and

compete for a title and a prize. Juniors, mid-amateurs and seniors all have multiple opportunities to play in professionally administered events at our state’s best venues while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow players. Bring a friend and give your skills a test!

Online entry for KGA Championships is underway at https://www.ghintpp.com/kga/TPPOnlineGolfer/logon.aspx or you can obtain paper entry forms at the address. Forms are also available at the KGA office, 1201 Wakarusa Dr., Suite B5, Lawrence, Kan., 66049 or by calling (785) 842-4833.

Three events set in May

The 2010 championship schedule kicks off in early May with the Mid-Amateur Championship at Meadowbrook Golf and Country Club in Prairie Village. Thirty-six holes of stroke play are planned for players 25 and older on May 3-4. There will be gross and net divisions for players 25-34, 35-44 and 45 and older. Players must be at least 25 years old by May 3. Last year, University of Kansas men’s golf coach Kit Grove won a three-man playoff on the first hole at Basehor’s Falcon Lakes to claim his Mid-Am title. Deadline for entry to the 2010 edition is April 26.

On May 17-18, the KGA moves to central Kansas for the 2010 Senior Four-Ball Championship at Salina Country Club. Thirty-six

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holes of four-ball stroke play are planned in three senior divisions: championship (gross scoring only), net (net scoring only) and super senior (both players must be 65 or older). The championship division will be contested from a longer set of tees than the other two divisions, according to championship officials. Last year, Raytown, Mo.’s Steve Groom and Kansas City’s Andy Smith teamed to grab the Four-Ball title by three shots at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course in Spring Hill. The deadline for entry to the 2010 version is set for May 10.

The Association closes out a busy first month of tournaments with its annual Public Links Championship May 22-23 at Manhattan’s Colbert Hills Golf Club. The home of the Kansas State Wildcats will be the site for two rounds of stroke play in gross and net divisions for public golf course players 25 and younger, 26-49 and 50 and older.

Wichita’s Steve Newman held off Kansas City’s Don Kuehn and Sterling High School standout/2010 KGA Junior Player of the Year Michael Gellerman to win the 2009 Public Links at Newton’s Sand Creek Station by four strokes. The deadline for entry to the 2010 Pub Links is set for May 14.

Lawrence’s Alvamar Golf Club is the place to be as the KGA kicks off its championship slate for golf’s biggest summer month. The Kansas Four-Ball Championship is set for June 7-11 and comes to the 36-hole facility, home of the Kansas Jayhawks, for the seventh straight time and the 10th time in the last 11 seasons. Two-man teams face rounds of four-ball stroke play qualifying on each of Alvamar’s public and private courses. The top 32 reams in the Open division move on to match play. The top 16 teams in the Masters division (for golfers 40 and older) qualify for match play. Last year, Overland Park brothers Curtis and Kyle Yonke downed KU golfers Andrew Storm and Bobby Knowles 1 up to claim their first Four-Ball title. Baldwin City’s Mike Grosdidier and Topeka’s Gary Lucas claimed the 2009 Masters crown with a 5&4 triumph over Wichita’s Mark Steiner and Lawrence’s Michael Rack. The deadline for entry to the 2010 Four-Ball is set for May 31.

KGA junior golfers move into the spotlight later in the month as Pittsburg’s Crestwood Country Club hosts the Junior Amateur Championship on June 14-17. Fifty-four holes of stroke play are planned in five age divisions, 18, 17, 16, 15, and 14 and younger.

A cut to the low 15 players and ties in each division will be made after 36 holes. A practice round is included in the entry fee and is set for June 14. Last year, Wellington’s Myles Miller overcame some difficult weather conditions at Emporia Municipal and held off Gellerman by two shots to win his first Junior Am title. The deadline for the 2010 Junior Amateur is slated for June 4.

Late in June, KGA juniors make a return

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• South Central Golf Magazine

to Manhattan’s Stagg Hill Golf Club, this time for the Junior Team Championship.

The June 28-28 event includes four-ball stroke play and foursome alternate shot rounds over the public Stagg Hill layout, site of the 2008 KGA Junior Amateur Championship. Last year, Sterling’s Gellerman and Florence’s Elliott Soyez dominated at Lawrence’s Eagle Bend Golf Course, winning their Team title by three shots. The deadline for entry to the 2010 event is set for June 21.

