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Contents April/May 2014
Volume 4 Issue 2
w w w . go l f o k l a h o m a . o r g
Features 28 Patriot Cup working on great field. 30 S ociety of Golf Course Architects to hold annual meeting in Tulsa.
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32 N ew owners, new spirit at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City. 34 Old friends, new friends share goals at OSU. 38 F our seniors lead Sooners into NCAA 44
Championship at Tulsa Country Club. P lans for a uniquely Oklahoma resort at the former Emerald Falls Golf Course.
Departments 10 Letter from the publisher 12 OGA 13 Rules, Gene Mortensen 14 WOGA 16 The Goods 20 Equipment 22 Chip Shots, Oklahoma news 40 Where we play 48 Pro Profile: Robert Streb 49 Amateur Profile: Everett Dobson 52 Industry Profile: Rick Robbins 56 Fitness 57 Instruction 60 Superintendent’s Perspective 61 Schedules
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On the cover OSU stalwarts Jordan Niebrugge, left, and Wyndham Clark below Oklahoma senior CatherineAnne Tanguay.
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Cover photo credits: Catherine-Anne Tanguay courtesy of OU Sports Information. OSU men’s golf by Tyler Drabek.
Support junior golf by contributing to the OGA Foundation Call 405-848-0042 for more information 6 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Fans “UnplUgged” Seth Fuller The history and Ben Hogan.
Karen Aragon I’ve gone every year for as long as I can remember and it gets better every year.
John Allen Jr. At Colonial, every hole’s a different experience.
Jack Campbell You get to meet the golfers you see on TV and get lots of autographs.
Ken Seaver It feels like a major, there’s a certain aura about Colonial.
Brandon Hassell Best week of the year by far! From following my favorite golfers to a great atmosphere & cold beer on the 13th hole.
Amy Sanders
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April / May 2014 letter from the publisher Volume 4, Number 2 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
In memory of Jack Fleck and Ron Balicki.
Pausing to remember old friends before huge 2014 Jack Fleck literally sprang off the porch the first time I met him at his Arkansas home. We were there to do a story for South Central Golf Magazine and I also had a notion the conqueror of Ben Hogan might enjoy telling the tale of his 1955 U.S. Open playoff victory over Hogan and others at our golf expos. He did and he was wonderful. Fleck was hale, but he was about 88 at the time and when he came to our 2009 Oklahoma City expo, he had me worried as he kept pacing back and forth at the edge of the stage. I probably needn’t have been. Although I kept hoping he would back up a pace, he was sharp as a tack as he answered questions about Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and anything else those lucky enough to witness his presentation asked. Fleck died on March 21 at home in Arkansas. He was 92. The golf world also lost another great friend March 25 when Golfweek writer Ron Balicki died, also at his Arkansas home. I first met Balicki long ago, probably in 1988. Dan O’Kane, then of the Tulsa World, Mac Bentley with The Oklahoman and myself for the Tulsa Tribune covered a considerable amount of college golf back then, following the fortunes of Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, both of whom won national championships during that time. Ron was at every significant event we covered. At the NCAA Championships, he was not only a fountain of knowledge, but the most popular man at the tournament. He knew everyone and everyone knew and respected him. Nothing changed over the years. We had Ron as a guest on our radio show around the NCAA Championship each of the past three years and he was still as informative and 10 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
knowledgeable as ever. I spent a good deal of time with him at the NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek in 2011 for which I’m very grateful. While we bid a fond farewell to both Fleck and Balicki, we also look forward to what should be an amazing year in Oklahoma golf in 2014. There are six events of some national consequence scheduled in Oklahoma this year. In chronological order, they are: •T he annual meeting of the American Society of Golf Course Architects May 3-6 in Tulsa. Not open to the public, but it will be fascinating to get the thoughts of many of the game’s premier course designers. •T he NCAA Women’s Central Regional May 8-10 at Karsten Creek in Stillwater and the NCAA Championship May 20-23 at Tulsa Country Club. •T he Women’s Southern Amateur June 2-5 at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City. •T he Patriot Cup May 26 at The Patriot in Owasso. •T he Trans-Miss Championship July 7-10 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. •T he U.S. Senior Open July 10-13 at Oak Tree National in Edmond. Volunteer to help with any of these great events, watch or get out and compete yourself in the hundreds of events put on by our various associations. Golf is a wonderful game and we’re fortunate to have some of the best public and private courses anywhere on which to enjoy it. Don’t waste a moment. – Ken MacLeod
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 2014 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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From the Executive Director
OGA adds pro events to busy 2014 slate The Oklahoma Golf Association is well known for hosting amateur championships, with the exception of the Oklahoma Open, which has long drawn top professionals from Mark Felder in and outside of OklaOGA homa. Executive With more and more Director of our top young talents wanting to at least give professional golf a try, the OGA has also become aware that a gap exists between those looking to get started and those with full status on the Web.com Tour or even the NGA or Adams Tours, which both require a considerable financial commitment to spend even a year attempting to move up the professional golf ladder. To help address this for our young professionals and others from around the area, the OGA will be adding professional contests at three of its summer events. These will take place at the Mid-Amateur June 30-July 1 at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City,
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at the Senior Stroke Play July 14-15 at The Trails CC in Norman and July 21-22 at the State Stroke Play Amateur at Shangri-La Resort in Afton. Details are still being finalized, but the entry fee will likely range from $500 to $550, with a top-heavy The 2014 Stroke Play Championship will be held at Shangripayout for the first three La Resort in Afton. places only. Fields will be Other great news: The American Junior limited to the first 24 players to sign up. It will be structured that way to help let Golf Association (AJGA) has awarded full the best of our young professionals reinforce Performance Based Entry points to events their decisions to turn professional, make a on the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour. The good check and look forward to moving on, upshot of this is that players on the OJGT while others may get a cold dash of reality. circuit run by our own Morri Rose can now In the past we have just put our best young qualify for more events on the AJGA Tour players out to pasture after they turned pro- without leaving home to do so. This is another step forward for the fessional. This will help give them an opOJGT, which under Rose’s direction has portunity to see where they stand. To sign up for any of the events, go to grown into one of the top junior tours in the www.okgolf.org or call the OGA office at region. More than 30 OJGT participants in 405-848-0042. All the professional events 2013 signed college scholarships last fall or will tee off following the last amateur time this spring, joining more than 100 previous OJGT graduates in doing so. at the respective tournaments.
Oklahoma Golf Association News
OGA responds quickly to rules questions We hear comments about how difficult it seems to be to apply the Rules of Golf to any given situation. We are sympathetic to that plight and offer the folGene Mortensen lowing to give some OGA Rules insight as to how to apDirector proach the Rules so as to do away with this ambiguity. Pick up the current “Rules of Golf” and page through it. You will see the section called “Definitions” leading into the actual Rules. This is no accident; the USGA is telling you that a basic understanding of the words and phrases which they have used to create the Rules is essential to making sense of them. Trying to apply the Rules without a basic understanding of the Definitions is like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. How does one know which Definition should be reviewed in reference to a particular Rule? The USGA tells us that by highlighting them in italics. By way of example, Rule 25-1 provides: Interference by an abnormal ground con-
dition occurs when a ball lies in or touches the condition or when the condition interferes with the player’s stance or area of his intended swing. If the player’s ball lies on the putting green, interference also occurs if an abnormal ground condition on the putting green intervenes on his line of putt. Otherwise, intervention on the line of play is not, of itself, interference under this Rule. There are five words and phrases (Definitions) which are italicized and, therefore, you must refer to them to properly interpret this Rule. We caution you not to read into a Rule something that is not there; the Rules are very concise and precise. It is also helpful to have an awareness of the Definitions in that the USGA has adopted some “strange” language in the Rules. For example, the words “fairway” and “rough”
while in the vocabulary of every one who plays the game, are not used but are lumped together as, “Through the Green”. Don’t be distracted by the strange words, learn how to use them. Once you have the applicable Definitions and review them in conjunction with the Rule, you will see that the Rules are your friend and often save you strokes. Now that golf season is upon us we encourage each of you to obtain “The Rules of Golf” and study them on days when you can’t be out on the course. The Grand Game will become more enjoyable when you use the Rules to your benefit, as they were intended. The Oklahoma Golf Association welcomes any questions you have about the Rules. Contact Jay at jdoudican@okgolf.org and you will have a response that same day.
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WOGA NEWS AND NOTES
An off-season of upgrades at WOGA The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association is off and running at a fast pace this year with tournaments already open, increased membership, volunteers offering to help Sheila Dills President and the first offiWOGA cial business office established with part-time administrative staff in the history of the organization. Some of the newer directors joining the WOGA Board this year are Marilyn Buland, Tulsa; Diane Wheat, Oklahoma City; Susan Ferguson, Edmond; Shannan Webb, Edmond and Kathy West. All of these ladies bring a level of experience and expertise that will assist WOGA in achieving its strategic plan and fulfilling its mission of promoting the game of golf for women and junior girls in Oklahoma. WOGA has upgraded its tournament
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and membership management program thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Oklahoma Golf Association and the USGA. WOGA is also partnering with Golf Oklahoma Magazine for office space and Vicki Economou, WOGA’s new part time administrative assistant, has been busy this spring processing memberships and setting up the tournaments on the new computer system. WOGA is continuing to build the scholarship and grants fund that was newly established last year through generous donors for Oklahoma High School senior girls and Oklahoma High School girls golf teams. Applications for scholarships and grants can be found on the woga.us website under the Giving Tab at the top of the home page. Seniors and coaches are encouraged to apply for these funds. “As a 501c3 charitable organization, we want to support our young girls in Oklahoma by helping them with what they need to pursue their higher academic goals and keep them interested in the life long game
of golf,” said WOGA President Sheila Dills “With schools normally grossly underfunded, the girls, parents and coaches are all very appreciative of the help they receive to purchase such items as rain jackets, clubs, and lessons. It is heartwarming to read the many thank you notes we have received.” WOGA will again be hosting a WOGA Fundraiser benefiting the junior programs on July 7 at Quail Creek Country Club in Oklahoma City. Last year WOGA gave two scholarships, 11 high school team grants and two First Tee grants. WOGA is hoping to increase this number in 2014. WOGA will be participating in some of the major national championships coming to Oklahoma in 2014. Many of the WOGA members are volunteering for the NCAA Women’s Championship at Tulsa Country Club and the U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National and some special partnerships are being planned with the Tulsa Sports Commission and NCAA. If you would like to volunteer for the NCAA Women’s Championship in May contact theartworks@ cox.net and the U.S. Senior Open Championship July 10-13 at Oak Tree, go to www.2014ussenioropen.com. On April 12, WOGA will be partnering with the First Tee of Tulsa to learn more about the volunteer opportunities available at the First Tee of Tulsa. Janice Gibson, the First Tee Tulsa Program Director, will give any lady interested in learning more about the First Tee a brief tour of the facility and information about the First Tee of Tulsa program. If you are interested in being a part of this informational seminar, please contact Vicki at the WOGA office at wogaoffice@ woga.us. WOGA will get the tournament season rolling with the WOGA Mixed Couples Event at Cherokee Hills in Catoosa on April 26-27. Some other great venues are in store this year, including Cedar Ridge CC in Broken Arrow, Oak Tree in Edmond, Dornick Hills CC in Ardmore, Quail Creek in OKC and Shangri-La on Grand Lake. To see a complete list of tournaments and enter a WOGA event, go to WOGA.us. All tournaments are flighted. If you would like to contact the WOGA office, email Vicki, our WOGA Administrative Assistant at wogaoffice@woga.us or by telephone at 918-760-4255. WOGA is also on Facebook. WOGA truly appreciates the support of its many members and donors.
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Goods the
Some things we like to do before and after the round
The Bookshelf Books Their Ownselves by tom bedell
“His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir” (Doubleday, $26.95) plays on the titles of two of Dan Jenkins’ best-selling football novels, “Semi-Tough” and “Life Its Ownself.” Jenkins wrote nine other novels, and now 10 books of nonfiction, this last an engaging summation of his life and writing career, or as he puts, his typing profession, with Texas newspapers, Sports Illustrated, Playboy and Golf Digest. Jenkins sets the scene in the first sentence: “It seems to me that in my busiest years of writing for a living, I spent most of my free time in convivial bars.” Readers are then taken into the bars, the restaurants, the press boxes, the movie sets and the Presidential retreats (Camp David) that Jenkins wandered into during his career. Names are dropped by the silo full, with colorful stories to match (particularly about Ben Hogan). Early on in his Fort Worth youth, Jenkins was enamored of journalism, and he lived to emulate his models from one of his favorites movies, “The Front Page” — harddrinking, chain-smoking, deadline-driven wordsmiths. He makes it sound easy here, a charmed life written about with charm. As he has displayed all along,
Jenkins also has a lively and caustic wit. Now 84, he’s surely earned the right to be a little curmudgeonly, and there are ample back-in-my-day references to “when Broadway was Broadway” or “when country music peaked.” But his ongoing war with political correctness sometimes gets ugly, when he uses a broad brush to condemn “left wing, moonbat university professors [who] spout Marxist garbage” or boast that, “I did football in the ‘60s while the hippie scum made love, not war.” Hippie scum? Really, Dan? You can get away with a lot through the use of humor, as Jenkins displays again and again. But such asides do him no favors. Still, leave the blemishes and take the rest, and you’ll wish that you, too, could be Dan Jenkins. Or maybe you wish you could “Play Like a Pro” (Time Home Entertainment, $29.95), which the latest instructional volume from Golf Magazine aims to help you accomplish. It attempts this by going to the pros’ specialties—Tiger’s stinger, Phil’s flop shot, the Big Easy’s tempo, Bubba’s swing s p e e d ; there’s Furyk on bunker shots, Sneds on putt control, Rose on ball control, Jason Day on stroke consistency. As the subtitle summarizes it, “Master the Must-Have Moves from the Game’s Top Players. Like the two collections we reviewed in the June-July issue last year, the book is edited by the magazine’s managing editor for instruction, David DeNunzio, the text supplied by instructors on its Top 100
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Teachers roster, and all thoroughly illustrated with photos and diagrams. I was still a Luddite at that time, without smartphone or tablet, so I couldn’t try out the embedded lessons in the earlier books. I’ve since entered the 21st Century, and I have to admit there’s a lot of extra value in the technological interaction. By downloading a free app, readers (or “readers”) can point at about 64 photos in the book to capture further video examples of the lessons, slow-motion looks at some of the players’ swings, or lessons directly from the likes of Els, Watson, McDowell, Mahan and more. I can practically feel my handicap dropping just by watching. “Teeing Up for Success” (EWGA Foundation, $12.91) is an instructional book of a different sort. It compiles more than 30 testimonials from women who relate how golf positively affected their business lives, and their lives as a whole. To some degree the stories read like speeches that might well be given at a conference on business women and golf, some complete with bullet points perfect for PowerPoint presentations. And there’s a certain similarity to the arc of the stories—how the women had hit a glass ceiling until they took up golf, got out of the office and on to the course with the boys. This makes most of the pieces no less
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The satirical tone prevails, but there are book is not about tracking scores or greens in regulation, but the names, phone num- useful nuggets in here. Pile suggests keeping all your swing flaws inbers and courses of cart girls met along the tact and merely thinking your way around way. the course with a little more But Mike Pile has common sense and course manwritten a funny little agement, a little less tension and pamphlet that is the slow play. He claims to have lowantithesis of “Play ered his handicap from 19 to 11 Like a Pro.” Aimed by simply changing his focus out squarely at midon the course. handicappers, Pile This self-published effort is suggests you’re available online at www.golffornever going to play guys.com or on Amazon, and I’m like a pro, so why guessing the author might apprebother trying?: ciate that I read the book in one “You have taken sitting in the smallest room in my lessons right? Well, house. It’s shorter than some yardare you still a 15? age books and fashioned in the same ‘Nuff said. Pocket way for ease in carrying along during your $80 and buy the round—for reference, or in case a couple of copyou meet a cute cart girl. “Keep Your Swing Lower Your Score” ies of this book (Bennett-Ueland House, $8.99) is neither in- so you can have one at home and one Tom Bedell always makes sure there is beer spirational nor particularly aimed at women, in the bag. And you’ll have beer money left money left over. if one considers the chart at the end of the over.” remarkable, as golf indeed turns out to be transformative not only in the women’s business lives, but in their social and emotional selves and, in a few cases, in a physically healing sense. In short, the very reason the Executive Women’s Golf Association was founded in 1991, and why it now has over 120 chapters in the U.S. and abroad. Though we hear from Alice Dye, Judy Rankin and Donna Shalala among others, for the most part the writers are not professional typists like Dan Jenkins, so the book may be best sampled in small doses. It’s aimed squarely at inspiring women, but men will surely find it instructive to look at the game through women’s eyes, especially when those eyes are looking back and the women wondering if they really want to do business with men who routinely use a foot wedge, or casually toss balls out of bunkers!
