2013 Golf Oklahoma Apr | May issue by Golf Oklahoma Magazine

www.golfoklahoma.org Official publication of the Oklahoma Golf Association

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Contents

April | may 2013

Volume 3 Issue 2

Oklahoma uprising Whether they are headed out-of-state, like Taylor Moore at Arkansas (Page 40), or going to Oklahoma State (Brendon Jelley, Page 48), Oklahoma junior golf is producing some of the nation’s best talent, thanks in part to Morri Rose (Page 8).

A P R |M A Y 2 01 3

w w w . go l f o k l a h o m a . o r g

Features

OU Jimmie Austin to host two huge events this spring

Pete Dye looks back at his time with Ernie Vossler

2013 Patriot Cup, which stars will be on hand?

The Big Island is the place for variety of idyllic getaways

On the cover: left to right, Hayden Wood, Brendon Jelley and Taylor Moore are three examples of the current strength of Oklahoma junior golf.

Departments 8 Letter from the editor 12 OGA 13 Rules, Gene Mortensen 14 The Goods 16 Equipment 20 Chip Shots, Oklahoma news 26 Where we play: Rose Creek 44 Pro Profile 45 Amateur Profile 46 Look Who’s Playing 48 Junior Amateur Profile 51 WOGA 53 Instruction 56 Fitness 58 Superintendent’s Perspective 59 Schedules, Results

Support junior golf by contributing to the OGA Foundation Call 405-848-0042 for more information www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 7

Letter from the publisher

Golf Oklahoma Volume 3, Number 2

The boldface names in the golf results in ing great in his first season on the Web.com your daily paper are no longer just former Tour with two top 25 finishes in his first three events. He could be out there as soon Oklahoma State or Oklahoma players. He doesn’t get a lot of recognition for as next year. Kevin Tway of Edmond North is playing it, but Tag Ridings, Tulsa’s Memorial High School class of 1992, is the last player from professionally on various mini-tours and the state to make an extended career on the certainly has the talent and determination. Hunter Sparks of Putnam City is winding up PGA Tour. And Tag has worked hard for it. The man a great college career at Wichita State and it has gone back and forth from what is now would not be surprising to see him succeed quickly as a pro. the Web.com Tour All the men’s and to the PGA Tour women’s teams at again and again, gutthe four Division ting his way through I programs in the Quallifying School, state currently have earned battlefield Oklahoma products promotions. It’s not on their rosters. At easy earning a spot the Division II and on the PGA Tour NAIA schools, inand even harder to cluding perennial stay there. national champiThis year Tag onship contenders has some company. Oklahoma City UniRobert Streb is the Moori Rose, here with Nick Heinen, has done versity, Oklahoma first product of pow- wonders for junior golf in the state. Christian and Unierhouse Edmond North, winners of eight consecutive Class versity of Central Oklahoma, Oklahomans 6A titles, to make it on the PGA Tour, but play key roles at all three. All 11 players on will almost certainly not be the last. Look Pat Bates’ UCO roster are Oklahomans. The strength of Oklahoma junior golf is how players from North and the state in general are suddenly the coveted recruits at due to the efforts of many, but one man cermajor colleges here and elsewhere. You can tainly deserves special mention. Morri Rose, read in Clay Henry’s story in this issue how who founded and has run the Oklahoma Juthey are still celebrating in Fayetteville that nior Golf Tour since its inception in 2002, Taylor Moore of Edmond Memorial decided has done more to change the fortunes of to attend Arkansas instead of OSU. Also in state juniors than anyone. Rose, a retired school teacher and princithis issue we profile Brendon Jelley of Jenks, who continues the influx of home grown pal, founded the OJGT after a conversation players at Oklahoma State. And Mark with Holder asking why Oklahoma junior Felder’s OGA column details how the OGA golf wasn’t stronger. They have no place to Foundation is now sponsoring the PGA sec- play in the fall, Holder told him. Well, they do now. The OJGT has grown tion junior tours, making them even better from six events to 13. It allows the state’s as well. Even without Moore, the Cowboys will top juniors to compete against top players soon be putting out a lineup more heavily in ranked events on an inexpensive basis. dominated by Oklahoma players than at The Red River Shootout, which pits the top any time since Mike Holder began recruit- juniors in Texas and Oklahoma, typically ing nationally soon after he took over in draws more than 25 college coaches. “I wanted to give kids a quality event 1973. Ian Davis from Edmond’s Deer Creek is entrenched as a starter along with junior where they could afford to play a lot of Talor Gooch of Carl Albert in Midwest City. golf,” Rose said. “I’ve been real lucky with Jelley joins the program in 2013 And two how it’s worked out.” In the past 11 years, more than 300 OJGT Edmond North stars, juniors Nick Heinen and Hayden Wood, have given verbal com- graduates have gone on to earn close to $6 million in scholarships. That’s an amazing mitments for 2014. Who knows which of the talented juniors testament to what Rose and the OGA have the state is producing will join Streb on the accomplished through the OJGT. Well done Morri. PGA Tour. Ryan Spears of Del City, who – Ken MacLeod played collegiately for Wichita State, is do8 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Golf Oklahoma Offices Southern Hills Plaza 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Ste. 200 Tulsa, OK 74136 918-280-0787 Oklahoma City Office 405-640-9996 Publisher Ken MacLeod ken@golfoklahoma.org COO/Marketing Director A.G. Meyers agm@golfoklahoma.org Art & Technology Director Chris Swafford chris@golfoklahoma.org Subscriptions to Golf Oklahoma are $15 for one year (five issues) or $25 for two years (10 issues). Call 918-280-0787 or go to www.golfoklahoma.org. Contributing photographers Rip Stell, Mike Klemme Golf Oklahoma PGA Instructional Staff Jim Woodward Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National jwoodwardgolf@sbcglobal.net, 405-348-2004 E.J. Pfister Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National ejgolf@me.com Pat McTigue Owner, GolfTec Tulsa and Oklahoma City pmctigue@golftec.com Steve Ball Owner, Ball Golf Center, Oklahoma City www.ballgolf.com, 405-842-2626 Pat Bates Director of Instruction, Gaillardia Country Club pbates@gaillardia.com, 405-509-3611 Tracy Phillips Director of Instruction, Buddy Phillips Learning Center at Cedar Ridge vt4u@yahoo.com, 918-352-1089 Jerry Cozby PGA Professional jerrycozby@aol.com, 918-914-1784 Michael Boyd, PGA Professional Indian Springs Country Club 918-455-9515 Oklahoma Golf Association 2800 Coltrane Place, Suite 2 Edmond, OK 73034 405-848-0042 Executive Director Mark Felder mfelder@okgolf.org Director of Handicapping and Course Rating Jay Doudican jdoudican@okgolf.org Director of Junior Golf Morri Rose morose@okgolf.org Copyright 2012 by Golf Oklahoma Magazine. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Golf Oklahoma. Golf Oklahoma is published by South Central Golf, Inc.

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Oklahoma Golf Association News

OGA Foundation sponsors PGA Junior Tour The Oklahoma Golf Foundation is proud to be the new presenting sponsor of the PGA South Central Section Mark Felder Junior Golf Tour. OGA Executive The section operates Director two summer tours, one for entry level players and one for more advanced players. The entry level tour will now be called the South Central PGA Junior Golf Tour presented by the Oklahoma Golf Foundation. The Foundation is also helping with several of the events on the South Central PGA Players Tour, which is the more advanced tour. The junior tour typically has close to 40 events each summer while there are 10 events on the Players’ Tour. Schedules for 2013 are listed on the section wesbiste at www. souothcentralpga.com and in the schedules section at the back of this magazine. Between our tour (the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour in the fall) and our junior events and what the section is doing, we’re giving kids more high quality tournaments to play in. That’s very important to us. The section

has stepped up and upgraded its junior programs and we want to help them as much as we can. Junior golf in Oklahoma is producing extremely talented players of late. Witness the proud Oklahoma State University program, for which recent OGA Junior Champion Ian Davis is a starter along with Talor Gooch of Midwest City and three other Oklahoma juniors will join him in the future. Jenks senior Brendon Jelley will join OSU in the fall and talented juniors Hayden Wood and Nick Heinen of Edmond have verbally committed for 2014. OJGT alumni dot the rosters of all the Division I golf programs in the state. Oklahoma has Austin Fuller, Will Kropp and Charlie Saxon with current 6A champion Max McGreevy of Edmond Santa Fe heading there in the fall. Megan Blonien of Altus is playing as a freshman at Oklahoma State, Jade Staggs and Amanda Johnson play for the Sooners, Aston Collier for Oral Roberts, Nadia Majidi is committed to Tulsa. The Tulsa men’s team has three OJGT grads starting in Logan McCracken, Colton Staggs and Chris Worrell. Taylor Moore of Edmond, one of the nation’s

top-ranked juniors was the prize recruit for the Arkansas Razorbacks where he is playing his freshman season. Former OGJT and Edmond North graduate Robert Streb became the first alumnus to play on the PGA Tour when he earned his card for 2013. Ryan Spears of Del City is on the Web.com Tour. Kevin Tway of Edmond is playing professionally on various circuits working his way toward the PGA Tour. On the OGA website one can find a list http://okgolf.org/JrGolf/Alumni.htm of more than 300 graduates of the OJGT Tour who have gone on to earn college scholarships over the past 11 years. OGJT director Morri Rose estimates that more than $6 million in scholarship dollars have been awarded to OJGT players in the last 11 years. That’s a tribute to Morri and all the work he has done to make Oklahoma the junior golf powerhouse it has become. The OGA has a great calendar of events for 2013 highlighted by the State Amateur Championship July 22-24 at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. Call us at 405-8480042 for more information, to join the OGA or to donate to the foundation.

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justicegolf.com 12 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

USGA, PGA Tour to take on slow play, quickly we hope If you were to ask 20 players what “It can’t take that long to play 18 that means you might hear 20 difholes... can it”? If you are hearing ferent answers. The Rules also give that refrain more and more often a committee the authority to estabat your club, you will be excited lish pace of play guidelines which by a new study from the USGA’s inform the players how long they leaders. They are going to name a committee to examine the causes Gene Mortensen have to complete a round, a hole or OGA Rules a stroke. Not many clubs actually for slow play and come up with Director do this and I believe they are passsolutions. They have come to realize that slow play is a major distraction ing up a golden opportunity. Rule 6-7 also provides for penalties if a for everyone and is a contributing factor in the number of players who are leaving the player does not play “without undue delay.” The first breach is a loss of hole in match game. It’s about time! Quick to follow suit, Tour Commissioner play and two strokes in stroke play. A secTim Finchem announced that the PGA will ond breach is disqualification. In a note to conduct a yearlong comprehensive study the Rule, committees are given some leeway to examine slow play. One wonders why it with penalties and can punish slow play on will take a year when they have examples a graduated level with the ultimate penalty like the following. This year, when Robert being disqualification. When is the last time Garrigus had two holes left to finish his last a PGA player received a penalty? Assessing round at Torrey Pines, Tiger had 11 holes a PGA member a penalty directly impacts left to play. Garrigus finished his round, ate his score and, thereby, his income. I suggest lunch, drove to a private airport, flew to he would play faster and so would all of the Phoenix, drove home, unpacked and, when amateurs who like to emulate the pros. While we wait for the powers-that-be to he turned on his TV, Tiger was on the 17th address the issue and, hopefully, establish hole. (Golfweek – 2/8/13 @ page 2) The Rules require each participant to guidelines and enforcement policies that lo“play without undue delay . . . .” (Rule 6-7) cal clubs can adopt, I offer this suggestion.

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Usually, each group has assigned one of their number to record the scores. Why not assign him the additional duty of being the “pace monitor.” Along the bottom line on the scorecard, use an average of 14 minutes per hole and log a running total of elapsed time to complete 18 holes; for example, 14 – 28 – 42 – 56, and so on. If your tee time was 9:30, and it is now 11:45, the monitor will know that the group should be on the 10th green. If the group has not reached that point, they have a problem. If they have a problem, simply move to the place on the course where they should be. When you create a problem . . . fix it! Dave Pelz, the short-game guru, has a suggestion to speed play. It is his contention that each player should only go to his golf bag once every shot. Take out your driver at the first tee; hit your shot and, instead of fiddling behind the cart with your clubhead cover for 30 seconds, drive to where the ball came to rest. Put your driver away and select a club for your next shot, and so on. Pelz claims it will reduce each round by 15 minutes. Do your part to maintain a good pace of play and everyone will appreciate your efforts.

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The goods

Some things we like to do before and after the round

shack as malaria. His rookie mistakes, excessive chatter and stepping on the figurative toes of the veteran caddies get things off to a humiliating by tom bedell start, all under the fearful eye of ake two golf-obsessed high school dreaded caddie master Rick Mackenzie. But seniors wondering what to do af- by a relentless schedule of double loops and ter graduation, set them out on the gradually learning the ropes, the day finally road with their enthusiasm, naiveté and low comes—some 40 rounds and some 40 pages into the book: Mackenzie removes Horohandicaps, and what do you get? trainee Two similarly entertaining yet quite dif- vitz’s ferent coming-of-age narratives, with golf. In “An American Caddie in St. Andrews” (Gotham Books, $26), Oliver Horovitz describes a span of years spent caddying, largely on the Old Course. Dylan Dethier’s “18 in America” (Scribner, $25), recounts his year on the road playing at least one course in each of the lower 48 states. The more I age the more I recognize the sagacity in the old saw that youth is wasted on the young. How many of us ponder, if we had it to do all over again, different choices, and the roads not taken? What’s appealing about both these young authors is that at a certain point they made choices to go for it—and the books are the reports on how it all turned out. Luckily, both can write surprisingly well, with ample self-deprecating humor. Horovitz has several advantages over Dethier—his book arrived first, writing is in the genes (his father is playwright and screenwriter Israel Horovitz), and the greater time span allows for a few more crisis to rise and be resolved, or not. And at its heart the book is a love story. We meet the young Horovitz shortly after graduation in 2003 facing a gap year—he has been accepted to Harvard, but not until the fall of 2004. He caddie badge and shakes his hand: “`Mmmfills the year at the University of St. An- mmm, you’ve done well,’ he says, almost redrews with typical student life—including a luctantly. ‘Now don’t fook everything up.’” Horovitz wisely looks at the next four student links ticket allowing him unlimited play on Links Trust tracks, meaning an al- years through a reverse scope—compacting his university years at Harvard (majoring in most daily round on the Old Course. As the term nears its end Horovitz casts film) into single chapters while concentratthe die by enrolling in the Old Course cad- ing on his adventures, or misadventures, in die training program. As with any trainee, returning to the caddie shack in Scotland. There are plenty—a surreptitious period but particularly a young American trainee, Horovitz is about as welcome in the caddie of training gorgeous Model Caddies, an act

The Bookshelf Youth will be served

14 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

that if discovered would have fooked everything up; a summer of trying to complete a student film project on the caddies while still doing his own looping; a thwarted love affair with a Parisian (the book’s subtitle is “Growing Up, Girls, and Looping on the Old Course”). The book is a valentine to the St. Andrews golfing grounds and the caddies who choose to spend their working lives there--as Horovitz still does, now dividing his time between New York City and Scotland. Throughout his early years in St. Andrews Horovitz has one mighty ally in Ken Hayward, his maternal great uncle, who lived a drive and a wedge from the Old Course first tee. Horowitz writes about their weekly dinners and other get-togethers with a warmth that increases as Uncle Ken’s vitality decreases over time. This is the other love story in the book, a poignancy ratified with the book’s dedication to Uncle Ken.

On the road

I frankly expected Dethier’s book to suffer by comparison, and that the book’s subtitle was larding it on: “A Young Golfer’s Epic Journey to Find the Essence of the Game.” But I was more than pleasantly surprised. Yes, his voice sounds younger than Horovitz’s, a bit more uncertain and the narrative more episodic. But then that was precisely the nature of his trip: seventeen-yearold leaves home in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the fall, aiming to play golf in every contiguous state over the next year. Pretty epic. He has the goal, but not that much of a plan, perhaps less of an agenda. (One Alabaman he meets says he wanted to play with Dethier, “Because you’re not doing it for charity.”) Dethier thinks he knows why he’s going, but he’s not really that sure. How could he be? He’s seventeen. He loves golf, but distrusts the golfing elite. He has his parents’ reluctant blessing and the family Subaru Outback, but not much money. He expects to sleep mostly in his car and “play the three-buck courses of the country, maybe some three-hundred-dollar ones too,

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and meet all kinds of Americans.” And that’s just what happens. He begins his trip in a near fugitive mode, playing goat tracks at twilight and pilfering hotel buffet breakfasts by posing as a guest. He occasionally works out a bed and some meals through connections arranged by more than six degrees of separation. Two days before he turns eighteen he takes a foolish hike into the Big Horn Mountains and almost breaks his sole rule for the trip: “Don’t die.” At an Indian casino he becomes dangerously addicted to blackjack and almost blows his entire stake. In Oklahoma he plays at the Muskogee Country Club, and survives a rogue snowstorm. The nature of the trip changes after a USA Today article about him appears, and his email inbox begins to fill with invitations. Beset with typical ambivalence, Dethier doesn’t know quite how to take it: “[Now] I was closer to a guest of honor than a wandering vagabond—which either meant I had won the game or lost it.” One article leads to other interviews, play

Audi A8

at the very elite courses he eyed suspiciously but can’t help but admire, and a real mental tussle. Dethier cover his own blue highways and uses the term from time to time. If no William Least Heat-Moon, he’s clear-eyed, sincere, and unsparing in revealing his own instances of arrogance, impatience or just being a moody teenager. It’s a very American thing to do, hitting the road in search of America. Dethier’s discoveries may ultimately be more personal than emblematic, but his many envious playing partners across the country certainly agree he has a pair for even attempting the feat at his age. The rest of us can join in through these pages, while trying to damp down our own envy. Tom Bedell, wily with experience, vaguely remembers being young once.