The pinnacle of the Kansas amateur golf season comes in July and this year it holds even more excitement as the 100th Kansas Amateur Match-Play Championship will be contested at legendary Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson. Some of the state and region’s best amateur players will convene on the Perry and Press Maxwell gem July 19-25 as two rounds of stroke-play qualifying are held before the top 64 players move on to the match play bracket.

“With the history of Prairie Dunes, and the championships that we have hosted, this should be a great venue for the 100th Amateur,” says John Lanham, head PGA professional at Prairie Dunes. “We’ve done some remodel work the last couple years, adding some new tees, new bunkers. (Architects) Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw did some design work and took a look at some old pictures of Perry Maxwell’s work which showed some closely-mown areas around the greens. When he originally designed it we mowed the rough down to fairway height so it would add a lot of options. If it gets windy and the greens are firm it can really be a tough challenge.”

Competitors can qualify for the state’s biggest championship through one of the exempt status criteria or become eligible through one of the local qualifiers this summer, including June 11 at Salina Country Club, June 21 at Sand Creek Station in Newton, June 23 at The Golf Club of Southwind in Garden City, June 24 at Sycamore Ridge in Spring Hill, and June 30 at Eagle Bend in Lawrence. This summer players will even have a second chance to qualify at the “lastchance qualifier” at Alvamar Golf Club on July 7.

Last year, former Washburn University standout Matt Ewald won the Amateur title at Kansas City Country Club. The Leawood golfer had just completed his NCAA Div. II eligibility and became just the second player in 18 years to earn Kansas Amateur medalist honors and then go on to claim the title. Ewald defeated Stanford University standout Dodge Kemmer of Wichita 7&5 in the championship match.

In 1993, the last time the Amateur came to Prairie Dunes, Lawrence’s Matt Gogel defeated Overland Park’s Marty Sallaz for the second of his back-to-back titles. Leawood’s John Hess was medalist.

OGA Views Mark Felder

OGA Executive Director 2010 marks the 100th year of the Oklahoma Golf Association. As the year goes on we will highlight some past champions of OGA events. This month we will focus on our joining of the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour and the Oklahoma Golf Association.

We are excited to have Morri Rose as our Director of the junior tour. Morri brings years of junior golf experience to the OGA. The Oklahoma State Junior Championship started in 1954 and here is a list of prominent champions:

1959 – Labron Harris, Jr. (U.S. Amateur Champion) 1964 – Jim Deaton (Head Golf Professional at Bay Hill) 1966 – Mark Hayes (PGA Tour Champion) 1973 – David Edwards (PGA Tour & Senior Tour Champion) 1979 – Mark Fuller (Head Golf Professional Oak Tree Country Club)

Recent Champions

2004 – Blaine Butner (East Central University)

2005 – Mark Johnson (Oklahoma State University) 2006 – Taylor Artman (Oklahoma City University) 2007 – Talor Gooch (Oklahoma State Signee) 2008 – Andrew Green (University of Central Oklahoma) 2009 – Hunter Sparks (Wichita State University)

This year’s Junior Championship will be held at Kickingbird Golf Course in Edmond on June 7-10. Our junior tour has 25 events scheduled throughout the state with the Tour Championship played in October at Lincoln Park in Oklahoma City. We also have the Red River Team Challenge being played at Dornick Hills in Ardmore in October. For all tournament dates and further information consult our website at www. okgolf.org.

Don’t forget to sign up for the South Central Golf eNewsletter at www.southcentralgolf.com!

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Instruction Zone Pat McTigue

GolfTEC, Tulsa

Golf is simple. Get the ball in the hole. The golf swing, on the other hand, is immensely complex. It is a series of unnatural positions and movements that somehow have to come together at impact to produce acceptable ball flight. To make improvement, and then get it to the golf course requires a delicate blend of working on mechanics and learning to trust them enough to trot them out in front of our fellow golfers.

Ball flight is a result of everything that happened prior to impact, beginning at address (and in some cases what we did the night before!). If we make a change to either address, takeaway, top of the backswing or downswing, it will change the next position in the swing and ultimately ball flight. The problem lies in the fact that when you make a correction in one or more of those positions, we haven’t yet corrected the compensating move that we trained into our swing back when we were out of position. Simply put, that explains why correcting a swing flaw often doesn’t produce better results im-

PGA Views Barry Thompson

SCS Executive Director The South Central Section Foundation is a little over a year old and is looking forward to continue growing with the support from everyone. The Foundation is the charitable arm of the section and is a non-profit corporation. The education and charitable purposes of the foundation include: Educational Funding: Includes Scholarships, Seminars, Underprivileged Education, Historical Preservation and Resource Material and Publications.