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The goods
Spanish Sherries conquer by greg horton
Oklahoma recently received two new lines of Sherry from two of Spain’s finest producers: Bodegas Toro Albala and Bodegas Hidalgo-La Gitana. Sherry, which had fallen out of fashion in the state for many years, is seeing renewed interest as higher quality brands are coming into the state. In fact, both these producers are outside the geographic region associated with Sherry, but both make the fortified style of wine widely known as Sherry. There are several styles of Sherry, the most common of which are Fino and Oloroso. The Fino style is lighter and works best with salty snack foods like Marcona almonds, olives, and seafood. The style is saline but not unpleasantly so. Similar to Fino is the Manzanilla style. Manzanillas are the lightest of the Sherries, and are perfect for light fare. Available now in Oklahoma is the La Gitana Manzanilla, which was number 31 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 for 2013. It also received a remarkable 97 points from Stephen
Tanzer, a wine critic known for his conservative scores. Like most Finos and Manzanillas, the La Gitana should be served chilled. It’s a bright, clean, white wine with apple notes and just the right amount of salinity. Pairs exceptionally well with seafood and cured meats. The Oloroso style is much more full-bodied, and can range from sweet to dry depending upon the winemaking technique. Most Sherry is produced from the Palomino grape, and if the Oloroso is exclusively Palomino, it will be dry. Winemakers will occasional add Moscatel to the Palomino to make a sweeter style. The La Gitana Oloroso Faraon is an excellent way to experience Oloroso. Very dry but with excellent hints of dried fruit, caramel, and citrus fruit, the Faraon is intense but
Oklahoma now overwhelming. This one pairs very well with cured meats and sweet foods, including nutty desserts. Finally, some of the more complex and intense Sherries are made from the Pedro Ximenez grape. Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX 1983 Gran Reserva is a remarkable after dinner drink. The Don PX is dark and viscous with amazing color, aromatics, and flavor, including coffee, caramel, raisin, and tobacco. The Don PX was aged from 1983 to 2012 in oak barrels, and the aging process imparted a serious character to this amazing example of Don Ximenez. The new Sherries are available now in the state, and can be found at quality wine shops. Also, as with all wine and spirits in the state, your favorite store can order these wines and typically have them in stock with a day or two.
Club Car's Precedent i2L impresses by greg horton
Justice Golf Cars now has the Club Car’s top of the line 2014 Precedent i2L. Shawn Anderson of Justice said the i2L comes standard with all the features of the Precedent i2, but is equipped with an array of extra features, including some that are exclusive to Justice customers. “The i2 has all the basics like standard tires, canopy roof, and windshield,” Anderson said. “It comes in four basic colors: blue, white, beige and green. The i2L adds an entire bundle of extras.” The i2L is available in gas or electric models (this review covers the electric model), and in addition to the four basic colors, the i2L is also available in black, Atlantic blue, cayenne, and red. The Precedent also comes equipped with 10” aluminum wheels, tinted and hinged windshield, canvas club protector, comfort grip steering wheel, cooler, and a ball washer. Anderson said one of the most important feature, available on both the i2 and the i2L, is the Pro-Fill single point watering system from Flo-rite. The single point system al18 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
lows a user to fill all the cells of a battery from one location. Rather than remove caps from all the cells, the single-point system, which replaces the caps with a valve and hose system, allows the owner to fill all the cells from one port on the car. In addition to the upgrades offered from Club Car, Justice sells the i2L with headlights, tail lights, and brake lights. Also, Justice adds two USB ports to the i2L, making it easy to plug technology directly into the car. This is surely one of the best additions to the vehicle, as no one need ever worry about a dead phone battery again. The Club Car i2L comes with a private speed setting—19.2 mph—as well as seven separate speed settings from 5-19 mp, and two acceleration settings. The limited warranty through Club Car is good for 2, 3, and 4 years depending on the components. Four year coverage is standard for the batteries, canopy, electronics, pedal group, seats, and suspension. The frame has a limited, lifetime warranty. Anderson said the i2 sells for $6,795, and the i2L goes for $7,695. “The additional accessories make this a tremendous value,” he
said. “We have fleet customers who see that adding individual accessories will quickly add up to more than the $7,695. If you tried to do an ala carte list, it would far exceed the sticker price.” That is particularly true given the Justiceonly options included on the Precedent i2L. Anderson said that both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa showrooms have i2Ls in stock, and he expects another shipment the first of May. Information about the i2 and i2L are available at justicegolf.com and clubcar.com.
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Dobel Tequila Viva Republica by greg horton
In spite of its reputation as a drink best suited to be converted into a margarita, tequila has a more serious side, a side that allows sipping and enjoyment on a par with other premium spirits. In recent years, the list of super premium (above $50) tequilas available in Oklahoma has grown considerably. The newest entry is Maestro Dobel Tequila. Named for its founder— it’s an acronym of sorts—the Dobel is sourced from single estates in Jalisco, Mexico, the region where all authentic tequila is made. Distilled exclusively from blue agave and aged in Hungarian oak, the Dobel delivers great citrus flavors. Hungarian oak is growing in popularity even among winemakers. The prohibitive cost of French oak barrels and the unfortunate tendency of American oak to impart dill flavors has led distillers and vintners to choose the less expensive and less invasive Hungarian oak. While it can add some interesting notes, Dobel offsets that in the distilling process. Dobel is essentially a blend of Reposado and Anejo—classifications having to do with aging. Reposados get a minimum of three months in oak, while anejos age one to three years. Dobel’s distillers blend the two tequilas and then distill them again. This process eliminates any of the heavy oakiness that might be present. One of the issues with poorly made tequila is “tequila bite” or astringency, the medicinal punch at the finish which often destroys the more delicate agave and prickly pear flavors that ought to be present. Dobel’s handpicked agave and double distillation offsets the astringency almost completely. All spirits, especially clear spirits, will have some astringency. Dobel’s distillers have managed to eliminate almost all of it, though, and the citrus and agave flavors come through clearly, which means a very smooth finish.
cold draw with certain amount of smoothness, creamy milk chocolate and sea salt on the lips. The initial draw is laced with pepper on the front along with oak and bitter nuts and harvest grains which are characteristic of the Dominican Corojo binder. The burn is even with an excellent draw and thick smoke throughout thus allowing the smoker to focus on flavor. You will be definitely surprised by the volume of smoke at any given point. Getting into the cigar the pepper notes tone a bit, allowing the oak and coffee notes to balance the rich flavors. Milk chocolate notes fill out the middle of the cigar with a presents of oak and pepper. The finish offers more depth of flavors with less oak and more cedar and sweet grains. The strength maintains a solid medium moving to full body on the finish. Overall, the presentation of the cigar and the construction make the Rapture a solid go to cigar on the course or after dinner.
Rapture Revel Maduro by laramie navrath
Rapture by Viva Republica was released in the summer of 2012. The cigar comes in four sizes, robusto, toro, torpedo and gordo, of which the Revel (Toro) will be the focus of review. Company owner and founder Jason Holly, sought the services of Guillermo Leon of La Aurora/Miami Cigars to help him turn his dream of creating truly unique and boutique cigars for his local shop and surrounding market into a reality. With a wide variety of tobaccos at his disposal, and his gift for proper blending, Holly created a cigar with character and complexity that screams “Smoke me!” The Rapture Revel Maduro has an overall smooth appearance. The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is rich and oily, and has a sweet smell similar to fruit and cedar with a bit of pepper. The taste is loaded with natural sweetness that are hallmark of a great maduro. On pre-light up you will notice a nice
Proudly serving Oklahoma with a fine selection of cigars and related products. Stop on by our current location and share a smoke with us!
www.ztcigars.com 2726 W Britton Rd (800) 340-3007 Oklahoma City, OK 73120 www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 19
EQUIPMENT
GPS or Laser? What’s new in rangefinders by ed travis
T
here was a lot of interest at last January’s PGA Merchandise Show in yardage measuring devices as well as a continuation of the discussion of when it’s best to use a laser rangefinder versus one employing GPS satellite technology. It seems to us it depends on what you need for the rounds you play. For example, do you need to know the top of a green fronting bunker is 145 yards and the pin is another 21 yards? These numbers are typical of what a GPS unit will give you. Or is it sufficient that the pin is 166 yards so if you figure 5 yards of run out you need to carry the ball 161? A laser gives you distance to the pin precisely and often you will be able to get a reading from the top of a bunker or the far bank of a hazard. So as we said, the choice of which is best for you… is up to you. Here to assist you in making your decision is information about some of the devices we like from the major players in the rangefinder business.
Bushnell Golf
The Bushnell Hybrid Laser GPS ($350) is just as the name says, a combination of laser and GPS rangefinders in one unit. The GPS has 25,000 pre-loaded North American courses and the laser uses Bushnell’s Pinseeker Technology with 5x magnification. We also took note of the Tour Z6 Jolt ($400), a really nice handheld laser rangefinder also with PinSeeker that can give you the distance to a flag up to 450 yards away. A Bushnell Hybrid Laser GPS
handy feature is the Tour Z6 gives the user a short vibration — a jolt — when it has zeroed in on the pin so you know the distance shown is the one you need.
Garmin
Garmin is into distance measurement for a lot of applications other than golf but for our sport, its top of the line GPS model is the Approach G8 ($400), with 30,000 course preloaded and a “PlaysLike” distance that compensates for uphill or downhill shots. It’s slim and has a 3-inch color display with the ability to slide the pin around on the screen to match its location on the green. The Approach G8 Garmin Approach G8 uses Wi-Fi to automatically update course information without any fee or subscription and should you feel compelled to never be out of touch with the outside world it has what Garmin calls “Smart Notification.” This means you can receive emails, texts and alerts right on your handheld, even if you’re in the middle of the fairway. The G8 receives the wireless signal from your iPhone, let’s you know you have a message, and displays the full text on its own screen whenever you’re ready to read it.
GolfBuddy
GolfBuddy has several models we like including the latest version of the Platinum handheld GPS. It looks a lot like a smartphone and is called the Platinum PT4 ($449). It is thinner and has a larger LCD screen, now 4 inches, than the old Platinum. As with all the GolfBuddy GPS rangefinders, there are 36,000 courses preload20 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
GX-4i2
ed and verified by walking them with tracking devices so there is no need to download plus they don’t charge an annual fee. The battery is good for at least two rounds, the company says 10 hours, so if your group are speedsters you might get three rounds on one charge. This year they are also promoting the GolfBuddy WT3 watch that’s very handy to use being wearable and with lots of features such as a dynamic green view with the ability to move the cursor to where you estimate the pin is located plus front, center and back yardages. It also comes loaded with 36,000 courses and no subscription. Look for this in shops and online for the attractive price of $200. GolfBuddy is also coming out with their first laser rangefinder. A model has been available in Europe since last fall and if the same unit we saw at the PGA Show is the one we eventually get GolfBuddy in the WT4
73 FREE Rounds of golf! Visit scspgagolfpass.com to order yours today! States it will be worth consideration. Lightweight and priced at around $350, it has a 6x magnification. GolfBuddy said they expected release to be in the spring.
Leupold & Stevens
Leupold’s slogan for their golf rangefinders is “Pick Up The Pace,” a push for faster play through the use of its high quality laser rangefinders. We found the GX-4i2 ($625), the most expensive of the models we tried, to be very rugged and easy to use. It can be tailored to the user’s ball striking with storing the distances of your 4-, 6- and 8-irons and then being able to suggest a club for the yardage of a particular shot. Plus the GX-4i2 allows setting the altitude of the course and the temperature that combine with an inclinometer to make the suggested club closer to what the distance really plays. The USGA rule that allows laser rangefinders doesn’t allow use of ones with all of the GX-4i2 features such as the inclinometer so Leupold provides two face plates -a bright yellow one that has the microchip to give all the described distance compensations and club selections plus a chrome faceplate without the chip so the unit con-
forms to the USGA rule.
SkyCaddie
SkyCaddie is perhaps the most well-known of the GPS rangefinder brands since it was among the first to make use of the satellite generated information (originally our military were the only ones who could use this space-based technology) to give golfers accurate yardages. It also was the first to actually walk golf courses with survey grade PS equipment to produce accurate measurements. This season, a couple of new models caught our attention. The Linx Rangefinder Watch comes loaded with 34,000 golf courses and Bluetooth which lets you use a mobile app to upload scores and stats of your round plus it provides an easy way to update course information. Besides timekeeping, the Linx also has a built-in odometer. The suggested retail is $250 and it will be available this spring. The new handheld Touch GPS also has
Bluetooth connectivity and the same preloaded courses. We liked the color t o u c h screen feature to zoom in or determine yardage and you can do it without removing your glove which is “handy” to say the Linx Rangefinder least. There’s storage in the Touch for 100 course in HD plus it will measure shot distances, pace of play and let you keep score. Suggested retail is $300. SkyCaddie requires an annual membership (use of the preloaded course maps is no charge for 30 days) that runs between $30 and $150 depending on the number of years and extras you choose.
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Chip shots
News from around the state Sponsored by
Oklahoma Tulsa Toll Fr
justicegolf.com
Brand new digs Hilltop clubhouse opens at Peoria Ridge story and photos by jim ellis
MIAMI, Okla. — A new 6,500 square foot clubhouse has opened at Peoria Ridge Golf Course. “We’re really proud of it,” said John Froman, chief of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, which owns the facility, located east of Miami. “It’s been well received by the community,” Froman said. “It’s something that will be used a lot.” The course has had a small pro shop/snack bar since opening in the spring of 2000. The new facility – which affords an overlook of much of the course — houses the pro-shop, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a bar and grill, as well as a 2,500 square foot banquet center that can seat 175. Nate Benedict will oversee clubhouse operations. Additionally, a new cart barn will serve as the home for a fleet of 2014 Club Car Precedent golf carts. Hunter & Millard Architects of Joplin was the design firm. An upgraded food and beverage operation offers hot and cold menu items and a full service bar. Customers will also enjoy the state of the art audio visual system that features 13 high definition televisions. Four outdoor televisions are located on the patio and the banquet center is equipped with two 70-inch screens capable of displaying regular programming or multi-media 22 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
presentations. The course has been tweaked, with a new water feature added to the 17th hole. Three new ponds make the 364-yard, par-4 hole even more of a challenge. Bunkers have also been refurbished and additional drainage has been added. The Miami Invitational high school tournament on March 31 was the first major event held at the course since the clubhouse opened. Having the new building proved helpful: play in the tournament was held up briefly due to lighting. “We were able to get the kids in there while we waited for the storm to move out,” Miami High School golf coach and tournament director John Kurtz said. Next up will be the Adams Pro Tour’s Buffalo Run Prairie Moon Casinos Classic June
11-14. “I think they will be pleasantly surprised by the addition when they get here,” Froman said. Peoria Ridge hosted the Stables Casino Classic and then the Buffalo Run Casino Classic on the then-NGA Hooters Tour for 10 years. The Adams Pro Tour added Miami to its schedule in 2013. The golf course is expanding its relationship with Buffalo Run Casino – also owned by the Peoria Tribe — with a variety of new promotions. There will be daily fee pricing and stay-and-play packages which include golf, lodging, dining and gambling. Jim Ellis is the Sports Editor of the Miami News Record.
