2020 Golf Oklahoma Apr|May

Official publication of the Oklahoma Golf Association

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TABLE OF CONTENTS APRIL /MAY 2020 Volume 10 Issue 2

The Goods 12

Fistful of Bourbon packs a punch The Medalist: A golf course cigar The Bookshelf: Tales of Tiger Equipment: High hopes grounded

Chip Shots 18

Fantastic new indoor facility for Oral Roberts teams, Mailbag

42

40

Features 20 21 23 26

The end of normalcy. COVID 19 coverage

27

Forest Ridge is the exception among courses with a real estate component

29

High School Teams get creative when home course shuts down

32

High School standouts. Top 10 boys and girls honored.

34 36

GolfSuites takes over for FlyingTee in Jenks

10

Collegiate seasons disappear

40

Travel

OU’s Sydney Youngblood eyes coaching career

When it’s time to travel again, TPC Danzante is a spectacular destination

Golf in Oklahoma. Fewer courses may mean those standing are stronger

Departments

History Hall at Southern Hills. Historic course honors its legacy

6 8 8 9 42 43 44 45

Letter from the Publisher OGA ED Mark Felder WOGA ED Susan Ferguson Rules, Bob Phelps Architect’s Corner: Tripp Davis Instruction: Jim Young Fitness: Clint Howard Schedules and results

On the cover Lots of questions loom over this golf season. Pictured from left, OSU coach Alan Bratton, OU coach Ryan Hybl, high school stars Andrew Goodman and Maddi Kamas, Quade Cummins of OU, Austin Eckroat of OSU, Owasso coach Corey Burd, Sydney Youngblood of OU and Natalie Gough of Oklahoma City University, all of whom are adjusting to having their seasons cancelled.

Support junior golf by contributing to the OGA Foundation Call 405-848-0042 for more information 4

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

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April/May 2020 FROM THE PUBLISHER KEN M AC LEOD

Is golf safe haven in the COVID-19 storm?

The new normal?

That won’t be clear for many months if not a couple of years. In the meanwhile, we wish the best for all those in the industry facing layoffs and closures. It’s not just our friends at the local courses and travel destinations that are affected, but all those who together make golf the great tapestr y that it is.

I often marvel while walking the miles of booths at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando how many different angles and avenues this game brings together. Equipment, apparel, instruction, travel, tournaments, architects, art and awards, game improvement, distance technology and journalism, to name some of the more prominent.

Every one of those will be hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic to some degree.

As the pandemic worsens and we witness the horrific scenes nightly in our largest cities, it’s likely more and more courses will close temporarily.

How safe is playing golf right now? It certainly seems that with the proper precautions to be about as safe as any activity, but we’re still learning more each day about how this pernicious virus is transmitted. I feel safe on the course and my group never gets close to each other. If you’re not paying strict attention to the social distancing rules, you’re putting yourself in danger and risking a forced closure of courses.

Golf Oklahoma would like to thank all of our partners who have allowed

6

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us to continue to publish, not only this magazine but daily coverage of the outbreak on www.golfoklahoma.org, on our social media channels and in our enewsletters. For those who have had to hunker down and put their promotions on hold, we completely understand.

For our readers, make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-minute news on course closures and openings and other news on the game and industry.

If you normally pick up your print issue of the magazine at the golf course but yours is not open, call us at 918-2800787 and we’ll get a copy out to you.

In Oklahoma as in many states, it was a mixed bag as we went to press. Golf was exempted from the statewide order to close non-essential businesses issued

by Governor Kevin Stitt, but not from citywide Safer at Home orders from Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. Even those were different, as private clubs in Tulsa were forced to close but only public courses in Oklahoma City were affected. New orders could be issued at any time.

The landscape may have changed dramatically by the time you read this as the virus is predicted to hit its peak in Oklahoma in May. We wish the best to every course and every golfer out there. We hope this issue provides some diversion while waiting for better days ahead.

Volume 10, Number 2 Golf Oklahoma Offices Southern Hills Plaza 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Ste. 200 Tulsa, OK 74136 918-280-0787

LIKE US!

FACEBOOK.COM/ GOLFOKLAHOMAMAGAZINE

Oklahoma City Office 405-640-9996 Publisher Ken MacLeod ken@golfoklahoma.org

FOLLOW US! @GOLFOKMAGAZINE

COO/Marketing Director A.G. Meyers agm@golfoklahoma.org Art & Technology Director Chris Swafford chris@golfoklahoma.org Subscriptions to Golf Oklahoma are $15 for one year (five issues) or $25 for two years (10 issues). Call 918-280-0787 or go to www.golfoklahoma.org.

Contributing photographers Rip Stell, Bill Powell Golf Oklahoma PGA Instructional Staff Jim Woodward Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National jwoodwardgolf@sbcglobal.net, 405-3482004 Jim Young Teaching Professional, River Oaks CC 405-630-8183 Tracy Phillips Director of Instruction, FlyingTee vt4u@yahoo.com, 918-352-1089 Maggie Roller Director of Instruction, Cedar Ridge CC maggie.roller@sbcglobal.net, 918-261-1441 Jerry Cozby PGA Professional jerrycozby@aol.com, 918-914-1784 Kyley Tetley, PGA Professional The Golf Studio 918-232-6564 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 2020 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

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FROM THE OGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OGA Executive Director

Once again, our juniors stand out Here at the Oklahoma Golf Association, we’re cautiously optimistic that most of our 2020 events will be played in full, but at this writing in late March, events are moving so swiftly related to the COVID-19 pandemic that nothing is certain.

Please check our website www.okgolf.org and follow Golf Oklahoma on its website, newsBrett Wilcoxen letter and social media for up-to-the-minute information.

At this writing, the OGA had canceled its five-event spring season on the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour. All other events were still scheduled, but again, check for updates. We’re learning as we go in these unprecedented times and want to do what’s best for the health and safety of all citizens.