Community Service Funding: Includes Drug Free Programs, Public Relief, Underprivileged Work Programs, Ecological & Open Space Program,s Underprivileged Recreational Programs and Outreach Programs.

Golf Community Funding: Includes Junior Golf Programs, Public Clinics & Exhibitions, Underprivileged Golf Programs and Professional Golf Management Universities Benevolent Funding: Includes Relief for Indigent Persons and Rehabilitative Processes.

One great opportunity that people can do to help support our foundation is to purchase our Oklahoma specialty license plate for just $35.00. To learn more about the license plate other ways that you can contribute and support this charitable organization please visit: www.southcentral.pga.

26

mediately. Your hands and arms are used to compensating for an incorrect position, and it takes some time for it to adapt to a more correct position. If we’re trying to play decent golf at the same time it is a recipe for frustration.

Start making swing changes your pro suggested at home, in front of a mirror or window reflection, where we can monitor the positions. Then go to the range and work on changes primarily with short irons that we’re not trying to hit for distance. Consistency will be hit and miss at first, but with some repetition you should start to see better results. As the results get better, start to work up through the bag.

When heading out to the golf course for a round, it is time to simplify. While warming up, don’t try to do too much. Stretch out, get loose, and start with any setup issues, i.e. grip, stance, alignment etc. Then it’s time to decide what our swing key is for the day, and see what kind of ball flight that produces. Notice that I said swing key, not keys. There is a finite number of swing keys we can have in a one-second golf swing, and I’m pretty sure that number is one. Two is pushing it. I also suggest making that swing key an active one, like turning the body

through toward the target, driving the right knee or turning the hips. Restrictive swing thoughts are better left to the practice sessions.

We’ve all seen a golfer (or been the golfer) that stays frozen over a shot for 15 seconds at address before takeaway. It is not hard to imagine that he or she has about eight swing thoughts bouncing around upstairs.

Is there any chance of hitting an acceptable shot? Doubtful. Instead, commit to releasing tension, focus on the one key you had on the range and trusting that you can reproduce the ball flight you saw on the range.

By the way, it is the definition of insanity to hit 32 consecutive slices on the range, then stand up on the first tee aiming up the right side to hit a draw. Dance with the one who brung ya’.

Pro golfers have a good motto about practicing before a round, which is “If you didn’t bring it with you, you’re not going to find it here”. Playing better golf and shooting lower scores is way more about your worst shots than your best shots, so quit trying to hit perfect shots and play the shot that you’re capable of with the swing you have today.

Contact Pat McTigue at 918-622-3968.

com and click on the SCS Foundation tab on the left.

The Section would like to thank Cary Cozby, Wichita Country Club for giving his time and leadership as an officer of the section for the last eight years. We appreciate everything he has done and look forward to his continued support as our Honorary President the next two years and as a member and mentor for years to come.

Elected by membership at our annual Spring Business meeting was President Cimarron Grubb, Belmar Golf Club; VicePresident Brian Soerensen, Kickingbird Golf Club; and new to the slate of officers is Secretary Peter Vitali, Gaillardia Country Club. The Section is excited to move forward with our new officers and continue in the direction that current and past officers have set forth.

Congratulations to our Section Award Winners: Golf Professional – Cary Cozby, Wichita Country Club Assistant Golf Professional – Nick Muller, Wichita Country Club Junior Golf Leader – Bart Craig, El Dorado Golf & Country Club Teacher of the Year – EJ Pfister, Gaillardia Country Club Bill Strausbaugh – Dan Snider, The Alotian Club Horton Smith – Cimarron Grubb, Belmar Golf Club Resort Merchandiser – Barry Howard, Hot Springs Country Club

Private Merchandiser – Cary Cozby, Wichita Country Club Public Merchandiser – Eddie Roethlisberger, Big Creek Golf & Country Club Presidents Plaque – Cimarron Grubb, Belmar Golf Club Our Player of the Year was Kyle Flinton, Quail Creek Golf & Country Club, Senior Player of the Year - Ned Goyne, Sims Park Golf Course and tied for the Assistant Player of Year was: Travis Hurst, Belmar Golf Club and Tyler Carson, The Oaks Country Club.

Also at our Spring Meeting we honored Tim Crockett, Cleveland Golf as our Salesman of the Year.