ONLINE: Get the latest news on Oklahoma golf at
golfoklahoma.org
New GolfTEC in Moore David Lisle is 60 and ready for something new. The head pro at Westwood Golf Course in Norman for the past 27 years has left to start a new GolfTEC franchise in Moore. “Teaching has always been a passion of mine,” Lisle said. “I’ve known a lot about the golf swing for a long time but I was really eager to do David Lisle this because I was going to learn so much more.” The new store opened in early April. It is located at 1619 S. I-35 Service Road and the phone number is 405-225-3494. Lisle recently returned from GolfTEC corporate headquarters in Colorado where he learned how to use all the high-tech wizardry at a GolfTEC instructor’s disposal. He said it will be an adjustment to teaching indoors on monitors after decades at the range, but he is looking forward to it.
“When the student comes in to practice, he will learn three times faster visually by watching himself and utilizing the cameras. He can get to the positions, see himself and make the correction.” Pat McTigue, who owns the GolfTEC stores in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, had the rights to any franchise in the state, but gave Lisle his blessing for the Moore store which will also serve Norman. “I’m so excited,” Lisle said. “I can’t wait to start using all this stuff. At 60, I have some friends who think I should be thinking about retirement. I’m just getting going.” Westwood promoted Rick Parish, an assistant for the past 17 years, to replace Lisle. Lisle will have a second “coach” on staff at GolfTEC in May.
Pebble Beach
Torrey Pines, Trump National in Los Angeles and Rancho San Marcos in Santa Barbara. Stephen Foster, founder and owner of Elite Golf Outings, is an Oklahoma City attorney with a love for golf and travel. He said the Pacific cruise will be ideal for couples or groups and he hopes to take 25 to 50 on this maiden voyage. The upfront cost will include airlines, the cruise, golf, caddie fees, accommodations at Pebble Beach, reElite Golf Outings offering trip ally just about everything except lunch at to Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines the various courses. For more information, go to www.maElite Golf Outings is a new Oklahoma company specializing in unique golf trips jorsgolfcruise.com or call 405-696-6034. to iconic golf destinations. The first trip in April 2015 will include a California coastal Foot Golf kick starts in OKC cruise with stops to play at Pebble Beach, The overriding theme at every meeting
Oklahoma City (405) 634-0571 Tulsa (918) 663-0571 Toll Free (800) 276-0571
justicegolf.com www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 23
Chip shots of golf industry leaders these days is creating ways to get more folks playing golf. The Hack Golf Initiative from TaylorMade rolled out at the PGA Merchandise Show was aimed at drawing ideas from across the nation on how to resuscitate the game. We know many can find golf costly, timeconsuming and difficult and every segment of the industry is now on high alert that it’s time to deal with all those issues. Yet saying kids today find golf boring and making a bunch of adjustments to the game based
signed up more than 140 players. Players kick the ball from a tee situated well in front of the regular tees. The holes are shorter, with a large cup located typically on the fairway. Par-3s are played at about 40 to 100 yards, par-4s from 125 to 200 yards and par-5s 200 to 300 yards. “I think about 90 percent of the people playing have never stepped foot on a golf course before,” said SilverHorn Director of Golf Chris Kempen. “And they love it. They enjoy being out there. We’re really blending two different communities.” On nights when Kick Golf is offered, players can play for $6 or ride for $12. Kempen points out that PGA of America President Ted Bishop is bringing the program to his home course, and courses that offered the program in 2013 made up to $200,000 in revenue from the game. Kempen said his course would offer free lesson weeks to the Foot Golf players for those who wish to learn golf as well. For more information on the Foot Golf opportunities at SilverHorn, call 405-752-1181.
Cottonwood Hills to reopen
Photo courtesy of AFGL
A young Kick Golfer sinks a “putt”. on the opinions of teenagers who’ve never stepped foot on a course may be a bit foolish as well. The idea behind Foot Golf is to get those young soccer players and others out on a golf course, many for the first time, and then see if it piques their interest in golf as well. For course owners and operators, the goal is two-fold. Foot Golf can create extra revenue immediately on its own, sometimes significantly so. The hope is that many who play will be intrigued by the other game going on around them and be touched by the magic of a golf course on a pleasant evening, enough to want to take up the game. At least one course in Oklahoma is getting its kicks from Foot Golf this spring. SilverHorn Golf Course in Oklahoma City has a league run under the auspices of the American Foot Golf League. The players for the league were recruited by WAKA Sports, an organization devoted to kickball, dodge ball and other social sports. A recent event 24 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
Cottonwood Hills, the Nick Faldo-designed course in the sandhills of Kansas near Prairie Dunes, has been purchased by Wichita banker Drayton Alldritt, who plans to reopen the course in the spring of 2015. Alldritt told the Hutchinson News he plans scaled-back housing compared to the plans of original owner Lane Neville and a semi-permanent clubhouse. The course, closed since 2012, has been somewhat retained due to the efforts of Brad Neville, but will need the summer of 2014 to be brought back to full flower. Cottonwood Hills originally opened in 2007 and Faldo’s group created a fun and entertaining course that took advantage of the unique rolling terrain. The housing and development never took off due to a combination of factors, some of which will still be at play. Also the challenge facing Alldritt and his group will be building a natural constituency for the course either as a public or semi-private venture. Hutchinson already has two private courses, including Prairie Dunes and the popular public course Carey Park, to serve a city of less than 42,000 residents. Nearby Newton has Sand Creek Station, which will host the final USGA Public Links Championship this summer. It is about a 30-minute drive or more for Wichita residents.
Pros on the move John Hines is the new PGA head profes-
sional at The Golf Club of Oklahoma in Broken Arrow. Hines had been the head professional at Baiting Hollow Golf Club on Long Island for the past 17 years. “I’m very excited to be here,” Hines said. “The facility and golf course are phenomenal. Coming from Long Island, one of the first things you notice is the size of the property. And then how nice the people are. People here are just friendlier.” Hines competed as a player on various tours John Hines from 1981-89. He worked as an assistant in Huntington, N.Y., from 1988-89, spent five years in private business, then joined Baiting Hollow in 1994, becoming head professional in 1997. Hines has been in Oklahoma often previously, including in 2011 to receive the Patriot Award, a national award given after Bailting Hollow raised more than $60,000 for the Folds of Honor Foundation based in Owasso. Hines, the son of a Marine with extensive military connections in his family, held an event in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan arrived at the course in a Blackhawk helicopter, two Humvees and two armored personnel carriers. Hines plans to become very involed with the PGA South Central Section and would love to explore future events at The Golf Club, which has hosted then Ben Hogan Tour events in the past. Hines replaced Skiatook native J.R. Glover, who earlier accepted a postion as director of golf at The Patriot in January. “We’re excited about J.R.’s character, his Oklahoma roots, the experience he brings, that he cut his teeth at Bay Hill,” said Patriot co-founder Dan Rooney. “He just seems like the perfect guy to take the reins and we’re counting on him in a big way to take us to the next level.” Jeff Tucker, who was the head professional at Fairfax Golf Course in Edmond the past 12 years, is now working in the pro shop at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City and also offering lessons at Lake Hefner Golf Course in Oklahoma City, where he was previously head professional. To contact Tucker for lessons, call 405-650-6884. Replacing Tucker at Fairfax is Davis Drury, who was Tucker’s top assistant for the past five years. Ben Benton is the new head professional at The Club at Indian Springs in Broken Arrow. Michael Boyd has been promoted to director of golf. Benton came to Indian Springs
ROAD TRIP No. 18
M�e golf �an you can shake a 9-iron at. When it comes to championship public golf, there’s no better destination than Alabama, where we’re proud to claim three of America’s 50 Toughest Courses as selected by Golf Digest. For starters, there are the 468 holes along the world-renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Stretching from the mountains in the north to the Gulf Coast in the south, these 26 courses will test your golfing skills as well as your intestinal fortitude. Then there are the many other impressive courses scattered across the state, designed by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jerry Pate. Each with its own set of challenges, each with its own set of rewards. And each along an epic road trip to the state of Alabama.
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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 25
from The Canyons at Blackjack Ridge in Sand Springs.
Golf Oklahoma honored For the third consecutive year, Golf Oklahoma received an outstanding achievement award at the 21st annual ING Media Awards program at the PGA Merchandise Show. The International Network of Golf, a non-profit, media-based networking organization, conducts the awards program for its members. ING membership is open to anyone in the golf industry and media. A total of 43 First-Place and Outstanding Achiever awards were awarded at the presentation press conference conducted in ClubING at the PGA Show. Total entries increased 31 percent this year over last year. Golf Oklahoma’s award came in the Travel Writing category for a story by editor Ken MacLeod on Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
competitions for teams of up to 10 13-andunder golfers. They play against other teams in a two-person nine-hole scramble format. Substitutions can be made after three or six holes. Teams were uniforms and have coaches or captains. Nationally, the program grew from 120 teams in 2012 to 740 last year and director Keith Johnson said the goal for 2014 is 1,500 teams nationwide. As for the potential, Johnson calls it unlimited. Contact your local pro shop or call the PGA Section office to see if there is a team nearby at 918-357-3332.
Drive, Chip and Putt Championship qualifiers
There are six regional qualifiers scheduled this summer for the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, in which the top qualifiers will compete prior to the 2015 Masters at Augusta National. Qualifiers will be held at The First Tee of Little Rock on May 31, Ball Golf Center in PGA Junior Golf League takes Oklahoma City on June 7, Sand Creek Staoff in Oklahoma tion in Newton, Kan., on June 19, Jimmie More than 30 public and private golf Austin OU Golf Course in Norman on June courses will be entering teams in the PGA 28, The First Tee of Tulsa on July 19 and anJunior Golf League this spring. A national other Arkansas qualifier to be announced. organization, PGA Junior League offers A sub-regional qualifier will be held at La-
Fortune Park in Tulsa on Aug. 3. To enter any of these qualifiers, go to www.drivechipandputt.com. For more information call the PGA South Central Section at 918-357-3332.
Charity Golf International adds spice to fund-raising events If you’re looking to add some pizzazz to your charity or fund-raising golf tournament this year, it may be worth a call to Charity Golf International. They will take over one of the tee boxes in your event where they will have a Long Drive Association champion or top competitor, give away tremendous prizes and increase the fund-raising for your event. Chris Carey of Charity Golf International said the group raised nearly $20,000 for the Toby Keith Foundation during an event at Belmar in Norman in 2013. Other prominent clients it worked for in 2013 include the Barry Switzer Foundation, Oklahoma City Thunder, Pancreatic Cancer, American Cancer Society and the Oklahoma Brain Tumor Foundation. To contact Charity Golf International for more information, go to www.charitygolfintl.com or email Carey at chris@charitygolfintl.com or call 1-800-818-0901.
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Patriot Cup 2014 Big names expected for May 26 event by ken macleod
Bo Van Pelt tees off in the 2013 Patriot Cup.
Photos by Rip Stell
Jim Kane is new director of Patriot Cup
and part of my job will be to help it get to the next level,” said Kane. “Dan will still make the initial contact with the pros we Longtime area golf professional and for- have coming in, but I will help follow up. mer Oral Roberts All-American Jim Kane is He has so many things going on. One of the new director of the Patriot Cup for the my roles will be to help alleviate stress from Dan.” Folds of Honor Foundation. Kane was part of the 1981 Oral Kane, who has been a teachRoberts team with Bill Glasson, ing pro at Oak Tree National Joey Rassett and Bryan Norton in Edmond among other busithat dominated college golf only ness ventures, is excited to be to finish second to Stanford in working with Dan Rooney the NCAA Championship. He and helping with the Memohas played professionally and rial Day fundraiser which worked as a club professional in typically brings in a field of Kansas and Oklahoma. popular PGA Tour and Cham“Jim is a great man and great pions Tour players to play The player and understands where Patriot in Owasso with celebJim Kane we want to go with this event,” rities and military golfers. Rooney said. “I’ll continue to utiThe annual event typically raises significant funds for the Folds of lize my relationship to help bring in players, Honor Foundation, the organization Rooney but we need someone on day-to-day operafounded to help the families of servicemen tions who can build on what we’ve created or women killed or wounded while serving and take it to the next level. The Patriot Cup will be held Monday, May the branches of the U.S. military. The foundation has awarded more than 5,500 post- 26. Tickets for the event will be on sale for secondary educational scholarships in the $20 each at area QuikTrip stores on May 1. David Feherty will return as the emcee. past five years and expects to award more Many past participants, such as Rickie Fowlthan 2,000 in 2014. “Dan has really put together a nice event er and Bo Van Pelt, are already committed to 28 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
David Feherty will return to emcee in 2014.
return. Some prominent new names are expected to be announced closer to the event. One whom Rooney released early is Nancy Lopez, the LPGA Hall of Fame star who played her collegiate golf at the University of Tulsa, helping lead TU to the AIAW national championship in 1976. She won 48 LPGA events, including nine as a rookie in 1977, when she took the golf world by storm. “We’re working hard to get some LPGA players involved and of course Nancy is one of the two greatest female golfers of all time, so that will be fantastic,” Rooney said.
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Golf course architects to visit Tulsa Group to play Southern Hills, Tulsa CC, and The Patriot by ken macleod
A well-crafted golf hole adds to our enjoyment and appreciation of the game. A course that fits in with the terrain, flows well and builds momentum and drama as it goes makes up for even a bad round of golf. The men who are the masters at course designs and routings will be in Tulsa for the annual meeting of the American Society of Golf Course Architects on May 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown. Norman-based architect and ASGCA member Tripp Davis was instrumental in persuading the group to hold its annual meeting in Tulsa. First thing he had to do was secure the cooperation of Southern Hills, knowing that all the architects Tripp Davis would want to play there if the meeting was in Tulsa. Once that was done, the pieces began to fall into place. The architects will also sample the handiwork of brothers Rees Jones (Tulsa Country Club renovation) and Robert Trent Jones II (The Patriot in Owasso). The Jones brothers are both members and expected to attend. Many of the group are expected in as ear30 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
ly as the Wednesday prior and will be making forays to Prairie Dunes in Hutchinson, Kan., Hillcrest CC in Bartlesville, Oak Tree National and other courses. Among the more familiar architects who are members and could attend are Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, the Jones brothers and Golf Digest architectural writer and sometime architect Ron Whitten. More than 100 architects are expected to attend. At its Monday night dinner, the ASGCA will hand out the Donald Ross Award to Maj. Dan Rooney, founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation and co-founder of The Patriot Golf Club. The award is named for ASGCA’s honorary first president, and is presented to an individual who has made a positive contribution to golf and golf course
Southern Hills Country Club
architecture. Davis will combine with Chris Clouser, author of a Perry Maxwell biography titled “The Midwest Associate, the Life and Work of Perry Duke Maxwell,” on a Perry Maxwell historical lecture at the conference. The architects will play Maxwell’s handiwork at Southern Hills, Prairie Dunes and Hillcrest. Davis has worked on restoring Maxwell courses at Hillcrest, Muskogee CC and Cherokee Hills. There are other Maxwell gems in the state such as Oakwood in Enid, Dornick Hills in Ardmore and Ponca City Country Club. Fazio has two courses in the area he may wish to show off to his friends– the Golf Club of Oklahoma and Karsten Creek in
Tulsa Country Club
Stillwater. Karsten Creek was ranked among the top 50 courses in Golfweek’s Top 100 Modern Courses for most of its existence and currently ranked 99th. With very few courses under construction in the United States and most of those going to a few high profile architects like Tom Doak, Gil Hanse or the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, there will be a lot of architects in Tulsa who have been through hard times including layoffs or company reorganizations. Davis said the meetings are a good time to buoy spirits. “One of the things we’ve had the last two or three years is someone in to talk to us about China,” Davis said. “How to market, how to avoid getting trapped in a bad situation, where to go if you have any issues.” Davis and ASGCA President Rick Robbins both returned from working on China projects this spring. Davis is involved domestically with renovations on the East Coast and in Texas and is doing new greens, tee boxes and irrigation at Cherokee Springs in Tahlequah. In 2013, he completed a bunker renovation project at Battle Creek GC in Broken Arrow and in 2012 completed renovation work at Oak Tree National, which will host the U.S. Senior Open July 10-13. “A lot of this meeting is about camaraderie,” Davis said. “All of them are good guys. We’re in competition, and a lot of members are fighting for survival, but the attitude is one of a fraternity. The ASGCA keeps everyone focused on doing good work and selling their services. We’re not competing in a negative or conflicting way.” The meetings are not open to the public.
www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 31
The magnificent French Normandy style clubhouse at Gaillardia
New owners, new vision
Concert Golf brings upbeat change to Gaillardia CC by ken macleod
The arrival of spring finds the mood considerably brighter at one of Oklahoma’s most significant golf clubs. Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City is back on its feet and in growth mode after the club was purchased by Concert Golf led by Peter Nanula over the winter. Concert Golf, a relatively new group led by an industry veteran, has purchased six properties with plans for more. “Gaillardia is a fabulous venue in a city that is growing and where the economy is booming,” Nanula said. “We think it has great potential and will be a terrific club for years to come.” Gaillardia is already moving ahead with
clubhouse improvements and work will continue on updates to the pool, fitness center, tennis courts and golf course. The course’s 68 bunkers are being rehabilitated to encompass the addition of new pro angle sand and some of the more severe fairway bunker lips were softened. On the final hole, challenging new bunkering has been added to give the closing hole a more memorable risk-reward finish. The purchase of Gaillardia and the retiring of the crushing debt under the former owner has freed up club operations which had ground to a virtual standstill. Now the club will begin to entice new members from both inside the gated community and with a focus on additional members from the surrounding neighbor-
hoods and within the northwest OKC corridor. The club has a dazzling array of amenities to promote to new members. Those include one of the state’s best teaching and golf practice facilities, pool, tennis, volleyball, a fitness facility, a playground and a new kid’s area in plans for development inside the clubhouse. As for golf, the strong PGA professional team includes not only General Manager Peter Vitali but Mark Fuller, who was formerly the director of golf at Oak Tree CC, teaching professional and former touring pro Pat Bates, who is also the University of Central Oklahoma golf coach, as well as assistants Cooper Barrick, Jeff Tucker and Tommy Sovereign.