A progressive technological advancement

by greg horton

Defying expectations, Audi has done something unusual--by American standards--in its flagship A8. For 2013, Audi has released a V6, 3.0-liter model, the A8 L 3.0. Just as aesthetically pleasing as the stillavailable A8 L 4.0, the V8, this leaner model still runs faster than the V6 would lead you to believe. In fact, the new V6 ran the quarter mile in an impressive 5.3 seconds, and topped out in the quarter mile at 103 mph. In other words, a driver won’t lack for power and acceleration in the 2013 A8. Gas mileage

is virtually identical to the V8, a combined 21 mpg overall. Because its an Audi, the interior is designed for driving. The front seats have a redesigned comfort panel that allows more specific adjustments than we have seen on any other make of automobile, 12 different adjustable zones. Even the rear seats boast three and a half feet of legroom, making the A8 a perfect choice for long drives. Digital technology is becoming standard industry-

wide, and the A8 has almost everything. Actually, if you opt for the optional DVD player, it does have everything: bluetooth, iPod input, navigation system, and satellite radio. The new remote touchpad seems a novelty at first, but once the gadget is mastered, it proves to be quite useful. Ten option packages are available with the model, including a camera assistance package for backing and parking, an extended leather package for additional luxury, and a media package that includes the DVD player. MSRP beings at $72,200. Test drive one at Bob Moore Audi of Oklahoma City.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 15

EQUIPMENT

By ED TRAVIS

Movers and shakers

These products have created buzz Even though it is early in the season, Golf Oklahoma decided to take a look at the clubs and balls, which have shown so far to be popular and have strong sales numbers. Admittedly this was and is an unscientific investigation, but there’s no doubt all these products are of top-quality design and manufacture – well worth considering for your next purchase.

DRIVERS

TaylorMade Golf, as it has for the past several years, is dominating this category and it would appear the new R1 and RocketBallz Stage 2 drivers will continue to keep them at the top. The R1 ($399) pushes beyond where its predecessors, the R11 and R11S, were by offering the choice of 168 adjustment combinations to customize its performance. There are two movable sole weights, seven different face angles and 12 loft settings that allow lots of correction for swing tendency – and faults. In addition there’s new black and orange graphic on the now iconic white clubhead. TaylorMade has also updated the RocketBallz driver line with RocketBallz Stage 2 and given it a 12-position loft adjustment sleeve. Engineers were able to move the center of gravity somewhat lower and surprisingly more forward as well, producing a flatter basic trajectory. This in combination with changes to the aerodynamics of the head shape the company says gives nine more yards for better players. There’s no doubt the Stage 2 is longer than the 2012 model based on our use. How much depends on the player, but it certainly may be categorized as a low-spin driver. RocketBallz Stage 2, also with the TMaG white clubhead, has a street price of $299. PIING has created some buzz with its adjustable G25 driver ($349 street) and the second adjustable driver along with the Anser, which is made for better players, introduced in 2013. The G25 is available in one of four basic lofts from 8.5° to 12° and then may be adjusted up or down by ½ degree using a set screw. Compared to the old G20 the head is longer from face to rear and has the center of gravity deeper and lower, which tends to give a higher launch, medium spin ball that should help add some distance. Titleist has updated the 910 driver line 16 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

with the new 913D2 and 913 D3. The 913 D2 is made for the mid- to higher-handicap golfers and has a 460cc full pear-shaped head with adjustments using Titleist’s hosel adjustment system for loft and lie angle. The 913 D3 for low-handicap players has the same adjustment system as the D2 but a slightly smaller clubhead (445cc) in a more classic pear shape. Both 913 models carry a street price of $399. Callaway Golf RAZR Fit Xtreme Driver ($400) has some modifications compared to its predecessor RAZR Fit and is the model Phil Mickelson raved about after the trouncing he gave the field at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February. It retains the OptiFit Hosel allowing for 3-face angle adjustments and there are movable weights to produce a neutral or draw bias. A new forged composite crown is stronger than titanium, according to Callaway, and designed to push the center of gravity lower in the clubhead. “My Fly” Technology is featured by Cobra Golf in the AMP Cell drivers that have adjustments for loft and trajectory plus their SmartPad Technology. Cobra says SmartPad keeps the clubface square at address though the loft setting is changed. Visually the AMP Cell line stands out, showing off in four bright colors, either silver, red, orange or blue. The Pro model (street $400) offers four loft settings plus 8.5-degree fade and 9.5-degree fade. The regular model ($300) has four also, with 9.5-degree draw and 10.5-degree draw.

Titleist 913 D2

TaylorMade RocketBallz Stage 2

beta titanium cup face and steel body with a tungsten sole plate, combo-brazed together to save weight. The look at address is confidence-inspiring while the variable thickness face provides lots of forgiveness. You can’t talk about hybrids without mentioning Adams Golf. Adams is the number one played hybrid on the PGA Tour for good reason. The new Idea SUPER S hybrid has both a sole slot and crown slot for more ball speed while providing a lot of help on off-center hits. They used a multi-material design in the SUPER LS (low spin) hybrid to allow a very low center of gravity placement. There’s a titanium face and crown, a stainless steel sole in addition to the crown and sole slots, making a very hot face. The SUPER S hybrid is $150 and the SUPER LS for lowhandicap golfers is $300.

IRONS

Callaway seems to have a winner with the X Hot irons, now available in regular and Pro versions. X Hots carry street prices of $700 for the regular model (in steel 4-iron through AW) and $800 for the Pro model. Both feature an undercut cavity in the back and the Speed Frame Face Technology first seen in several of their driver models. Lofts are “aggressive,” FAIRWAYS AND HYBRIDS meaning stronger than what The RocketBallz Stage 2 from TaylorMade is thought of as tradiGolf continues the reputation made by the tional so that original RocketBallz fairways of last year – a 4-iron hot and long. There’s a Speed Pocket behind i s the clubface for more face flex which adds ball speed and the center of gravity has been repositioned lower and closer to the face to get a higher launch angle with even lower spin. Street price is $250 for the regular model and $280 for the RocketBallz Stage 2 Tour model, which comes with loft adjustability. Calloway X Hot Tour Edge Exotics XCG6 fairways ($300) at 20 degrees and is a nice improvement over the older, very the pitching wedge 44 degrees. With highly regarded model. The company says lots of weight in the sole, X Hot irons according to its testing the XCG6 is the lon- get the ball airborne easily and iron-forgest Exotics they have ever made. It has a iron should give more distance.

ONLINE: Get the latest news on Oklahoma golf at golfoklahoma.org

become a familiar sight during golf telecasts. And while we aren’t looking for Titleist to be knocked off its perch as the number one golf ball brand, Bridgestone is penetrating the market with its entire lineup. All three of Bridgestone’s e-Series models have a new 326-seamless dual dimple pattern for less drag and more lift – very good characteristics if you are looking for more distance. The e5 is a two-piece construction designed for distance but has a urethane cover which offers good control on short shots. Bridgestone’s e6 has a softer Surlyn cover than last year and a lower compression core matched with what the company calls an “anti-side spin” middle layer. Bridgestone says the e6 is the best selling of the e-series worldwide. The e7 is a 3-piece designed Surlyn cover ball also with a mantle layer for reduced spin. All of the e-series have a street price of $27. BALLS Titleist did introduce a revised Pro V1 and The grinning face of David Feherty promoting Bridgestone’s new e-series balls has Pro V1x with the improvements from the RocketBladez are the newest irons from TaylorMade Golf and have a first for any iron; from the 3-iron through 7-iron there’s a slot in the sole to allow for more flexing of the face and more ball speed. The slot compliments their proprietary inverted cone shape behind the clubface and high MOI from redistributed weight. TMaG makes a RocketBladez Tour model as well with less offset. Street price for the regular set 4-AW with steel shafts is $800, with graphite shafts $900. The Tour version with steel shafts is $900. Players also seem to like the new Cobra Golf AMP Cell irons. For a game-improvement category iron they look very clean at address and have Cobra’s metalwood faceweld construction along with the AMP Cell perimeter weighting and center of gravity positioning. Priced at $700 for 4-iron through gap wedge, purchasers have a choice of four accent colors in the rear cavity including orange, presumably the favorite of endorser Ricky Fowler.

preceding models incremental. Since being the first urethane covered solid construction ball 13 years ago this line has been completely dominant in the ball business and continues to be the best-selling ball. The 2013 Pro V1 according to Titleist has a somewhat softer feel while giving more distance plus the cover has a more scuff-resistance paint. The Pro V1x still is the longer of the two because of a slightly firmer cover and has the same paint upgrade for scuff resistance. Street prices for both are $48 per dozen.

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 17

The goods

Horse Heaven Hills

season is long and mild, contributing to the exceptional Unique geology creates a flavorful blend character of these wines. The basalt by greg horton and other deposits from the Columbia Rivhateau Ste. Michelle offers a line of er’s track give the wines a delicious, mineral single-vineyard wines that show- quality that adds structure and complexity. Oklahoma has three of the Canoe Ridge case the best of the Columbia Valley in Washington. Canoe Ridge Estate is Wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle: Caberjust north of the Oregon border in the Horse net, Merlot and Chardonnay. The ChardonHeaven Hills region, an American Viticultur- nay will be a favorite for wine drinkers who al Area (AVA) that was established in 2005. love traditional California Chardonnay. The Wines from the Horse Heaven Hills ben- style is round and elegant, with notes of efit from eastern Washington’s interesting apple, pear, and citrus. What the Columbia Valley produces better geological history, especially large deposits of basalt beneath the soil. The growing than just about any region in America is Merlot. The complex soil composition gives the Merlot a stronger backbone, more layers and rich fruit flavors. The Canoe Ridge Merlot feaA strong complex cigar tures cherry, plum and tobacco. The tannins Quality and consistency are as synony- are firm without being too intense, imparting mous with golf as they are with cigars. Over great structure to a rich, complex wine. 17 years ago Litto Gomez started producing The Canoe Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvitobacco at his farm in La Canela, Santiago, gnon is really a Bordeaux-style blend. The Dominican Republic. What started out as a 80-percent Cabernet is supplemented with boutique cigar line blossomed into one of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Fans of the most prestigious premium cigar companies in the world. From the petit L250 to the unique Double Ligero Chisel, La Flor Dominicana presently manufactures twelve different cigar blends. They have choices in flavor and strength profiles tailored to any time or occasion. It could be said the foundation and heart of La Flor Dominican comes from their Cabinet Oscuro cigar. The L400 is constructed from a rich Ecuadorian Sumatra ligero wrapper, Dominican filler and binder. The Oscuro concept uses a specialized fermentation process adding complexity and strength, darkening the cigar to near maduro. The pre-draw is very smooth and easy, leaving a mild earthy tobacco taste on the lips and tongue. At light up, the flavor begins with very mild spice and citrus notes that slowly expand giving way to a bluegray smoke. The Cabinet Oscuro L400 is considered to be an upper-medium to full-bodied cigar. This smoke is a must have in the humidor and at a respectable price point between $6$9. Best enjoyed on the golf course, after a nice steak or paired with your favorite scotch.

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California Cabernet will notice familiar notes like red fruit, vanilla and cedar, but the distinct cola quality of Washington stands out in this Cabernet. The fruit is more red than black, and the solid acidity makes this a great choice for pork, beef or game. Also in the Horse Heaven Hills is Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Horse Heaven Vineyard. Oklahoma only gets one wine from this vineyard, a Sauvignon Blanc. The Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is a great change of pace for a market saturated with the two dominant Sauvignon Blanc styles: Marlborough from New Zealand or Napa. Both have excellent qualities and an array of fans, but Sauvignon Blanc from Washington offers a completely different experience of the grape. Chateau Ste. Michelle ages the Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc in a combination of stainless steel and oak. The effect is a richer, rounder mouthfeel with no loss of the crisp acidity expected.

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 19

Chip shots

News from around the state

The bar, card room, patiio and workout room are just a few of the upgraded areas at The Club at Indian Springs

Renewal at Indian Springs New ownership brings exciting changes by ken macleod photos by rip stell

The Club at Indian Springs, complete with a new name, new logo and many new fixtures and improvements, has recently been reintroduced to members both old and new. The 36-hole facility in Broken Arrow has undergone so many renovations since being purchased last fall at auction by Paul Glover and Ryker Young that it’s hard to keep track without a scorecard, which, by the way, will also be new. One look inside the formerly dingy lockerroom, now spruced up with new carpet, ceilings, paint and fixtures, or the new fitness facility, card room, grill or patio, lets you know that the new owners are serious about reviving the fortunes of a club that was in dire need of a fresh start. The $700,000 in renovations, which also include a new bag drop, improvements to 20 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

the parking lot, facade, heat and air and extensive landscaping around the clubhouse and on the course, have been a whirlwind for general manager Mark Barrett, who thrives on just this sort of challenge. “This is my drug of choice,” Barrett said. “I love fixing what’s broken.” “This is the most excited I’ve been since I’ve been here,” said head professional Michael Boyd. “Obviously there’s been some difficult times here. The members have hung in there and kept me hopeful because of how supportive they are of the club.” “The new owners, when they start a project, they don’t cut corners,” Barrett said. “They might go in a room and argue, but when they come out, they’re united. “ The changes have already resulted in 65 new members and the first few months of making expenses match revenue in years. Barrett had to put together a business plan, budget, employee handbooks, rules, policies and new membership program for ju-

niors. The new website, indianspringsclub. com, will feature the ability to make online tee times. A new chef, Tiffany Woodrell, who formerly worked at Southern Hills and The Oaks and who specializes in pastries, has been hired, Improvements to the tennis courts and an upgrade in poolside service are planned. One of the most interesting changes for golfers will be the decision to shut down the shorter Windmill course in July for six weeks to convert the greens to Champion Bermuda from the current Penncross bent grass. Indian Springs has watched with interest how the greens have held up at Page Belcher, which converted two years ago. “They’ve done a great job at Page Belcher and we figured we could do as well or better,” Boyd said. “It’s going to make a big difference in how playable they will be in July and August and we’re not worried about them holding up in the winter this far north. It’s been proven.” The greens renovation is scheduled to start July 15.

Cedar Ridge renovations With a renovated pro shop and a brand new pool and fitness center, Director of Golf David Bryan is taking over at a Cedar Ridge Country Club that has more to offer than at any time in its 43-year history. Bryan replaced Buddy Phillips, who retired in the fall after 40 years as the head professional at Cedar Ridge. It will take time for anyone in that position to put their own imprimatur on the club. Bryan said membership and staff have been very welcoming. “The membership has been awesome, very supportive during the transition,” said Bryan, the son of long-time Southern Hills head professional Dave Bryan. The new pro shop now has a large bay window facing the first tee and a new office for the assistants. The room feels larger and airier, though in reaility its a bit smaller due to the new office. “Everyone who comes in is convinced it’s larger,” Bryan said. “The reaction has been great.” The huge new pool offers a giant slide, diving area, lap lanes and a walk-in beach area. The two-story fitness center will keep members fit for the rigors of playing one of the state’s most challenging courses. Cedar Ridge was the site of an LPGA event from 2004 to 2008 and has been a frequent host to USGA qualifiers, OGA championships and other state and regional events. It is ideally situated to host tournaments, with a course that is easily walked and has ample viewing lanes. The course itself is extremely challenging and maintained superbly by superintendent Mike Wooten and his staff. There is plenty of nearby parking. “We always want to maintain good relationships with the USGA and other governing bodies,” Bryan said. “There’s nothing on the schedule right now, but that doesn’t mean we’re not actively looking.”

Sugar Creek Canyon’s clubhouse soon to be a funeral home.

Sugar Creek Canyon closed

Unlike at Indian Springs, the purchase at auction of Sugar Creek Canyon Golf Course in Hinton by a local funeral home owner proved a dead end for the golf course, which closed on March 25. Andy Turner, owner of Turner Funeral Home in Hinton, bought the course at auction for $1,075,000. He said his plans were to use the clubhouse and other buildings to expand his funeral home business. “I don’t know anything about golf or being a golf-course owner,” he said. Turner added that the price he paid was specifically for the buildings and the more than 215 acres of golf

course land he acquired was almost incidental. He said he would consider selling or leasing portions of the land. Sugar Creek Canyon was built in 1999, designed by Oak Tree member Mark Hayes and featured nine holes of fairly flat land and a back nine of more dramatic holes alongside Sugar Creek Canyon. It was owned and operated by the Hinton Economic Development Authority, which sold the course through Williams and Williams Auctions of Tulsa. Turner said the price was excellent for his purposes and that most of the bidders had intentions of using the land for purposes other than a golf course.

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 21

Chip shots Van Pelt to co-chair council

Artist’s rendering of the new clubhouse under construction at Peoria Ridge.

New clubhouse coming for Peoria Ridge A new $1.3 million, 6,500-square-foot clubhouse will soon adorn the Peoria Ridge Golf Course in Miami, giving fitting amenities to a golf course that has hit its stride as both a strong public-private option for local golfers as well as a destination course for the area and for guests of the nearby Buffalo Run Casino. Peoria Ridge, a 1999 design by Bland Pittman of Pittman-Poe & Associates in Broken Arrow, has consistently improved under the guidance of the Peoria Tribe led by Chief John Froman as well as benefitted from the stewardship of head professional Keith Neel and superintendent Milton Hale, who has been there since grow-in and has had the

course in magnificent condition the past few years. The clubhouse will sit on higher ground than the current clubhouse, which may be turned into a fitness center. Since the closing by the tribe of Miami Country Club, many members have migrated to Peoria Ridge, which is now semi-private. The new clubhouse will have men’s and women’s lockerrooms as well as a banquet area capable of seating 175. It will have a full-service grill and also offer bag storage. The clubhouse is scheduled to be completed and open in October. “This is the last piece we need to take our facility to another level,” Neel said. “This will really help make Peoria Ridge one of the top destinations in northeastern Oklahoma,” Froman said.