The section was proud to have inducted to our Hall of Fame, Randy Beaver for his years of service to the game of golf and the section. His son Mitch Beaver, along with other members of his family, were there to accept his award.

The South Central Section Junior Tour membership registration is now open and available online! We have gone paperless and membership registration and tournament entries will all be done online. New also this year is our Lil Tyke tour that is specifically for 5-8 year olds. This group will focus more on the early fundamentals of playing golf and the basic rules. It is a great way to introduce the game to children and their parents in our community at an early age and get them started in our Junior Tour.

Please go to our new website: www.southcentral.pga.com to find out more about our Foundation, Junior Tour, and much more!

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Rules of Golf Gene Mortensen

OGA Rules Official Just as Lord Tennyson was about to create a wonderful idea for golfers, his wife must have walked into the room and you can imagine the rest. What would have served as the universal signal to prepare for the season was instead, and unfortunately, transposed into just another romantic verse.

Another moment in history gone awry.

Well . . . it is Spring and, just as Tennyson would have wanted, we turn our thoughts to the Grand Game. And, in that process, it might be helpful to review some of the basic Rules which you will apply in almost every competition.

We will begin this discussion with clubs.

You may carry up to 14 clubs during a competition and it makes no difference how you mix or match that number. Some touring pros carry three wedges. Should you damage a club during ordinary play, use it or repair it. If it is damaged to the extent that it could not be repaired, replace it. If you damage a club otherwise (giving a tree an attitude adjustment) it may not be used again during the round. With the discussion on the new standard for grooves it is imperative that you know which equipment is permitted. Accordingly, as you enter each event, you might examine the entry forms to see what those requirements will be.

The ball you use in competition must be on the approved list. This list is lengthy so if there is any doubt, ask the starter before your round begins. The ball you pick out of the hole should be the same one you played from the tee. You may not substitute a ball unless permitted by the Rules. While it is not required, you should use a marker and put your initial or other identifying mark on your ball. If this marking is large enough for you to see as you look down at the ball, everyone else can see it too.

A Water Hazard is defined by yellow stakes and/or lines. A pond in front of a green is an example. If your ball comes to rest in a Water Hazard you may: (a). play it as it lies; or (b). drop a ball at the spot at which the original ball was last played; or, (c). drop a ball on the extension of the imaginary line which runs from the flagstick through the point where your ball last crossed the margin into the hazard. In taking relief from this condition, you keep the hazard between you and the point where you will drop a ball. And . . . there is no “line of flight” relief so don’t try to guess the flight your ball must have taken to determine the spot to take your drop. Using as your reference point the place where the ball crossed into the hazard is quick to establish and reliable.

A Lateral Water Hazard is defined by red stakes and/or lines. The stream that runs along the fairway is an example. With a Lateral Water Hazard you have the same options which are available for a Water Hazard AND, you may drop a ball within two club lengths of the point where your ball last crossed the margin of the hazard.

An Obstruction is man made. If it can be removed (discarded cup, rake in a bunker), you may do so and replace your ball if it moves as a direct result of removing the Obstruction. If the Obstruction cannot be moved (a cart path, sprinkler head, irrigation control box), you take relief, without penalty. Relief is taken in two steps: (a). establish the nearest point of relief; and, (b) drop your ball within one (1) club length of that point. If it is known that a ball is lost in an Obstruction, for relief purposes the ball is deemed to lie at the spot where it crossed the outermost limit of the Obstruction.

A Loose Impediment is anything created by the Almighty. A twig, leaf, or stone are examples. If a Loose Impediment is found near your ball in play, remove the Loose Impediment but be careful not to move the ball in the process as Rule 18 applies.

If your ball and the Loose Impediment lie in the same hazard, you may not touch or remove it. Sand and soil take on the status of a Loose Impediment when they are on the putting green. So you may brush them aside on the green but not elsewhere.

You may declare your ball “Unplayable” anywhere except in a water hazard. For example, your ball lies in exposed tree roots and you fear breaking a club or an elbow if you play it. Under penalty of one stroke, drop a ball: (a) at the point where you last played; or, (b) imagine a line between the flagstick and the point where your ball lies and drop anywhere on an extension of that imaginary line; or (c) within two club lengths of where it lay. Be careful with this last option because if the ball comes to rest again in the same “Unplayable” condition, you start over with an additional one stroke penalty; there is no free drop. If your ball is in a bunker you may take relief but in using options b and c, a ball must be dropped in that bunker.