Scenic view of the ninth hole and clubhouse at Gaillardia. 32 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
Oklahoma welcomes back historic event 99th Women’s Southern Amateur comes to Gaillardia CC Gaillardia Country Club will be display often this summer, first as the host for the the 99th Women’s Southern Amateur, the flagship event of the Women’s Southern Golf Association, followed by the Oklahoma Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship, and South Central PGA Professional Championship. The Southern Amateur June 1-5 will mark the first time the event has been in Oklahoma since 1936 at Oklahoma City Golf
& Country Club. The organization was formed in 1911 in Atlanta and has been hosting the event annually, except for years interrupted by war. Entrants must be either residents of or college golfers in one of the 19 member southern states. Current LPGA stars such as Stacy Lewis (2007) and Lexi Thomson (2009) are past winners. Then University of Arkansas golfer Hally Leadbetter, who has since transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., is the defending champion. The only previous Oklahoma champion is Lucy Nunn of Lawton, who won in 2008 at The Clubs of Kingwood, Texas. Nunn is now the assistant women’s golf coach for the University of Kentucky. Other illustrious past champions include Louise Suggs and Betty Jameson, both cofounders of the LPGA Tour. The event is
open to the public at no charge and that may be the perfect time to check out Gaillardia as well. If anyone wishes to volunteer at the tournament, they should contact Ken Goodin at kgoodin@aol.com. Tournament director Susan Hall said Gaillardia has been magnificent to work with in taking care of all tournament needs. Eligible golfers wishing to compete in the event should go to www.womens-southerngolfassociation.org.
2007 Amateur Champion Stacy Lewis. 2009 champ Lexi Thompson.
Alexa Stirling taken in 1931. She won as a teen in 1915, 1916, and then in 1919. She toured the country with Bobby Jones giving clinics on golf, spurring many women to take up the game.
www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 33
Friends!
Cowboy duo reminiscent of another era Photo by Tyler Drabek
The relationship between current Cowboys Jordan Niebrugge and Wyndham Clark (center) reminds coach Alan Bratton (left) of the way he and Chris Tidland (right) pushed each other to become better players and better people back in the early 1990s. by ken macleod
When the NCAA Men’s Championship is conducted May 22-28 amid the plum thickets and bramble at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., the current crop of talented Oklahoma State stars would do well to emulate coach Alan Bratton and his best friend Chris Tidland. Among the many accomplishments of the duo during their remarkable four-year run from 1992 to 1996 at Oklahoma State was the way they performed in the Big Eight Championship often held in cold and windy conditions at Prairie Dunes. All Bratton did was finish first, tied for fourth, second and first. Tidland went sixth, second, tied for fourth and tied for first (with Bratton). Both were two-time first-team All-Americans and at least honorable mention every year. They combined to win 10 college events and both played key roles in OSU’s legendary playoff victory over Stanford and Tiger Woods, Notah Begay, Casey Martin and company at the 1995 NCAA Championship in Columbus, Ohio. Beyond the accolades and triumphs, what Bratton and Tidland prize most from their collegiate years was the close-knit bond they formed under the pressure of performing for demanding coach Mike Holder. Bratton, from College Station, Texas, and Tidland, 34 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
from Placentia, Calif., were barely aware of each other as junior players, but shared an affinity for golf that went beyond mere practice sessions. They pushed each other to be better and accomplish more, on the range, course and in the classroom, where they were both four-time All-Big Eight Academic Team honorees. It continues today. They remain best friends, their wives and families are now all close and Tidland is a regular at Karsten Creek while rehabbing a problematic shoulder that has kept him from continuing his professional career for the past two seasons. Both have enjoyed watching a similar bond forming the past two seasons among Cowboy sophomore Jordan Niebrugge and redshirt freshman Wyndham Clark. While they still have a lot to prove in post-season play, the duo has helped propel OSU back to national prominence and the Cowboys are regarded along with defending champion Alabama and California as the teams to beat at Prairie Dunes. Both Niebrugge and Clark have drawn national attention for remarkable runs of sustained excellent play. Niebrugge’s came last summer, when he won state championships in both stroke play and match play in his home state of Wisconsin, and followed that with victories in the USGA Public Links Championship and the Western Amateur. Clark, after a dif-
ficult redshirt year in which he sat out while dealing with the loss of his mother to breast cancer, had recorded seven consecutive topsix finishes at this writing, including placing second in the final two. Bratton sees a lot of similarities watching these two and looking back over the span of two decades. “They have formed a friendship the way
Alan Bratton helps Chris Tidland line up a putt at the 1995 U.S. Open.
playing through...“ Tomorrow” Deep canyons, panoramic vistas and forested fairways are just a few of the many reasons to tee up on the most diverse terrain in the nation. Sweeten the pot with Stay & Play deals at your favorite Oklahoma State Park golf courses, and you have fairway getaways too good to pass up. Stay & Play packages are available year-round. Visit TravelOK.com/SPDeals for more information, or call 866.602.4653 to make reservations.
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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 35
you would want all your kids to,” Bratton said. “Chris helped me get better more than anyone. We grew up together and he was like a brother to me. He still is. I wouldn’t have had near the college career I did without him.” Tidland spends a good deal of time with both players and says the sky is the limit. “They both push each other and have different ways of doing things, which is what Alan and I seemed to do. The differences that we had were important. The way he thought about things and his feel for playing golf. The way he handled it if I qualified for a tournament before he did. His humility made a big impression on me early and continues to today, because I can get pretty self-centered. His example has always been a reminder to me and something I’ve looked up to.” The differences between Clark and Niebrugge are clear as well. The 6-foot Clark is immersed in mechanics and technique and has one of the best short games in college golf. The 6-4 Niebrugge is more of a free-flowing instinctive player whose forte is dazzling ball striking. When he won the Public Links and Western Amateur last summer, he basically beat his competition into submission by hitting endless fairways and greens.
36 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
“We’re pretty much the opposite when it comes to practice styles and the way we play,” Clark said. “He’s definitely less mechanical and would just like to go play or have a contest. I really love working on the mechanics of the swing or finding new ways to get better at something in the short game. We have different practice styles, but we complement each other.” “Wyndham loves looking at swings and analyzing them,” Niebrugge said. “He learns a lot from them and he’s got great imagination. It would be tough to duplicate what he does. He’s got one of the best short games I’ve ever seen. “I’m more of a feel player. I don’t spend a lot of time on my swing. The last couple of years I’ve learned my ballstriking can be very good but I need to focus on everything around the greens.” Clark said Niebrugge has a wicked sense of humor once you get past his initial Midwestern reserve. He also was there if Clark needed him last year. It was tough for Clark to watch the team head out for tournaments without him knowing he was certainly good enough to be playing. With he and Niebrugge in the lineup along with seniors Ian Davis and Talor Gooch and freshman Zachary Olsen, the Cowboys had won four of six
events with two runner-up finishes. “That was really hard for him,” Niebrugge said. “This year having Wyndham back was huge. It’s cool to see him playing so well. We’re all rallying around him and motivated by how well he’s doing.” Clark credits his roommate for keeping him loose and for pushing him to be a better player. “Jordan, once he gets to know you and opens up, he’s a really funny guy and great to have on the trips,” Clark said. “When he hits it well, it’s a joke. He can hit 14 fairways and 18 greens a round.” As for his own game, Clark said the year as a redshirt made him hungry for competition. “I used the year to improve my game in all aspects,” he said. “And I was really hungry and ready to play. Plus coach Bratton and coach (Brian) Guetz have worked with me on the team aspect of college golf. I’ve become better at saving shots when I might have my C game. I did that in Florida a few weeks back when I was hitting it all over, but stayed patient and really valued each shot and finished in the top six. That helps the team. It’s good to be playing for something bigger than yourself.” And it’s good to have a friend to share the moment with.
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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 37
Sooner seniors revived program Now look to leave mark in 2014 NCAA Championship at Tulsa Country Club by ken macleod
Defending champion USC will be the heavy favorite to repeat at the 2014 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship May 20-23 at Tulsa Country Club. The Trojans are so good other coaches just chuckle when asked if they can be defeated. The Lady Trojans won eight of their first nine events to start the season, finishing second to UCLA when the Lady Bruins shot a tournament record 21-under to win the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate in New Orleans. USC was only 16-under in that one, snapping a winning streak of eight consecutive tournaments going back to the 2013 NCAA Championship. In years past, a championship event held in Tulsa would have included the strong possibility that the host Golden Hurricane would be a factor. Odds are strong that this
Emily Collins 38 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
year Tulsa will not be in the field and maybe won’t even be one of the 72 teams invited to one of three NCAA regionals, one of which is May 8-10 at Karsten Creek in Stillwater. To determine the 72 teams, the NCAA gives automatic invites to 28 conference champions and selects 44 at-large teams based on rankings, head-to-head, strength of schedule and other factors. Tulsa was ranked 114 in the Golfstat rankings at the end of March, which would indicate it has to win Conference USA to get invited to regionals. While they don’t have a history or tradition to match either Tulsa or Oklahoma State, the Oklahoma Sooners have the firepower to at least compete for a top-five finish if not better. The Sooners finished second to USC in the Fall Preview at TCC in October. Since coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell took over in 2009 after three years as an assistant at Georgia, a once-disjointed program has become a steady contender and now finishes in the top five in more than 70 percent of its events over the past two seasons. The Sooners have registered consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championship (sixth in 2012, ninth in 2013) for the first time in school history. Leading the charge to respectability and beyond are four seniors, three of whom have been mainstays for the past four years. Chirapat Jao-Javanil of Thailand, Emily Collins of Colleyville, Texas and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec (also the home city of her head coach) have combined to start nearly every event for the past four years. Fellow senior Kaitlyn Rohrback has been a steady
Anne-Catherine Tanguay
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Chirapat Jao-Javanil contributor since transferring from Tennessee in 2011. Jao-Javanil, the 2012 individual NCAA champion and five-time winner overall, is one reason OU can’t be overlooked. She is incredibly steady, with 22 top-10 finishes in 38 events. “She is just so consistent,” Drouin-Luttrell said. “She hits it on the fairway, hits it on the green, two-putts and moves on. She makes golf look as simple as it gets.” Tanguay and Collins tied for second in the 2013 NCAA Central Regional. Those three helped OU win the 2012 Big 12 Champion-
ship, a victory that made their coach realize the progress being made. “When I recruited these girls, I wanted them to rewrite the record book and change the history of the program,” Drouin-Luttrell said. “It’s been fun watching them grow as golfers and mature as people. “USC is really, really good. But we like Tulsa Country Club and it’s going to be lots of fun. We’re excited to see what happens. If we’re peaking at the right time, who knows?” The Sooners finished four strokes behind USC at the NCAA Preview with Oklahoma State a strong third. UCLA, expected to be the main challenger to USC, did not compete due to a scheduling conflict. Through March, three of the top eight individuals in the Golfweek rankings were from USC, led by No. 1 Annie Park, with Kyung Kim in fifth and Sophia Popov in eighth. Other strong contenders for the individual title are No. 2 Yu Liu of Duke, No. 3 Alison Lee of UCLA, No. 4 Stephanie Meadow of Alabama along with Mariah Stackhouse of Stanford and Noemi Jimenez of Arizona State. The course will be set up similarly to the Preview. It will play 6,190 yards to a par of 70, with rough height at two inches and
2014 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS All-Session $30 (purchase online at NCAA.com) Adult Single Day $10 (purchase event day at course) Youth Single Day $5 (purchase event day at course) SPECTATOR PARKING & SHUTTLE TIMES All spectator parking is located on the campus of OSU-Tulsa at 700 N. Greenwood Ave. Shuttles from the spectator lot to Tulsa Country Club will run every 15 minutes on the hour. Sunday, May 18 - Spectator parking will be available at Tulsa Country Club Monday, May 19 - Spectator parking will be available at Tulsa Country Club Tuesday, May 20 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or 30 minutes after last round is complete) Wednesday, May 21 - 7 a.m.to 7 p.m. (or 30 minutes after last round is complete) Thursday, May 22 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or 30 minutes after last round is complete) Friday, May 23 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or 30 minutes after last round is complete) Spectator notes: Restroom and concessions available on the course. NCAA souvenirs will be available for purchase. No cameras except for credentialed media. Cell phones on silent and no cell phone pictures during competition.
green speeds running from 10.5 to 11.5 on the Stimpmeter. Tulsa Country Club underwent a thorough renovation by architect Rees Jones and reopened in 2013 with new greens, tees and bunkers restored to
the look and feel of original architect A.W. Tillinghast. Volunteers are needed for the event. Please contact volunteer coordinator Linda Cohlmia at theartworks@cox.net.
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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 39
Where we play
The second green at Hobble Creek.
Golf Heaven off the beaten (cart) path Northern Utah is an unbeatable combination of mountain golf, high quality and low green fees by steve habel
Golfers around the world hunt for locales where there are multiple, top-notch courses to be played at inexpensive rates away from the teeming crowd. They also like terrain and amenities that help create memories and add spice to the après golf times – a set of demands that at times seems like an unrealistic combination of demands. All those bullet-points on a checklist can be met in a trip to an unlikely destination – northern Utah, the area in and around Salt Lake City. Golfers will find mountain courses as picturesque as any in the world, with seemingly endless views, as well as the awesome Great Salt Lake and a series of communities that are welcoming and friendly to all visitors. The public golf offerings are surprisingly good and varied, all at prices that many players might think are too good to be true. 40 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
In northern Utah, courses are not defined by the cost to play them. Instead golfers get quality tracks designed by top-shelf designers at a fraction of the green fees one would expect to play for courses this good. The hub for a trip to northern Utah is Salt Lake City, one of the cleanest, most progressive and travel-friendly cities in North America. During a recent visit to the area, we were able play a half-dozen of the best public and municipal tracks in the region, beginning north of the city in Bountiful (where the golf is just that) and ending up 50 miles to the south in Springville, in the verdant Hobble Creek Canyon.