Tulsan Bo Van Pelt was recently elected co-chairman along with Mark Wilson of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council by the tour membership. The 16-member PAC advises and consults with the PGA Tour Policy Board (Board of Directors) and Commissioner Tim Finchem on issues affecting the tour. Van Pelt and Wilson will succeed Paul Goydos and Steve Stricker on the PGA TOUR Policy Board in 2014 and will serve three-year terms (2014-2016) as Player Directors, joining Jim Furyk (2012-2014) and Harrison Frazar (2013-2015) on the Policy Board. “I really didn’t think I would win,” said Van Pelt, a 1998 graduate of Oklahoma State University. “I was as shocked as anybody. It’s a nice honor when you’re voted for by your peers. “As far as a time to be involved, this is a great time. The Tour is going through some big issues and this will be a great time to meet some of the independent directors and will be a good education for me on how the Tour works.” Among the issues the Tour is studying are pace of play and keepiing tabs on the anchored putting controversy.

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Golfsmith debuts in OKC

Never one to back away from a little competition, Golfsmith International opened its Oklahoma City store March 1 within a block of retailers Golf USA and Golf Galaxy. The Golfsmith, at 21210 W. Memorial Road, is a 33,000-square-foot monster in the building of a former Ultimate Electronics. It is outfitted with four computerized club-fitting studios, a five-bay driving range and a branch of GolfTec. The chain takes its commitment to club fitting seriously. “We have gone to a money-back guarantee for 30 days if the clubs don’t fit or for some reason you’re not satisfied,” said Mike Gomez, the Midwest field marketing representative for Golfsmith. “With our selection and prices plus the complete commitment we make on the club fitting side, we’re confident the store will do very well.” In addition to clubs, balls, shoes, tees and other golf essentials from brands such as Titleist, PING, Callaway, TaylorMade, Cobra, PUMA, Nike Golf, Mizuno and more, Golfsmith offers a wide selection of authentic golf apparel brands and fashions not found

in a typical department or discount store. Golfers will also find the latest hi-tech accessories such as GPS units, swing analyzers and rangefinders. The new store is part Golfers line up outside Golfsmith in Oklahoma City on opening day. of a continued growth strategy by Golf- ny has evolved into one of the leading golf smith that is bucking an industry trend of retail stores, its force enhanced when it was golf-store closures. According to the Na- purchased by OMERS, a Canadian pension tional Golf Foundation, almost half of all fund which also owned Golf Town, the golf stores in America closed in the last de- largest golf retailer in Canada. The two cade. The Texas-based golf retailer will con- now operate as Golfsmith International. Golfsmith offers a comprehensive online tinue its expansion in 2013 with 10 planned store at www.golfsmith.com. Customers stores throughout the United States. Golfsmith began in Austin, Texas, as a can register on the site for special offers and component club maker whose parts were updates on the grand opening by signing up purchased through catalogs and later online for “E-mail Offers” or going to golfsmith. by do-it-yourself enthusiasts. The compa- com/okc.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 23

Chip shots

Dedication rewarded Reed is Professional of Year by ken macleod

Rick Reed was the ideal choice to be honored by the PGA South Central Section with its Professional of the Year award, say those who know him best. “Rick is just a great guy to work for,” said Regina Goodwin, who has been an assistant professional at The Oaks CC since 1995, one year prior to Reed’s arrival. “He’s fair, he’s honest and he’s loyal to his staff. Sometimes it’s hard for a female to talk to a male boss but it’s always been very easy for me to talk to Rick. “Rick is very well respected by the membership here. He’s very passionate about his job.” Reed gave an emotional acceptance speech at the section’s annual awards dinner at the Doubletree Hotel at Warren Place. “That’s something you never dream 24 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

about,” Reed said. “I was honored and overwhelmed.” Reed has been at The Oaks for 17 years after serving as the head professional at Shangri-La Resort from 1989 to 1997. He attended the University of Tulsa from 197175 and began his career at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth under the tutelage of Raymond Gafford, a Texas Hall of Fame pro who grew up playing with and against Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. When Gafford retired, Reed became an assistant for Buddy Phillips at Cedar Ridge CC in Broken Arrow until the Shangri-La position opened. “It was invaluable training working for those two,” Reed said. “Raymond played in 12 or more U.S. Opens and in the Masters twice. He led Colonial once after three rounds before losing to Hogan in the final round. If he had hung on and won, his life

would have been a lot different.” Reed doesn’t get out to play as much as he should. He derives the most satisfaction from providing service to his members. “For me, if there’s something I can do to make them have fun or increase their enjoyment, that’s what really satisfies me,” said Reed, who is only the fourth head pro in the history of the Oaks, an A.W. Tillinghast design that opened in 1924. Among other highlights was the first annual Patriot Award given to Peter Vitali of Gaillardia Country Club for the massively successful Fairways for Freedom event last Oct. 5 that raised more than $200,000 for the Folds of Honor Foundation and David Feherty’s Troops First Foundation. Former section executive director Barry Thompson was made an honorary section member. Hall of Fame inductees were tenacious competitor Bob Ralston of Stuttgart (Ark.) Country Club and former Oklahoma State University golf coach Labron Harris (posthumously).

New LPGA event to debut in North Texas For the first time in more than 20 years, the LPGA returns to North Texas with a fullfield, ladies professional event at Las Colinas Country Club, April 25-28. The North Texas Shootout will feature many of the best female players in the world competing for a $1.3 million total purse. It will be the first LPGA tournament in Texas since the 1991 U.S. Women’s Open at Colonial Country Club. The most recent regularly scheduled tournament was the Mary Kay Classic at Bent Tree Country Club in the 1980s. “This is the result of a lot of hard work from local volunteers over the last two and a half years,” said Kathy Wilkins, founding member of the Irving-based Nexus Club, which is organizing and sponsoring the tournament. “There are so many great players from Texas and it’s been so long since they have played here, we are already seeing a huge surge in ticket sales.” Wilkins said the idea of the LPGA’s North Texas Shootout is to draw fans from over North Texas, Oklahoma and even Arkansas to see the finest women golfers over four days of competition. The par-71 Las Colinas course will play at 6,400 yards for the women. Opened in 1963 and recently renovated, it’s less than two blocks away from the better-known TPCLas Colinas layout in Irving, which annually hosts the PGA Tour’s Byron Nelson Championship each spring. Already committed to this year’s first local tournament is 2012 LPGA Player of the Year and former Arkansas college star Stacy Lewis from The Woodlands outside of Houston. Fort Worth’s Angela Stanford, another LPGA champion, has committed, as has McKinney’s Brittany Lang, world No. 1 Yani Tseng and top players Natalie Gulbis, Christi Kerr and Morgan Pressell. “I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to play in my home state again,” said Stanford, a four-time member of the women’s Solheim Cup team. “North Texas is a community with a passionate fan base and I know they will enjoy having our Tour in town. “For me, this is a dream come true.” With the all-time LPGA winner Kathy Whitworth hailing from Monahans and the famed Babe Didrikson from Beaumont, Texas has always had a strong LPGA presence. Houston was once the site of the Tour’s headquarters and its Hall of Fame, but for various reasons the Lone Star State had a hard time attracting tournaments.

Houston and Austin have both held shortlived events, with Dallas a longtime host of the LPGA Skins Game. “It just makes sense for the LPGA to be in North Texas and we look forward to showing golf fans in the overall region why it’s different on the LPGA,” said commissioner Michael Whan. Tickets are priced at $25 daily or $75 for the week. Sponsorship and hospitality packages along with chances to volunteer are also available at www.ntshootout.com. — art stricklin

Dynamic Golf open in Tulsa

When it comes to golf instruction, Billy Farha has found that the simpler the instruction is, the more benefit reaped by the student. The former mini-tour player has opened a studio in Tulsa called Dynamic Golf based on the principal that the fundamentals – grip, stance, posture and alignment – that lead to consistent ball striking are there for everyone. Farha has all the bells and whistles offered by the V-1 Video Analysis System in his

Tulsa studio at 3023 S. Harvard Ave., Suite G. Making sure the student understands what he is looking at is a big part of Farha’s method. “Everything flows from the fundamentals,” he said. The V1 Video Analysis System allows the student and teacher to see the swing using high speed video capture, digital graphics and effects and tour player comparisons if desired. Lessons can be sent via email to your smartphone or computer to enhance and improve the learning experience! Farha, who grew up in Bristow and played mini-tours professionally for years before getting into the restaurant business in Tulsa, just recently returned to teaching the game he played competitively for many years. Lessons are $75 per hour or $45 per half hour with special packages and discounts available. For those who would like to see their swing on video along with a couple of tips, Farha offers a simple analysis for $35 that requires no more than 30 minutes. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with lessons available by appointment at other hours. For more information, go to www.dymanicgolftulsa.com or call 918504-5037.

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 25

Where we play

The blooming of Rose Creek Upscale Oklahoma City course to go semi-private this spring by john rohde

The Arthur Hills-designed Rose Creek Golf Club is going semi-private in the near future.

espite many blurry moments when the outlook at Rose Creek Golf Club was anything but rosy, the Edmond community’s original vision has never been clearer. The master plan was for Rose Creek to someday become private. The move from public to private has evolved slowly, but the club’s first significant advancement has arrived. The club is on the verge of becoming semi-private. As of March 20, Rose Creek was just 15 memberships shy of its goal of 300, at which time the club will become private and open to members only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays each week. The course will remain open to the public Monday through Thursday. “Back in 2009, it was a very scary point for a lot of homeowners in Rose Creek,” said Chad Lamb, who was hired as head golf professional in June of that year. When Tour 18 Inc. purchased the property in April 2009, one of the ownership group’s first ventures was to offer lifetime memberships. The club sold 50 memberships at $30,000 each in slightly less than two weeks. “After that happened, everyone around here kind of went, ‘Wow,’ ” Lamb said with raised eyebrows. A “Test Drive Membership” was made available for a one-time initiation fee of $500 with monthly dues ranging from $300-$350. “In Oklahoma, there’s kind of a defined line,” Lamb explained. “You’re either public or you’re private. There’s not a bunch of 26 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

semi-private clubs that you’re competing In the beginning, it was somewhat cursed. against in Oklahoma, especially Oklahoma Now I look at it and things are going great.” General manager Tom Hodkin has seen City. I guess you could say we’re going to get the best of both worlds. The people who Rose Creek grow since “it was just a pasture pay a membership are going to have access and oil wells. I came out here and looked at to a private club on Fridays, Saturdays and this place in 2000 and there was just nothing Sundays. Then the public will still be al- here. There was a row of trees down a fence lowed to play (Monday through Thursday), line. This was originally planned to be a daiand we’ll still have our outside revenue ly fee course that, as the community built out, it would eventually go private. I think coming in with big tournaments.” Based out of Houston, Tour 18 Inc. so far that was Tour 18’s goal as well and that’s has spent an estimated $3.5 million for ma- kind of the direction they’re going in now.” Designed by famed architect Arthur Hills, jor improvements at Rose Creek, which has included a new clubhouse, rebuilt bunkers, who also designed neighboring Gaillardia several re-sodded areas, a fleet of new golf Country Club six miles away, Rose Creek carts, new maintenance equipment and a Golf Club is a modified links course that opened in 2003. As is the case with most larger work force. The original plan was for a 6,000-square- residential projects, the golf course came foot clubhouse to be built, but Tour 18 Inc. first, the houses came second. “They built a community using the golf upped that to 16,000 square feet. “Some other ownerships and memberships would have thrown their hands up in the air and gone, ‘I surrender,’ but not Tour 18, which has done nothing but keep putting money into what their asset is,” Lamb said. “This place definitely has had its struggles. Hot summer days are no problem with Rose Creek’s water park.

course as the centerpiece,” Hodkin said, “but if the golf course is not going to succeed, the community is not going to succeed. That’s the beauty of what eventually happened here. We were able to make a good, seamless transition with this new ownership.” For Rose Creek, everything bad seemed to hit at once. Like many venues in the golf industry, the club endured a crippling hit during the nation’s Great Recession from 2007-2009. The club’s sale in 2009 also coincided with two local bouts of winter kill. There was too much cold, then too much rain, then too much heat. “We hit a lull when there was a lull all over the United States,” Hodkin said of the Great Recession, “but we certainly have come back a lot quicker. Last year we had our best year. We had 41 developer lots sell, 33 re-sell lots and 36 homes sold, which is over 100 transactions. When it is completely built out, we will have a little over 600 homes, including the cottages.” Rose Creek has long appealed to prominent residents, including several players and front-office personnel with the NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Eric Maynor are former residents. Through all the uncertainty, Rose Creek has been quite cognizant of its public Rose Creek’s clubhouse is ready for the transition to a private club. image. “One and villas to a 10,000-square-foot home. of the things “They just seem to get bigger and bigger we tried very hard not to do was have that stigma hanging around our necks of ‘bank- and bigger,” Hodkin said of the houses. Once the golf course began to thrive, so ruptcy’ and ‘foreclosure.’ Most people never knew there was even a transition,” Hodkin did the entire community. “We’ve got a very successful, thriving said. Rose Creek’s location dissects two thriv- community right now that far exceeded our ing school districts, with Edmond in the expectations,” Hodkin said. “southern hemisphere” and Deer Creek in John Rohde is a sportswriter for The Oklahothe “northern hemisphere.” Houses within the community range from smaller cottages man at NewsOK.com.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 27

Tournament Central Jimmie Austin readies for NCAA Regional, U.S. Women's Public Links Championship No golf course in Oklahoma will have a busier spring than the Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma course in Norman, which will host two big women’s events: an NCAA regional May 9-11 and the penultimate USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship June 17-22. The course is still accepting volunteers who wish to help with either or both events. Sign up at www.ougolfclub.com. Volunteers who work a combined total of four shifts at the two tournaments will receive a golf shirt from both events and be invited to a special golf outing on June 23, as well as receive a package of tee prizes. Watching the host Sooners will be one of the highlights of the regional. Led by reign-

Jimmie Austin will be the site of two prestigious tournaments this spring.

ing NCAA champion Chirapat Jao-Javanil, the second-ranked Sooners are one of the top contenders to win the NCAA Championship. Oklahoma State, led by senior Kelsey Vines, is also capable. Tulsa and Oral Roberts will hopefully be assigned to the same regional, although that hasn’t necessarily been the case in the past.

Stay andPlay at

28 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

There is no charge for spectators for either event. A much more daunting challenge for director of golf Rodney Young is preparing for the WAPL. Any USGA event brings a host of requirements, including the necessity to raise about $100,000 to pay for volunteer uniforms, welcome dinner, a program, food

OKLAHOMA’S CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF CLUB.

Welcome to the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, the home of championship amateur golf in the state of Oklahoma. The award-winning layout welcomes two national championships to Norman this spring as the OU Golf Club plays host to the NCAA Women’s Regional Championship on May 9-11, followed by the 37th U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship on June 17-22. W W W . O U G O L F C L U B . C O M

Volunteers are needed for both events. Visit ougolfclub.com or call (405) 325-6716 to sign up and learn how to earn your volunteer gift package, valued at over $200!

( 4 0 5 )

3 2 5 - 6 7 1 6

and beverage, banners and signage, courtesy cars, etc. Fortunately, much of the power and information technology as well as a permanent scoreboard was put in when Jimmie Austin hosted the men’s public links championship in 2009. The USGA has announced that it will discontinue hosting the public links events for men and women after 2014, noting that access to tournament competition has increased greatly for all golfers. The event is dominated by college players, although some mid-amateurs and even younger players will be threats. Michelle Wie won the event at age 13 in 2003. The event began in 1977 and was previously held in Oklahoma in 1988 at Olde Page Golf Course at Page Belcher in Tulsa. Pearl Sinn won the event, while Lee Ann Hammack of Oklahoma City was the medalist for the 36 holes of stroke play. Young expects the golf course to be in excellent condition and present as sturdy a challenge as the respective governing bodies want their players to face. “Cody (superintendent Cody Elwood) and his guys are just so good,” Young said. “We just got through aerifying and you can’t see anything on the greens. No sand, no

2014 U.S. Senior Open seeks volunteers Online volunteer registration is now open for the 2014 U.S. Senior Open Championship at Oak Tree National, scheduled July 7-13, 2014. More than 2,800 volunteers are needed to fill positions on more than 28 committees, including marshals, transportation, leaderboards and merchandise. Early submission of the application allows volunteers to specify their committee preference. Interested volunteers should visit www.2014ussenioropen.com. A full description of committee responsibilities is provided on the Web site to assist volunteers in determining their preferences. All volunteers are required to purchase the basic

marks. They really do a good job.” The tee boxes at Jimmie Austin were converted successfully to zoysia grass last fall. Clubhouse renovations continue as well as landscaping improvements. The course overseeds its Mid-Lawn Bermuda fairways with rye grass each fall and maintenance practices will encourage the rye to continue to flourish until after both events so as to prevent golfers from playing during the transition back to Bermuda. The course will soon be going to bid on a new turfgrass maintenance facility and research center. Construction will begin soon

volunteer package for $125 (a $250 value), which includes one championship golf shirt, one championship windbreaker, one championship ball cap or visor, one water bottle, and one volunteer credential valid for all seven days of the championship, as well as complimentary food, snacks and beverages on the days of service. Additional packages are available that will include upgraded access to the Trophy Club Pavilion. Each volunteer will be asked to work approximately 16 to 20 hours, or four to five shifts over the course of the championship. For additional information, contact Brianne Miller at (402) 991-1424 ext. 5 or volunteers@2014ussenioropen.com.

after the public links championship. Volunteers are needed to work at both events. Sign-ups are under way at www. ougolfclub.com. Volunteers who work for a combined total of four shifts at the two tournaments will receive a golf shirt from

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2012 NCAA champion Chirapat Jao-Javanil both events, and be invited to a special golf outing on June 23 to play from the same tournament conditions as the WAPL contestants. A nice package of tee prizes will go to each of those volunteers. Volunteers who sign up for at least one shift at both events or two at one event will receive a golf shirt from that event. If you cannot sign up online, call 405-325-6716.