In the previous discussion we talked about “dropping” as the form of relief. Only the player can drop his ball. The player stands erect and raises the ball to be level with his shoulder. And, in each instance, the drop must not be nearer the hole than where it lay.

Everyone should fully understand Rule 18 – Ball at Rest Moved. Lots of issues are raised under this Rule and, having a working understanding of it will save valuable time and grief. Essentially, if you accidentally move your ball, add one penalty stroke and “replace” the ball. So when you make a practice stroke and cause your ball to

South Central Golf Magazine • www.southcentralgolf.com

move in doing so, put it back on the original spot. If you fail to replace your ball and play it from its new location, add two penalty strokes to your score. In a stroke play event all fellow competitors have the status of an “outside agency” so if a player in your group moves your ball there is not penalty and the ball is replaced. You may replace it or ask the person who moved it to simply put it back.

In Rule 19 we see that if you deflect or stop your ball in motion after a stroke, you incur one penalty stroke and play the ball as it lies. If a ball is deflected by an “outside agency” (remember who is in that group) there is no penalty and is played as it lies.

I saved the best until last; Rule 13. This Rule applies every time a player lines up his shot, takes a stance, completes the stroke and drops a ball. Accordingly, this Rule is the one which is, in my opinion, most often violated. Remember the basic premise of golf; play the course as you find it . . . and the ball as it lies? Well this Rule was enacted to see that the ideal is maintained in every competition. The Rule prohibits any action in respect to the lie of the ball, the area of your intended swing, your line of play and the area in which you will drop a ball. In other words, everything you do to make a stroke. Don’t move bend or break anything growing or attached. Don’t create or eliminate an irregularity of the surface.

Don’t press down replaced divots or loose soil. In a bunker don’t test the surface by raking the footprints of the group in front of you.

If we all left the course in better condition than when we found it there would be less difficulty in the application of this Rule and we should all strive to do that.

Good luck to you this Season.

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ASGA Views

Maumelle hosts the other senior major – seThe climax of the ASGA golfing season nior/super-senior stroke play Aug. 20-22. will be the annual Golf Awards Banquet Rounding out 2010 is the Club Champions at Chenal Country Club Oct. 29 – the 17th Jay N. Fox Tournament in Hot Springs Village and sea- class of Hall of Fame inductees. All ASGA ASGA Executive Director son-ending cup matches – all in the month Players of the Year and PGA Chapter award of October. The only way to qualify for the winners will be crowned!

This has been by far the coldest, wettest ASGA Club Champions Championship is to For ASGA tournament entries or to check and longest winter of my nearly 51 years on be the respective club champion in men, se- results, log onto www.asga.org and for PGA this earth and I have been waiting for spring nior men, women or senior women at ASGA Junior Tour information, check out the to arrive in the worst way. But just like the member clubs and courses. brand new www.arkansaspga.com. old saying about Arkansas weather: if you don’t like it, stick around for 30 minutes and it will change. start to finish.

And change it did. On the official last Continued from page 20 Sherwood said he is semi-retired and son day of winter (March 19) the temperature David is chairman of the board. But he is still climbed into the low 70s as golfers played He pointed out that was the complete going strong. He is a trustee with the Kansas across the Natural State in short sleeves. job. Construction costs alone were around Sports Hall of Fame, is a board member of But as soon as we thought Old Man Winter $11.5 million at Flint Hills National and Col- the Wichita Sports Commission and heads was gone, he dumped a foot a snow in the bert Hills. That does not include the cost of up Jim Colbert’s golf program at K-State. He northwest corner – ironically on March 20 land, course designer and all the structures. has also served as president of two country – the official first day of spring.

There are also other costs. Sherwood is in clubs – Crestview and Wichita CC. Get ready to play golf, Arkansas, as the the process of putting white sand from ArDoes he have any new projects in his ASGA has once again lined up a fantastic kansas in all the bunkers at Colbert Hills, a sights? schedule for men and women golfers of all multi-million dollar project.

“We’ve been talking with the Prairie Band ages and abilities – and one of the nation’s The Colbert Foundation took occupan- Casino group. You know a lot of Indian best junior programs as well as the PGA Ju- cy of its new clubhouse at Colbert Hills in tribes are building golf courses to go with nior Tour.