One thing that is certain is we have some fine young Oklahoma high school players that we are rewarding with our 2020 scholarships. We wish we had one to hand out to every applicant, because they are all deserving. Here are the 2020 recipients with the colleges they signed with in parentheses: • Bill Barrett Memorial: Brett Wilcoxen, Owasso (Northeastern State) • Roy Oxford Memorial: James Roller, Regent Prep (Texas Tech) • Corky Billen Memorial: Charlie Jackson, Norman North (Abilene Christian)

SUSAN FERGUSON

• Gene Mortensen Memorial: Emily Association and the Oklahoma Golf Hall Miller, Edmond North (Central Oklahoma) of Fame.

It’s very suddenly a different world Congratulations to all of the recipients.

We are fortunate in Oklahoma to have so we live in but one in which we hope golf will continue to thrive and play an important role in providing an outlet for recreation, exercise, stress relief and just plain fun for thousands of Oklahomans cooped up with few viewing opJames Roller Charlie Jackson Emily Miller tions. Use of commany great young men and women. If you mon sense will be paramount. We’re all did not receive one of the OGA scholar- learning as we go. Stay safe and call or ships, be sure to look into the scholarships email the OGA with any questions, 405offered by the Women’s Oklahoma Golf 848-0042.

2020 OGA SCHEDULE

Visit www.okgolf.org for more information

Date Event

Location

May 18-19

Spring Four Ball and Senior Four Ball

Golf Club of Oklahoma, Broken Arrow

June 1-4

Junior Boys and Girls Championship

Kickingbird GC, Edmond

June 16-19 Senior State Amateur

Belmar Golf Club, Norman

June 22-24 Stroke Play Amateur

The Territory, Duncan

July 6

State Amateur Qualifier

Lincoln Park West, OKC

July 9

State Amateur Qualifier

Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso

July 21-23 State Amateur Championship

The Patriot, Owasso

Aug. 3-4

Mid-Amateur Championship

Quail Creek G&CC, OKC

Aug. 3-4

Senior Stroke Play

Quail Creek G&CC, OKC

Aug. 12

Oklahoma Open qualifier

Oak Tree West, Edmond

Aug. 20-22 Oklahoma Open

President WOGA

Oak Tree CC East, Edmond

WOMEN’S OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION

Preparing for an uncertain season It’s been a busy winter for WOGA preparing for the 2020 tournament season.

In January, there were membership kickoff luncheons at Tulsa Country Club and Oak Tree Country Club. More than 70 club representatives and presidents from their respective WGAs throughout the state were present. WOGA board members were there to assist with questions about our new website and to detail our tournament schedule.

On Jan. 1, WOGA implemented a new

See WOGA on page 11 8

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2020 WOGA SCHEDULE Date

Visit woga.golf.genius.com for more info Event Location

May 18-19

Senior Championship

Tulsa Country Club

June 8-9

Stroke Play/Mid-Amateur Championship

The Territory, Duncan

July 13

WOGA Fundraiser

Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow

July 14-15

Junior Girls State Championship

Cedar Ridge CC

July 20-23

State Amateur Championship

Golf Club of Oklahoma, BA

Aug. 2-4

Fore State Championship

Canyon Farms GC, Lenexa, Mo.

Aug. 17-18

Four-Ball Partnership

Shangri-La Resort, Monkey Island

Sept. 21-22

WOGA Cup

River Oaks GC, Edmond GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

BOB PHELPS

OGA Rules Director

FROM THE OGA RULES DIRECTOR

Match Play versus Stroke Play As I began my role with the Oklahoma Golf Association (OGA), the majority of my officiating experience was gained utilizing Stroke Play formats. After conducting multiple Match Play Championships during the 2019 season and experiencing firsthand the difference in how the rules are applied, I decided to highlight a few those differences between Match Play and Stroke Play. When making a ruling, one of the first questions a rules official should ask is what form of play is being used.

Deciding rules Issues during play As stated in Rule 20.1a, players must decide what to do and play on. In Match Play, players can agree on a ruling and that agreement is binding even if it is later determined to be incorrect. In Stroke Play, players are encouraged to help players in applying the rules but have no right to agree on a ruling and such an agreement is not binding. The players are still subject to penalties for misapplying the rules.

In Match Play, a player can decide to overlook a rules violation by his or her opponent so long as both players do not agree

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

to overlook a rule both know applies. However, in Stroke Play, all players are obligated to protect the interests of every player in the field and required to report on any rules violation he or she becomes aware of.

To protect your own interests during a round, the method for the player to proceed also differs in the two forms of play.

In Match Play, if a player does not agree with his or her opponent on how to apply the rules, the player must inform his or her opponent of the player’s intent to seek a ruling from a referee or the Committee. If a referee or the Committee is not available in a reasonable time, the players must continue play and the player must notify the opponent that a later ruling will be requested.

This must be done before either player tees off on the next hole.

In Stroke Play, if a player does not agree with another player or is unsure how to proceed, the player is allowed to play two balls and to seek a later ruling from the Committee. The player must announce the intent to do so before taking any further action and must announce which ball he would like to score with. Regardless of the score made

with either ball, the player must report the facts to the committee before returning a score. If the player does not, the player is disqualified. Rule 20.1c(4) will determine the player’s score for the hole.

Scorecards Many people mistakenly believe a scorecard is required in both forms of play. In Match Play, a scorecard is allowed but not required. Players are only required to know the state of the match at the completion of each hole. Rule 3.2d outlines the responsibilities of each player in determining the number of strokes taken and the outcome of each hole. However, in Stroke Play the scorecard is very important in determining a player’s score. The Committee will assign a marker to record scores for another player at the completion of each hole and the marker should take this responsibility seriously. Upon completion of the Round, the player and marker must agree on hole by hole scores and both must verify the accuracy of the scores by signing the score-

See RULES on page 11

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9

e r o o M lor

y a T

OGA o t k c a es bevents, before the season v i g , e r a was derailed by the COVID-19 panlth sc a e h s e v demic.