Lake from the side of a mountain above the city of Bountiful. Designed by William Neff and opened for play in 1975, Bountiful Ridge GC offers spectacular views in addition to a challenging, mountain-style layout and is one of the best municipal course golfers can play anywhere – in fact, locals consider it one of the best courses in Utah. It’s golf good enough for a video game. Carded at 6,595 yards from its back set of four tees, Bountiful Ridge GC carries a rating of 70.4 and a slope of 130 on a par-72 routing. Holes wind up and down a ridge on the mountainside above the town of Bountiful and the course features large greens that are Worth their weight in gold fast and tight fairways that are lined with Three of the courses we played on this trees. Ponds create water hazards that come trek were owned and operated by their cit- into play on six holes. There are also several ies in which they reside. First up was Boun- strategically placed bunkers throughout the tiful Ridge Golf Course, which overlooks course. Back down the highway and 16 miles east the entire Salt Lake Valley and the Great Salt
FREE 73 Rounds of golf! Visit scspgagolfpass.com to order yours today! of Salt Lake City is the Mountain Dell Golf Course facility, which features two tracks – the Canyon (designed by William Bell in 1962 and since renovated) and the Lakes (fashioned by Neff in 1990). The clubhouse for the two courses rests at 6,000 feet of elevation and the up-anddown nature of the routings offer wonderful views and frequent glimpses of wildlife. Both courses traverse mountainous terrain. The Canyon course, carded at 6,787 yards from its back set of four tee boxes, stretches up the eastern mountain from the clubhouse through Parley’s Canyon approximately four miles before looping back. Players on the Canyon course with earlymorning or early-evening tee times may see deer, elk, moose, eagles, hawks, badgers, squirrels and an occasional cougar. The par-71 Lake course features pinched, rolling fairways and dramatic tee shots over deep ravines and water. Playing at 6,745 yards from its back set of four tees, the course descends from the clubhouse to the Mountain Dell Reservoir. About a half-hour’s drive south in Springville, the city-owned Hobble Creek Golf Course may be even better, and more luscious, that the courses chronicled above. Built in 1967 by Bell in the relative flatlands of Hobble Creek Canyon, this course offers some of the best scenery in Utah in a unique course design that prides its difficulty not in distance but in accuracy. Hobble Creek GC features tree-lined fairways with its namesake creek winding its way throughout the course. The mountains seem to be right on top of the golfer and provide a great backdrop, especially into the challenging greens.
Four jaw-dropping courses in Wasatch Mountain State Park Wasatch Mountain State Park is a nearly 22,000-acre preserve set in the Heber Valley of Wasatch County near Midway, about a 30 minute drive southeast of Salt Lake City. Established by the state in 1961, the park provides year-round recreation, including camping, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, off-highway vehicle, horseback riding and – for our purposes – two outstanding 36-hole golf facilities. The oldest facility in the park is the aptly named Wasatch Mountain State Park Golf Course. Its well-regarded Mountain and Lake courses are consistently ranked among the most popular and scenic in Utah. Nationally, Golf Digest rated the courses 4.5
The aptly named Valley View Golf Course in Layton. out of 5 stars in their “Best Places to Play” review. Designed by Neff in 1972 (the Lake) and in 1990 (the Mountain), the two tracks have stood the test of time. Resting on gentle terrain, the Lake course (6,910 yards at a par of 72) is often considered to be the easier of the two courses. As the name implies, the Lake course has eight different lakes influencing the line of play, generally narrow fairways and medium sized greens. Conversely, the Mountain course is a classic mountain-style layout, carved from natural, rocky contours. The outward-nine holes travel two miles up the mountain while the inward nine bring players back to the clubhouse. Along the way players experience dramatic elevation changes and expansive vistas of the Heber Valley, often catching glimpses of roaming deer, elk, wild turkeys, moose and other wildlife. If there was one facility that ranked significantly higher than the others on this trip, it was the two courses at Soldier Hollow, which is also set in Wasatch Mountain State Park and whose slopes and mountainsides were utilized for the Nordic events at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. It’s the only golf course in the United States built on a Winter Olympics venue. Opened for play in 2004 and designed by Gene Bates, Soldier Hollow has two 18-hole courses named the Gold and the Silver, each of which offer challenging play and amazing views of the Heber Valley in the shadow of Mount Timpanogos. All four of the course’s nine-hole loops end near the clubhouse, so
it’s easy to get in a quick nine in the late afternoon when the course isn’t as busy. The rolling Gold course is routed through some of the site’s highest rises with significant elevation change throughout the course and even within each hole. The vegetation on the course mirrors the surrounding native area vegetation, scrub oaks and native mountain valley grasses. The Silver course is the flatter and tamer of the two layouts. It is an open, parklandstyle design with slightly shorter and wider fairways. It is a par 72 playing at 7,355 yards from the tips that was designed with six par5s, six par-4s and six par-3s.
Sleepy Ridge a prime option The one course we played on our trip that was not owned and operated by either a city or the state of Utah was Sleepy Ridge Golf Course in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City down IH-15 on the way to Provo. Set on the eastern marshlands of Utah Lake in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains, Sleepy Ridge GC weaves through protected wetlands, featuring a nice variety of water features, sand and carries over the marshes. A round here is an exercise in course management as much as in length, but being a long-hitter helps negotiate the subtle twists and turns the course offers during its 6,969-yard journey. All six facilities on the trip, encompassing nine golf courses, can be played for less than $50. It might be the closest one can get to golf Heaven on the cheap. www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 41
Westin La Cantera
$12 million renovation spruces up San Antonio favorite by bill harper
S
an Antonio doesn’t take a backseat to anyone when it comes to attracting visitors. How can you argue against the historic Alamo, one of America’s most unforgettable and treasured landmarks, or the famous River Walk or those two major theme parks – Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Don’t omit the San Antonio Spurs from that list, which goes on and on. Then there are all the excellent eating establishments – you have to love that TexMex cuisine – in the old Spanish town. For a golfer, top of the list should be the Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort. Oh, you might think something changed when those touring pros left the La Cantera Resort Course for the TPC San Antonio. Think otherwise. The Resort Course is often as exciting a ride as the roller coaster you can see below at Six Flags, but the natural elevation change wasn’t always the best for walking spectators. The TPC was built to host the tour event, simple as that. With the PGA Tour event across town, the La Cantera folks had time to concentrate on sprucing up the resort and golf courses for the folks who matter most, the traveling golfers who fill up the historic lodge. Modifications made to the Mediterranean-style clubhouse, designed with a nod to the famous Big House on the 825,000acre King Ranch near Corpus Christi, simply 42 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
The Westin La Cantera looms over the resort course. fortified its standing as an awesome golfing venture as well as a complete vacation site for the entire family. Finer facilities are few and far between. With a new focus and a $12 million renovation complete, La Cantera is back, although it hadn’t really ventured far. Now its gorgeous hotel sparkles high in the Texas
“It’s still one of the best golf destinations in the South...” – Steve Shields Director of Golf
Hills, viewable from most parts of America’s seventh-largest city. It’s just a tad better. As director of golf Steve Shields says: “It’s still one of the best golf destinations in the South. We pretty much have a complete golf product here right now.” With The Resort Course and The Palmer Course, La Cantera delivers two challenging, yet very different tests of golf. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish (their next-to-last effort together), The Resort Course was opened in 1995. From the opening hole, a downhill par-5 which can be lengthened to more than 660 yards, the 7,001-yard, par-72 Resort provides some thrilling rides up and down and
around the Hill Country landscape. Using “up and down’’ didn’t come by happenstance. Nothing compares to No. 7, the signature hole. With its elevated tee 80 feet above a quarry wall and a fairway laden with bunkers everywhere, one resembling a rattlesnake’s head, golfers face a daunting risk-reward option, as the green is just slightly more than 300 yards away. In the background is the famed Six Flags theme park with its wooden roller coaster named the Rattler. During the peak season golfers can hear riders scream. Borrowing from the amusement ride, locals called the hole the Rattlesnake. Groundskeepers took it a step further and add to the mystique by creating two “eyes” in one bunker giving it the look of a snake’s head. When John Daly played the Texas Open he rarely, if ever, disappointed spectators, swinging for the green and often reaching it. “Overall the Resort course has some pretty generous landing areas and it’s a little more friendly around the greens,” said Shields. “It’s easier to get up and down.” When golfers reach No. 12, driving becomes more confined as the 415-yard, par-4 has a limestone-rock ravine on the right and churchpew bunkers left. A rocky ravine and running creek guard the elevated green to greet your second shot. One writer called No. 16 “trap city.” Although only 380 yards and a hole everyone thinks can be a routine birdie, the nine sand
Thrills abound for golfers and theme park enthusiasts. pits – more than 75 dot the entire expanse – suddenly change things. When La Cantera decided to build a second course in 2001, it called on Arnold Palmer’s design team to work its magic on the 225 available acres. Westin general manager Stuart Meyerson said: “When you get out there and see what he’s done, you’re totally amazed.” The Westin complex is perched in the Alamo City’s highest point, leading to dynamic views and terrain for golf. Holes 9 and 18 offer breathtaking sights – not to mention sweaty palms as you prepare to negotiate the holes. Both finish with greens
in the shadows of the clubhouse (each course has its own facility). Add to that the view from the No. 10 green, a golf hole which requires some surgical skill to avoid a massive drop off to nowhere. It’s definitely not a course to walk, The Palmer presents numerous challenges which is what Palmer wanted. “The topography of La Cantera exhibits interesting characteristics that will make it both beautiful and unique,” he said when it opened. Palmer took special care with the par-3 No. 4 which he named after his late wife, creating the Winnie Bridge, which takes you across a portion of the lake and waterfall to
the green tucked into the terrain. “It definitely is a much more difficult course,” Shields said. “Driving is extremely tough. And there are those blind shots.” He added with a laugh, “That’s one reason we provide GPS in all the golf carts.” The resort features six pools (two for children) plus a spacious, ultra-friendly Castle Rock Health Club and numerous eating establishments including Francesca’s and Brannon’s Café. It’s a place you can visit and never want to leave. For more information about the courses or the hotel, visit www.LaCanteraGolfClub. com or call 210-558-4653.
www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 43
Ambitious plan
Artist rendering of proposed resort.
Developers start on $122 million resort at Emerald Falls Once an architectural firm is selected, The current golf course is a 2007 Jerry Slack design. It has many solid holes that groundbreaking on the golf course should Decision time is approaching on which will likely not be touched but it is expected begin late this spring with a tentative regolf course architectural firm will be chosen that at least nine holes will wind up west of opening date of 2015 for the golf course to do an extensive renovation of Emerald 305th E. Ave., which is where the resort will (which closed in March) and 2016 for the Falls Golf Course as part of a new $122-mil- be built. There are currently five holes on full resort. Bernie Carballo, who maintains resilion resort planned around the site of the that site. Irrigation, drainage and cart path issues will also be addressed as well as the dences in both Oklahoma City and Florida Broken Arrow course. Russ Supplee, the vice president of busi- decision on whether to expand to 27 holes. and is a member of Oak Tree National, is a ness development for Greg Norman Golf Course Design Company, toured the existing course on March 27 and raved about the potential for a 27-hole championship course worthy of a five-star resort. The following week, representatives for Ernie Els’ design company visited, followed by representatives for Fred Couples design. David Oberle, the owner of Progeny Golf and a partner with Bernie Carballo in Emerald Falls Development, is the point man on the development of the entire project, which will include a 140-room resort, cabins, luxury teepees, game bird hunting, fishing ponds, pools, a spa, tennis courts and other amenities. A view of the current clubhouse and 18th green. by ken macleod
44 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
former executive vice president of Seagate and now owner of Carballo Ventures. He funded the construction of Emerald Falls and has invested millions in the golf course from its inception in 2007, mostly without return as the course has not yet operated in the black in any calendar year. Though rounds have steadily increased, the housing side never took off, leading to the dramatic decision to pursue a full-fledged resort as an alternative. Lucia Carballo, the daughter of Bernie Carballo and recently married to Oberle, is now the primary owner of the original Emerald Falls Development. “To be able to bring a uniquely Oklahoma-style resort to this area that will serve residents and visitors from a five-hour radius or more will be fantastic for the entire area,” Oberle said. “That’s our intention.” Supplee said he sees the potential for a resort that would be similar in the range of potential amenities to the iconic Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. “With the golf, the game bird hunting, the fishing and all the other things planned this could be a really unique place,” Supplee said. Should Norman’s firm be selected, it would be able to combine some of its other
ventures as a package offer, including Norman’s apparel, wine and beef companies. Oberle and Lucia Carballo have spent a good deal of time explaining that this project does not involve a casino. They want to build a first-class resort in the manner of famous multi-functional resorts in Austin or other areas. They expect it would draw from a six-hour radius, which includes Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and all smaller cities in between, depending on the seasons. A large group of private investors is helping fund the project. Plans are for the upgraded golf course to offer memberships, resort play and still remain open to the public at least several days a week. This will be the second time a golf course has been extensively redone in this location. Emerald Falls was built on the site of a former 36-hole facility called Deer Run, built and owned by Wayne Coppage. The course was redesigned by Slack with a reopening in 2007 to serve as the centerpiece of a planned real estate development. Oberle plans to interview several other design firms before making a final selection. The developer was originally leaning toward using the Jack Nicklaus design firm, but negotiations have broken off.
Developer David Oberle
www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 45
Legends of Golf comes to Branson Huge purse, Par-3 course, legendary names all part of the fun The practice course at Top of the Rock in Branson. by ken macleod
Jean-Luc Picard would have trouble keeping pace. For those of you who customarily blink Mr. Spock would have the perfect description of what is about to transpire June 6-8 in and may have missed this, the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf presented by Bass Branson, Mo. Pro Shops is a 54-hole event with a best“Fascinating.” How else can you describe a Champions ball format. Champions Tour golfers make Tour event that appeared out of nowhere up their own teams. Two of the rounds will with the speed of a starship, will offer the be played at the nine-hole Top of the Rock largest purse ($2.7 million) on the tour, be course on the property of Morris’ poputhe first to be played on a par-3 course and lar Big Cedar Lodge, with the other round already has attracted galactic legends such as on what will henceforth be known as the Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson. Springs Course at Buffalo Ridge. The Springs Course was formerly known All we can say is when Bass Pro Shops owner Johnny Morris wants to make it so, as Branson Creek before Morris purchased it
and neighboring Murder Rock in 2013. Murder Rock will be called the Valley Course at Buffalo Ridge when it reopens at an undetermined time this summer. Why Buffalo Ridge? Morris, a noted conservationist, is introducing herds of freeranging buffalo onto the courses, relocated from nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. “It’s going to be awesome,” said tournament director Gary Verble and we can’t disagree. Since the Springs Course was closed late last year, original architect Tom Fazio has been in, performing along with Morris an extensive update, which includes rebuilding every bunker and adding blazing white sand to match that used at Top of the Rock, enhancing and rebuilding all water features, improving sight lines, adding size to a few of the lakes and just a general sprucing up of what was already long regarded as one of Missouri’s best golf courses. Top of the Rock will reopen after being closed for seven years. The only Nicklaus signature par-3 course on the planet has been completely redesigned and rebuilt by Nicklaus and looks amazing. “The Legends of Golf and Champions Tour both share a history of being innovative and engaging properties, and that legacy will certainly continue here at Big Cedar Lodge with the introduction of a Par-3 golf course in official competition,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said at the introductory press conference. “If there was ever a Par-3 course worthy of PGA Tour
Two of the three rounds will be played at the par-3 Top of the Rock.
See LEGENDS page 53
46 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 47
MAHOGANY’S PRO PROFILE
Robert Streb Chickasha native, Edmond North and Kansas State graduate and now PGA Tour professional Robert Streb needed one more birdie in what was otherwise a solid rookie season in 2013. He finished 126th on the money list on a tour where the top 125 are fully exempt for the following year. Even so, Streb made it in five early-season events, making the cut in all, and then showed his resiliency by making it through Monday qualifying for the Valero Texas Open, where Golf Oklahoma correspondent Art Stricklin caught up with him. You’ve made the cut in all five events you have played so far (earning $198,241). What has your year been like? It’s been interesting for sure. I’ve made it into some tournaments so far this year based on my (money) number from last year. I received one sponsor exemption last fall at the Fry’s Classic and was medalist for Monday qualifying at the Texas Open, the first time I’ve made it on Monday qualifying in six tries. For people who may not know, what’s it like to try Monday qualifying for a new tournament each week? It’s tough. You may be playing some place on Sunday, finish the tournament, jump in your car and drive to a brand new course the next day to try to qualify for another event. How is your second year on the PGA Tour going after time on the mini-tours? You’ve heard the saying it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and that’s certainly true out here. I’m playing in a lot of the same tournaments that I did the first year so that helps a lot. I don’t feel like I’m playing a different tournament course every week out here.
