Chip Shots

James Reid passes at 63

James Reid, 63, of Edmond, a 10-time Oklahoma Golf Association champion and significant figure in the state’s golf community, died March 28 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Reid was a long-time member of the Oklahoma City Golf Commission and also ran Golf Inc. in Oklahoma City, which raised money for scholarships for young golfers through a series of amateur events.

A lawyer who competed in top amateur events throughout the country, Reid was known for having a mastery of chipping and putting as well as accurate driving and iron play.

Reid won the OGA Four-Ball Championship with Mike Hughett in 2000, ‘04 and ‘06 and the two remained friends through the years, with Hughett visiting Reid recently.

“He was 100 percent convinced he had the cancer beat, but took a turn for the worse last fall,” Hughett said. “I was excited for him, but unfortunately with cancer it can be gone one day and then come back relentlessly the next. He was helpful to me in my son’s battle with brain cancer. “

Former Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett, who appointed Reid to the golf commission, said he appreciated his work on behalf of the courses and the golfers in OKC.

“James was also a really good player and you could see when you watched him play why he could take his game to any course in the country,” Cornett said. “His ball went perfectly straight and had a really good short game. He was not a long hitter and had and one of the slower club head speeds of any of the top players in the state, but he could hit it straight.” Reid won the OGA MidAmateur twice, the OGA Senior Four-Ball three times with Jon Valuck of Oklahoma City and won the OGA Senior Stroke Play Championship in 2013 at Dornick Hills CC in Ardmore and 2014 at The Trails Golf Club in Norman.

“When you think about James, you think about his incredible short game,” said OGA Executive Director Mark Felder. “He was just a great chipper and putter. He could save more shots around the green than just about anyone I’ve seen.”

Tour Quality to open The Sheridan Club

Tour Quality, the custom fitting specialists that have been building a loyal following among golfers in Broken Arrow for years, is moving up.

Owner Ross MacDonald is shifting his operation to the former Edwin Watts store at 6006 S. Sheridan Road in Tulsa.

The new operation will include five Trackman bays offering swing analysis and simulator games, and golfers who become members will have 24-hour access to what is being called The Sheridan Club at Tour Quality Golf.

Normal business hours for those seeking the expertise of McDonald and his staff are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

MacDonald started Tour Quality out of his parents’ three-car garage and has been working hard for 10 years to build a clientele based on his passion for all things concerning golf equipment. He sells clubs from the major manufacturers, plus a variety of shafts and specializes in custom club fitting and refinishing.

The new store will have a 650-square foot practice area and a putting green.

“If you have to be at work at 6 in the morning and you’re up early and want to play 18 holes, come on in,” MacDonald said. “It will be just like an indoor country club with memberships that have 24-hour access.”

Jeremy Dobson honored

At least 400 friends, family, co-workers, club members and fellow superintendents and industry leaders gathered at The Patriot Golf Club in Owasso to celebrate the life of Jeremy Dobson, the club’s director of agronomy who lost his life in an auto accident Feb. 21 near Jacksonville, Fla., while returning from watching the Daytona 500 auto race.

Moving remembrances were delivered by Patriot General Manager Ali Sezgin, club president Willie Barron, former top assistant Bryan Brinkman, Southern Hills superintendent Russ Myers, The Patriot cofounder Lt. Col. Dan Rooney and by Dobson’s younger sister Jean, father Michael and mother Nancy.

Rooney announced that the club would found a scholarship in Dobson’s name at his alma mater Kansas State. Most of the attendees wore purple in honor of his love for the Wildcats.

Barron told hilarious tales of a golf trip to Las Vegas. Myers, who worked with Dobson at Southern Hills before he accepted the job at The Patriot in 2008, told about his pride at becoming the Southern Hills superintendent before he realized that he wasn’t even the best superintendent on his own staff. All speakers came back to the theme of Dobson as a man of few words but a fountain of great mirth which flowed forth at times, as well as his incredible integrity, knowledge and dedication to his craft. “I never had to worry about his department,” Sezgin said. “He was one of the most dedicated people I’ve ever known. The golf course was his baby. Someone once said, being successful is not doing extraordinary

things, but doing the ordinary things very well. He embodied that every day.”