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 31

Oak Tree co-founders Ernie Vossler, left, and Joe Walser Jr., right.

Golf loses old school visionary by del lemon

Golf lost one of its finest ambassadors and visionaries with the passing of Ernie Vossler, who rose from humble beginnings in Texas to alter the landscape of golf in the United States and beyond. When the 1941 U.S. Open started at Fort Worth’s Colonial Country Club, 13-year old Ernie was helping his father on a new house being constructed across the street from the No. 1 tee. Ernie’s dad was a plumbing contractor. Ernie’s weekends were spent helping his father with the family business. He had never picked up a golf club before he saw the massive galleries at Colonial. But from that week forward competitive golf and the development of championship golf courses became his life calling. Vossler was “old school” — literally. He graduated from Fort Worth’s iconic R.L. Paschal High School, which produced Medal of Honor recipient Charles Frank Pendleton, two governors, golf legend Ben Hogan and Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon. Vossler caddied at Colonial and played on the golf team at Paschal with Dan Jenkins, who was elected to the Golf Hall of Fame in 2012 as a writer. Vossler evolved into an expert ball striker, teacher and tenacious competitor. By the time he turned 35 he had won three times on the PGA Tour and finished fifth at the 1959 U.S. Open. He later taught the game at 32 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Quail Creek in Oklahoma City and Tulsa’s Southern Hills. Vossler was mostly a self-taught player but credited his father with teaching him the people skills and business acumen that led to an array of championship courses in California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada, the Deep South and across the Pacific to mainland China. In conjunction with business partner Joe Walser and architect Pete Dye, he founded Landmark Land Corp., developing dozens of prestigious residential and retirement communities centered around golf as a lifestyle. Under Landmark, Vossler, Walser and Dye expanded the map for championship golf in America. They constructed courses with indigenous turf grasses and extreme degrees of difficulty to confound the world’s best players, but which remained imminently enjoyable and great sources of pride for membership and property owners who paid the bills. It all began with Oak Tree National in 1973. Among the best known other Landmark developments: PGA West, TPC Stadium Course, La Quinta, Mission Hills, Oak Tree CC (36 holes), Palm Beach Polo and Country Club and Kiawah Island (SC) Ocean Course.

Vossler-inspired courses hosted events ranging from the U.S. Amateur, PGA Championship, Skins Game, PGA Cup Matches and the 1991 Ryder Cup “War at the Shore” at Kiawah Island. He never forgot his roots in Texas and Oklahoma. He could be outspoken at times. His accomplishments as a player, teacher and developer imbued him with great selfconfidence. Whether a $5 Nassau or realestate deal in the desert, Vossler was the guy you wanted on your team. When Landmark fell on hard times and its assets were seized and auctioned, he didn’t mince words. “Sure I was vocal about it,” Vossler told Golf News magazine. “One thing though, my partner, Joe Walser, has always been a gentleman about it. I don’t know if he’s ever been upset with anybody. But I’ve been a horse’s ass. And if George Bush Sr. walked in here today, I would tell him that right to his face. He knew better than to allow that to happen.” Ernest Orville Vossler was married to LPGA Hall of Famer Marlene Hagge. He died at his home in La Quinta, Calif., on Feb. 16 at the age of 84. Austin-based writer Del Lemon is the author of Golf in Oklahoma.

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Partnership spurred Dye's career the development of Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond in the early 1970s and hired Dye Pete Dye met Joe Walser and Ernie Vossler again as the course architect. “I wasn’t so sure about innocently enough. Joe and that project either,” said Ernie were PGA Tour memDye, “When I first went out bers playing in the old 500 there, there was nothing, Festival Open at Speedway I mean zero. I had no idea Golf Club in Indianapolis how successful they would during the 1960s and Dye be at Oak Tree.” was a hometown amateur That success at Oak Tree hotshot. In later years they was the beginning of a would go on to make hisnearly 20-year relationship tory together in the golfthat changed the face of course development busigolf-course design and golfness. community development. Dye must have made an “They were the best impression on them when Pete Dye during Oak Tree people to work for,” Dye he mentioned he wanted to construction. recalled, “They never really leave the insurance business to start designing golf courses because when said much to me about what to do or not to Walser and Vossler got their first develop- do except for one time at Oak Tree when Erment deal in Greenville, S.C., they called nie said he thought the third green was too small.” Dye enlarged the green but “put it Dye to design. Joe and Ernie bailed out in the middle but back to its original size after Ernie left.” With the golf boom times of the 1980s, Dye stayed on to finish the project. After Walser and Vossler settled in as Walser and Vossler had become Landmark club pros in Oklahoma City, they took on Land and headed to the desert of California by wayne mills

and the Coachella Valley to develop PGA West, La Quinta Hotel Golf & Tennis Resort, Mission Hills, Carmel Valley Ranch Resort, and Moreno Valley Ranch, with Dye doing the honors on the course architecture. Dye says, “I must have gone out to California a thousand times working on those courses.” One of the few times he was instructed by Walser and Vossler was when it was time to build the Stadium Course at PGA West. In anticipation of having a PGA Tour event there they told Dye to “make it very difficult.” He did that of course, and the Tour stopped there as part of the old Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Dye and Landmark continued their collaborations for more golf at Oak Tree and the iconic Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina among others through the end of the ’80s and into the early ’90s until Landmark got ensnared in the Savings and Loan debacle that proved to be its undoing. For a couple of old club pros from Oklahoma City, and an old insurance salesman from Indiana, the partnership of Ernie Vossler, Joe Walser and Pete Dye forever changed the golf landscape in this country.

Tulsa Golf introduces Advantage Card Tulsa golfers will again be able to enjoy the fast and firm Champion Bermuda greens at both Page Belcher and Mohawk Park golf courses in 2013 while saving money and earning free green fees at the same time. Tulsa Golf introduces the Advantage Card program for 2013. The card is $59 and just $39 for seniors age 55 and above. With the card, you’ll enjoy special rates on weekdays and weekends, as well as rewards points for each round leading to free green fees and other special offers. This fantastic offer includes a free round of golf with cart the day you sign up. Non seniors also receive a range card and special weekday pricing. The card is valid at Stone Creek and Olde Page at Page Belcher and Pecan Valley and Woodbine Park at Mohawk Park. Tulsa Golf strives to make golf affordable year round for the many thousands of patrons who play the Tulsa public courses on a regular basis. For more complete details on the program or to have your questions answered, check out the website at www. tulsagolf.org or call 918-446-1529 for Page Belcher or 918-425-6871 for Mohawk Park.

The Page Belcher and Mohawk Park’s All New Advantage Card makes playing more golf more affordable than ever! Visit TulsaGolf.org for details.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 33

Patriot Cup 2013 American Inspiration by jimmie tramel

David Feherty watches Rickie Fowler tee off in 2012 Patriot Cup.

n Memorial Day of 2012, it was difficult to distinguish which was the more awe-inspiring view at Patriot Golf Club. Look to the west and you saw a first hole that could and should be a photo on a golf calendar. There’s a 150-foot drop from the tee box to the fairway and, beyond the fairway, you can see (this isn’t too much of an exaggeration) forever. There’s no way – no way – you can take in that view without aching to tee up a ball. Then you look toward the ninth green, where participants have gathered after finishing a third annual and star-spangled Patriot Cup celebrity pro-am. The view is just as impressive. The guy in orange? That’s the PGA Tour’s young rock star, Rickie Fowler, who stuck around long after his round was over to sign autographs. And there’s Gary Woodland and Corey Pavin and Craig Stadler and Tom Lehman and a bunch of other fellows who hit a golf 34 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

ball for a living. They’re rubbing elbows with country singer Vince Gill and the band members from Rascal Flatts and Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden (of course, someone in the gallery wore a Browns jersey) and, hey, didn’t that guy over there used to coach at Minnesota State? Craig T. Nelson, who played the title character on the television series “Coach,” was a first-time Patriot Cup participant. “He showed up last year and said it was one of the greatest weekends of his life,” Patriot Golf Club and Patriot Dan Rooney always dares to dream big. Cup founder Dan Rooney said. “When you a good cause -- to a must-see and inspiring get feedback like that, you hope that you event. What’s next for the Patriot Cup? Since are moving in a positive direction to create Rooney is an F-16 fighter pilot, the sky is resomething special.” In a span of three years, the Patriot Cup ally the limit. “Oh man. I don’t know,” Rooney said had grown from noble idea -- let’s remind people about the true meaning of Memorial when asked what the Patriot Cup is desDay while simultaneously raising money for tined to become.

“I’m not necessarily a guy that looks at it men and women who died while serving in maybe that way. I know hopefully it’s head- the U.S. Armed Forces. “With my military background, I’ve got ed where it’s supposed to be, whatever that looks like. I certainly would love to grow it. a great respect and understanding for what We continue to work on making the Patriot the day means,” Rooney said. “The more Cup more special. We continue to work on I talked to people about it, the more I became very aware having a Champithat people identions Tour event.” fied Memorial Day Rooney said the with the unofficial big thing in launchbeginning of suming a Champions mer, the day that Tour event is findthe pool opens for ing the necessary the year, the matsponsors to fit the tress sale, the car size of the purse. sale... This day of Will it happen or probably the greatwon’t it happen? est reverence in our Rooney doesn’t country, it really want that to be a lost its meaning.” defining factor in Feherty and Fowler share a laugh. That hit home whether the Patriot Cup is viewed as successful or unsuccessful. with Rooney, a veteran who, in 2007, It’s successful, period, if the event puts the launched the Folds of Honor Foundation to provide educational scholarships to spouses memorial back in the day. Rooney said the inspiration for the Patriot and dependents of soldiers killed or disabled Cup was to open the doors to Patriot Golf while defending the nation. The Patriot Cup Actor Craig T. Nelson after 80-foot birdie. Club on Memorial Day to remind people benefits the Owasso-based foundation. Did Rooney take it personally that, for “I think I took it as a personal responsibilwhat the holiday is supposed to be. By definition, Memorial Day -- the final many, Memorial Day had become an excuse ity. I don’t think I took it personal,” he said before adding this: Monday of May -- is a day to remember the to fire up the grill?

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 35

Patriot Cup Notebook When: Monday, May 27 Where: Patriot Golf Club, Owasso Tickets: $35 in advance, order through tickets.hardrockcasino tulsa.com or follow link at patriotcup.com Parking: Free parking and shuttles at Hard Rock Casino and at Stone Canyon Elementary. Concessions: Available onsite Field: Commitments not finalized at press time: Expect Rickie Fowler, Bo Van Pelt, Hunter Mahan, Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin and other pros and celebrities who have supported Patriot Cup in past along with some exciting new commitments for 2013.

Pros line the range at the outset of the 2012 Patriot Cup.

“We are a product of our environment. year. Rooney called the timing “a moment of Guys who lose their lives are on the sixth or seventh page of the newspaper. It’s our so- synchronicity, if you will, when chance and purpose come together.” ciety that commercializes People who turned on the at every opportunity that Golf Channel last Novemit gets and Memorial Day, ber got a reminder of what it has turned into another the next Memorial Day day off. It’s tough. I look should be about. at Veterans Day the same In the meanwhile, the way. Most of us can’t tell evolution of the Patriot you what month it is in.” Cup from 2010 until now FYI: Veterans Day in in has been amazing to November. watch. And the Golf Channel, Rooney had very few whose cameras were on contacts when he first hand to capture the third started recruiting particiannual Patriot Cup, chose pants and he said the first to air an hour-long feature about the event during the Singer Vince Gill is a fixture at Patriot Cup was “pretty much guts and feathers.” week of Veterans Day last the event.

A Patriot's Calling Major Dan Rooney is a doer. Athletically, he is a mostly selftaught golfer good enough to play professionally, a marathon runner, a fighter-jet pilot capable of keeping a clear head at speeds and G forces that would make most of us sick and dizzy. What Rooney does best, however, is dream big and inspire others to come along for the ride. His new book, A Patriot’s Calling, Living Life Between Fear and Faith, sheds some light on the Rooney projects with which we in Oklahoma are most familiar. The Big Four are the building of The Patriot Golf Club, the start of the Folds of Honor Foundation along with its two major fund-raisers, Patriot Golf Day and The Patriot Cup. All of these required major feats of inspiration, bringing on board everyone from the USGA, PGA of America and former President George W. Bush to the local contractors who donated time, materials and labor to the construction of the Folds of Honor Foundation headquarters. Rooney writes of his remarkable journey as the search for quintessence, described as “God’s reward to those who push themselves physically, spiritually and emotionally. This triad is the elixir of life, and each day I strive to make a little progress in these three areas.” 36 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

To be clear, it was a nice field that included Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Bo Van Pelt, Mark O’Meara, Scott Simpson and Loren Roberts playing alongside armed forces veterans. Rich Lerner of the Golf Channel loved the vibe and spirit of the first Patriot Cup tournament and a gala that followed. He told Rooney he thought the event had all the ingredients to be something really special and -- of course -- it would remind people what Memorial Day is all about. NHS Sports Group, which runs the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour and other golf events, jumped on board as a partner, offering to run the Patriot Cup pro bono, beginning with year two. Rooney is still beating the bushes for players, but he said it’s a thrill when past participants call him early in the year and ask if they are going to be invited back. Of course. Welcome back. And that means you too, Memorial Day.

How and why he came to believe in quintessence, where it has led him and where it may lead him next are part of what you’ll discover. There are passages you’ll want to share with your children in the hopes it will inspire them just as listening to Dan always inspires me. Having followed all four of those projects for years, there were still a lot of inside stories and new material in the book that all readers will enjoy. To order a copy, go to www. foldsofhonor.org. The proceeds will benefit the foundation, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for the families of servicemen killed or wounded in the line of duty. — by ken macleod

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 37

DESTINATIONS

Kohala, Hawaii Variety on The Big Island makes choosing a chore

The 11th hole at Mauna Kea Golf Course.

by art stricklin

KOHALA, Hawaii -- Traveling to the Big Island of Hawaii and attempting to find new and renovated golf courses in what is known as the Golf Capital of Hawaii can be one pleasantly frustrating experience. There are so many good ones here, so many scenic layouts, famous courses, hidden gems and exclusive private enclaves that the golfing choice can be downright confusing -- in a good sort of way. But thankfully, for golf on the Big Island there can be no wrong choices on where to play or stay and where to tee it up while you are here. The largest land mass in the Hawaiian chain has 17 different public courses scattered around the island, but the most resort friendly and accessible are located on the Kohala Coast on the northwestern side of the island, close to where the famous Ironman Triathlon is run every October. Mauna Kea Golf Course was the first resort course on the island, built by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in the late 1960s with an adjoining hotel designed and later owned by Laurence Rockefeller, stocked with artwork from his private collection. The course was famously opened on Aug. 38 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

8, 1964, when golf’s Big Three, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Palmer, all hit a tee shot over the churning Pacific Ocean on the par-3 third hole. Jones’ son, Robert Trent Jones Jr., recently completed a $150 million renovation of the course, moving, adding and deepening dozens of bunkers to challenge golfers playing with modern equipment, along with adding ultra dwarf Tif-Eagle Bermuda grass, but not changing the un- Mauna Kea’s 17th hole on the North side. Further south on the coast are seven difderstated elegance and historic ferent layouts, almost all along the ocean, nature of the layout. “Many people think he made the course with equal parts challenge, beauty, in-seatougher with the additional bunkers, but son whales and usually plenty of wind. The Francis H Brown courses, named for the course is still enjoyable for all levels of golfers playing from the different tees,” said the Father of Hawaii Golf, are located next to the outstanding Mauna Lani Resort. The Mauna Kea Director of Golf Josh Silliman. Indeed , the course is still the most popu- North and South courses are both located lar on the island among visitors and can be next to the sea. The par-72 South Course hosted the accessed by Mauna Kea Resort guests or Senior Skins game for a decade and photo those staying elsewhere. Next door is the Hapuna Golf Course de- memories of the professional greats line the signed in 1992 by Arnold Palmer and associ- clubhouse walls. The most famous hole is ate Ed Seay. It’s a more narrow links-style the par-3 15th, which is a true island green routing on a higher elevation than Mauna surrounded on all sides by the Pacific. The North Course is built on and through Kea, which goes down by the ocean.

the abundant dark lava flow in the area and offers plenty of dramatic ocean views itself. The Waikoloa Beach courses, the Beach and the Kings, also offer plenty of ocean views. These Jay Morrish-Tom Weiskopf layouts have both links routing and lots of trade wind breezes. The Waikoloa Village course is located across the highway on higher elevation and is routed through some houses. Still further south is the Four Seasons Hualalai, a fine par-72 Jack Nicklaus design. It’s laid out along the coast and inland green fields surrounded by the lavish resort hotel and luxury residences. The signature hole is the par-3 17th, 164 yards from the back tees with the ocean all along the left and a strong wind usually blowing in from the water. Under the hidden gem category you can certainly file the Kona Country Club, with the Mountain and Ocean courses on the southern end of the island, located. It is adjacent to the equally good Sheraton Kona Resort that hosts the annual Kona Coffee Festival. While not on the shoreline, the Big Island Country Club and the Makalei Country Club offer great mountain views with the water shining in the distance. Their rates, even for mainland visitors, are worth the drive off the beach into the hills. The Makalei course has one of most challenging opening holes, a straight uphill par-4 test. The Big Island also has the widest variety of top private courses which you can try with varying amounts of success to access. The Tom Fazio-designed Discovery Land project, Kukio, is next door to the Four Seasons. It has a challenging par-72 layout and a unique par-33 short course. Your chances are probably slim on getting on here, but it’s certainly a worthy goal. Guests staying at the Four Seasons also have the opportunity to play at the private par-72 Tom Weiskopf-designed Ke’olu course, located next to the Nicklaus Hualalai layout. While not on the water, the Ke’olu course is considered a few shots harder because of the deeper bunkers and longer par4s. The David MacKay Kidd-designed Nanea course, built for Charles Schwab and friends, is directly across the street from the Four Seasons. Lots of luck getting on one of the most exclusively private courses in the world. Nicklaus also has another private course, Hokulia, which is south of the international airport. With the outstanding courses offering all price levels, there are also all manner of food choices from in-resort to the local favorites like Kona Brewing Company. The unique

Hole 3 at Mauna Kea Golf Course.