48 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
As many local people may know, you finished one spot (No. 126) from being totally exempt on the PGA Tour for 2014. Looking back on last year, is there anything differently you could have done? I went through a real bad stretch last April and May and missed a lot of cuts and that really cost me. At the end of the year I was fighting my swing and was really behind the number. You can see all kinds of stats on your game if you want to and maybe I did that too much. When I found out where I finished and how little I missed it by, I was really disappointed. I wish I could have done better on that last Sunday. With all the traveling you do chasing the PGA Tour dream, do you have a home base? My wife Maggie and I brought our first house in Kansas City last December, so that is really exciting, My wife is from the area and I went to school at Kansas State so that is a good area for us. It should be pretty easy to travel out of Kansas City as well. While you’re starting your career, have you ever thought about having Maggie caddy for you? Oh no, no. I think I would get in a lot of trouble for that, a lot of trouble. It wouldn’t be good for either one of us. She
See STREB page 50
CHARLESTON’S AMATEUR PROFILE
Everett Dobson Everett Dobson has plenty to occupy his time, whether it’s racing Thoroughbreds (he owns two stables in Kentucky), cheering on his Oklahoma City Thunder (he’s a minority owner), consulting on boards (Sand Ridge Energy, chairman of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, to name a couple) or running one of his many businesses through Dobson Technologies. These days, there is another responsibility that overshadows all his other ventures, and that is making sure the 2014 U.S. Senior Open is a huge success this summer at Oak Tree National, the club where he has been a member since the mid1980s and co-owner with Ed Evans since the two purchased the iconic club from furniture magnate Don Mathis in 2008. Dobson, 54, was a three-time All-Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference golfer at Southwestern during his career from 1978-81 and competed successfully as an amateur in OGA events for years until business and family cut his time short. He has a deep appreciation for what Pete Dye created at Oak Tree and the importance of maintaining and improving the state’s only course besides Southern Hills that is currently in the mix for major championships. You sold Dobson Communications in 2007, but Dobson Technologies is ongoing. Can you summarize your core businesses? We have a fiber optic transport business with 1,500 miles of fiber optic cable in Oklahoma. We recently started a managed IT business, which is primarily an Oklahoma City operation, that will contract with small to medium sized businesses to manage all their information technology needs, from desktops to software to a cloud service. We launched that 18 months ago and it is very much a growth part of our telecom business. We have high expectations for it.
Oak Tree National hosted the PGA Championship in 1988 but then went through a long period of transitions. What were some of your main reasons for purchasing the club? What appealed to me was essentially assisting Oak Tree National back to its true place in the sport and that means to host major championships. We needed to make some changes to the golf course, not so much to restore it but to bring it into the 21st century and the new era of technology in terms of length and green speeds. We worked closely with architect Tripp Davis to not only bring back some of the original character, but bring it up to current championship level characteristics. How well has Oak Tree National withstood the test of time as a championship venue? I’ve played all over the country and most of the top 20 as currently ranked by the major golf publications, and I can tell you Oak Tree is as good as you’ll find anywhere in the U.S. It’s a Pete Dye masterpiece, still one of his finest. As part of the ownership, I get to touch on a lot of areas, do something that’s good for the course and at the same time for the state of Oklahoma. It’s a little like owning a great piece of artwork, it needs to be
See DOBSON page 51 www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 49
Streb, continued from 48 watches every round and has a lot of friends out here, so she is very tied in to the game. I know you still have family in Edmond, is it good for you to be close to home during the Texas PGA swing. It’s really nice. My parents are coming to the Byron Nelson tournament in Irving next month and if I play good on the weekend, it’s a good drive to come see me play. Who is your swing coach? I’m still working with Tosh Hays, the Director of Instruction at Coffee Creek Golf Club in Edmond. When I was a sophomore or junior at Edmond North High School, I met him for the first time and we’re still together. It’s good to be with somebody who knows your swing. Any advice you’ve picked up for the 2014 season? You’re going to have bad weeks out here. You can’t let it bother you too much, just keep moving on. I’m going to keep chasing it around because I love this game.
Advertorial
Advantage Card returns, Mohawk Park improves Perhaps no course in northeast Oklahoma improved more in 2013 than Mohawk Park. Not only did the Champion Bermuda greens fully grow in, providing a firm, fast consistent playing surface, but there were dramatic improvements to the fairways and roughs, making two of the area’s most entertaining layouts (Woodbine and Pecan Valley) even more so. Mohawk Park also benefitted greatly from the vast improvements to the driving range and practice facilities, a joint effort by the First Tee of Tulsa Foundation and the City of Tulsa. The best way to enjoy the courses at both Mohawk Park and Page Belcher is through the return of the popular Advantage Card program. 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 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 50 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
at Stone Creek and Olde Page at Page Belcher and Pecan Valley and Woodbine Park at Mohawk Park. 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.
Dobson, continued from 49 protected, taken care of and appreciated. Not to jump too far ahead, but it sounds like you will be pursuing other golf championships in the future. We want to host significant golf events. There are two major championships, the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, that are rotated around, as well as great events like the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup and Ryder Cup. We will have had both senior majors (the PGA Senior Championship in 2006) and those are great events. We don’t want to saturate the market with an annual event, but we’ll be looking at all the others. Oak Tree was once a men’s club known for maybe a rugged individualist character. How has that changed? We’re very much a golf club oriented to the golf environment. For someone who wants to improve his skills as a golfer, this is a great place. But we’re also very family friendly as well and you’ll see a lot of junior golfers and women members utilize the course. Oak Tree is still a hard golf course and it’s for people who enjoy and have a passion for the game. It is easier than it was in the late 1970s, because of technology and the greens have been softened to accommodate the higher green speeds of today’s grasses. They are not as severe as they once were, you wouldn’t be able to putt them. You had a scare last year with your greens, but we understand they have come back strong? You’re never 100 percent certain and our superintendent, Josh Cook, is probably now the industry expert on bacterial decline. We’re highly confident that it’s behind us and we’ll have a great putting surface for the event. For the future, we’re going to keep our thoughts and options open on our putting surfaces. Bermuda greens have evolved and gotten better than we ever dreamed they would be 10 years ago. At the same time, many of the new bent grasses are also extraordinary. Preparations for the U.S. Senior Open are going well? We’re on plan or above in every category, from ticket sales, sponsorship sales, volunteers. We expect a tremendous event. With all of your businesses and interests, as well as a family with three daugh-
ters, how do you manage your time? Do you ever still find time to play golf? Golf Course Construction I just divide the time, whatever is necesGolf Recent Course Construction Projects Golf Course Construction sary on all fronts. Most importantly, I have Gaillardia Golf & Country Club Recent Projects a great team in all the various businesses. Oklahoma City • Bunker Improvements • Broken Arrow, OK • Cart Path Improvements When I go to a Thunder or Sand Ridge board Cedar Ridge Country ClubFirelake RecentGolf Projects Course Recent Projects The Patriot Golf Club • Owasso, OK • Cart Path Improvements Cedar Ridge Country Club • Broken Arrow,Improvements OK • Cart Path Improvements Shawnee • Cart Path meeting, I get to hear reports from some of Silverhorn Golf Cedar Ridge Country • Broken Arrow, OK • and CartGabion Path Improvements Club • Edmond, OKClub • Creek Crossing Repairs Wall Patriot Golf Club • Owasso,Country OK • Cart Path Improvements Cedar Ridge Club the best management teams in the country. Cedar Creek GolfThe The Patriot Golf Club • Owasso, OK • Cart PathInstallation Improvements Course • Broken Bow, OK • 18 Hole Irrigation Silverhorn Golf ClubArrow • Edmond, • Creek Crossing Renovation Repairs and Gabion Wall Broken • OK #17 Fairway ClubArrow, • Edmond, OKHole • Creek Crossing Repairs and Gabion Wall With Ed Evans and Tom Jones (President) atForest RidgeSilverhorn Golf Club •Golf Broken OK • 18 Bunker and Green Renovation Cedar Creek GolfThe CoursePatriot • Broken Bow,Golf OK • 18 Club Hole Irrigation Installation Cedar Creek Golf Course • Broken Bow, OK • 18 Hole Irrigation Installation Bailey Ranch Golf Club • Owasso, OK • Resurfacing of 3 Greens the top, I have a great team in place at Oak Forest Ridge Golf Club • Broken Arrow, OK • 18 Hole Bunker and Green Renovation Owasso • Cart Path• 18Improvements Ridge Club • Broken Arrow, Hole Bunker and Green Renovation Golf Club at Golf Frisco Lakes • Frisco, TX OK • Cart Path Improvements Tree National. Having good people in all TheForest Bailey RanchFirelake Golf Club • Owasso, OK Course • Resurfacing of 3 Greens Golf Bailey Ranch Golf Club • Owasso, • Resurfacing of 3 Greens Eastern Hills Country Club • Garland, TX • CartOK Path Improvements The Golf Club at Frisco•Lakes • Frisco, TX • Cart Path Improvements Shawnee Irrigation Improvements your ventures is the key. The Golf Club at Frisco Lakes • Frisco, TX • Cart Path Improvements Eastern Hills Country ClubCountry • Garland, TX • Cart Path Improvements Tulsa Club I haven’t played any competitive golf for Eastern Hills Country Club • Garland, TX • Cart Path Improvements Tulsa • Creek Stabilization a while, but I do try to play. I’m trying to get Contact Us Southern Hills Country Club out there this afternoon. JONESPLAN Tulsa • Cart Path Improvements Us 2328 E. 13th Contact Street
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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 51
QUAIL CREEK BANK’S INDUSTRY PROFILE
Rick Robbins continue to look for opportunities. What role did the golf course architect play in the current loss of rounds and golfers in the U.S.? The difficulty of the game for the average person to learn, the time and the expense, all those interrelate to make golf harder, longer and more expensive than it needs to be. The reality is we as golf course architects have as much to do with all those factors as anyone else. We’ve often gotten too cute and too difficult with our layouts. Now a lot of our direction comes from owners and their direction is what they read as being a popular course. We need to change a lot of perceptions. Not every course needs to look like Augusta National. Part of my push as president is we’ve got to get the kids back involved in golf. We’ve missed Generation X and Generation Y. We’ve got great First Tee programs and other ways to introduce them to golf. But my question is, what happens next? What happens by ken macleod when they get out of school and have that first job and it takes 5 ½ hours and is expenRick Robbins is the current president of the Ameri- sive. That’s what we’ve got to be addressing. can Society of Golf Course Architects. With the current slump in golf course construction in the Impending water shortages or costs are United States, Robbins jokes that some would being touted by the USGA Green Section expect the annual meetings coming up in Tulsa as the next crisis in golf. Is retrofitting May 3-6 to be “gun and knife fights.” Instead, courses to use less water a good source of Robbins says the architects have a strong sense of future employment? fraternity and collegiality and he numbers many We’re getting a lot of that right now. We of them among his best friends. have to go back and evaluate what areas
are looking for the more manicured look. Many architects have had to go overseas to find work. You have managed to get well established in China. Tell us about your projects there. We have three projects. One is called China Maple. It has 27 holes and is about 50 kilometers from North Korea and the hillsides are covered with red maples by the thousands. In the fall, it’s spectacular. Another is in Fujian Province which will host the third stop on the new PGA China Tour. And then we are completing a major renovation of an 18-hole course in Beijing. What’s the future look like for golf in China? Are most courses still being built for the elite or resorts? There are 350 million people in what China considers its middle class, as many people as there are in all of the United States. There is a recognition that golf needs to become more friendly and less of an elitist sport. Yet the government has also said golf is an illegal use of land.
In addition to Southern Hills, the architects will play Tulsa Country Club and The Patriot while in Tulsa. TCC was recently renovated by Rees Jones and The Patriot is a design of his brother Robert Trent Jones II. The two have not always seen eye-to-eye. “Rees Jones is in charge of the Donald Ross Award, which is being presented to Robbins & Associates International maintains we can take out of regular maintenance. Of Dan Rooney at The Patriot, which is Boboffices in North Carolina and in Beijing. He has course you have to be very careful when by’s course. So my job was to see if I could three projects in China either completed or under you plant native grasses. One, you don’t get them to co-present the award. They will construction with more on the horizon as well as a want golfers searching for balls and slowing both get up and say something about Dan. It down play. And if you have housing, they should work out fine. new course being built in Wilmington, N.C. Golf architects are much admired and many like Tom Fazio are well known to even casual golfers. Yet with the industry as it is now, would you advise young aspirants to do something else? We get inquiries constantly from kids who are really interested in this as a career and I don’t encourage them or discourage them. I try to be as honest as I can be. There’s not much hiring right now from our big firms and a lot of our members are joining together to do projects. There are other ways on the maintenance and construction side to get involved in the industry and then 52 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
Rick (center) with The China Maple Crew.
Spectacular views are part of the Top of the Rock experience.
Legends, continued from 46 tournament play, Top of the Rock is it. “It truly is an outstanding venue and a wonderful complement to the newly redesigned Buffalo Ridge course. We believe the inclusion of this dramatic short course will demonstrate to a time-crunched world that par-3 golf is fun, entertaining, and a worthy alternative for golfers.” When not being used for the tournament, the par-3 course is only open to guests of Big Cedar Lodge. Open to the public, however, will be the following. • An 18-hole target green practice facility designed by Arnold Palmer. • A 72-hole Himalayan putting course de-
signed by Tom Watson. • Arnie’s Barn, an Amish-built barn that was originally constructed near Palmer’s home course in Latrobe, Pa., disassembled and brought to Branson on 18-wheelers by an Amish family from the Ozarks, reconstructed and expanded at Top of the Rock. • Attached to the barn, an Ozarks prehistoric wildlife museum. • Attached to that, a 500-seat restaurant and wine cellar. If that’s not enough, guests who are playing Top of the Rock will get on a cart at the Welcome Center and take a two-mile drive through a cave road with spectacular views and actual descents into caves.
But we digress. We were talking about a golf tournament. Those who wish to attend the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf can order tickets at www.bigcedarlegends.com. Also at that site is information on volunteering and other tournament news. Verble said Tom Lehman, Kenny Perry, Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Funk and many other top players had already committed. “It’s going to be the best field on the Champions Tour,” he said. All three rounds will be televised live on The Golf Channel. The Legends event had been held the previous 11 years in Savannah, Ga.
www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 53
Edmond North coach Jeff Doherty, Nick Heinen, Griffin Pierce, Tyson Reeder, Hayden Wood, Austin Eckroat, and Sam Humphries.