The Tour was scheduled to return April 16-19 with i Surv the Veritex Bank Championship at Texas Rangers Golf Club in

by ken macleod

T

aylor Moore will once again sponsor the OGA Boys and Girls State Junior Championship, helping elevate the June 1-4 event at Kickingbird Golf Course into a memorable one for the top young players from throughout the state.

Now in his fourth year on the Korn Ferry Tour, the 26-year-old Edmond native is generous with both his money and time and hopes to involve other young Oklahoma pros with clinics and other special events in the years to come.

The youngsters are fortunate that Moore wants to give back, and after the events of last March, fortunate that he is able to do so.

Moore, a two-time Class 6A state champion at Edmond Memorial and 2016 University of Arkansas graduate, was off to a promising start in his third season of pursuing his PGA Tour card when he became ill at a tournament in Arizona. He was driving to the airport to fly back to Oklahoma when he decided instead to check into a hospital instead.

Due to a genetic condition, Moore’s illness, which included violently throwing up, had led his right lung to collapse. If that had occurred at altitude on a plane flight, Moore said doctors told him it would have been “a really bad situation.”

As it was, Moore had surgery to correct the issue and was off the Korn Ferry Tour from mid-March until June, leading to a season in which he finished 108th on the points list after finishes of 37th in 2018 and 38th in 2017. The top 25 automatically earn berths on the PGA Tour for the following year and 25 additional spots are available in the Korn Ferry Tour finals.

Moore’s younger brother, Payton, 21, experienced the same issue later in the year. It was diagnosed as a genetic condition called spontaneous pneumothorax.

A fully recovered Moore was off to a great start in the 2020 season, finishing 11th and 12th in consecutive Korn Ferry Tour 10

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Arlington, but that was highly uncertain.

“My goal this year is to earn one of those top-25 spots, whether we end up playing 10 events or 25,” Moore said. “I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be more like a sprint than a marathon by the time we get back.”

Moore lives in Dallas where he rooms with former Oklahoma State University golfer Kevin Dougherty. He sees many fellow pros with Oklahoma ties out competing for those same spots on the PGA Tour.

“We’ve got a good crew out here,” Moore said.

“You see guys like Max McGreevy and Charlie Saxon o u t there every week. Josh Creel, Michael Gellerman, just a ton of guys. Sometimes when I’m warming up, it seems like I am at Lincoln Park instead of out on the Korn Ferry Tour. It’s pretty neat.”

Moore hopes to duplicate the success of Midwest City’s Talor Gooch, who played alongside him on what was then the Web.com Tour, but has now made more than $1 million in 13 events thus far on the PGA Tour’s 2019-20 season.

“Talor is playing great,” Moore said. “I hope to get him to c o me h e l p with a clinic for the kids as we go forward with this.

We want to make this a really special event for the players.”

The OGA remains very grateful to Moore for sponsoring the event, putting his own money in and having his sponsors Ping and Nike contribute gifts for the players as well.

“Taylor is just a fine young man,” said OGA Executive Director Mark Felder. “What he’s doing to help Brian (Kickingbird Director of Golf Brian Soerensen) and I with this tournament to make it better for the kids is just mind-blowing. And he plans on being involved for a long time to come. He’s already talking about what we can do better next year and the year after that.”

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

WOGA, continued from page 8

grams and the First Tee of Tulsa and Oklahoma City. All donations and sponsorships website. You can now visare tax deductible. Don’t miss it woga.golfgenius.com for this opportunity to not only membership registration and play at one of Oklahoma’s all tournament information premier golf courses but to and updates. We feel that by give back to Junior Girls golf. using this new program it The fundraiser is a fourwill enable us to manage our person shamble with a fee tournaments more efficiently of $600 per team and various and be more user-friendly. sponsorship levels available.

We ask for your patience You can enter online or call during this transitional pe918-760-4255 for more inforriod, as developing the website continues to be a work Maddi Kamas, win- mation.

At this time, we are planin progress. Throughout the ner of the 2019 Junior ning a full tournament schednext few months, we will be Girls Championship. ule, but should things change, updating the website, and offering more information and services to we will update our membership through our membership. Of course, if anyone ever our website. Please visit our website reguhas any questions, they can contact the larly for any updates, should they occur. Of WOGA office at 918-760-4255 and we will course, you can continue to call our WOGA immediately assist you with any questions number for any questions as well.

Finally I’d like to thank our Board of Dior problems.

Our ninth annual fundraiser is planned for rectors for their countless hours of hard July 13, followed by our 70th Junior Girls work and dedication to making sure that Championship on July 14-15 at the presti- WOGA continues its mission of supporting, gious Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken promoting and growing the game of golf for Arrow. The fundraiser goes to support our women and junior girls in Oklahoma.

See you on the golf course!

Junior Girls Scholarships and Grants Pro-

RULES, continued from page 9 card. Once signed and submitted to the Committee, scorecard errors will result in a higher score, additional penalties or disqualification to the player.

Completing Holes In Match Play, a hole is completed when a player holes out, the next stroke is conceded or the result of the hole has been decided, such as when the hole is conceded or a player receives the General Penalty (Loss of Hole). In Stroke Play, the hole is completed only when the player holes out under Rule 3.3c. Furthermore, some errors in Stroke Play must be corrected before teeing off on the next hole and a failure to do so will result in disqualification. In addition to holing out, if a player begins a hole by making a stroke from outside the Teeing Area, plays a Wrong Ball or commits a serious breach of playing from a Wrong Place, the error must be corrected before playing from the next teeing area or the player is disqualified.

While there are other areas of difference between Match Play and Stroke Play (some penalties apply in Stroke Play that do not apply in Match Play), the above highlights a couple of the more important distinctions.

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11

APR/MAY

The

GOODS

Fistful of Bourbon is a blend of five straight Bourbon whiskeys.