Mango Hotel has stood on the same spot for nearly 80 years and still offers its wonderfully limited menu on the wall chalkboard highlighted by the always popular fried pork chop. Off-course attractions include helicopter

tours, sailing adventures and the spectacular Mauna Kea observatory. Yes indeed, the golf capital is in fine shape with attractions to please all types of Hawaiian visitors. For more information, go to www.bigisland.org or gohawaii.com

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A family tradition

Moore's college choice still being celebrated in Fayetteville

sweetest happened in Edmond. McMakin was captain of the 1989 Oklahoma Sooner rkansas golf coach Brad McMakin team that knocked off Oklahoma State at dealt with a lot of superlatives as Edmond’s Oak Tree Country Club to win he talked about Taylor Moore. He the NCAA National Championship “Yeah, I do like it,” McMakin said when talked about his golf game, his makeup and his bloodlines. Then, he went too far. Mc- asked about beating the Cowboys. “I really Makin said his freshman standout was such do.” a fine athlete that the 5-10 golfer could dunk. McMakin is almost beside himself when McMakin said his freshhe tries to describe what it meant to land man standout was such a Moore, perhaps the nation’s top junior golfer who comes from Edmond Memorial fine athlete that the 5-10 High School, right out from under Oklahogolfer could dunk. ma State. If there ever was a town tied to a golf McMakin, in his seventh year at Arkanschool, it would be Edmond to Oklahoma State. That’s where the legends of O-State sas, wanted Moore badly. He said he knew early in Moore’s junior career that he would golf reside. Never mind that both of Moore’s parents, be the number one target in the country. Rod and Melinda, are UA grads. Rod played He’d already set sail for any Moore outing baseball under Norm DeBriyn and Melinda before hiring assistant coach Barrett Lais three years ago. was a cheerleader. “The first thing I told Barrett, we have to It was still a monumental recruiting feat because Taylor often drove to nearby Still- sign Taylor Moore,” he said. “We have to. water to study OSU standouts Rickie Fowler That’s your job, make sure we get him.” It’s simple. McMakin knew that Moore and Kevin Tway. And early in Moore’s junior career you’d see him wearing O-State had Arkansas ties. Melinda is from Little Rock. Rod, who grew up in Oklahoma and colors, orange and black. All of that just made McMakin’s recruiting attended Seminole Junior College before victory over the Cowboys a little sweeter. hooking up with DeBriyn, is dedicated to And don’t ever forget that McMakin covets his alma mater. “They are diehard Razorback fans,” Mcany victory over Oklahoma State and the

M a k i n said. “I knew how much when I’d go see Taylor play a junior tournament and he’d tell me that mom and dad were in Fayetteville to watch the Auburn game. They’ve had season tickets for a few years.” There’s that simple fact that Rod and Melinda are Razorbacks, but it wasn’t an easy task to land Moore. He was told from an early age that when it came time to pick a college, he’d be given total freedom in the choice. “Taylor knows how we feel, but at the same time, we made sure he knew we supported him no matter what he did,” Moore said. “And once he settled in that he was a golfer, it was pretty clear that Oklahoma State was a really good choice, too. How can you argue with what they’ve done there? “They’ve got 11 national titles. They have guys all over the PGA Tour. And right here in Edmond, you go to Oak Tree and about any day you go to the range, there’s Scott Verplank, Bob Tway and a ton of other great O-State players. He was around that from the time we moved here.” That was early in Moore’s junior golf career. Born in San Angelo, Texas, where Rod was head coach at storied Central High, Taylor was exposed to every form of athletics. His father coached football and baseball at both Texarkana schools, sending the likes of Jacob Skinner and Jeremy Harrell to Ar-

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Taylor said his early dreams were of playkansas to play football. He finally got out of coaching to settle in with an oil and gas ing for the Hogs, just like his dad. He recompany in Edmond. But the baseball and members going into Dave Van Horn’s office basketball didn’t fall away until just a couple on some of their trips to Baum Stadium just to say hello. Rod and of years ago. Van Horn are long-time “Taylor is just so athletic friends from college that he could have done a days and their time lot of things,” said Rod. “I together in Texarkana was pretty sure it was gowhen Van Horn was a ing to be baseball until he junior college coach. hit about 14. He played DeBriyn recalls on a high-level travel team Rod’s days as a Razorthat won a lot of national back with fondness. titles. He played short and Rod also worked as a second. He was about as graduate assistant besmooth as you were gofore heading to Texas ing to find for a middle into coach high-school fielder.” football and baseball. Arkansas sophomore “Rod could hit a fastBrian Anderson and freshball, but really he was man Isaac Hellbusch were more of a defensive on those same travel teams. star,” DeBriyn said. That was the heart of a “He could really run in great infield. Moore is driven to succeed. center field. He covered “Taylor played up on Brian’s team,” Rod said. “You’d have a hard a lot of ground.” Rod said, “Coach D is being nice. I could time finding a better double-play combination. Brian might have had the better arm, hit a fastball, but once they figure out you but not by much. They could turn it as slick can’t hit a curve or a changeup, you don’t see anything else. It was awful trying to hit as you are going to see.”

20 FINAL OW LOTS NER UND TION RUC CONST

a changeup.” Rod wasn’t a golfer when he got to Fayetteville, but he was by the time he left. DeBriyn tells stories about giving the staff a half day off and almost every time Moore would head to Paradise Valley to find Deane Pappas, a star on the UA golf team. “Say, we’d have the guys come in for some work in the cage at the end of the day and here would come Rod, covered in sweat in his golf stuff,” DeBriyn said. “I’d ask him about his scores and he’d say, 1-over. He got pretty good.” Rod said, “Deane got me up to speed pretty fast. We had classes together and he told me he could teach me. I started out not breaking 90, but in two years, I was probably scratch.” Taylor Moore got the good genes from dad and maybe better ones from Melinda. “I’d have to say both of them were pretty athletic and I benefited in all ways,” Taylor said. “They said mom was pretty good at gymnastics, so that’s athletic ability. They said she had leaping ability. I think I got that from her.” Rod said, “No doubt. Speed was my asset and I could leap a little, but Melinda really

See Moore page 50

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MAHOGANY’S PRO PROFILE

Jim Woodward Jim Woodward accomplished a lifelong goal last fall by winning a national championship. He made an eagle on the par-5 final hole of the 2012 Southworth Senior PGA Professional National Championship, hitting his second shot from 245 yards to within tap-in range to edge Mike Miles of Huntington Beach, Calif., by a single shot. For the 55-year-old Woodward, director of instruction at Oak Tree National, it was a moment of elation in a career that has spanned some significant highs and lows. The win gave him a spot in the 2013 Senior PGA Championship May 23-26 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis and gave him hope he can qualify for and be competitive in the 2014 U.S. Senior Open to be held on his home course at Oak Tree National. You’ve had some time to reflect on the PNC victory. What does it mean to you? When you win something big, it takes a while to put it in perspective. I was very lucky to win the golf tournament, hitting that shot from 245 to a foot. It was my turn to be in the right place at the right time and catch the right break. Late that night, sitting on my hotel balcony with a good Cuban cigar, I reflected on all the work I’ve done and what I’ve been through to finally win a national event and how important it is to my life. As neat as that felt, in the bigger scheme of things it’s not very important. There are people going through real mental and physical challenges every day that are much more important.”

the web.com tours and lower end of the PGA Tour money list from the guys at the top. I had a couple of opportunities but it didn’t work out. Then I broke my kneecap at the Houston Open in 1993 and I was never the same after that. I have a good friend who tells me you can look back and glance at what you did in the past, but don’t stare at it. That’s pretty good advice. You made a good run at The Champions Tour but the qualifying rules make it exceedingly difficult to break in without a lot of career money. How hard was it to try to get in through Monday qualifiers? Very hard. Willie Wood went out and played on Mondays and broke through and won twice last year. I’m very proud of him because I know how hard that is to do. What I said to myself was if I don’t get that break, I’m not going to stay out there forever trying. I’ve got a lot of knowledge in this brain about golf that I can pass on to other kids. What makes Jim Woodward tick as a teacher? I try to keep the game simple. Grip, stance, posture. I don’t use much video. I think it’s too analytical and makes the student think too much. I look at Arnold Palmer, Orville Moody, Miller Barber, Jim Furyk. There are a lot of ways to swing the club,

Still, it must have felt like you caught a break, one you always looking for on your five-year PGA Tour career that never came? The crazy thing about being a good golfer is you’ve got to have a good break and be in the right place at the right time. That’s what separates all the guys on See Pro Profile, page 47 44 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

CHARLESTON’S AMATEUR PROFILE tions Committee. I was president of WOGA from 1997 to 2001. When I was president, I figured if I’m going to do this job, I better know something about the rules. The USGA had a twoday rules clinic in town, which I attended and I also did fairly well on the exam the first time. Between the tournaments that WOGA administrates and your new role with the USGA, you are volunteering a lot of time to the benefit of golf. My husband Bill retired three Pat McKamey, a former president years ago and he is interested in and director of the Women’s Okla- doing some traveling and golfhoma Golf Association, recently ing. We have a grandson and was named one of the 14 members some other things we want of the USGA Women’s Committee to do. The USGA role will rethat oversees all USGA women’s quire travel around the Open championships, including the U.S. and the Amateur and then we’ll Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s just have to see what the time Amateur. She joins Lew Erickson of requirements are from there. I Tulsa on the committee, giving Tulsa may be looking to cut back on and Oklahoma two members on one some of the other stuff. of the USGA’s most important comAre you proud of what mittees. WOGA has been able to acFirst, congratulations on complish in recent years, and your appointment. What will what are the next steps for that organization? be your role initially? I’m really proud of the way The Women’s Committee is there to oversee the conduct of we’ve grown and changed our the women’s national champi- direction. Getting our 501-C3 onships. All of us will be expect- status was big and now we can ed to work on the U.S. Women’s look for sponsors. We’ve gotOpen and Amateur and to serve ten more involved with junior as a liaison between the state golf, both our tournaments and organizations and the executive doing the high-school tournaments. We’re going to be initicommittee. For each of the champion- ating a college scholarship proships, a member of the commit- gram and hoping to initiate a tee will serve as chairman, as grant progra m for high-school Lew is currently doing with the programs to offer support in Senior Women’s Amateur. You terms of uniforms and travel help as invited or needed. Since bags. Next step for us is to estabI’m in my first year I’ll be doing a lot of listening and observing. lish our own office with at least a part-time executive director. What was your prior USGA We want to continue to work experience? How did you get with the OGA and establish interested in being a rules of- greater efficiencies. We’re celebrating our centennial as an ficial? I served for 10 years on the organization in 2015 and we’d Women’s Mid-Amateur Cham- like to get up to 1,000 mempionship Committee and six years on the Regional Associa- See Amateur, page 47

Pat McKamey

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 45

QUAIL CREEK BANK’S LOOK WHO’S PLAYING

Court Justice Joseph Watt

What is one of the most memorable rounds you’ve witnessed while walking as a scorer? In the U.S. Open in 2001, there was a young guy I didn’t know who shot 30 on the front nine including a couple of putts he missed under 10 feet. I found out his name for the 2014 U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree? I am the vice chairman for scoring ser- was Retief Goosen and he made everything vices for the 2014 Senior Open. We will be he drew back on. He went on to win and I handling all the walking scorers, standard was very impressed with him. bearers, basically anything to do with scorWhat are some of the top courses you’ve had ing. They’ll be about 325 folks that I’ll be an opportunity to play? responsible for. I’ve been very fortunate to play Augusta National twice and that was certainly one How did you get your start in golf? I grew up in Austin, a few years older of the most memorable golf experiences of than Ben Crenshaw, who went to my same my life. I went with a member who is now high school, and Tom Kite, who was across deceased, so my ticket there has likely been punched. I’ve also town at McCallum High been fortunate enough School. I watched Crento play Pine Valley. It shaw play and he was is certainly a harder something else. course. I shot an 82 In 1961 they had the at Augusta National, only LPGA event they’ve but I don’t know how ever held in Austin. It was many strokes it took called the Austin Civitan me to get around Pine Open. About a month Valley. It’s a long, hard before the event, I wrote course, but it’s also a a letter to Mickey Wright, great course. You can who had the best Sam see why it’s consisSnead-type swing on the tently ranked No. 1. ladies’ tour. I asked her if If I had a bucket list, she needed a caddie and I’d want to add Cyto my surprise she wrote press Point. back and said yes. The tournament was A 14-year-old Watt caddies for How about your top five supposed to be at Austin Mickey Wright. courses in Oklahoma? Municipal Course, which Oak Tree National would be at the top I played all the time, but at the last minute they switched it to Austin Country Club, of my list, with Southern Hills second, then which I had never played. But she said all Karsten Creek, Twin Hills and Dornick you have to do is carry the bag and keep up. Hills. Those would be my top five, though She finished second to Sandra Haynie that we have a lot of great courses in the state. week and it was just a wonderful time. She You listed Oak Tree first. Since the recent paid me $80 for four rounds and that was renovation, has it gotten harder? all the money in the world back then. Yes, but that’s why they make senior tees. Once you started volunteering, you’ve accu- I’ll tell you though, I have a twin brother mulated quite an impressive list of events just who belongs to a nice club in South Carolina where he shoots in the 70s and 80s and here in the state. The 1988 PGA Championship at Oak keeps a low handicap. He can’t break 100 Tree National, 1994 PGA Championship at Oak Tree. It’s just in his head and I think at Southern Hills, 1995 and 1996 PGA Tour that’s what it does to a lot of people. Championships at Southern Hills, 2000 We understand you’re a big Willie Wood fan. Club Professional Championship at Oak Yes, I’ve been blessed to know and folTree National, 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills, 2001 and 2002 PGA Senior Tour low all the Oak Tree professionals but I’ve Championships at Gaillardia Country known Willie since he was a freshman at Club, 2006 PGA Senior Championship at OSU. I was thrilled to see him win those Oak Tree National and 2007 PGA Champi- tournaments last year and have the success that he did. onship at Southern Hills.

Dedicated to making a difference

Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Joseph Watt

When not behind the bench, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Joseph Watt can often be found at the golf course, either volunteering his time to help run tournaments or trying to preserve his hard-earned money from “a bunch of oilmen who don’t believe in the concept of a 401k.” Watt, 66, plays at Oak Tree National, where he once maintained a 4-handicap and won the club senior championship. He is now a 12 but “getting my game back slowly.” Watt is an tireless volunteer, having worked every major event in the state since the 1988 PGA Championship at Oak Tree as well as many PGA Championships including 2005 at Baltusrol, 2006 at Medinah and 2008 at Oakland Hills as well as the 2007 Senior PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, S.C. How did your second vocation get its start? When the PGA Championship came to Oak Tree, I wanted to be involved. I volunteered to work in the scoring division and in the merchandise tent. I got to know folks and those are basically the areas I’ve been working at PGA events ever since. People ask me why I would want to go spend 16-hour days working in a merchandise tent on my vacation. I just love golf and it’s a way for me to give back. I remember the PGA Championship in Tulsa in 2007, it was so hot doing the walking scoring I thought it was the end of me. But for the most part, you’re around what you love doing and you’re giving back. I think everyone ought to give something back to the game.” Have you already started work on your role 46 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Pro Profile, from 44

as I can. And yet, you’ve always had a gift for esbut if you can repeat it and get the clubhead caping trouble when you found it. Mike Holder once said I have the most square on the ball, that’s what you need to do and stop trying to swing like Tiger God-given talent of any golfer he’d ever seen. I’m not that, but Woods. I was very creative and instinctive. When I was How important is to you a kid, I’d walk 36 holes to play in the 2014 U.S. a day at Quail Creek, Senior Open at Oak Tree and I learned how to National? make it curve, go left, That’s my main goal right, up and down. right now. It’s why I’m in a workout room five days What’s the Woody a week. It’s one of my last philosophy of golf and main goals in life as far as life? golf goes. I really want I want to play this to play Oak Tree. On the game until I die. It chalother hand, it’s a little scary lenges you so much. because I know how hard Every day you go to this golf course is. the golf course and you never know what’s What’s the key to your coming. I never would game at 55? I didn’t give it enough Woody, life on a roller coaster. have been good in an 8-to5 job. I want to ride that credit coming up, but I’ve always had real good tempo and balance. roller coaster. A merry-go-round is safe, but As long as I have good tempo and balance, I it’s no fun. It just goes around. I want to see can hit both a fade and a draw. These days how well I can handle those lows and how I just try to keep it as far away from trouble much I can appreciate the highs.