Dynasty! by john rohde
To repeat as a champion is special and to “three-peat” is extraordinary, but how do you possibly categorize winning 10 straight championships? The Edmond North Huskies and coach Jeff Doherty are seeking their 10th consecutive Class 6A state title in boys golf this year. It’s a streak so remarkable, no one is quite sure how to describe it. Is it a ten-peat? A three-peat squared (plus one)? A re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-repeat? Even the term “dynasty” seems to come up short for the Huskies. Golf domination has been at the core of the high school since it opened in 1994. The Edmond North girls team won seven straight state titles from 1997-2003 under coach Hal Mills. The Edmond North boys have won 12 state titles total, starting with a three-peat from 1994-96 under coach Mike McGraw, who went on to coach at Oklahoma State and is now an assistant at the University of Alabama. The Edmond North boys are in truly 54 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
Edmond North goes for 10th consecutive Class 6A title
rarified air. They are just one step away from double-digits, from being doublefisted. Not one handful, but two handfuls. Doherty has nine rings to commemorate each state championship. Barring a monumental upset, he’s about to have one ring for each finger. Win again in 2015 and he’ll have to borrow someone else’s hand. Under Doherty, the Huskies have won the state crown by as many as 27 strokes and by as few as four. Five of their nine consecutive titles have come by more than 20 strokes. Within this state title streak came an astounding run of winning 44 straight tournaments from 2005-08. At last count, 14 players have received Division I scholarships under Doherty. That total no doubt will rise with the arrival of Austin Eckroat, whom Doherty considers the best high school freshman he has ever seen – anywhere. “Austin’s better than any of them,” Doherty said. “We’ll have to see how he progresses from now until his senior year, but if (Edmond North products and now touring pros) Kevin Tway and Robert Streb could transport back in time to their
freshman years, Austin would beat them nine out of 10 times. He’s just that good.” Eckroat figures to put Doherty in a rather awkward position come May, however, when the Huskies go for their 10-peat at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater. Doherty figured he had his starting five already in place with four seniors and one junior returning from last year’s title team. “He (Eckroat) has thrown a big monkeywrench into that,” Doherty said. Seniors on this year’s team who are D-I bound are Nick Heinen and Hayden Wood (both Oklahoma State), Griffin Pierce (Oklahoma) and Sam Humphreys (Tulsa). Junior Tyson Reeder also is a major-college talent, plus Eckroat. “You’ve got six D-I guys competing for five spots,” Doherty said. “Most people call it a blessing, but it’s a problem for me because there’s going to be a kid who is probably going to be one of the top 10 players in the state and he’s not going to get to play in the state tournament (because he won’t be in the Huskies’ starting lineup). When you’ve got a kid who is that good who is not going to get to play, that’s tough
at the end of the season. It’s a nice problem seven straight titles. Allison Sell (2012) is the school’s lone girls state medalist. to have, but I really feel bad for the kid.” With the boys roster now stocked with When Doherty replaced McGraw as coach in 1997, he had two state runner-up roughly 80-90 percent Oak Tree residents, Edfinishes but went eight seasons without a mond North’s domination shows no signs of championship. Doherty estimates roughly fading. Doherty is fully aware he has reaped 30-40 percent of his early rosters consisted the rewards of a dedicated youth movement. of kids who lived at Oak Tree National and “They’ve been taking lessons since they were Oak Tree Country Club, which is located in 7,” Doherty said with a chuckle, “so I’m not the school district located roughly five miles giving them swing lessons.” The stereotype is that golf coaches are north. Domination commenced with the arrivals of Streb and Tway, the son of cur- nothing more than bus drivers. “You don’t rent Champions Tour player and 1986 PGA luck into nine in a row,” Doherty said. “We must be doing something right. When peoChampionship winner Bob Tway. ple try to give me a hard time about drivAfter bogeying the last four holes at the THE 2005 Class 6A state tournament to finish ing the bus, I just tell them, ‘Hey, I haven’t second by one stroke as a sophomore, Kev- messed one of them up.’ I’ve never really in Tway won back-to-back state medalist worried about what people thought about CALL FOR titles in 2006 and 2007. Incredibly, he is the what I do. The boys know what I do, and lone Edmond North golfer to finish as state that’s all that’s ever mattered to me. My deal medalist during the Huskies’ current run of is to try to keep their head on straight, don’t nine straight, a tribute to the program’s as- let them get all upset about one hole and to help them with course management.” tounding depth. Doherty said former University of GeorMcCrae Brunker was state medalist when the Huskies won the Class 4A state title in gia/OU golfer Will Kropp exemplifies the 1994. Matt Larson (1997), Kyle Willmann mindset Edmond North players have had (1998) and Michael Unger (2000) were Class for the last decade. CONTACT CHARLES In theCANDLER 2008 state tournament, Kropp was 5A state medalists in years the Huskies FOR MORE INFORMATION in contention failed to win the state crown. The Edmond OR A CLUB TOUR for medalist honors with SteNorth girls also relied on depth in winning phen Carney of Tulsa Union. Before hitting
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his approach shot on the 16th hole, Kropp asked Doherty how the Huskies stood as a team. Doherty said he thought his team owned a three- or four-stroke lead over Jenks, but wasn’t sure. “Will never asked me how he stood in medalist play,” Doherty said. “He said, ‘Coach, I’m just going to hit this in the middle of the green, stay away from that tree and make par.’ That’s just been the attitude of these guys.” Doherty lists the 2007 team as his greatest, and with good reason. Those Huskies had five D-I signees in Tway (OSU), Kropp (Georgia), Cameron Meyers (Oklahoma), Ben Klaus (Vanderbilt) and Geoff Shaw (Texas A&M), with five more standouts waiting in wings. “There might be a better team in the country five-on-five, but I can’t imagine anyone in the nation being better 10-on-10,” Doherty said at the time. Doherty said he plans to coach Edmond North through the 2015 season, but Eckroat’s arrival might delay Doherty’s departure by two years. “It’s kind of cool,” Doherty said of getting www.belmargolfclub.net to coach such a talented group. “I just try not to1025 mess them up.” Hills Road E. Indian
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GOLF FITNESS
Developing athletes first In today’s world, kids are growing up faster than ever. With access to information, coaching and experiences, juniors are participating in sports and competition earlier and earlier in life. Some are specializing in a sport as early as 10-12 years of age. As a result, many kids are developing physical injuries and breakdowns that we typically see in much older players. Most of the time these injuries are due to inadequate physical training and overly demanding practice and playing schedules. It is easy as a parent or coach to think a junior athlete is ready for high volume and intensity training, but the truth is they are not. Organizations like Titleist Performance Institute have developed junior training guidelines and programs for coaches and parents that increase an athlete’s chance for success in the long run. The key here to remember is the long run. If a junior player peaks at age 12 and then gets passed by his competitors throughout high school and college, we don’t believe he or she was set up for success. The good news is these pro-
56 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
grams are available, fun and produce results. Today’s world-class junior development programs are based on the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) program out of Canada. This model’s basic premise states “children, youth and adults need to do the right things at the right time to develop in their sport or activity.” The program is using exciting new research that provides a road map for coaches and parents to develop a junior athlete to the best of their ability by training children in the right skills and activities at the appropriate time in their development. This seven stage system starts from birth and works all the way up to the high school senior and beyond: Stage 1: Active Start (0-6 years) Stage 2: FUNdamentals (girls 6-8, boys 6-9) Stage 3: Learn to Train (girls 8-11, boys, 9-12) Stage 4: Train to Train (girls 11-15, boys 12-16) Stage 5: Train to Compete (girls 15-21, boys 16-23) Stage 6: Train to Win (girls 18+, boys 19+) Stage 7: Active for Life (any age participant) When looking at the LTAD stages above,
Sean Riley SwingFit
Ryan Smith SwingFit
notice that training for competition doesn’t start until at least 15 years of age for girls and 16 years for boys. This means that if you want your child to have the best chance to compete at a collegiate or professional level, your child should not be specializing or commit to one sport until at least age 15 (exceptions would include gymnastics and diving which require an earlier commitment). Your goal as a parent or coach should be to develop an athlete first by playing as many sports as possible when kids are young and to rest adequately between the chosen sports. We encourage all kids to swim, run, jump, play swing sports, participate in martial arts, and learn music. All of the above activities are critical to forming pathways in a child’s brain that are needed to compete at the highest level. Parents should resist the temptation to have their children commit to only one sport early. Coaches need to encourage their players to participate in many sports. Our goal over the coming months is to begin a local junior program curriculum that starts from age 5 and goes until age 18 to support kids that want to become great athletes using the amazing science from Titleist Performance Institute and The Long Term Athletic Development program. If you have any interest in participating, please contact our office. In addition, the LTAD website at http://canadiansportforlife.ca has an immense amount of information to help give you direction on how best to set your child or player up for long term athletic success and avoid injury along the way. 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. To schedule your SwingFit Golf Assessment and get fit for golf, call (918) 743-3737 or visit us on the web at www.swingfittulsa.com.
INSTRUCTION
Solid at impact Keep left wrist bowed by steve ball
Without a doubt, one of the biggest mistakes I see golfers make is an unsolid impact position. That means a flipped or cupped lead wrist (left wrist for right-handed players and right wrist for left-handed players). This gets the shaft leaning away from the target (see Picture at left) This causes a) thin hits, b) high trajectory, c) fat shots or drop kicks, and d) usually weak fades. None of those are good to deal with in our Oklahoma wind. So here’s the difference (right picture). Place the ball back in your stance off your back heel. Then simply try to hit 50yard punch shots. This will require your lead wrist to stay bowed, which will cause the shaft to now lean forward. This impact position creates a) solid hits with a divot after impact, and b) more penetrating trajectory. All of which are great for playing in the wind. And this applies to every full swing you make with the ball on the ground – irons, hybrids and fairway metals. Remember, start out with slow easy swings. No one ever makes swing changes going full speed. Steve Ball is the owner of Ball Golf Center in Oklahoma City.
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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 57
INSTRUCTION
Chip shot fundamentals may surprise by tracy phillips
You have hit your two best shots, one after the other, and are left with a little chip shot. Your heart races and your hands get tight. Sure enough, you chunk the chip and then skull the next one and walk off the hole with a double bogey or worse. Does this sound familiar? You are not alone, it happens all the time. Let’s start with the problem. The bottom of the swing is behind the ball because of a few factors. The right shoulder is too low and the left shoulder is too high. This means that your upper body is leaning to the right too much (for a right-handed golfer). This encourages the swing to go too much around to the inside and causing the club to hit the ground before it makes contact to the ball. On the next shot, you are reacting to the fact of hitting the ground first, so now you raise up and flick at it with the hands to keep from hitting the ground. So how are we going to fix the problem? First, I would tell my high handicappers that if you have a chance to putt, that’s always the best option. The next option would be take your highest lofted hybrid of fairway wood and use a putting motion. The loft helps get the ball off the ground and the round sole of these clubs helps keep the club gliding along the ground and not stick like a wedge or sand wedge. Now for my better players that want to chip the ball, here are the set-up changes you must do to improve: 1. Choose a club that allows you to make the smallest swing to carry the ball onto the green and roll the rest of the way. 2. Try and get what I call LEVEL LEFT. Raise your right shoulder and lower your left shoulder and tilt your upper body more towards the green. This makes it easier to swing the club more straight off the ground straight back from the ball. 3. Ball placement should be closer to your back or right foot with the feet no wider than a club head width apart. 4. Weight should be 80-to-90 percent on the left leg. All of these fundamentals will help you to move the bottom of the swing forward . 5. As mentioned before, the club needs to swing straight off the ground straight back from the ball and in the forward swing allow the head, hips and upper body to rotate 58 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
Tracy Phillips, at 918-352-1089 for more dethrough. 6. One more thing -- in your set-up you tails. should have your sternum and head in front Tracy is the Director of Instruction at the of the ball and peek back with your eyes Buddy Phillips Learning Center at not tilting your head back As long as you Cedar Ridge Country Club don’t lower your right shoulder as you swing through or duck your head back, you should be able to catch the ball first. Try these tips and you will do much better in your chipping. For more of my short-game secrets I have recently made a short-game video covering chipping pitching and sand shots with drills to help you lower your scores. At right, the proper set up for a chip, shoulders level, ball on back You can contact me, foot, weight on left leg.
Water usage could alter future of game by ken macleod
One of the topics at the American Society of Golf Course Architects annual meeting in Tulsa will be how to retrofit golf courses to be playable using just a fraction of the water they currently use. From his home in Waco, Texas, Jim Moore, director of Green Section Education for the United States Golf Association, has watched first-hand the effects on golf of the tenacious drought covering Jim Moore most of the southwest including Texas and Oklahoma. It’s not just a regional problem, however. Soaring water costs and legal and political limits on use will make water usage as we know it today a shining green memory for all but the most well-off private clubs. Moore sees a disparity in turf conditions between public and private courses that has been largely closed in the past 30 years by advances in grasses, irrigation and skills of superintendents widening again in the future just due to water costs. “The two big challenges are resource conservation and how to operate courses on less money,” Moore said. “In this case, those two things complement each other. The fewer areas of maintained turf, the more you save on water, fertilizer, chemicals and labor.” It sounds like a simple formula, but restoring out-of-play areas to native grasses or naturalized prairie plants on a realestate course is fraught with its own set of perils. Neighbors accustomed to seeing maintained turf grasses out their back yard object to views of prairie grasses. And all too often establishing tall fescues or other prairie grasses is a long process in which the result is usually tall weeds, which leads to unwanted varmints as well. “It’s extremely difficult and time consuming to make major changes without impacting play or affecting the homeowners,” Moore said. Public course golfers who have become accustomed to playing conditions nearly as good as those at well-off private clubs may have to readjust. “Golfers may have to change how they look at a golf course,” Moore said. “They
will be more receptive if they realize it’s either conserve water or don’t have a course.” Those at the ASGCA meeting won’t have to look far to see an example. Water bills at the City of Tulsa-owned Page Belcher facility Expensive water bills could lead to changes at Page Belcher. have soared in excess of $200,000 annu- ing to keep everyone happy. Moore and the USGA have been really, which in the past was at least half of a full maintenance budget including equip- searching how desert courses set up their ment, staff, fertilizers, chemicals, etc. To watering and make out-of-play areas atlower those costs, general manager Tom tractive. His office spends a great deal of Wolff is having his maintenance staff time educating superintendents and coursstudy more areas that can be restored to es on ways to conserve water and he sees a large cottage industry for the architects native areas. Battle Creek in Broken Arrow and Bai- looking for domestic work. “This is actually great for their busiley Ranch in Owasso are two courses that had a nice prairie feel to them until hous- ness,” he said. “A lot will have to be ing developments were completed and changed. Our job is to give people the abilneighbors demanded removal of native ity to look at how to change their course, areas. Now both try to meet that balance then they need to hire an architect and an between reduced maintained turf and try- irrigation planner to make it happen.”
www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 59
SUPERINTENDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
presented by
Superintendents do their part to grow the game by mike wooten cedar ridge country club, broken arrow
selves playing courses from the back tees? All facilities should build quality forward tees so players have the option to move forward. Every club is different, but for the most part golfers want to enjoy their round, not be demoralized, so maybe we should lower the rough, widen the fairways, and ease up on the hole placements. We can always make the conditions more difficult for special events. The third reason is costs. Equipment doesn’t have to be expensive, we choose to buy the latest, greatest everything. If the survey is referring to green fees and memberships then I don’t know how that cost can change. Irrigation water is more expensive and in some areas limited in supply. Golf course supplies and materials usually see an increase of 5-to-10 percent or more each year, yet budgets are smaller. The demands are higher in order to attract a smaller pool of golfers. If a club lowers its standards and operating costs in order to lower the price of golf, then players will go to the clubs that have not lowered their standards. The new slogan, “brown is the new green “ is not catching on very well. Eleventh on the list was the environmental concerns. The perception is still out there that golf courses use too many inputs, but that is simply not true. The inputs on a golf
course are far lower than people realize. The average golf course in our area will apply 8-to-12 inches of irrigation per year. That is equivalent to a homeowner running a hoseend sprinkler 11-to-16 hours per year. Golf courses rank very low in the use of fertilizers and pesticides compared to agriculture and homeowners. We do a better job of managing inputs than other users. Golf will always be central to every facility and not every facility is in a position to add or rebuild dining rooms, pools, fitness centers or tennis courts, but there are other amenities that clubs are implementing to make their facility more attractive. Lawn bowling, badminton courts, volleyball, Frisbee golf, and croquet courts are a few that have low costs and low land requirements. Clubs have always adjusted to the requirements of their era. A great example is the survival of golf during the depression of the 1930s. It will take the collective efforts of all golf facilities working together to determine how and what to provide for the new members. Everyone will need to share their successes and failures. Golf is a great game, the greatest game ever devised. It is a game that you play against yourself, against the course, then compare scores with your opponent. This uniqueness will always keep golf strong.