A fistful of fun to sample leading to inflated prices — sometimes hundreds of percent above shelf price — in the istful of Bourbon is rightly being whiskey market. Fistful of Bourbon’s sourcmarketed as a “first of its kind prod- ing from five distinct whiskey types will enuct” in the world of whiskey. The sure flexibility in supply chain and keep the price approachable. blend of five American straight William Grant & Sons is one bourbons is packaged and of the most respected distillers priced to sell, and it comes at a in the world, and its facility in time when the secondary whisupstate New York is produckey market — especially bouring Fistful of Bourbon. It’s also bon — is at an all-time, headthe distillery responsible for the scratching, grumbling high, so popular Hudson whiskey brand. the under $30 price point is “We brought in David Stewvery welcome. art, one of the most experi“We’re committed to enenced master distillers in the suring that we’re never out of world, from Balvenie, and Brian stock, and that we keep the Kinsman from Glenfiddich to price steady,” said Billy Burke, work with Brendan O’Rourke the brand manager for William Veteran malt master to make the product,” Burke Grant & Sons Distillery in TexDavid Stewart MBE. said. “We have one of the best as and Oklahoma. “Keeping the product well-stocked means we avoid many whiskey-making teams in the world workof the issues related to the secondary whis- ing on this, and it’s very exciting.” key market right now.”

Among those issues are tight allocations See Fistful on page 13

by greg horton

F

12

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

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Alec Bradley Cigars' Medalist Toro by mike crabtree and laramie navrath

A

lec Bradley is a household name in cigars shops and humidors across the country. Alan Rubin owner of Alec Bradley Cigars was thrust to the for front of the cigar industry after claiming the coveted Cigar of the Year with Prensado in 2012. After having started out in the industry creating mild to medium body cigars, the last decade has favored a medium to strong cigar profile which Alec Bradley is known. For a manufacture to be successful they must look at market trends Alec Bradley is no different.

One of Alans more recent blends is The

FISTFUL cont. from page 12 The blending team focuses on five flavor profiles to pick the whiskey, which definitely includes Hudson 3-year. The other sources are confidential, but that has not stopped whiskey reviewers and fans from guessing. All Burke will say is that they got some right, and some wrong.

The five flavor profiles are sweet and balanced; green and leafy with floral notes; warm spices, like nutmeg; buttery toffee, and; spice notes like cinnamon and licorice.

Burke said the goal is to balance all these flavors so that what emerges is a light, sweet, approachable bourbon, and that was precisely my experience of Fistful of Bourbon.

It’s light and caramel in color with corn, caramel, vanilla and orchard fruits on the nose. The barrel is new charred oak, so some of the vanilla, oak and spice notes on the palate are coming from the barrel. Still, the corn, caramel and fruit come through on the palate, too, and the balance without a burn is surprising in a 90-proof whiskey.

This is not to say it’s complex; it isn’t, but that also doesn’t seem to be the point. This is not so much for whiskey nerds as whiskey newbies, which is not a criticism. Most of us can remember the aha moment and what it was we were drinking when we knew much more whiskey was in our future.

William Grant & Sons is ramping up what Burke calls a national unveiling. Expect to see the distinctive blue label on streaming services soon. The company hired a SNL director to helm the Tarantinoesque, tonguein-cheek, spaghetti Western spots that will soon be airing nationwide. The campaign is in keeping with the company’s goal: to create a fun, approachable whiskey at an affordable price.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

Medalist, a cigar crafted to remind people of the company’s past while remaining on the cutting edge of the cigar business.

The Medalist is smooth and complex with light natural sweetness. While the wrapper has the appearance of a Connecticut, it is in fact Honduran shade grown, which is slightly darker with a slightly dry texture.

The Medalist hits with presentation, flavor and price point that is attractive to many smokers.

The cold draw is firm but not challenging, with a base aroma of wood, cream and just a pinch of pepper.

The first third of the cigar offers aromas from buttered popcorn, to a bit of tangerine, cereal grains to creamy vanilla. The draw and burn have both been good, with ample amounts of smoke. The second third of

the cigar turns a little more to the medium profile which can be attributed blending of the Honduran and Nicaragua fillers. The black pepper picks up on the retro hale, with the flavor and texture of the smoke picking up.

The final third of The Medalist sees the introduction of some genuine creaminess into the profile. This section nails the complexity of the cigar. The cigar is now squarely mediumplus in flavor. The Medalist has lingering finish compounds. Overall, the cigar finishes well, with a flavor and strength level just under medium. This cigar is great for the golf course, for the mild start on the putting green, to a good medium flavor on the course.

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13

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The

GOODS

Some things we like to do before and after the round

The Bookshelf

the Show position, but to that?: parenthood.

Not that either book gives Tiger a free that’s still in the money, enough to recommend pass, both reviewing the sexual scandal as a matter of brutal context. Bamberger’s effort it, too.

Sampson was actually first out gives an almost minute by minute account of the gate, his book appearing last of the Memorial Day 2017 incident when October, barely a half year after Ti- Tiger was discovered by the side of a road ger slipped on his fifth green jacket. in Jupiter, Florida, with a boggling blend of coursBamberger’s is just out, but I happened to five psychotropic pain- killers ing through his read it first, which surely system. We all threw some repetitive shade remember the on Sampson. But it’s kind of bleary mug shot fascinating to see the two diffrom the time, ferent approaches to the same and Bamberger denouement — which we all proposes that know anyway.

Tiger’s recovery Truth be told, we pretty moved forward much know all about the enfrom that motire Tiger saga, and it’s not like ment. books about Woods have abHe also sent from these pages. We last takes up three praised “Tiger Woods” by Jeff controversial Benedict and Armen Keteyrules imbroian in the June-July 2018 issue; glios involving panned Tiger’s own uninspirWoods, and ing account of his inspiring first ponders at major victory, “The 1997 Massome length ters: My Story” (June-July 2017); — for and admitted our fascinated unease against — the about Hank Haney’s “The Big evidence surMiss” (April-May 2012), and rounding Tiger’s potential use our guilty pleasure over Bamberger’s own roman á of performance-enhancing drugs. The deck is clef about Tiger co-au- somewhat stacked in the “for” column, but thored with Alan Ship- conclusions are left to the reader. That’s all nuck, “The Swinger” in the first section of the book called “Night.”