March. their casinos. But I don’t know how serious Highlighting the ASGA schedule for 2010 So Sherwood’s golf business is a labor of they are.” includes the Inaugural ASGA Women’s & love, not dollars. He can pick and choose In the world of golf, builders are not as Senior Women’s Stroke Play Champion- the projects that appeal to him. Sherwood well known as the financial backers or deship July 19-21 at Hot Springs Country Club. said he thinks Wildcat Construction is the signers of highly rated golf playgrounds. But Four “designated” tournaments for women only company in Kansas that can do all Sherwood is no stranger in such circles. and senior women in Fort Smith, El Dorado, phases of golf-course construction from Pine Bluff and Russellville and players of the year for women and senior women are also additions for 2010.

Other women’s tournaments, which are regular events on the ASGA schedule, in“Competition that clude the Two-Woman Scramble at Hot lasts a lifetime” Springs CC May 26-27; Parent-Child at Hot Springs Village’s Cortez Course June 27; Club Team at Maumelle CC Sept. 27-28 and Mixed Team has a brand new home in 2010 – Shadow Valley Country Club in Rogers Oct. 9-10.

The ASGA flagship tournament – Monk Wade Father & Son Tournament – will be Junior Tour June 21-22 at Greystone Country Club in Girls & Boys Cabot as both the Mountain Springs and Ages 9 to 18 Cypress Creek courses will host the 400 fathers and sons. Cypress Creek will also Membership $75.00 host the men’s stroke play 10 days prior to the father-son.

Lil Tyke Tour Foxwood Golf Club in Jacksonville reGirls & Boys turns as host to the Mountain Valley Junior Ages 5 to 8 Boys and Girls Match Play June 14-17 and Membership $40.00 the historic Texarkana Country Club hosts the Mountain Valley Junior Boys and Girls Stroke Play July 27-29.

Hurricane Country Club in Bryant will On-Line Registration and host the first men’s individual ASGA ChamTournament Entries at pionship – the match and mid-senior match play April 29-May 2. Cooper’s Hawk Golf www.southcentral.pga.com Course in Melbourne host the first ASGA senior men’s individual championship with the senior/super-senior match play May 1114, and The Country Club of Arkansas in

Sherwood

2010 Junior Tour

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• South Central Golf Magazine

Schedules and Results SCHEDULES June 14-15: Bella Vista Designated, PRO Bella Vista CC LPGA TOUR June 28-29: Junior Girls, Pleasant Valley Sept. 10-12: P&G Beauty Northwest Ar- CC, Little Rock kansas Championship, Pinnacle CC, RogJune 28-July 1: Match Play, Maumelle ers, Ark. CC July 1-2: Trusted Choice Big I Junior NATIONWIDE State, Ridge Pointe CC, Jonesboro June 17-20: Fort Smith Classic, HardJuly 13: Play Day, Pleasant Valley CC, scrabble CC, Fort Smith, Ark. Little Rock Aug. 5-8: Preferred Health Systems July 15: Chuck Morton Memorial Junior Wichita Open, Crestview CC, Wichita, Stroke, Big Creek CC, Mountain Home Kan. July 26-29: Stroke Play, The Course at Eagle Mountain, Batesville PGA SOUTH CENTRAL Aug. 2-4: Fore State, Ledgestone CC, April 5-7: District 7 Matches Branson, Mo. April 19: Pro-Senior Aug., 3-4: AWGA Junior Designated, CC May 3: Skins Game of Arkansas, Maumelle June 7: Pro-President Aug. 11-12: AWGA Junior Designated, June 21: Team Championship Harbor Oaks GC, Pine Bluff July 12: SCS PGA National Foundation Aug. 21-22: Hot Springs Village DesigPro-Am nated, Cortez GC July 19-21: Section Match Play Sept. 18-19: Four Ball, Red Apple Inn, Aug. 2-3: Section PNC Heber Springs Aug. 23: Pro-Scratch Sept 7: Pro-Assistant KANSAS GOLF ASSOCIATION Oct. 18-19: Section Championship May 3-4: Mid-Amateur, Meadowbrook CC, Prairie Village USGA May 17-18: Senior Four-Ball, Salina CC Sept. 25-30: Women’s Mid-Amateur, May 22-23: Public Links, Colbert Hills Wichita CC CC, Manhattan June 7-11: Four-Ball, Alvamar G&CC, AMATEUR Lawrence ARKANSAS STATE GOLF June14-17: Boys Junior Amateur, CrestASSOCIATION wood CC, Pittsburg April 29-May 2: Men’s Match Play and June 28-29: Junior Team, Stagg Hill GC, Mid-Senior Match Play, Hurricane G&AC, Manhattan Bryant July 19-25: Amateur Match Play, Prairie May 11-14: Senior and Super-Senior Dunes CC, Hutchinson Match Play, Cooper’s Hawk GC, MelJuly 26-27: Father-Son, Reflection Ridge bourne GC, Wichita May 20-22: Governor’s Cup, Old Waverly July 26-28: Junior Section Team, Eagle CC, West Point, Miss.