Everyone has seen the statistics of the golf business over the last few years and they are not exactly what we had hoped they would be. Rounds have been down nine of the last 11 years for a loss of approximately six percent. Since 2009, we are averaging a net loss of 150 golf courses per year. We knew the building boom of the 1990s would eventually create problems, but there are many more issues with the game than just being overbuilt. There are positive signs about the coming years and initiatives to revitalize the game. The USGA has had a positive impact with the First Tee program and Tee It Forward program. The PGA. and GCSAA as well as all allied associations are doing their part to support the USGA and its efforts. These associations can lay the groundwork, but ultimately the responsibility to make the initiatives work will be at the facility level, so what can facility managers do to make their courses more viable in today’s world? Associations have done their work by using surveys to identify the problems with golf. First on the list is time restraints and family commitments. The demographics of clubs today are far different than at any other time in the history of golf, priorities have changed in today’s world. When the first golf course was designed, they laid out holes from the clubhouse until they reached the sea, turned around and laid out holes till they got back to the clubhouse. This just happened to be nine holes out and nine holes in so there is nothing magical about 18 holes. In other sports if you have a pickup game you don’t play the regulation amount of innings or quarters, only if you are in a tournament, so why do we feel with golf you have to play 18 holes, why not six, nine or 12? Second on the list -- why people choose to not play golf or quit the game is golf’s difficulty, which ironically is why we play golf, so changing the basics of the game is not an option, but there are ways to level the playing field. Tee It Forward has made a very big impact on the game. A 300-yard hole is more of a challenge for the average golfer than a 500-yard hole is for a touring pro so why do we insist on punishing our- It’s not easy or inexpensive to maintain a course like Cedar Ridge CC. 60 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
SCHEDULES & RESULTS SCHEDULES Oklahoma Golf Association May 20-21, OGA Senior Spring Four-Ball Championship, Twin Hills Golf & CC May 20-21, OGA Spring Four-Ball Championship, Twin Hills Golf & CC June 2-5, OGA Junior Boys and Girls Championship, Kickingbird Golf Club June 16-19, OGA Senior State Amateur Championship, The Territory Golf & Country Club June 30-July 1, OGA Mid-Amateur Championship, Gaillardia Golf & CC July 14-15, OGA Senior Stroke Play Championship, The Trails Golf Club July 21-23, OGA State Amateur Championship, The Patriot Aug. 4-6, OGA Stroke Play Championship, Shangri-La Resort Aug. 14, Oklahoma Open Amateur qualifying, Lincoln Park Golf Club Aug. 22-24, Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree Country Club Sept. 8, OGA State Club Championship, The Club at Indian Springs Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association April 26-27, WOGA Mixed Couples Tournament May 19-20, WOGA Cup Club Team Championship, Dornick Hills Country Club June 23-24, WOGA Stroke Play and Mid-Am Championship, Oak Tree Country Club July 8-9, WOGA Junior Championship, Quail Creek Golf & CC July 14-17, WOGA State Amateur Championship, Cedar Ridge CC July 27-29, Fore State Team Championship, Shangri-La Golf Club Aug. 19-20, WOGA Partnership Championship, Shangri-La Oct. 14-15, WOGA Senior Championship, River Oaks Golf Club
National Events in Oklahoma American Society of Golf Course Architects Annual Meeting, May 3-6, Tulsa NCAA Women’s Championship, May 20-23, Tulsa Country Club The Patriot Cup, May 26, The Patriot GC, Owasso Women’s Southern Amateur, June 2-5, Gaillardia CC, Oklahoma City 111th Trans-Mississippi Championship July 7-10, Southern Hills CC, Tulsa U.S. Senior Open, July 10-13, Oak Tree National, Edmond USGA Qualifiers May 12: U.S. Open Qualifying, Southern Hills CC, Tulsa June 17: Public Links Qualifying, Lake Hefner North, OKC June 24: Boys and Girls U.S. Amateur Qualifying, Jimmy Austin OU GC, Norman July 15: US Amateur Qualifying, Jimmy Austin OU GC, Norman July 21: Mid-Amateur Qualifying, Shangri-La, Monkey Island July 30: Women’s Mid-Amateur Qualifying, Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow August 21: Senior Amateur Qualifying, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa September 25: Men’s Four-Ball Qualifying (for 2015 Tourn, Tulsa CC, Tulsa Oklahoma Senior Golf Association May 5-6: West Medal Play Tournament, Rose Creek GC, Edmond July 7-8: Four-Ball Tournament, Oakwood CC, Enid September 15-16: East Medal Play Tournament, The Club at Indian Springs, Broken Arrow October 20-21: Fall Golf Outing, Winstar GC, Thackerville Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour May 25-26: Oklahoma’s Best High School Classic
Invitational, John Conrad GC, Midwest City June 2-5: Junior Boys and Girls Championship, Kickingbird GC, Edmond June 30-July 1: Kick Off Classic/Big I Qualifier, Jimmy Austin at OU, Norman August 9-10: Bailey Ranch Bash, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso August 16-17: Battle Creek Fall Round-Up, Battle Creek GC, Broken Arrow August 23-24: Kickingbird Fall Challenge, Kickingbird GC, Edmond August 31-September 1: John Conrad Labor Day Classic, John Conrad GC, Midwest City September 6-7: Battle for Broken Arrow, Emerald Falls GC, Broken Arrow September 13-14: Lake Hefner Shootout, Lake Hefner-North, OKC September 20-21: Indian Springs Junior Open, Indian Springs CC, Broken Arrow September 27-28: Lincoln Park “Best of the West” Classic, Lincoln Park GC-West, OKC October 4-5: Heritage Hills Fall Round-Up, Heritage Hills GC, Claremore October 11-12: Tour Championship Invitational, Fairfax GC, Edmond October 25-26: Red River Team Challenge Invitational, Dornick Hills CC, Ardmore Golf INC (Oklahoma City) April 5-6: Spring Four-Ball, Lake Hefner May 17-18: 2-Man Scramble, Trosper Park June 7: City Amateur, Earlywine June 8: City Amateur, Lake Hefner Tulsa Golf Association April 26-27: Two-Man Challenge, South Lakes GC May 30-31 & June 1: Four-Ball Match Play Championship, LaFortune Park GC June 28-29: Stroke Play Championship, Page Belcher GC (Stone Creek) July 26-27: 4-Ball Stroke Play Championship, Forest Ridge GC August 16-17: 2-Man Challenge II, Page Belcher
www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 61
GC (Both Courses) South Central PGA of America Events April 7-8: Justice Golf Car Four-Ball, Shangri-La GC-C/H, Monkey Island April 14: SCPGA Assistant Cup Matches, Golf Club of OK, Broken Arrow April 28: SCPGA Senior-Junior, Stillwater, Stillwater May 19: National Car Rental Pro-President, Wichita CC, Wichita KS June 2: Justice Car Pro-Scratch, The Territory GC, Duncan June 9: Metro Appliances Asst. Championship, Lake Hefner GC-North, OKC June 16: Web.com Monday Qualifier, Sand Creek Station GC, Newton KS, Auburn Hills Municipal, Wichita KS June 23-24: SCPGA Senior Match Play, Fayetteville CC, Fayetteville AR July 7-9: SCPGA Match Play, Forest Ridge, Broken Arrow July 21: SCPGA Team Championship, Dornick Hills G&CC, Ardmore August 3: SCPGA Senior Cup Matches, Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa August 4-5: SCPGA Sr. Hall of Fame Championship, Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa August 4-5: SCPGA Sr. Professional Championship, Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa August 11: National Car Rental Asst. Championship, Quail Creek G&CC, OKC August 18-19: SCPGA Professional Championship, Gaillardia CC, OKC September 2: SCPGA Pro-Assistant Championship, Indian Springs CC, Broken Arrow September 14-16: Metro Appliances Section Championship, Pleasant Valley CC-1, Little Rock,AR September 14: National Car Rental Section Champ Pro-Am, Pleasant Valley CC, Little Rock,AR September 29-30: Metro Appliances Sr Section Championship, Shadow Valley CC, Rogers, AR October 13: SCPGA Senior Team Championship, Lakeside Memorial, Stillwater October 20-22: SCPGA Las Vegas Pro-Am, Dragon Ridge, Henderson, NV, South Shore GC, Henderson, NV, Southern Highlands, Las Vegas,NV November 10-11: 24th James P. Jordan Cup Matches, Winstar GC-ES, Thackerville South Central PGA Players Tour June 9-10: Players Tour #1, Hillcrest CC, Bartlesville June 16-17: Players Tour #2, Stillwater CC, Stillwater June 30-July 1: Players Tour #3, Hardscrabble CC, Fort Smith, Ark. July 7-8: Players Tour #4, The Greens CC, OKC July 14-15: Players Tour #5, Quail Creek G&CC, OKC July 21-22: Players Tour #6, Indian Springs CC, Broken Arrow July 28-29: Players Tour #7, Terradyne CC, Andover, Kan. August 4-5: Players Tour Championship, The Golf Course of Oklahoma, Broken Arrow South Central PGA Junior Tour June 3: Pryor Junior, Pryor Creek, Pryor June 3: Westwood Park, Norman June 4: Bailey Ranch Junior, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso June 5: LaFortune Parent Child, LaFortune Park GC Par 3, Tulsa June 6: James E Stewart Junior, James E Stewart, OKC June 9: Broken Arrow Junior, Broken Arrow Golf & Athletic Club, Broken Arrow June 9: Ponca City CC Junior, Ponca City, Ponca City June 10: Lew Wentz Junior, Lew Wentz Memorial GC, Ponca City June 11: Lake Murray Junior, Lake Murray Resort, Ardmore June 12: Trosper Junior, Trosper Park, OKC June 13: Lakeside Junior, Lakeside GC, Stillwater June 16: Meadowlake Junior, Meadowlake, Enid June 17: Heart of Oklahoma Junior, Brent Bruehl Memorial GC, Purcell June 18: Bill Nicklas Junior, Kickingbird GC, Edmond June 19: Choctaw Creek Junior, Choctaw Creek GC, Choctaw June 19: Clary Fields Junior, Clary Fields, Sapulpa June 20: Scissortail Junior, Scissortail, Claremore June 24: George Phillips Junior, South Lakes GC, Jenks
62 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org
June 25-26: JR PGA Section Championship, Battle Creek GC, Broken Arrow June 27: Riverside Junior, Riverside GC, Clinton June 30: Shawnee Junior, Shawnee CC, Shawnee July 1: Fairfax Junior, Fairfax GC, Edmond July2: Adams Junior, Adams GC, Bartlesville July3: John Conrad Junior, John Conrad Regional, Midwest City July 7: Trails Junior, The Trails GC, Norman Jay Myers Junior, Meadowbrook, Broken Arrow July 8: Coffey Creek Junior, Coffey Creek GC, Edmond July 8: LaFortune Junior, LaFortune Park GCChamp, Tulsa July 9: Lawton Junior, Lawton CC, Lawton July 10: Lake Hefner Junior, Lake Hefner GCNorth, OKC July 11: LW Clapp Junior, Clapp Memorial, Wichita July 11: Owasso Junior, Owasso Golf & Athletic, Owasso July 14: Shelby Ross Junior, Lakeview GC, Ardmore July 15: Canyons at Black Jack Ridge Junior, Canyons at Black Jack Ridge, Sand Springs July 16: Cimarron Trails Junior, Cimarron Trails GC, Perkins July 16: Reflection Ridge Junior, Reflection Ridge GC, Wichita July 17: Lincoln Park Junior, Lincoln Park GCWest, OKC July 18: Auburn Hills Junior, Auburn Hills Municipal, Wichita July 21: Fianna Hills Junior, Fianna Hills CC, Fort Smith July 22: Bella Vista Junior, Bella Vista VillageHigh, Bella Vista, Ark. July 23-24: Hoedebeck Junior, Duncan G&T Club, Duncan July 23: Ben Geren Junior, Ben Geren- Silo, Fort Smith July 26: South Lakes Parent Child, South Lakes GC, Jenks July 30-31: Walter Hopper Junior Tour Championship, Lakeside GC, Stillwater College Events in Oklahoma Conference USA Men’s Championship, April 2729, Oak Tree CC NCAA Women’s Central Regional, May 8-10, Karsten Creek, Stillwater NCAA Women’s National Championship, May 20-23, Tulsa Country Club American Junior Golf Association October 10-13: Ping Invitational, Karsten Creek GC, Stillwater U.S. Kids Golf Tour (Oklahoma City) April 27: Coffee Creek GC May 4: Lincoln Park GC-East May 25: Trosper Park GC June 1: Lake Hefner GC-South June 16: Kickingbird GC June 22: Earlywine GC-South June 28: River Oaks GC July 13: Tour Championship, John Conrad GC U.S. Kids Golf Tour (Tulsa) April 6: Mohawk Park GC April 13: Heritage Hills GC April 19: Page Belcher GC April 27: Broken Arrow Golf & Athletic May 3: Battle Creek GC May 4: Tour Championship, Bailey Ranch GC Oklahoma High School Boys Regional/State Class 6A Regional: Bailey Ranch Golf Club, Owasso Regional: Lakeside GC, Stillwater State: Karsten Creek GC, Stillwater Class 5A Regional: Shawnee CC, Shawnee Regional: McAlester CC, McAlester State: Fort Sill CC, Lawton Class 4A Regional: Peoria Ridge GC, Miami Regional: Jimmy Austin GC, Seminole Regional: Wolf Ridge GC, Poteau Regional: Elk City G&CC, Elk City State: Lake Hefner-North, OKC Class 3A
Regional: Scissortail GC, Verdigris Regional: Lake Murray GC, Ardmore State: Lake View GC, Ardmore Class 2A Regional: Kingfisher GC, Kingfisher Regional: Pryor Creek GC, Pryor State: Oakwood CC, Enid Oklahoma High School Girls Regional/State Class 6A Regional: Owasso Golf & Athletic Club, Owasso Regional: Kickingbird GC, Edmond State: Ponca City CC, Ponca City Class 5A Regional: McAlester CC, McAlester Regional: Crimson Creek GC, El Reno State: Duncan Golf and Tennis Club, Duncan Class 4A: Regional: Clary Fields GC, Sapulpa Regional: Jimmy Austin GC, Seminole Regional: Wolf Ridge GC, Poteau Regional: Prairie West GC, Weatherford State: Lake Hefner-South, OKC Class 3A Regional: Scissortail GC, Verdigris Regional: Lake Murray GC, Ardmore State: Fontainhead Creek, Checotah Class 2A Regional: Kingfisher GC, Kingfisher Regional: Arrowhead State Park GC State: Trosper Park GC, OKC Professional Mini-Tours Golf Channel (Oklahoma) Tour April 19: Forest Ridge, Broken Arrow May 3-4: Page Belcher GC (both Courses), Tulsa May 17: Lincoln Park GC-West, OKC June 7: Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa June 21: Lakeside GC, Stillwater July 12: Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso July 20: Lake Hefner GC-North, OKC August 9: Shawnee CC, Shawnee Mulligan Tour (Oklahoma City) April 11: Coffey Creek GC April 25: Tinker Base GC May 9: Earlywine (south) May 23: Rose Creek June 6-7: Wintercreek GC June 20: Lincoln Park GC (w) July 11: Trosper GC July 25: Kickingbird GC August 8: Silverhorn GC August 22: Choctaw Creek September 5-6: Fairfax GC O-Tour April 12: Okie Classic, Muskogee April 26: Kickingbird GC, Edmond May 17-18: Forest Ridge GC, Broken Arrow June 7: Fairfax GC, Edmond June 28: Battle Creek GC, Broken Arrow July 12: Winter Creek GC, Blanchard July 25-27: Payne Stewart GC, Branson August 30: Cherokee Springs GC, Tahlequah September 20-21: Lake Hefner (North/South),OKC October 4-5: Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa October 18: West TBA, TBA Budweiser Oklahoma Amateur Golf Tour April 6: White Hawk, Bixby April 20: Black Jack Ridge, Sand Springs April 27: Pryor Creek, Pryor May 18: Clary Fields, Sapulpa June 8: Heritage Hills, Claremore June 21: Old Page, Tulsa June 22: Stone Creek, Tulsa July 13: Cobblestone, Muskogee July 27: Bailey Ranch, Owasso August 17: Battle Creek, Broken Arrow September 6-7: Patricia Island, Grove September 21: Forest Ridge, Broken Arrow October 4-5: Budweiser Cup Championship, White Hawk, Bixby October 12: Clydesdale Cup Championship, Heritage Hills, Claremore October 12: Michelob Ultra 4 x 4 Challenge, Heritage Hills, Claremore LPGA June 27-29: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Pinnacle CC, Rogers, Ark.
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AJOR
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Children 17 & under admitted free.