The second section is called “Day-O!” (Aug-Sept 2011).

What could possi- and the exclamation point charts the mood bly be left to say? The of mounting excitement rumbling toward B e n e d i c t - K e t e y i a n Tiger’s 2019 victory at Augusta, coming 14 book was a brilliant years after his fourth green jacket. I admire but fairly scathing Bamberger’s prose style, which manages to compass of the Tiger be lively while maintaining a languid flow. story to date. But, to It’s effortless to drift through the pages quote my own re- while all sorts of wild things are happening view, “...at the end on shore. There’s a sort of random quality to Tiger is still standing, some of the anecdotes but one never feels having gone through adrift.

And Bamberger brings the voyage to a the crucible, with a shot at redemption.” satisfying end in a coda (“Curtain Call”) that Both Bamberger tries to parse the meaning of it all — why and Sampson sug- Tiger’s win was so satisfying, even to those gest that the 2019 who don’t account themselves big fans. victory in Augusta Well, who doesn’t love an epic journey with was the manifes- such highs and lows?

Like Bamberger, Sampson has been writtation of that redemption, but that prior to it Woods was ing about the game for a long time, with his already showing glimpses of the very qual- own rich vein of material to mine as he cirity that Benedict-Keteyian suggested he had cles around the same foregone conclusion. lacked: empathy. And the major contributor That includes two books on the Masters and

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright by tom bedell

W

hat, another book about Tiger? No? Two new books about Tiger?

Oy! Well, book reviewers gotta do what book reviewers gotta do.

So I read both Michael Bamberger’s “The Second Life of Tiger Woods” (Avid Reader Press $28) and Curt Sampson’s “Roaring Back: The Fall and Rise of Tiger Woods” (Diversion Press, $26.99). Unsurprisingly, the catalyst of both volumes is Tiger’s remarkable 2019 Masters victory.

Then there’s Mark Cannizzaro’s “Seven Days in Augusta: Behind the Scenes at the Masters” (Triumph Books, $26.95) which necessarily also touches on the 2019 tournament. Well, guess the golf book season starts with the Masters, too. The great irony here, naturally, is the books have been released just in time for the now-postponed (or to be canceled?) 2020 Masters.

In theory, with the Coronavirus having us all hunkering down in place, there should be ample time to read all three of these, and you probably wouldn’t be sorry.

But if you’re only going to read one, make it Bamberger’s. It’s simply the best written of the lot. Cannizzaro covers everything that happens at Augusta National for the week leading up to and including Sunday’s green jacket ceremony, so it does tread into some different territory. That sort of puts Sampson in 14

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

an earlier one on Woods (“Chasing Tiger”), which he hilariously references in this one, since virtually all his attempts to interact with the book’s subject were utterly stonewalled.

I confess I’m not as keen on Sampson’s style, more hot-wired frenetic than Bamberger’s, with a wisecrack the default position (an homage, perhaps, to the book’s dedicatee, Dan Jenkins?).

Funny when they work, feeling forced when they don’t. There were also so many odd references to competitors’ equipment (“Brooks [Koepka]… had buzzard’s luck with his Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport2 on the marble-hard greens...”) that it began to feel like product placement.

But cavils aside, this is also an intriguing attempt to put Tiger’s victory into a career context, while comparing the win to other significant comebacks — Hogan’s, of course, after the dreadful car accident; Calvin Peete, who had to overcome injury and institutional racism (add Charlie Sifford here, too), or a story few know of 1949 U.S. Ryder Cup player Skip Alexander, who barely survived a plane crash in 1950, but had enough points to qualify for the 1951 team. Where, against all odds, his damaged hands bleeding throughout the round, he still managed to win his singles match.

And Sampson’s book has something useful the others do not, an index. Bamberger doesn’t even have any acknowledgments or bibliography, but he does turn the book’s dedication into a quiz: anyone who can decipher who MD251MC is may be in line for a prize from the author.

Longtime New York Post sports reporter Cannizzaro goes one-up on either by having a foreword to “Seven Days at Augusta”

by Phil Mickelson. It’s not a great contribution to literature, but still.

Other than the penultimate chapter on the 2019 tournament, Cannizzaro’s book is a different animal in that he attempts to capture the Masters experience by divvying the book up into seven parts, one for each day of the week’s happenings.

Puzzlingly, he doesn’t strictly adhere to his own structure; the stories seem to GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

flow willy-nilly regardless of the day. Still, he gets the overall job done. We learn here about the town, the paper of record (the Augusta Chronicle), how locals rent out their houses, the not always on the up and up market for tickets, the essential local restaurant (Tbonz Steakhouse), and so on. I looked in vain for any report on the upswing in prostitution during Masters Week, but maybe that chapter was cut.

Then there are all the tournament happenings — the Champions Dinner, the menu always chosen by the defending champ; the history and quaint rules concerning the Green Jacket; the poignant chapter on honorary starters and the first year Arnold

Palmer was no longer there; what the deal is with Butler Cabin, and a chapter on Martha Burke’s 2002-2003 protests, which ultimately led to Augusta National’s first female members, one of them being Condoleezza Rice.

There are a variety of player profiles, those expected (Arnie, Lefty, Rory, Spieth, Woods) and a few unexpected, like John Daly, who is there every year — not playing, but meeting fans and selling wares at the local Hooters on Washington Road.

In short, there’s ample Augustian fodder here for the curious, and in an epilogue Cannizzaro writes about winning the journalistic lottery in 1998, meaning he was one of the select few reporters allowed to play the course the Monday after the Masters.

An enviable prize. Unfortunately, Cannizzaro was then deep in a period of hitting the shot that dare not speak its name.

Going through Amen Corner hitting one hosel rocket after another turned out to be a heightened source of torture. Not pretty. But here, at least, pretty funny.