Amateur, from 45 bers for our 100th birthday. We’ve come a long way but there’s a lot more that we can do. The Women’s Public Links is at Jimmie Austin this spring and the Senior was recently at TCC. With you and Lew on the committee, do you see any chance that the Amateur or Open could be held in Oklahoma? The big thing with the site selections is the clubs have to send a letter indicating their interest in hosting a championship. Neither of us is on the Site Selection Committee, but if some of the prominent clubs in Oklahoma were interested in those events, we certainly would support them and encourage them to make that interest known through the proper channels.

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HUDIBURG AUTO GROUP JUNIOR AMATEUR PROFILE I enjoyed soccer, baseball and basketball, but really began You were obviously thrilled focusing my energies on golf to sign with Oklahoma State, at about age 10 or 11. It really but there’s more to it than join- caught my attention with the ing one of the nation’s top golf amount of effort and determination it took. programs? I’ve always wanted to be a You’ve experienced top-flight Cowboy. That’s where my mom and dad went and it was always junior competition all over the No. 1 on my list. I was fortunate country, particularly on the enough to have good enough AJGA circuit. And you’ve also grades to have the opportu- seen how Oklahoma junior golf nity to go to schools like Duke, has improved with the OklahoNorthwestern and Stanford. But ma Junior Golf Tour. Oklahoplaying at OSU has always been mans Talor Gooch, Ian Davis and Karsten Majors are on the my dream. OSU team. You’re going there When did you take up the and Nick Heinen and Hayden Woods are commits for 2014. game? They tell me it was as soon What does that say about the as I could walk. What I first re- current strength of junior golf member is when I was about 4 in Oklahoma? I’ve played on the East Coast, we were members of the Golf Club of Oklahoma and we West Coast and all around the would go out and play football, country and you’re not going play catch, go fishing and then to find any better competition than what you do here in hit a few golf shots. there this spring.

Brendon Jelley Jenks senior Brendon Jelley will accomplish a lifelong goal next fall by joining the golf program at Oklahoma State University. A more immediate goal is to win the Class 6A state championship in his final season, a goal that eluded him by a single shot in his sophomore year on his home course at Cedar Ridge. He finished sixth as a junior at Karsten Creek and the tournament returns

48 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Oklahoma. It’s crazy. A lot of this is due to Morri Rose, who runs the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour. The number of kids who are going on to play college golf is amazing. When you look at guys like Nick Heinen, Hayden Wood, Max McGreevy (current 6A champion heading for the University of Oklahoma), those guys are just as good as anyone in the country. When you think of OSU stars of the recent past like Rickie Fowler, Peter Uihlein, Bo Van Pelt, Hunter Mahan, Johnathan Moore, Charles Howell, only Kevin Tway was an Oklahoman. Does the recruiting of so many in-state players represent a change of philosophy at OSU under coach Mike McGraw? I believe it does. Coach McGraw really believes in local kids and wants to get the best player out of Oklahoma every year. I really wanted to be the

best player in Oklahoma so I could get the ing around anxiously to see how the leaders finished, but was told I was in third place chance to play for OSU. and they took the leaders out for a playoff. Just as they were about to hit their tee What are you working on now to take shots in the playoff, the AJGA administrayour game to the next level? I’ve always had a good short game and tors realized they had made a mistake and wedge game. I’ve been working on becom- they were tied for second. They had added ing a better driver of the ball. I’m working it up wrong. I was a stroke ahead. It was with Tracy Phillips on some key things insane. A crazy way to get your first AJGA on my setup. I’m going to work on those victory. throughout the spring and hopefully be Which professional golfers do you adready for a really good year. mire? “The main guy is Bo Van Pelt. He plays You’ve been with Tracy a long time? Since I was about 9. He’s always made the out at Cedar Ridge where I play. He’s an outgolf swing simple and understandable. A lot standing golfer but an even better person. He would always come up and talk to me, of my success is due to him. encourage me, see how I was doing. He’s just very, very nice and he’s playing aweWhat’s your biggest win to date? My first AJGA win was in June at The some. He’s had a great couple of years and AJGA Junior at Steelwood in Alabama and hopefully he’ll keep it going. it was strange. I shot 76 the first day, 4-over, There are so many talented golfers at and deep down was thinking it probably was not my tournament. But then I played every level. What do you think separates well the second day (69) and on the final them? A lot of it is just believing in what you day, with five holes to play, I knew where I stood and what I had to do. I birdied four of can do and expecting good things to hapthe last five holes (to shoot 68). I was wait- pen. A lot of players are always expecting

the worst. I always expect something good to happen. Whether it’s making a five-foot putt to save par or getting that up-and-down when you really need it. Favorite course you’ve played thus far? Have to be TPC Sawgrass. We played in an AJGA event there with the tees, green speeds and pins set up just like the tour event. I birdied No. 17 with the famous back right pin position, so that was really memorable. How about a favorite moment not in a tournament? My family goes to Scottsdale on spring break and we have a great time. My father, Steve, was an excellent golfer at Stillwater High School and could have played collegiately at Arizona State and other places but wanted to go to OSU. My brother Garrett has a ton of talent and is a freshman on the team at Jenks. We play for the Jelley Jug. The last day we were all really close and I was grinding as hard as at an AJGA event. I made a putt on the last hole to win it and I was just as excited as any tournament I’ve won. It was just really fun and enjoyable.

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Moore, from 42

had ability. I saw this happen and then we got pictures. But there was a game where she was leading the football team through the “A” and she did a series of back flips. There is a picture of her in the last flip, she’s horizontal and her complete body was above the top helmet of the football players. It’s pretty neat to see, incredible actually.” McMakin has heard stories about Taylor’s basketball exploits. “You go to Edmond, and folks tell you about him with great awe,” McMakin said. “I’ve heard that twice he got called for goaltending. He’s 5-8. So he can really get up. He can dunk.” Okay, time to check out that rumor. “Not with a basketball,” Taylor said. “I can get up high enough to dunk a basketball, but my hands are little. I can’t grip a basketball. I do dunk a volleyball. I think if my hands were bigger, I’d dunk with a basketball, too.” Basketball was fun until an injury two years ago. Already the nation’s top junior player in his class, it was clear that golf was going to be his college sport. “I dislocated the knuckle in my index finger,” Moore said. “It looked pretty bad. Looking at it, I wondered if I was going to

be able to grip a golf club again. They fixed it and I was playing again in a few weeks. But that told me I better stop this before I really get hurt.” Despite his skill at the sport, Moore had already decided baseball was not his longterm future as he did not want to be at the mercy of bad calls by umpires. Golfers probably have more control over their fate than most athletes, though learning to control their emotions is critical. “You ask me where Taylor gets his athletic ability,” McMakin said. “Like Taylor said, from both parents. But I can tell you this: Taylor gets the temper from Rod. He’s still got that and we are working to get it out of him. He had some instances where it cost him in the fall. But he’s learning.” There was a tournament at Olympia Fields where Moore was 6-under early in the round, but fell apart because of his temper. “He shot a couple of 80s because of that temper and not being patient,” McMakin said. “I’m not sure he’d ever shot 80 before in a big tournament. He had some hiccups this fall, but most of it stemmed from course management. It’s hard for him to back off a tough pin. He doesn’t think he’s going to birdie some of the holes. He thinks he’s going to birdie all of them.

“College golf is more like PGA Tour golf. They hide every pin. They don’t make it easy. And Taylor had to learn that there were some you just leave alone. I’m telling you, that was tough for him. He thinks he should be able to go after all of them. I think we’ve gotten through to him on that. He’s smart and he learns. But there isn’t much ‘back off’ in Taylor. He is the ultimate competitor.” McMakin said it’s only a matter of time before Moore breaks through. He won 14 high-school tournaments and was two-time state champion at Edmond Memorial. McMakin is generally not into predictions, but he made a big one for Moore. “The sky is the limit,” McMakin said. “He’s a hard worker, he’s dedicated and I think the adjustments and things he’s learned in the fall are going to be huge for him in the spring. ““What I know is that he comes to practice every day trying to get better. He’s like Tiger Woods and Tom Kite. Every day they try to get better. I think he’ll be the same way when he’s 30, just special and trying to get better. I’m telling you, the world better watch out because he’s trying to light it on fire.” Clay Henry is the editor of Hawgs Illustrated, which ran a version of this story.

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WOGA NEWS AND NOTES

ONLINE: Get local, national, equipment, and travel stories online at golfoklahoma.org

Eventful summer for WOGA by katy treadwell

Coming off a banner year in 2012 that earned the women of WOGA a record setting eighth Fore State Championship, the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association is gearing up for what it believes will be the best season to date. WOGA aims to make girls junior golf a top priority in 2013 and beyond, while continuing to provide Championship opportunities for women golfers of all ages just as it has over the past 98 years. One of the newest additions to the WOGA schedule in 2013 is the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Fundraiser. In recent years WOGA has seen an increase in the number of young, high school and college aged women members, and as a result, the overall level of competition has improved and WOGA board members have taken notice. The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Fundraiser is designed to help continue the trend and better fund WOGA Junior Golf programs. “The younger players are the future of

WOGA and their involvement is integral to our overall success,” said President Cherie Rich. The first Annual Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Fundraiser is an open event and WOGA invites men, women, boys and girls to participate. The 18 hole “Shamble” will be held at Meadowbrook Country Club in Tulsa on July 8. In addition to the fundraiser, and thanks to the help of Tricia Everest, as well as the Dunk ‘n Divot Golf Committee of Duncan, that generously donated $8,200 to the WOGA scholarship fund in memory of Jarita Askins, WOGA will also award two, $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors. WOGA board members encourage all high school seniors with a passion for the game to apply. The candidates will be announced at the State Junior Girls Tournament, and the deadline for applications is May 1st. WOGA will be holding an online auction to benefit the Junior Grants program. “We urge everyone to ask their courses to donate rounds of golf or local businesses and

friends to donate and help to support junior girls golf in Oklahoma,” said Vice President, Sheila Dills. The deadline to apply for the grant is August 15t and award recipients will be announced and distributed by Sept. 15. WOGA will also introduce another Championship to its calendar in 2013. The Mixed Couples Championship will be an event for guys and gals to participate in together. It will be Oct. 26-27 at Cherokee Hills Golf Course at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa. The WOGA season will officially begin on May 13 when the ladies tee it up at the Third Annual WOGA Cup Club Team Championship at Stillwater Country Club. Club Team. Muskogee took home the 2012 trophy and looks to defend its title. To join WOGA or get more information about the upcoming season and tournament dates, visit WOGA on the web at www.WOGA. us. Junior Grants and WOGA Junior Fundraiser Info: Contact: Sheila Dills. Email: southernint@aol.com Scholarship Info: Contact: Tricia Everest Email: triciaeverest@aol.com

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 51

Albany wins Tavistock Cup, Oak Tree National fifth Tiger Woods helped lead Team Albany to playoff win in the Tavistock Cup, snapping Team Lake Nona’s four-year hold on the trophy. Oak Tree National, competing for the first time, finished fifth out of six teams, finishing five shots out of the playoff. Long-time Oak Tree member Bob Tway, who played for his club, said the main thing was the positive exposure for Oak Tree National. The event was televised nationally by Golf Channel. “People recognize Oak Tree as a great course and great facility,” Tway said. “With the U.S. Senior Open coming next year, this was a great event to put the club back out there.” Woods’ Team Albany and Team Lake Nona headed for a playoff after they both finished 7-over-par. Woods and Ian Poulter represented Albany in the playoff, while Graeme McDowell and Henrik Stenson represented Lake Nona. Woods set up Poulter for a clutch putt that won the playoff. Team Primland and Team Isleworth tied for second place at 8-over-par. Team Isleworth was represented by Bubba Watson, Tulsan Bo Van Pelt, D.A. Points and Brian Davis. The Isleworth group

Oak Tree National moves up in Golfweek Top 100 Modern list Golfweek’s annual Top 100 course listings are out in both The Classics, before 1960, and Modern, 1960 forward. There are no changes at the top, with Pine Valley, Cypress Point, Shinnecock Hills and National Golf Links of America still 1-4 in the Classic category and Sand Hills Golf Club and Pacific Dunes remaining 1-2 on the Modern list. Whistling Straits did move up from 4 to 3 and Friar’s Head from 5 to 4, bouncing Old Macdonald in Bandon, Ore., from 3 to 5. As for Oklahoma courses, Oak Tree National moved up from 44 to 40 on the Modern list in advance of hosting the 2014 U.S. Senior Open. The course invited Golfweek raters in last summer for a fresh look jumped out to an early lead at 2-under-par before stumbling. Woods finished 18 holes at 1-over-73, four shots behind individual top finisher Webb Simpson (Team Primland). Simpson finished 3-under-73 after completing 18 holes. Graeme McDowell (Team Lake Nona) and Scott Verplank (Team Oak Tree National)

at the updates made in the recent renovation by Tripp Davis and they apparently liked what they saw. The Patriot in Owasso fell from 42 to 45, while Karsten Creek in Stillwater had a precipitous drop from 50 to 68. In the Classics list, Southern Hills in Tulsa remains our only entry and this year took a slight drop from 26 to 28 as it was jumped by Plainfield Country Club, a 1921 Donald Ross design, and Somerset Hills Country Club, a 1918 A.W. Tillinghast course. Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., stayed at No. 13. Both Southern Hills and nine holes at Prairie Dunes were designed by Perry Maxwell. tied for second place at 1-under-73. The Tavistock Cup format was shortened to 18 holes on one day using the better ball stroke play format due to weather issues Sunday that bumped the Arnold Palmer Invitational into Monday, the day Tavistock play was supposed to begin. Each Tavistock team counted four, 18-hole individual scores.

ARKANSAS

52 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

INSTRUCTION

Get out there and hit it Tempo and balance is all you need by jim woodward

balance in check so you can hit a solid and straight ball. Don’t worry how you look and if all your angles are just right; worry about hitting it where you can find it and shooting a good score. I truly believe every student can be taught to square the club to the ball. When we cut golf to its simplest form, is that not what we want to do? I hear it said every day: I just want to hit it straight. OK, then I’m telling you go to the range to work on that balance and tempo. As you get the balance, then try to get the club to the ball square. Start with your wedge; try to hit it 50 yards straight. Then move up to 75 yards, and then work to the 9-iron and do the same. Work all the way to the driver doing just that. You will be surprised how solid you will strike the ball. I tell people all the time to keep it simple. They will look at me like I’m crazy. “Woody,” they will say, “this game is hard!” I say yes,www.belmargolfclub.net it is the hardest game I have ever played, and that’s why we should keep it simple. 1025 E. Indian Hills Road

I’m always entertained when I go to good score and usually wins all the money. Ernie Vossler, God rest his soul, was my teaching seminars these days. They are usually indoors with somebody hitting into a first teacher and he would tell me all the net off a mat with a camera and TrackMan time to work on your balance and tempo. I telling them everything they could ever harp to my students constantly to work on want to know. Well, I don’tTHE want to sound their balance and tempo. The next time you like an old fuddy-duddy, but there is a lot go to practice do me a favor; try to swing the club slow enough that you always keep more to the game then that. your balance. Then figure out your tempo to Let me say this to anyone out there who CALL FOR plays the game or wants to learn to play the match your balance. Sounds pretty simple, game: it’s just that, a game. What I mean is doesn’t it. Well you go and try it and see if the prettiest swing doesn’t always get the you don’t hit the ball more solidly and on best results. I hear people say all the time, line. The trick is to be able to swing the club “Man, so and so really has a great looking with power but not be falling down when swing, but . . .” What they always say next you do it. Think of Fred Couples or Ernie is he doesn’t shoot very good scores, or his Ells, two beautiful golf swings. Why do we like them? It’s because of their great tempo or her handicap is not very good.. We all have a buddy like that. We also and timing. These swings look effortless, have the friend whose swing is kind of ugly don’t they? CONTACT CHARLES CANDLER Video instruction has its place, but do me and he plays with clubs that are way past FOR MORE INFORMATION Norman, OK 73071 Jim Woodward is a director of instruction at their prime; you know who he is. That will a favor. Go to the range and hit off the grass, OR A CLUB TOUR be the person that always shoots a pretty watch your ball flight and try to get the Oak Tree National

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INSTRUCTION

Lower body action Which style is best? by ej pfister

There is no perfect lower-body motion that fits every player. Some instructors say maintain right knee flex and load into the right side. Some say rotate in a barrel. Others, like Stack and Tilt, say straighten the right leg and rotate around the left leg. Which of these is correct? All of them, but which one is best for you? I will show you a way to screen yourself to determine which lower-body action is best suited for you. 1) While on the driving range with a 6-iron get set up as if you were going to hit a golf shot. 2) While staying in a golf posture, take your 6-iron and place it parallel to the ground through the middle of your thighs. Place your hands flat against the shaft, pressing firmly on your thighs so the shaft is secure. 3) Now, while keeping the shaft pressed against your thighs, go ahead and move your lower body as if you were going to hit

54 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

a golf ball. Do not allow the shaft to separate during the rotation. The results will be as follows: 1) Your right leg will straighten slightly and you might feel increased pressure on the left foot. Your belt buckle will stay forward (toward the target) as you turn in the backswing. I refer to this action as a front-post 34o pivot. Player rotates around left leg. There is still a majority of downward pressure on the right leg. Your pedestal will point to the target. This is the method of Fred Couples and Justin Leonard. 2) Your right knee will maintain flex and your belt buckle will remain, for the most part, in the middle of your feet. You might have the image of turning in a barrel, so no real lateral motion to the right or left. I refer to this as turning around your pelvis. Your pedestal will be centered. Players who do this are Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Phil Michelson and Tiger Woods. 3) Your right leg maintains its flex, the LPGA Tour player Karin Sjodin stays belt buckle rotates and moves to the right centered over the ball.

in a lateral motion away from target. Your pedestal will be pointing to the right. I refer to this as a two-post pivot because of the lateral motion into the back post (leg) and a shift to the front leg. John Daley, Rich Beem. As an instructor my thoughts are why guess at something that can be measured, so I use many screenings to determine what’s best for my students. I would encourage you to perform this screening to let your body tell you what the best lower-body action is for you. I need to thank Mike Adams and EA Tischler for their willingness to share information and ideas that ultimately help our students improve.