Bend GC, Lawrence May 26-27: Two-Woman Scramble, Hot July 29-30: Junior Match Play, Eagle Springs CC Bend GC, Lawrence June 11-13: Stroke Play and Mid-Senior Aug. 9: Team Championship, Flint Hills Stroke Play, Greystone CC (Cypress) National GC, Andover June 14-17: Junior Boys and Girls Match Aug. 15-17: Senior Amateur, Crestview Play, Foxwood CC, Jacksonville CC (North), Wichita June 21-22: Monk Wade Father and Son, Aug. 28-29: High Plains Amateur, The Greystone CC GC at Southwind, Garden City June 27: Parent-Child, Hot Springs VilSept, 27-29: Senior Team, Lawrence CC lage (Cortez) Oct. 4-5: Senior Series, Shawnee CC, July 19-21: Women’s and Senior Wom- Topeka en’s Stroke Play, Hot Springs CC Oct. 11-13: Mid-Amateur Team, Indian July 27-29: Junior Boys and Girls Stroke Hills, Mission Hills Play, Texarkana CC Aug. 20-22: Senior and Super Senior KANSAS WOMEN’S GOLF Stroke Play, CC of Arkansas, Maumelle ASSOCIATION Sept. 25-26: Mountain Valley Hickory May 1: Adult-Junior, Sand Creek StaOpen tion, Newton Sept. 27-28: Women’s Club Team, MauJune 3-4: Junior Girls Season Opener, melle CC Salina Municipal Oct. 9-10: Mixed Team, Shadow Valley June 18-19: Junior State, St. Andrews CC, Rogers GC, Overland Park Oct. 14: High School Overall, Pleasant June 21-22: Senior and Super Seniors, Valley CC, Little Rock Tallgrass CC, Wichita Oct. 16-17: Orville Henry Cup, FayetteJune 27-29: Junior Four-State, Otter ville CC & Paradise Valley GC Creek GC, Ankeny, Iowa Oct. 17-18: Club Champion ChampionJuly 1: Junior One-Day, Derby CC&GC ship, Hot Springs CC July 6-8: State Amateuir and Open, MacOct. 30-31: Nike Cup Matches (ASGA Donald Park GC, Wichita vs. PGA), Hot Springs CC July 15-16: Junior Match Play, Stagg Hill, Manhattan ARKANSAS WOMEN’S GOLF July 17: Individua;l Stroke Fun, Sierra ASSOCIATION Hills GC, Wichita May 1-2: Scramble and Gamble, Tunica Aug. 2-4: Fore State, Ledgestone GC, (Miss.) National GC Branson, Mo. May 15-16: Paradise Valley Designated, Aug. 10-12: Tee-Fore-Two, Shawnee CC, Fayetteville Topeka May 28: Play Day, Hardscrabble CC, Sept. 11: Two-Woman, Partner ScramFort Smith ble, Highlands GC, Hutchinson June 2-4: Tri-State Junior Girls Matches, Sept. 18-19: Partner tournament, ColGreenwood (Miss.) GC bert Hills GC, Manhattan June 10-11: Hot Springs CC Junior Stroke Play

15-18 Quarterfinals Taylor Moore def. Blake Rhodes 2 and 1; Zach Tucker def. Austin Lucas 8 and 6, Drew Wright def. Justin Strathe 3 and 2, Tripp Walcher def. Iain Tesney 2 and 1.

Semifinals Tucker def. Moore 1-up (21), Walcher def. Wright 2-up.

Final Tucker def. Walcher 4 and 3.

12-14 Quarterfinals Sam Humphreys def. Brandon Strathe 5 and 4, Luke Flesner def. Kyle Story 2-up, Nick Heinen def. Ty Tamura 8 and 7, Max McGreevy def. Hayden Wood 4 and 3.

Semifinals Humphreys def. Flesner 2 and 1, Heinen def. McGreevy 1-up.