Like everyone else, Tom Bedell is disappointed that sheltering in place doesn’t include watching the 2020 Masters.

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APR/MAY

EQUIPMENT

Companies' high hopes for 2020 in jeopardy by ed travis

B

y most any measure the golf equipment business was doing better.

After the benchmark of Nike’s 2016 withdrawal from the market, club and ball companies have seen a steady if non-spectacular sales growth and were forecasting the advance to continue this season.

That was all before COVID-19 basically shut a promising season down, idling factories, cancelling orders and leaving a mass of uncertainty going forward.

One of the difficulties when trying to analyze the industry is, with two prominent exceptions, equipment companies are

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Acushnet Holdings, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes golf products including Titleist, Scotty Cameron putters, FootJoy and Pinnacle. either privately-held such as PING, Taylor- while Acushnet squeaked ahead with $985 Made Golf and Tour Edge Golf or divisions million. We aren’t reading too much into of larger corporations, i.e., Bridgestone this other than with numbers this size $6 Golf and Cobra/Puma Golf. Therefore, million could be called a dead heat. A large financial information is unavailable, but portion of Callaway’s total sales growth from off-the-record conversations, sales was attributable to the acquisition of soft and profits in 2019 were better and though goods makers Jack Wolfskin and Travis predictions for a new season are at best in- Matthew (2018) who combined for $411 formed guessing, insiders said 2020 would million in sales, an increase of $299 million continue with the upward trends in units year over year.

And in the for-what-it’s-worth departand dollars. Of course, that was before a virus turned the world upside down and ment, until the health crisis Acushnet was forecasting $1,665 billion to all projections for the industry $1,705 billion in sales in 2020 are now highly uncertain. while Callaway’s estimate The industry’s two largest was $1,750 billion to $1,780 companies, Acushnet Holdbillion. In Acushnet’s case ings (NYSE: GOLF) and Calthat would have been a slight laway Golf (NYSE: ELY), decrease to slight increase and are both publicly traded and for Callaway a 2 to 4 percent published financial reports increase. provide a bit more insight. In The retail channel continues a reversal of positions, Callato be dominated by big box way in 2019 edged out Acushnet in overall sales by about Jon Last, Founder stores with Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS), which $20 million ($1,701 billion and President vs. $1,681 billion) with both Sports and Leisure also owns Golf Galaxy, being the largest and devoting floor showing healthy increases in Research Group space to golf equipment in net income. Without going too deeply into the numbers Callaway did the each of its almost 750 U.S. locations. PGA largest dollar volume in clubs increasing by TOUR Superstore (PGATSS), the largest $51 million to $768 million compared with golf-only retailer, told me in-store sales Acushnet’s Titleist brand which reported a are continuing a three-year growth trend.

2.4 percent decrease in club sales to $434 Both Dick’s and PGATSS say e-commerce has shown double-digit increases with the million.

In golf balls the positions reversed. latter saying first quarter 2020 was up 35 Acushnet’s Titleist reported 2019 sales of percent.

Regardless of size, retailers have found $551 million or 5.3 percent over the previous 12 months with the Pro V1 model more customers want a personalized fitcontinuing to be the most played by elite ting before purchasing clubs and this is golfers including those on the world’s pro- reflected by the fact Club Champion, the fessional tours. No. 2 in the ball category, largest clubfitter in the country, did over Callaway showed 8 percent growth year 100,000 fittings in 2019. Most retailers inover year to $211 million and achieved cluding Dick’s and PGATSS stress the need its highest share ever of the U.S. ball mar- for club fitting and even GOLFTEC, priket. With an eye to the future and to bet- marily a seller of golf lessons, did 15,000 ter compete with Titleist, Callaway has fittings last year. Major club manufacturers invested $50 million into its ball plant in also strongly promote club fitting since it is the surest way customers will purchase the Chicopee, Mass.

Doing the math, Callaway’s combined correct model.

Sales of equipment are driven by particitotal of club and ball sales was $979 million GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

pation, the number of golfers and the number of rounds played.

Industry analyst Jon Last of Sports & Leisure Group said his annual golf-consumer survey showed a continuation of the uptick in rounds seen late in 2019 after two years of poor weather had limited playable hours. That prediction is also out the window due to COVID-19, as man of the nation’s coures are closed.

The predicted sales of both clubs and balls were robust for 2020. With a national recession if not depression looming, the question now is how long it will take the golf industry to recover from the current situation. Golf is poised to be one of the few activities that can still be played during the pandemic, but only if proper precautions are followed. Politicians will face increasing pressure to close all courses.

A few fearless predictions for 2020: With the uncertainties of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic making predictions is a chancy undertaking. The following are guesses based on the assumption golf will be impacted in a major way with an overall decrease up to 40 percent in rounds played compared with last year.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

Callaway will continue to dominate club sales and Acushnet golf ball sales.

The club and ball supply chain — most importantly the manufacturing done in China — will overcome problems due to the coronavirus by late summer.

The largest equipment companies will continue to diversify via acquisitions primarily in golf-associated lines, such as lifestyle apparel.

Smaller club makers lacking standout technology will fail as larger companies take more market share.

U.S club unit sales and ball sales will decrease in proportion to the lower number of rounds played with slightly lower prices.

Sales in brick and mortar retail outlets will not recover reflecting the switch to ecommerce forced by the health crisis.

The USGA will move to restrain equipment performance thereby jeopardizing those marketing plans relying on Tour professional validation.

Club makers will accelerate adoption of sophisticated technology as exemplified by Callaway’s investment in a supercomputer to expand the use of artificial intelligence for club and ball design.

As soon as rounds played starts to re-

cover the percentage of golfers paying qualified professional clubfitters for brandagnostic fittings will grow faster than the growth in club sales.

CBD is a hot topic, more than 25 companies exhibited at the PGA Merchandise Show. Presuming a significant percentage of golfers, particularly older players, are open to any benefits CBD provides, as golf shops become busier most could be stocking at least one brand.