32o

33o

EJ Pfister, Director of Instruction, Oak Tree National. Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructors ejgolf@me.com ejpfistergolf. com At right, Sydnee Michaels shows a forward leaning setup, while Pfister sets up to the left. All methods work.

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GOLF FITNESS

Get fit for a fresh start this golf season It’s that time of year again. Warmer weather, growing greens, and a strong desire to get back on the golf course. Maybe you had a banner 2012 and hope to pick up where you left off. Or perhaps you are looking for a fresh start this year. Either way, it is important to make good decisions when getting back into the game after the off-season. Follow these three rules and you will likely avoid injury, improve your score, and enjoy the game more in 2013.

Sean Riley SwingFit

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Schedule a Session With Your Golf Instructor

This is one is obvious, but so many of us go to the range or course first to see what the state of our game is. We start tinkering, trying something we learned on TV, or change equipment. In golf, as in business and life, it is always better to have a plan. Spend the money and have a session with your golf instructor. Discuss what your goals are for the coming year, review changes made to your swing last year, and let your pro take a look at you and your game. Your teacher will help you decide what steps you need to take for the upcoming year to improve your game. Often what you think you need, like a new driver, is often something completely different, like short game lessons. And by all means, if you don’t have a golf instructor, get one. It is the best money you will ever spend to improve your game. Be Reasonable With Your Practice Your brain says you are 18. Your body says otherwise. The most common mistake we see with golfers (particularly men) is an aggressive return to golf schedule. Hitting 100 or more balls multiple days per week. Lots of time bent over the putter on the practice green. Playing multiple rounds and often walking since the weather is cooler. Let’s be real. You aren’t a teenager anymore. Your body likely doesn’t respond to activity like it used to. Winter months of working, sitting, and relaxing lead to a body

1A 56 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

that needs some time to get acclimated to the golf swing. Ease your way back into the game. Limit your practice sessions to no more than 45 minutes three days per week for the first several weeks. See how your body responds. Does your back get tight? Are your muscles sore? Do you feel tired after practicing? If so, don’t increase your golf schedule until your body gets into golf shape. Once you get back on the course, take it easy the first several rounds. Avoid a pressure-playing group, take an extra club, and ride if you have not been exercising. Double Your Warm Up Time We find most golfers do not take the time to prepare their body for golf. We step up onto the practice range, putting green or first tee and start swinging. Sooner or later this is going to catch up with you in the form of injury. Golf is a sport that requires significant body control and coordination. It also puts a large amount of stress on your spine, shoulders, hips and knees. As a result, it is important that you prepare by warming up your body. We recommend during the season for players to spend at least five full minutes taking their body through several specific movements to prepare their neuromuscular system for the sport of golf. At the start of the season double this to ten minutes for the first month. Your warm-up should be dynamic,

total body, golf specific, and range appropriate. At a minimum we recommend the following three drills from Jason Glass at TPI to prepare your body for practice and playing: 1. Leg Swings - Linear and Sideways A Stand on your right leg and place your driver in your left hand. Use the driver as a balance aid. B From this position, engage your core and swing your left leg back and forth 10 times. You should feel work in your stance leg hip and a stretch in your swing leg. C Then swing your left leg side to side keeping your toes pointed to the sky 10 times. D Switch your driver into your right hand and perform the same with your right leg. 2. Separation Swings A Hold your driver out in front of you, parallel to the ground. Keep a light grip pressure. B Stabilize your hips and turn your upper body side to side. You should feel a stretch through your abdomen while keeping your lower body still. C Perform 10 times each direction. 3. Load and Fire A This drill builds on Separation Swings and gets your body ready to fire through the ball. B Turn to the right away from the ball by keeping your lower body stable and then fire your whole body through and finish on your left side. • Make sure and perform 10 times both directions. This helps symmetry in your body. SwingFit specializes in golf specific fitness, performance, and training services for golfers of all ages. Founded by Titleist Performance Institute Certified Medical Professionals, Ryan Smith, PT and Sean Riley, DC, SwingFit gives players access to the same proprietary testing and training systems used the by the best players in the world. The SwingFit system identifies the least amount of physical changes required in your body to produce the greatest results in your golf swing. Th e result is better practice with your swing coach and more enjoyment on the course. To schedule your SwingFit Golf Assessment and receive a comprehensive physical training program designed to unlock your full potential, contact SwingFit at (918) 743-3737 or visit us on the web at www.swingfittulsa. 2A com.

Trinity Forest may be new Nelson site by art stricklin

DALLAS -- If the saying holds true that everything is bigger in Texas, then the latest golf project in North Texas has the ability to shape golf in the region for decades to come. The Trinity Forest Golf Course, first announced over the 2012 holiday season, would certainly have a lasting impact, beginning with its unlikely location south of downtown Dallas on a former city-owned garbage dump. Politically connected and well-funded Dallas corporate citizen AT&T has partnered with the City of Dallas and a local developer and foundation to build a championship 18-hole, semi-private golf course. Golf architectural legends Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore have already been announced as the designers of the 400-acre project, which will include lavish on-site facilities for the junior golf First Tee of Dallas program along with the headquarters of the SMU golf teams. “This will be a major recreational complex,” Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings said, adding that the golf course will run along

one of the largest urban forests in the country. AT&T Executive Vice-President Ron Spears, who is helping spearhead the project for the corporation, said the opening of the new course will allow huge professional tournaments, charity and public-play events along with college and First Tee opportunities for the entire region. While any new course, set to begin construction in late April and open in late 2015, in these economically challenging times is good news, what makes the Trinity Forest course truly special is the lofty goals organizers have set for the layout and surrounding area. The City of Dallas has already publicly stated they hope to draw the local PGA Tour event, the Byron Nelson Championship, to the new course, a goal seemingly very attainable with AT&T taking over as title sponsor from HP beginning in 2015, about the time the new course will open. PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem, who took part in the opening press conference via phone, said the possibility or likelihood of the Nelson moving from its 30-year home at the TPC-Las Colinas in Irving to the new

Trinity Forest course was, “quite high.” But the founders’ vision is much grander than that. Organizers, banking on the architectural skills of Crenshaw and Coore and the political connections of AT&T, whose CEO Randall Stephenson is on the PGA Tour policy board, hope to possibly host a FedEx Cup event in the fall, maybe even a U.S. Open and Ryder Cup. “When is the last time anything in Dallas golf had the label, ‘world class,’ attached to it,” said Dallas golf legend Lee Trevino, who took part in the opening press conference. “This is very exciting for everyone involved in Dallas golf.” Only final Dallas City Council approval in late April is needed to start construction on the site, which has already been toured and staked by Crenshaw and Coore and visited by PGA Tour and Salesmanship Club officials. The City of Dallas has committed $12 million to clean up the former garage dump, which was unsuitable for any future development. AT&T has committed to fund nearby trails along with the millions it’s putting into its new Byron Nelson title sponsorship, and SMU has pledged a multi-million sum.

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SUPERINTENDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

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Raising the canopy at S-Hills mous dogleg left par-4 12th hole, have been moved out of the tree line and more into the fairways. The bunker on 12 shifted six feet right, pinching the fairway a bit for those who try to drive past it. In addition to the bunker work, there has been extensive work done around the first and 10th tee areas. New tee boxes have been added to slightly lengthen holes 1 and 10, while cart paths have been reworked and simplified and moved away from the clubhouse. Now one can virtually step outside the pro shop and be on the back tee of No. 1. Interestingly, Davis now has a practice green planted with Champion Bermuda. He is keeping an eye on how other Bermuda greens fare this far north, including those at Page Belcher and the planned conversion of 18 holes this summer at the Club at Indian Springs. He would like the club to consider Champion when it comes time to redo the greens on the West Nine, which opened in 1992 and now has 21-year-old Penn Links greens.

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Southern Hills Country Club superintendent K.D. Davis, like his boss general manager Nick Sidorakis, was disappointed when the USGA announced recently that the 2020 U.S. Open was awarded for a sixth time to Winged Foot instead of for a fourth time to Southern Hills. “To have an opportunity like that would be a dream come true for me,” Davis said. “Anytime you get an opportunity to host the world’s best players on your course, you would be thrilled.” While Southern Hills waits to see if it lands the event in 2021 or beyond, Davis has plenty to do to keep busy. The course is in the midst of completing a bunker renovation project that began three years ago and has lowered many of the steepest bunker walls. “A few of them had just become too deep,” Davis said. “We’re not changing the floor to face ratio, we’re just basically lowering the entrance. The bunkers look bigger when we’re done, but it’s an optical illusion. Some fairway bunkers, such as on the fa-

Davis was known for maintaining great bent grass greens far south in his previous position as superintendent at Cordillera Ranch in San Antonio. He was one of the few that far south that had not converted to a hybrid Bermuda. “I was the blueberry in the bowl of milk down there,” said the Ohio State graduate. “They were good, but most places had gone to the Bermuda.” Another project for Davis has been raising the canopy on the tree lines up to 15 to 18 feet. The purpose is two-fold, to allow players a better chance to make a play instead of pitching out, and to scale back on the shadethriving fescue in favor of more extensive Bermuda rough. “I’m just tired of the fescue to be honest with you,” Davis said. “There are times when you have to mow it three times a week and other times it’s burning out. If we can grow more Bermuda, it’s just better and more consistent for the golf experience. I’m hoping we can reduce the fescue by 40 to 50 percent. The higher canopies also give us a great look. You can see through the course more easily.“

WWW.LUBER.COM 58 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

SCHEDULES & RESULTS SCHEDULES OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION May 20-21: Spring Four-Ball and Senior Spring Four-Ball, Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow June 3-6: Junior Boys and Girls, Kickingbird GC, Edmond June 17-18: Mid-Amateur, Stillwater CC June 24-27: Senior State Amateur, GC of Oklahoma, Broken Arrow July 15-16: Senior Stroke Play, Dornick Hills G&CC, Ardmore July 22-24: State Amateur, Okla. City G&CC Aug. 5-7: Stroke Play, The Trails GC, Norman Aug. 15: Oklahoma Open amateur qualifying, Lincoln Park GC, Okla. City Aug. 23-25: Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree CC, Edmond Sept. 9: State Club, Oak Tree CC, Edmond WOMEN’S OKLA. GOLF ASSOCIATION May 13-14: WOGA Cup, Stillwater CC June 24-25: Mid-Amateur Stroke Play, Indian Springs CC, Broken Arrow July 9-10: Girls Junior State, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa June 15-18: State Amateur, The Greens CC, Okla. City Aug. 1-2: Fore State, Twin Hills G&CC, Joplin, Mo. Aug. 20-21: Partnership, Shangri-La GC, Monkey Island Sept. 17-19: USGA State Team, NCR CC, Kettering, Ohio Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Senior Championship, The Trails GC, Norman Oct. 26-27: Mixed Couples, Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa GOLF INC (OKLAHOMA CITY) April 13-14, 20-21: Spring Four-Ball May 18-19: Two-Man Scramble June 1-2, 8-9: City Amateur June TBA: Senior City Amateur June 23-24: Eric Bergquist Memorial Classic July 14-15, 21-22, 28-29, Aug. 4-5: Club Championships Aug. TBA: Wally Wallis Aug. TBA: Interclub Aug, TBA: Senior Interclub

May 10: At Rose Creek GC May 24: At Lake Hefner GC (North) June 14-15: Major, Trosper Park GC June 28: At Cowan Creek, Austin, Texas July 12: At John Conrad GC July 26: At Mustang Creek, Taylor, Texas Aug. 9: At Westwood Park Aug. 23: At James E. Stewart GC Sept. 6-7: Chapter Finals, Earlywine GC Oct. 5-6: Legends on the Niagara National Tour Championships Nov. 11-17: Myrtle Beach Open O-TOUR April 13: At Cimarron Trails GC, Perkins April 27: At Emerald Falls GC, Broken Arrow May 18: West Major, Winter Creek GC, Blanchard June 1: At Battle Creek GC, Broken Arrow June 22: At Kickingbird GC, Edmond July 13: East Major, Forest Ridge GC, Broken Arrow July 27: At Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa Aug. 10: At Lincoln Park GC (West), Oklahoma City Aug. 24: At Cherry Springs GC, Tahlequah Sept. 21: Southern Major, Silverado GC, Durant Oct. 5: Match Play Invitational, Fairfax GC, Edmond Oct. 19: Oklahoma Cup, Emerald Falls GC, Broken Arrow TATTOO TOUR March 30: At Coffee Creek GC, Edmond April 14: At Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso April 28: At Fairfax GC, Edmond May 11: At White Hawk GC, Bixby May 26: At Fianna Hills CC, Fort Smith, Ark. June 9: At LaFortune Park GC, Tulsa June 22: At Lake Hefner GC (North), Oklahoma City July 6: At Forest Ridge GC, Broken Arrow July 7: At Emerald Falls GC, Broken Arrow July 21: At Lincoln Park GC (West), Oklahoma

City Aug. 4: At Battle Creek GC, Broken Arrow Aug. 18: At Kickingbird GC, Edmond Sept. 8: At Stonebridge Meadows GC, Fayetteville, Ark. Sept. 22: At Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa Oct. 6: Tour Championship, TBA SOUTH CENTRAL April 2: Assistant Match Play Final, Okla. City G&CC April 22: Cutter & Buck Senior-Junior, Shadow Valley CC, Rogers, Ark. April 29: Assistant Cup Matches, Fayetteville (Ark.) CC May 6: Three-Man Scramble, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso May 20-21: Pro-Scratch, Lakeside GC, Stillwater June 3: Senior Pro-Am, Lake Hefner GC (North), Okla. City June 10: Team Championship, Reflection Ridge GC, Wichita June 10: Web.com Monday Qualifier, Sand Creek Station GC, Newton, Kan; and Auburn Hills Municipal, Wichita June 17: Pro-President, CC of Little Rock June 23-25: Senior Match Play, LaFortune Park GC, Tulsa July 1: Assistant Association Championship, Belmar GC, Norman July 8-10: Match Play, Terradyne GC, Andover, Kan. July 16: Senior Pro-Senior Amateur, Earlywine GC, Okla. City Aug. 4-6: Senior Cup Matches-SCS Senior PNC, Oakwood CC, Enid Aug. 5-6: Senior Association Hall of Fame Championship, Oakwood CC, Enid Aug. 12: South Central PGA Assistant Championship, Forest Ridge GC, Broken Arrow Aug. 19-20: South Central PGA Pro Championship, Quail Creek G&CC, Okla. City Sept. 3: Pro-Assistant, WinSar GC, Thackerville

TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION April 13-14: Two-Man Challenge, South Lakes GC May 18-19: Spring Four-Ball Match, Page Belcher GC (Stone Creek) June 22-23: Stroke Play, LaFortune Park GC July 27-28: Four-Ball Stroke Play and Senior Stroke Play, Forest Ridge GC Aug. 24-25: Two-Man Challenge II, Page Belcher GC GOLF CHANNEL (OKLAHOMA) TOUR March 30: Forest Ridge Classic, Broken Arrow April 13: Cowboys Classic, Lakeside GC, Stillwater April 27-28: Missouri Valley Championship, Branson Creek and Murder Rock G&CC Holister, Mo. May 11: Valley View Invitational, GC Valley View, Farmington, Ark. May 18-19: Midwest Classic at Blackwolf Run, Kohler, Wisc. May 25: Broken Arrow Open, Battle Creek GC June 2: Stillwater Championship, Stillwater CC June 15: Edmond Summer Classic, Fairfax GC June 29-30: Red River Shootout, WinStar GC, Thackerville July 13: Grand Lake Showdown, Patricia Island GC, Grove July 22: Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree CC (East), Edmond July 27-28: Texas Masters, Barton Creek, Austin Aug. 10: Coffee Creek Championship, Edmond Aug. 26: Oklahoma Tour Çhampionship, River Oaks GC, Edmond Sept. 22-25: National Championship, PGA West, LaQuinta, Calif. Sept. 28-Oct. 1: Senior National, PGA West, LaQuinta, Calif. MULLIGAN TOUR (OKLAHOMA CITY) April 12: At Silverhorn GC April 26: At Surrey Hills GC

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 59

ONLINE: Get the latest schedules and results at

SCHEDULES & RESULTS Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Section Championship and Fall Meeting, Hillcrest GC, Bartlesville Oct. 21: Senior Team, Stillwater CC Oct. 28-29: Las Vegas Pro-Am SOUTH CENTRAL JUNIORS June 3: Meadowlake Junior, Enid June 3-4: Players Tour No. 1, Shadow Valley CC, Rogers, Ark. June 6: Parent Child, LaFortune Park GC, Tulsa June 7: Pryor Junior, Pryor Creek June 10: Broken Arrow Junior, Broken Arrow G&AC June 11: Westwood Junior, Westwood Park, Norman June 12: Players Tour No. 2, Shangri-La GC, Monkey Island June 17: McAlester Junior June 18: Hearts of Okla. Junior, Brent Bruehl Memorial GC, Purcell June 19: Bill Nicklas Junior, Kickingbird GC, Edmond June 19: Lake Hefner Junior, Lake Hefner GC (North), Okla. City June 20: Canyons at Blackjack Ridge Junior, Sand Springs June 21: Riverside Junior, Clinton June 24: Ponca City CC Junior June 24-25: Players Tour No. 3, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City June 25: L.W. Clapp Junior, Wichita June 25: Lew Wentz Junior, Ponca City June 26: Hidden Lakes Junior, Derby, Kan. June 27: Junior PGA Section Championship, Lakeside Memorial GC, Stillwater June 27: Shawnee Junior, Shawnee CC July 1: Coffee Creek Junior, Edmond July 1-2: Players Tour No. 4, Hardscrabble CC, Fort Smith, Ark. July 8: The Trails Junior, Norman July 8-9: Players Tour No. 5, Crestview CC, Wich-