“Jeremy was a patriot and a warrior in that same spirit with the best people I’ve ever gone into combat with,” said Rooney, a fighter jet pilot with multiple tours of combat duty and the founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation. “He always put service before himself."

Dobson kept the Patriot moving forward during build-in from the beginning of construction in 2008 to its 2010 opening despite the impacts of the Great Recession, a 100year flood, droughts and other calamities.

“Being a superintendent at one of the top clubs in the country, if not the world, you start to think you’re pretty special," Myers said. "When I showed up here in 2006 I thought I must be one of the top superintendents in the country. It’s pretty humbling when you realize you’re not the best and it’s even worse when you realize you’re not even the best on your own staff. It was very clear to me early on that I was going to learn a lot more from Jeremy than I was ever going to teach him.

“And that never changed to this day. I don’t have to tell a Patriot member or a Southern Hills member that the greens he put out up here were better than anything I ever put out. He was the first call for many of us in here whether we wanted help or just to get a beer.”

Brinkman said that while Dobson was fine with all the duties of being a superintendent, his first love and genius was for growing turf, whether greens, fairways or rough. That was reflected in Myers’ comments and most experts in the area would agree that The Patriot was always among the finest conditioned courses in the region.

The Race to Shangri-La

A new opportunity for golfers of all skill levels to compete in a series of tournaments begins in June, with an expenses-paid weekend playing in The Tour Championship at Shangri-La Resort up for the top-10 finishers in two skill divisions.

The Race to Shangri-La is a series of four qualifying events using the Stableford scoring system. There will be a handicap and a scratch division with the top 10 in each qualifying for The Tour Championship on Oct. 15-16 at Shangri-La, free entry and hotel room included.

There is a $125 entry fee to join the tour, otherwise each event just costs the green fee and cart fee at the participating courses. The tournaments will be capped at 100 players. Events are:

June 17, The Kickoff

Forest Ridge Golf Club, Broken Arrow

July 17, The Battle

Bailey Ranch, Owasso

August 22, The Birdie Fest

Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa

Sept. 25, The Showdown

Sand Springs, Canyons at Blackjack Ridge

The final event will be a pro-am featuring individual and team competition. Birdies and Bogeys Tour founder Martin Maritz said proceeds from the tour will be used to help create playing opportunities for young professionals from Oklahoma as well as fund the extravaganza at Shangri-La.

The events are open to men and women. Men over 60 will play a forward set of tees while ladies will play tees as designated by the home course. Golfers must compete in a minimum of three events to qualify for Shangri-La. There are also sponsorships available to purchase spots in the final pro-am.

At the pro-am, one player will have a shot from 165 yards for $1 million, while eight others will shoot for $100,000. Other prizes will also be available.

Go to www.racetoshangrila.com to enter.

OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION

May 9-10: 4-Ball and Senior 4-Ball, Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow June 6-9: Junior Boys and Girls, Lincoln Park GC West, Okla. City June 14-17: Senior State Amateur, The Trails GC, Norman June 20-22: Stroke Play, Dornick Hills CC, Ardmore July 12: State Amateur qualifier, Lincoln Park GC West, Okla. City July 14: State Amateur qualifier, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso July 18-19: Mid-Amateur, Hillcrest CC, Bartlesville July 25-29: State Amateur, Okla. City G&CC, Okla. City Aug. 15-16: Senior Stroke Play, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa Aug. 15-16: Women’s Stroke Play, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa Aug. 18: Oklahoma Open qualifier, Oak Tree CC West, Edmond Aug. 25-27: Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree CC, Edmond