Golf entertainment centers (e.g., Topgolf, Drive Shack, Flying Tee, etc.) are shut down but when reopened will continue to add locations. Survey data cited by Casey Alexander of Compass Point Research & Trading indicates as many as 25 percent of Topgolf patrons first swung a club at a Topgolf. This of course, in no way automatically translates into actually taking it to a real golf course and becoming players.

Sign up for our enewsletter at golfoklahoma.org for the chance to win tickets, rounds and other prizes as well as keep up with all the breaking news

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CHIP SHOTS

APR/MAY

A touch of class ORU indoor facility honors past by ken macleod

T

he legends on the walls were walking around in real life during a recent visit to see the gleaming new John and Cheryl Clerico Golf Center at Oral Roberts University.

Giving a tour of the Bill Brogden Golf Performance Center was none other than Bill Brogden, the man who first put ORU on the golf map with his famed team of All-Americans Joey Rassett, Jim Kane, Bill Glasson and Bryan Norton that finished third in the NCAA in 1980 and a heartbreaking second in 1981.

Giving a demonstration of the myriad capabilities of the advanced Foresight golf simulator that occupies the east end of the building was none other than 1983 ORU All-American Jeff Combe.

Head coach Lance Watson and the man whose dream was fulfilled by the center’s creation – ORU Director of Athletics Mike Carter – were also on hand to proudly show off the beautiful new indoor training center that should hopefully help lift the ORU men’s and women’s teams to a level of prominence in the game.

The facility has all the modern technological marvels one could hope for, including four hitting stations equipped with Flight Scope monitors, a huge indoor putting green with PuttView techonology to train on putts of all breaks and speeds, a workout area designed by Jonathan Moore, former Oklahoma State NCAA champion who now specializes in golf fitness.

Stately lockers line either side of the hallway leading out to the outdoor Bob Canada Short Game Facility, named for the former ORU coach who passed away in March 2019.

There is an artificial green surrounded by practice bunkers with hitting mats at various intervals plus three additional practice greens, all designed by Richard Shepler of Southwest Putting Greens. They react much as a real green would in holding shots.

“Everything is better than I ever 18

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imagined it would be,” said Carter, a passionate golfer himself and a member of the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame board. “Our kids now have every opportunity to get better. And what sets this apart from similar facilities at other schools is ours is actually on campus. You don’t have to get in a car and drive 10 minutes to get to it.”

The golf facility is in a building, east of the CityPlex Towers, that ORU recently purchased from Victory Christian and moved in engineering labs and the school of nursing. The portion used by the golf center was previously the back hallway and storage units of an auditorium. The Thompson Construction Company added windows, opened everything up, created three office spaces and a kitchen in addition ORU volunteer coach Bill Brogden first put the school on the golf map in the early 1980s. to all the hitting and putting areas.

Construction began in August and was completed and dedicated by Nov. 9. The majority of the $700,000 project was donated by the Clericos. John is a member at Southern Hills Country Club as is Carter and both are big fans of collegiate golf.

“This was just something I believed in, and for the amount of money I was able to give, I’m very impressed with what I see here today,” Clerico told the Tulsa World during the official opening ceremonies last fall. “It’s great. Our hope is that this restores ORU as a nationally relevant golf program.”

That will take a lot of work and dedication. The indoor facility will help, but as Brogden said, there are no substitutes for hard work and talent.

“The kids are into all the high-tech stuff and now we’ve got all the hightech stuff,” Brogden said. “It’s a huge upgrade, but you’ve still got to play the game.”

The flexibility to play different courses under different conditions, including precise manipulations of wind speed and direction, is one of the variables of the simulator that excites Combe and Brogden.

“Golf is all about controlling your distance,” Combe said. “If you can learn to play different shots and control your Indoor stations with Flight Scope monitors and a ball in high winds, you’re way ahead.” huge simulator at the east end.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

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STATE OF THE GAME

APR/MAY

A time of great uncertainty for golf by ken macleod

I

n a world where everything changes by the minute, here are a few things we do know for certain about golf and the COVID-19 pandemic in Oklahoma this spring.

The college season is over. There will not be a 2020 national champion. It ends with Ryan Hybl’s University of Oklahoma team ranked No. 1 in the nation yet deprived of a chance to prove it, just like every other men’s and women’s team at every level throughout the state and nation.

The Sooners had four seniors who would have all turned professional but now have an extra year of eligibility if they want to use it. Much depends on how quickly the professional game gets back in gear.

The turmoil may have saved Oklahoma State from losing its best player, as Austin Eckroat of Edmond is now likely to return for his senior season after earlier leaning toward turning pro.

The high school season is over almost before it got started. The defending Class

6A champion Owasso Rams did compete in one tournament in Texas before everything was cancelled. Only in war time had the championships not been held previously.

Golf Oklahoma has published its top 10 boys and girls prep rankings along with others to watch as a tribute to these young men and women, many of whom are seniors and will not have a chance for the state title, but all of whom have many years of golf in front of them.

Most of the top players in the state will gather at Kickingbird Golf Club June 1-4 for the OGA State Junior Championship presented by Taylor Moore. If the event takes place as scheduled, the field should be one of the strongest ever as top players from around the state will be desperate to resume competition.

On a professional level, The Masters and the PGA are both postponed and uncertain.

The PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and other pro leagues were pushing tournaments back with no clear idea of when or if they would be playing. This impacts

Golf Oklahoma Mailbag Edmond article a trip down memory lane I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the article on Edmond, Golf Central, USA! It is not often you read something that conjures up great emotions and resonates with all senses, but you managed to do just that!

It was great trip down memory lane from both my days as a kid working the “rack room” at Hillcrest, playing junior golf tournaments around the state and playing Oak Tree during my college days. This state has a remarkable, unique history in the

many young pros with strong Oklahoma ties. Midwest City’s Talor Gooch, for one, was coming into his own on the PGA Tour.