Final Heinen def. Humphreys 3 and 2.

Girls 15-18 WOMEN’S OKLA. GOLF Semifinals Kendra Mann def. Alexis Sadeghy 3 and ASSOCIATION April 26: Spring Mixer, Silverhorn GC, 2, June Tigert def. Kailey Campbell 3 and Okla. City 2.

June 21-24: Match Play, Emerald Falls, Final Broken Arrow Tigert def. Mann 2 and 1.

July 11-13 Junior Girls, Willow Creek G&CC, Okla. City July 19-20: Stroke Play, Quail Creek CC, GOLF INC (OKLAHOMA CITY) Okla. City BIG SIX Aug. 2-4: Fore State, Ledgestone CC, At Lincoln Park (West) Branson, Mo. March 13-14 Aug. 16-17: Partnership, GC of Okla., Championship: 1, Wade Wienstroer/ Broken Arrow Duane Foust 69-72 – 141; 2, Jeff Coffman/ Sept, 20-21: Senior, Winstar GC, Brian Burchell 69-73 – 142; 3, Jay Singley/ Thackerville Damon Hubbs 70-73 – 143; 4, Max Showalter/Tyler Hall 75-70 – 145; 5, Jeff King/John GOLF INC (OKLAHOMA CITY) Daggs 77-69 – 146; 6, Jeb Bucher/Joe BushApril 10-11: Spring Four-Ball, Earlywine ee 71-78 – 149; 7, Randy Robinson/Mike GC, Trosper Park GC Fauks 78-73 – 151; 8, Shane Stover/Kevin May 15-16: Two-Man Scramble, Lake Reddick 79-75 – 154.

Hefner GC First Flight: 1, Craig Michaelson/Chris June 5-6 & 12-13: City and Senior City Cleary 74-70 – 144; 2, Bobby Queen/FerAmateur, Earlywine GC, Trosper Park GC, nando Fraire 72-73 – 145; 3, Chad Jerman/ Lincoln Park GC, Lake Hefner GC Bill Craig 73-73 – 146.

June 26-27: Eric Bergquist Memorial TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION Classic, Trosper Park GC July 22-25: Club Championships TULSA SNOWMAN OPEN July 27-28: Junior Invitational At Battle Creek GC Aug. 7-8: Interclub, Earlywine GC March 1 Aug,. 21-22: Senior Interclub, Lincoln 1, Aaron Lee/Levi Molini 63 ($550); 2, Park GC Michael Boyd/Jon Sullivan 66 ($430); 3 (tie), Rick Bell/Don Cochran and Rory TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION Scrymgeour/Blake Heldmar 68 ($280); 5 April 24-25: Four-Ball Stroke Play, Bat- (tie), Isabelle Beisiegel/David McDaniel, tle Creek GC Brad Bruno/Jordan Miller, Tyler Carson/ May 1-2: Mixed Team, LaFortune Park Andy Lucas, Erenest Willis/Ken Kee and GC Tim Wilson/Tom Wilson, 69 May 21-23: Spring Four-Ball, Stone Creek GC June 26-27: Stroke Play, LaFortune Park GC OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION May 3-4: Senior Spring Four-Ball, Tulsa CC May 17-18: Spring Four-Ball, Dornick Hills G&CC, Ardmore June 7-10: Junior Boys, Kickingbird GC, Edmond June 29-30: Twin Hills Junior Classic, Twin Hills G&CC, Okla. City July 12-14: State Amateur, Cedar Ridge CC July 19-22: Senior State Amateur, Okla.

City G&CC Aug. 2-4: Stroke Play, Quail Creek G&CC, Okla. City Aug. 16-17: Senior Stroke Play, Oaks CC, Tulsa Aug. 30: State Club, GC of Okla., Broken Arrow Sept. 17-19: Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree CC, Edmond Sept. 27-28: Mid-Amateur, The Patriot, Owasso

WICHITA GOLF ASSOCIATION April 24-25 & May 1-2: Four Ball, L.W. Clapp Park, Tex Consolver GC June 12-13: Seniors, Sim Park GC June 21-22: Super Seniors, Sim Park GC July 14-16: Match Play, MacDonald Park GC Aug. 14-15: Medal Play, Terradyne CC Sept. 18-19: Fall Jamboree, Tex Consolver GC

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RESULTS OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION OJGT SPRING MATCH PLAY At Fairfax GC March 15-18 Boys

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