USGA QUALIFIERS

April 26: U.S. Open, Jimmie Austin OU GC, Edmond June 2: Junior Amateur, Belmar GC, Norman June 30: Women’s Senior Amateur, Belmar GC, Norman July 11: Men’s Amateur, Oak Tree CC East, Edmond Aug. 3: Senior Amateur, Twin Hills CC, Okla. City Aug. 8: Men’s and Women’s Mid-Amateurs, Dornick Hills CC, Ardmore Oct. 10: Men’s and Women’s 4-Ball Amateurs, Winter Creek Golf & Social Club, Blanchard

OKLAHOMA JUNIOR GOLF TOUR

March 14-15: Muskogee Spring Break Classic, Muskogee CC, Muskogee March 26-27: Trosper Park Spring Championship, Trosper Park GC, Okla. City April 2-3: Lincoln Park Spring Fling East, Lincoln Park GC East, Okla. City April 9-10: Bailey Ranch Spring Championship, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso May 25-26: Spring Championship, Shawnee CC, Shawnee Sept. 3-4: John Conrad Labor Day Challenge, John Conrad GC, Midwest City Sept. 10-11: Bailey Ranch Bash, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso Sept. 17-18: Beast of the East, Lincoln Park GC East, Okla. City Sept. 24-25: Earlywine Park Fall Challenge, Earlywine Park GC North, Okla. City Oct. 1-2: Lake Hefner Fall Roundup, Lake Hefner GC North, Okla. City Oct. 8-9: Best of the West, Lincoln Park GC West, Okla. City Oct. 15-16: Fall Finale, Shawnee CC, Shawnee Oct. 29-30: OJGT/TJGT Red River Challenge, Dornick Hills CC, Ardmore

SOUTH CENTRAL SECTION PGA

Feb. 27-March 1: Spring Meeting, Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center, Broken Arrow March 7: WOK Pro-Pro, The Trails GC, Norman March 28-29: Justice Shangri-La Shoot Out, Shangri-La, Monkey Island April 25-27: Titleist Assistant Match Play, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa May 1-Nov. 1: WOK 2-Man Match Play, Lincoln Park GC West, Okla. City May 9: Senior/Junior Championship, Shangri-La, Monkey Island June 6-7: Srixon HOF Championship, Quail Ridge GC, Winfield, Kansas June 13: Korn Ferry Tour Wichita Open Monday qualifiers, Sand Creek Station GC, Newton, Kansas, and Auburn Hills Municipal, Wichita June 13: WOK Chapter Pro-Scratch, Winter Creek GC, Blanchard June 20: Yamaha Team/Senior Team, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso June 27-29: Yamaha Match Play, Quail Creek G&CC, Okla. City July 11: Justice Stroke Play, Forest Ridge GC, Broken Arrow July 18-19: Senior PGA Professional Championship, Dornick Hills G&CC, Ardmore July 18-19: Senior/Super Senior Section, Dornick Hills G&CC, Ardmore July 25: WOK Medalist, Oakwood CC, Enid Aug. 1: National Car Rental Assistant, Muskogee CC, Muskogee Aug. 8: Justice Stroke Play Series WOK, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City Aug, 15-16: SCPGA Professional Championship, Jimmie Austin OU GC, Norman Aug. 22-24: Wildhorse Canyon Farms Match Play, South Lakes GC, Jenks Aug. 29-30: WCF Super Senior Match Play, South Lakes GC, Jenks Sept. 6: Justice Pro-Assistant, Oak Tree CC, Edmond Sept. 12: Yamaha Pro-Scratch, Hillcrest GC, Bartlesville Sept. 19: Yamaha Stroke Play Series, Ponce De Leon GC, Hot Springs Village Arkansas Sept. 20: WOK Fall Meeting and Championship, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City Oct 3-4: Yamaha Section, Maumelle CC, Maumelle, Arkansas Nov. 14-15: WOK Chapter Cup Matches, Dornick Hills G&CC, Ardmore

TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION

April 2-3: 2-Man Challenge, South Lakes GC April 9: 3-Man Team Two Best Ball Shamble Net Individual Stroke Play, Hillcrest CC April 26-27: Senior Stroke Play (also Senior division), South Lakes GC May 14-15: 4-Ball Stroke Play, Battle Creek GC May 24: 3-Man Team Two Best Ball Shamble Net Individual Stroke Play, Forest Ridge GC June 25-26: Stroke Play (also Senior division), LaFortune Park GC July 12: 3-Man Team Two Best Ball Shamble Net Individual Stroke Play, Cherokee Hills GC Aug. 6-7: 2-Man Best Ball Net Handicap event, Bailey Ranch GC Sept. 1: 3-Man Team Two Best Ball Shamble Net Individual Stroke Play, Meadowbrook CC Sept. 18: One Day Individual Low Gross/Low Net Handicap Event, The Canyons at Blackjack Ridge Oct. 7: Par-3 Four-Man Team Shamble Member/ Guests or Member/Member, LaFortune Park GC

WOMEN’S OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION

April 25-26: Stableford Partnership, Lincoln Park West, Okla. City May 23-24: Senior Championship, Oakwood CC, Enid June 27-28: Stroke Play/Mid-Am, Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow July 11: WOGA Fundraiser, Stillwater CC, Stillwater July 12-13: Girls Junior State, Stillwater CC, Stillwater July 18-21: State Amateur, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City Aug. 1-2: Fore State Championship, TBA Aug. 15-16: Four Ball Partnership, Shangri-La Resort, Grand Lake, Monkey Island Sept. 26-27: WOGA Cup, Winter Creek, Blanchard

COLLEGIATE EVENTS IN OKLAHOMA BOYS

Feb. 28-March 1: UCO Broncho Invitational, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City March 13-15: Oak Tree Invitational, Oak Tree CC East, Edmond March 14-15: Ron Streck Invitational, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa March 28-29: Shawnee Shootout, Shawnee CC April 25-26: SAC Championship, The Territory G&CC, Duncan May 15-18: NCAA Stillwater Regional, Karsten Creek GC, Stillwater May 27-June 1: NCAA Championship, Grayhawk GC, Scottsdale, Arizona

GIRLS

March 7-8: Diffee Ford Lincoln Invitational, Kickingbird GC, Edmond March 13-15: RSU Hillcat Classic, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso March 14-15: Ron Streck Invitational, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa March 28-29 Kyle Blaser Invitational, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City April 4-5: Eagle Women’s Classic, Hillcrest GC, Bartlesville April 5: OCAC Championship, Firelake GC, Shawnee April 11-12: Susie Maxwell Berning Classic, Lincoln Park GC, Okla. City April 11-12: The Bruzzy, WInStar GC, Thackerville April 12: ORU Spring Invitational, The Club at Indian Springs, Broken Arrow April 25-26: SAC Championship, The Territory G&CC, Duncan May 20-26: NCAA Championship, Grayhawk GC, Scottsdale, Arizona May 24-27: NAIA Women’s Championship, Lincoln Park GC West, Okla. City

APT TOUR

Grand Casino Open May 4-7: Shawnee Country Club Real Okie Championship May 11-14: Muskogee Golf Club Bella Vista Charity Classic May 25-28: Bella Vista CC, Highlands CC, Ark. United Way Charity Golf Classic June 8-11: Hardscrabble CC, Ft. Smith, Ark. Supreme Lending Happy Hands Classic June 2225: The Club at Indian Springs, Broken Arrow

WOMEN’S ALL-PRO TOUR

FCA Women’s Championship April 19-22: The Club at Indian Springs, Broken Arrow

PROFESSIONAL

April 13-16: Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Bank Championship, Texas Rangers GC, Arlington, Texas May 19-22: PGA Championship, Southern Hills CC, Tulsa

OTHER

July 25-28: Gateway First Bank Tulsa Junior hosted by Bo Van Pelt, Oaks CC, Tulsa