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ita July 9: LaFortune Junior, Tulsa July 10: Reflection Ridge Junior, Wichita July 11: Shelby Rross/Lakeview, Lakeview GC, Ardmore July 11: Trosper Park Junior, Okla. City July 12: Owasso Junior, Owasso G&AC July 12: Adams Junior, Bartlesville July 15: Jay Myers Junior, Meadowbrook GC, Tulsa July 15-16: Players Tour No. 6, Terradyne GC, Andover, Kan. July 16: Fairfax Junior, Edmond July 17: Battle Creek Junior, Broken Arrow July 17-18: Players Tour No. 7, Hillcrest GC, Bartlesville July 18: John Conrad Junior, Midwest City July 22-23: Players Tour No. 8, Stillwater CC July 22: Bailey Ranch Junior, Owasso July 23-24: Hoedebeck Junior, Duncan G&TC, Duncan July 23: Windy Trails Junior, Altus AFB GC July 25: Lincoln Park Junior, Lincoln Park GC (West), Okla. City July 27: South Lakes Parent Child, Jenks July 29: Stillwater Championship, Lakeside GC July 31: Lake Murray Junior, Ardmore Aug. 1: Clary Fields Junior, Sapulpa Aug. 5-6: Junior Tour Championship, Indian Springs CC, Broken Arrow Aug. 13-14: Players Tour Championship, Twin Hills G&CC, Okla. City COLLEGES Men April 2-3: Broncho Invitational, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City April 8-9: SW Christian Spring Classic, Lake Hefner GC, Okla. City April 15: Sooner Athletic Conference, TBA May 12-17: NJCAA Championship, Sand Creek

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Station GC, Newton, Kan. May 14-17: NAIA Championship, Creekside GC, Salem, Ore. May 16-18, 2013: University Club, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Golden Eagle Country Club, Tallahassee, Florida Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio The Blessings Golf Club, Fayetteville, Arkansas Palouse Ridge Golf Club, Pullman, Washington Karsten Golf Course - Tempe, Arizona Finals May 28- Jun 2, 2013: Capital City Club - Crabapple Course, Atlanta, Georgia Women April 1-2: OBU Spring Invitational, Shawnee CC April 8-9: SW Christian Spring Classic, Lake Hefner GC, Okla. City April 22: Sooner Athletic Conference, Lincoln Park GC (West), Okla. City May 9-11: NCAA Central Regional, Jimme Austin GC, Norman May 9-11: NCAA East Regional, Auburn (Ala.) GC May 9-11: NCAA West Regional, Stanford GC May 14-17: NJCAA Championship, LPGA International GC, Daytona Beach, Fla. May 15-18: NCAA Division II Championship, Daytona Beach, Fla. May 21-24: NAIA Championship, Link Hills G&CC, Greenville, Tenn. May 21-24: NCAA Championship, University of Georgia GC, Athens USGA (Area Events) June 17-22: U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, Jimmie Austin GC, Norman LPGA (Area Events) April 25-28: North Texas Shootout, Las Colinas GC, Irving, Texas June 21-23: Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G, Pinnacle CC, Rogers, Ark. WEB.COM (Area Events) June 13-16: Air Capital Classic, Crestview CC, Wichita OKLAHOMA HIGH SCHOOL Boys Regionals (April 29) State (May 6-7)

• The Course Conditions • Golf Shop • Food & Beverage • Practice Facility • Renovated Irrigation System • All 4 Bridges rebuilt for your convenience we accept

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234-3080 Call us today!

Class 6A Regionals: Emerald Falls, Broken Arrow; Lakeside GC, Stillwater State: Karsten Creek GC, Stillwater Class 5A Regionals: Shawnee CC; Duncan G&TC State: Tulsa CC Class 4A Regionals: Wolf Ridge GC, Poteau; Jimmie Austin GC, Seminole; Cushing CC; Elk City G&CC, Okl.a City State: Lake Hefner GC (North), Okla. City Class 3A Regionals: Scissortail GC, Verdigris; Brent Bruehl GC, Purcell State: Duncan G&TC Class 2A Regionals: Clary Fields GC, Sapulpa; Sugar Creek Canyon, Hinton State: Emerald Falls, Broken Arrow

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Girls Regionals (April 23) State (May 1-2)

Class 6A Regionals: Owasso G&AC; Westwood Park GC, Norman State: River Oaks GC, Edmond Class 5A Regionals: Pryor Creek GC; Crimson Creek CC (El Reno) State: Dornick Hills, Ardmore Class 4A

Regionals: Cobblestone GC, Muskogee; Jimmie Austin GC, Seminole; Cushing CC; Elk City G&CC, Okla. City State: Lake Hefner GC (South), Okla. City Class 3A Regionals: Scissortail GC, Verdigris; Lake Murray GC, Ardmore State: Duncan G&TC Class 2A Regionals: Fountainhead Creek GC, Checotah; Prairie West GC, Weatherford State: Trosper Park GC, Del City COLLEGE MEN DON PUCKETTE N.I.T. At Omni Tucson National (par-72) March 16-17 Team scores: 1, New Mexico 277-288-279 – 844; 2, TCU 279-281-285 – 845; 3, Oklahoma State 276-283-293 – 852; 4, Arkansas 282-287-286 – 855; 5, Texas A&M 285-290-284 – 859; 6, SMU 288-282-290 – 860; 7, Arizona 277-297-290 – 864; 8, San Diego State 279-287-301 – 867; 9, UNLV 287-289-293 – 869; 10, New Mexico State 283-292-298 – 873; 11, Long Beach State 297-290-298 – 885; 12, San Diego 298-298-297 – 893; 13, UTEP 295-300-303 – 898; 14 (tie), Hawaii 302-302-299 – 903 and Nevada 305-302296 – 903; 16, Wyoming 305-309-305 – 919. Individual leaders: 1, Julien Brun (TCU) 68-65-75 – 208; 2, Ben Crancer (Texas A&M) 67-70-72 – 209; 3 (tie), Thomas Sorensen (Ark.) 70-67-73 – 210, Victor Perez (NM) 72-69-69 – 210, Daniel Jennevret (TCU) 68-72-70 – 210 and Bryson Dechambreau (SMU) 71-69-70 – 210; 7 (tie), Jordan Niebrugge (OSU) 65-75-71 – 211 and John Catlin (NM) 64-76-71 – 211.. Other OSU scores: Ian Davis 69-67-78 – 214, Patrick Winther 73-68-73 – 214, Kevin Dougherty 72-73-74 – 219, Talor Gooch 70-75-75 – 220.

BORDER OLYMPICS At Laredo (Texas) CC (par-72) March 15-16 Team scores: 1, Houston 292-289-278 – 859; 2, Oklahoma 294-288-285 – 867; 3, Central Arkansas 297-282-290 – 869; 4, Lamar 294290-292 – 876; 5, Baylor 291-288-299 – 878; 6, Texas-San Antonio 292-292-296 – 880; 7, Texas State 290-298-297 – 885; 8, Sam Houston State 302-302-286 – 890; 9, Stephen F. Austin State 298-299-297 – 894; 10, Washington State 293300-304 – 897; 11, Rice 299-290-311 – 900; 12, Texas-Arlington 291-304-309 – 904; 13, Northern Colorado 301-309-309 – 919; 14, McNeese State 312-310-305 – 927. Individual leaders: 1, James Newton (C. Ark.) 70-65-74 – 209; 2, Wesley McClain (Houston) 70-73-68 – 211; 3, Kyle Pilgrim (Houston) 74-7069 – 213; 4, Abraham Ancer (OU) 70-71-74 – 215; 5 (tie), Michael Schoolcraft (OU) 72-71-73 – 216, Justin Newby (Texas St.) 71-72-73 – 216, Bryn Flanagan (Houston) 74-75-67 – 216 and Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen (Baylor) 68-74-74 – 216. Other OU scores: Will Kropp 76-73-69 – 218, Beau Titsworth 76-73-69 – 218, Eduardo Castiello 72-74-76 – 222, Eloy Gonzalez 76-74-74 – 224, Michael Gellerman 77-76-74 – 227. WOMEN SUNTRUST GATOR INVITATIONAL At Mark Bostick GC, Gainesville, Fla. (par-70) March 16-17 Team scores: 1, Alabama 286-293-286 – 865; 2, Oklahoma 285-297-286 – 868; 3, Florida 289-293-288 – 870; 4 (tie), Oklahoma State 293292-292 – 877 and Virginia 297-289-291 – 877; 6, Miami (Fla.) 290-300-298 – 868; 7, Florida State 294-303-293 – 890; 8 (tie), North Carolina 301-294-297 – 892 and Mississippi State 293304-295 – 892; 10, Baylor 296-300-301 – 897; 11, Chattanooga 302-307-292 – 901; 12, Fla. Interna-

tional 303-302-300 – 905; 13, San Diego State 312-302-301 – 915; 14, South Florida 309-311-300 – 920; 15, Kent State 305-313-306 – 924. Individual leaders: 1, Chirapat Jao-Javanil (OU) 69-68-69 – 206; 2, Portland Rosen (Va.) 68-7271 – 211; 3, Brittany Altomare (Va.) 73-69-71 – 213; 4 (tie), Stephanie Meadow (Ala.) 68-74-72 – 214 and Ally McDonald (Miss. St.) 71-74-69 – 214. Other scores: AC Tanguay (OU) 69-74-73 – 216, Kelsey Vines (OSU) 75-70-72 – 217, Josephine Janson (OSU) 69-80-73 – 222, Jayde Panos (OSU) 75-76-71 – 222, Julie Yang (OSU) 74-7476 – 224, Jade Staggs (OU) 78-77-70 – 225, Emily Collins (OU) 72-78-76 – 226, Lauren Falley (OSU) 77-72-79 – 228, Taylor Schmidt (OU) 7581-74 – 230. CLOVER CUP At Longbow GC, Mesa, Ariz. (par-72) March 9-10 Team scores: 1, Oklahoma 281-289-292 – 962; 2, SMU 299-284-297 – 880; 3, Texas Tech 296-293293 – 882; 4, Tulsa 303-295-293 – 891; 5, Notre Dame 298-298-296 – 892; 6, Northwestern 285-303-305 – 893; 7, Fla. International 305290-301 – 896; 8, Minnesota 296-304-304 – 904; 9, Mississippi 303-307-296 – 906; 10, Colorado 301-308-304 – 913; 11, Kansas 312-301-304 – 917; 12, Michigan 303-307-311 – 921; 13 (tie), Cincinnati 322-310-305 – 937 and Nebraska 312-312313 – 937; 15, Georgetown 315-310-315 – 940; 16, Illinois 321-321-324 – 966. Individual leaders: 1, Kristina Merkle (Tulsa) 72-72-66 – 210; 2, Chirapat Jao-Javanil (OU) 71-70-71 – 212; 3 (tie), Emily Collins (OU) 71-71-72 – 214 and Jenny Haglund (SMU) 71-67-76 – 214; 5 (tie), Taylor Schmidt (OU) 70-72-73 – 215, Hana Lee (Northwestern) and Kimberly Kaufman (TT) 74-69-72 – 215. Other scores: Jade Staggs (OU) 68-72-80 – 220, AC Tanguay (OU) 72-75-74 – 221, Shu-Yin Liu

800-321-7774 www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 61

SCHEDULES & RESULTS (TU) 77-72-75 – 224, Kaitlyn Rohrback (OU) 7476-74 – 224, Antonio VanWnuck (TU) 77-74-75 – 226, Karson Bizzell (TU) 77-79-77 – 233, Heather Smith (TU) 84-77-77 – 238. DIFFEE FORD LINCOLN INVITATIONAL At Kickingbird GC, Edmond (par-72) March 4-5 Team scores: 1, Rogers State 324-340 – 664; 2, Harding 321-352 – 673; 3, Lindenwood 337-351 – 688; 4, East Central 327-363 – 690; 5, Southern Nazarene 347-370 – 717; 6, SW Baptist 451-442 – 893. Individual leaders: 1, Morgan Dockery (Okla. Chr.) 72-84 – 156; 2, Catherine Odgers (Okla. Chr.) 8078 – 158; 3, Sarah Harper (Okla. Chr.) 76-85 – 161; 4 (tie), Raquel Trevino (RSU) 83-79 – 162 and Jordan Leibold (SNU) 78-84 – 162; 6, Soyun Kim (Harding) 79-85 – 164; 7, Kelsey Steuver (RSU) 82-83 – 165. O-TOUR LAKE TEXHOMA CLASSIC At Chickasaw Pointe GC, Kingston (par-72) March 16 1, Justin Brown 72 ($600); 2, Corey Gilbert 73 ($400); 3 (tie), Greg Foster and Jeremy Brandon 74 ($200); 5, Scott Hancock 75 ($95). 2013 OJGT Turnpike Challenge Fairfax Golf Club BOYS 6,568 yards-Par 70 INDIVIDUAL Nick Heinen, Edmond - 35-33--68, Max Mcgreevy, Edmond - 39-31--70; Tate Williamson, Tulsa - 34-36--70; Eli Armstrong, Edmond 35-36--71; Griffin Pierce, Edmond - 38-33--71;

Justin Strathe, Owasso - 38-35--73; Wesley Jackson, Fort Gibson - 39-34--73; Arjun Reddy, Tulsa - 38-36--74; John Ryan Bonaobra, Broken Arrow - 38-36--74; Mason Overstreet, Laverne 39-36--75; Garrison Mendoza, Clinton - 37-39-76; Sam Humphreys, Edmond - 41-37--78; Brady Richardson, Tulsa - 44-35--79; Clayton Keck, Tulsa - 40-40--80; Trent Evans, Edmond - 39-41-80; Casey Paul, Owasso - 40-41--81

Golf Course Construction

Recent Projects Recent Projects

Southern Hills Country Club

Cedar Ridge Country Club • Broken Arrow, OK • Cart Path Improvements

Tulsa • Cart Path Improvements

The Patriot Golf Club • Owasso, OK • Cart Path Improvements

Battle Creek Golf Club

Silverhorn Golf Club • Edmond, OK • Creek Crossing Repairs and Gabion Wall

TEAM-BEST BALL West 1--34-29--63; Nick Heinen; Max Mcgreevy; West 3--34-32--66; Griffin Pierce; Eli Armstrong East 1--34-33--67; Tate Williamson; Brady Richardson; East 3--34-33--67; Justin Strathe; John Ryan Bonaobra; East 4--36-33--69; Wesley Jackson; Arjun Reddy; West 4--34-35--69; Garrison Mendoza; Trent Evans; West 2--37-33--70; Mason Overstreet; Sam Humphreys; East 2--3736--73; Clayton Keck; Casey Paul GIRLS 5,550 yards-Par 70 INDIVIDUAL Sydney Youngblood, Durant - 35-35--70; Maci Arrington, Hinton - 39-34--73; Yujeong Son, Norman - 36-37--73; Alexis Sadeghy, Edmond - 37-39--76; Hannah Ward, Poteau - 42-35--77; Anna Kim, Broken Arrow - 41-38--79; Nadia Majidi, Tulsa - 44-38--82; Kaitlin Milligan, Norman - 42-41--83 TEAM-BEST BALL East 6--33-31--64; Sydney Youngblood; Hannah Ward; West 6--33-34--67; Yujeong Son; Kaitlin Milligan; West 5--35-34--69; Maci Arrington; Alexis Sadeghy; East 5--38-35--73; Anna Kim; Nadia Majidi

Broken Arrow • Bunker Renovation

Cedar Creek Golf Course • Broken Bow, OK • 18 Hole Irrigation Installation

Hardscrabble Country Club

Forest Ridge Golf Club • Broken Arrow, OK • 18 Hole Bunker and Green Renovation

Fort Smith, AR • Tee Improvements

Bailey Ranch Golf Club • Owasso, OK • Resurfacing of 3 Greens

Karsten Creek Golf Club

The Golf Club at Frisco Lakes • Frisco, TX • Cart Path Improvements Eastern Hills Country Club • Garland, TX • Cart Path Improvements

Stillwater • Practice Green Construction

Golf Club of Oklahoma

Broken Arrow • Emergency 10” Main Line Repairs Contact Us

Sapulpa Golf Course JONESPLAN

2328 E. 13th Street Sapulpa • Green Repairs Tulsa, OK 74104 t 918.832.5544

info@jonesplan.com South Lakes Golf Course Builder Member

Jenks • Practice Green Construction

Cedar Ridge Country Club

Broken Arrow • Cart Path Improvements

The Patriot Golf Club

Owasso • Cart Path Improvements

Where Tulsa plays golf!

South Lakes 9253 S. Elwood Jenks, America

5501 S. Yale Ave., Tulsa, Okla.

www.SouthLakesGolf.com

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918-746-3760 62 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

918-496-6200

Visit WinStar Golf Academy to redeem this benefit and receive your meal voucher to the Palladium Sports Lounge, which opens at 4pm in the WinStar World Casino. Coupon valid for one visit per person from 04/01/2013 until 06/30/2013

To book your Day Pass, visit www.winstargolfacademy.com and book through our online booking service or call us at 580-276-1754. For an event at WinStar, call Mark Reasoner at 800-622-6317.

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