At this writing, most golf courses in Oklahoma were still open only because Governor Kevin Stitt included them in a list of businesses exempt from his executive order shutting down non-essential businesses in counties with a positive test, which will likely be every county in Oklahoma by the time you read this.

Public and private courses in Tulsa and public couses in Oklahoma City were later closed by the respective mayors of each city. The economic impact of these decisions will take a long time to know, but golf had been poised for a strong season.

Is it safe to play golf in a pandemic? The nation was trying to determine the answer to that question, with about 70 percent of courses still open nationally at press time.

Golf certainly has the advantate of wide open spaces if golfers will just heed the guidelines.

It’s a new world. Stay safe, stay apart and play golf if you can. It will keep you sane.

game…it was such a special time and, of course, as a young person didn’t fully appreciate it until I added some years.

Thanks for sharing with your readers and golfers all over the great State of Oklahoma!

Cary Cozby, Director of Golf, Southern Hills Country Club

Story brought back great memories Really a nice read about the tremendous junior golf in Edmond over the years. A lot of pros did what Art Proctor did and in was a good thing for a lot of us!

Patrick L. McCrate, Director of Golf, LaFortune Park & South Lakes

2020 DIRECTORY/TRAVEL CORRECTIONS EDMOND STORY On page 24, Mike McGraw was identified in a cutline as the coach of Edmond North. He was an assistant coach at Edmond Memorial in 1993 when the picture was taken of McGraw being tossed in a pond at Oak Tree Country Club.

The player with his arms around McGraw is Rob Land, now the general manager at Karsten Creek

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Golf Club in Stillwater. McGraw went on to be the first coach at Edmond North in 1994.

ABE CORNISH In the list of Individual State High School Champions on page 27, one name was omitted. Abe Cornish won the state championship in 1985 for Edmond Memorial High School.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

Season gone, collegians ponder uncertain future by john rohde

T

everyone.

Bratton: “I was in a daze for a couple of days, but I feel I’ve come out of it. I think our kids were crushed as well.”

Hybl: “As bummed as I was for about a day and a half, I’ve kind of gotten over it because this is just way bigger than anything we have going on here.”

On March 14, Hybl held a team meeting to console and educate his players.

“I told them, ‘We don’t want to get all sad and woe is me about this,’ Hybl said. “Hopefully they understand they’re not getting slighted. Everybody’s health is at stake Ryan Hybl right now.”

Asked if he mapped out a plan for March, Bratton said, “There’s really nothing to figure out. They’ve shut everything down. No national championship, no conference championship, no practice at least until the end of March. Origi-

he apocalyptic spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) is creating a cosmic shift throughout the world and has golf looking for a course of action.

On the morning of March 12, Oklahoma Austin Eckroat men’s golf coach Ryan Hybl was prepping his team for the National Invitational Tournament (N.I.T.) at Omni Tucson National. At 11 a.m., Hybl received an update on the pandemic. By noon, the tournament had been canceled. By 3 p.m., the NCAA had announced all Alan Bratton winter and spring championships were canceled.

In a span of four hours, roughly the time it takes to play a round of golf, lives had been completely derailed with no signs of knowing when they might get back on track.

Quade Cummins “It was real interesting how quickly everything happened,” Hybl said.

After playing his opening round in THE PLAYERS Championship that same day, Official World Golf No. 1 player Rory McIlroy strongly suggested the tournament should be canceled, and that’s precisely what the PGA Tour did later that night.

“Today’s overreaction could look like tomorrow’s underreaction,” the prophetic McIlroy said. “It’s the right decision. Of course, it’s the right decision. If in a few weeks’ time, this all dies down and everything’s actually OK, it’s still the right decision.”

Medical experts and governments throughout the world have since enforced CDC guidelines on how to combat the deadly virus. As a result, all major sporting leagues suspended action.

With the United States and countless countries declaring a “state of emergency,” day-to-day lives remain in flux and the sports calendar is in a holding pattern.

“What are you going to do?” Oklahoma State men’s golf coach Alan Bratton asked.

“I don’t think anybody knows. Golf trains you pretty good. You can only control what you can control. You have plenty of things ORDER YOURS TODAY AT: We accept all major credit cards to prepare for and play for.”

Hybl said, “Everybody’s kind of hunkered down in a lot of different ways.”

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21

GAME

APR/MAY

State of the

Garret Reband, OU

News around the state Sponsored by

Trevor Norby, Oklahoma Christian

nally, I wanted to keep everyone here because that was best for their safety. You’re less exposed to people in other places. We’re in the middle of the country and no one had (the coronavirus) here yet, so we were going to stick around. We were going to practice, play, stick to our routine. But that quickly changed.”

The Cowboys’ roster features three international players in senior Ferdinand Muller (Germany), sophomore Rasmus NeergaardPetersen (Denmark) and freshman Rayhan

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Logan McCallister, OU

Thomas (United Arab Emirates).

“We have guys staying here (in Stillwater) who are just kind of on their own,” Bratton said. “We’re allowed to feed them and that kind of stuff. That all came down from the conference, so we’re no different than anyone else.”

When the Big 12 Conference will allow teams to resume practice remains unknown.

The cancellation of all winter and spring NCAA Championships led to a proposal that would give seniors in those seasons an extra year of eligibility.

“At least that’s a bright spot,” Bratton said.

Specifics of the proposal have yet to be finalized, but OU’s powerful roster potentially could reload again next season if seniors Quade Cummins, Garett Reband, Riley Casey and Thomas Johnson return to complete unfinished business of claiming a second national crown since 2017.

Muller is the Cowboys’ only senior.

Cummins and Reband already have established their Canadian Tour qualifying school status, but would remain eligible to return to OU until they opted to turn pro.

“There’s just so many questions up in the air right now,” Hybl said. “From our standpoint, we’ve got a lot of wires we need to untangle here over the next couple months.”

When this season was suspended, the experienced Sooners were ranked No. 1 in what turned out to be the final Golfweek poll with the inexperienced Cowboys at No. 24.

Had the Big 12 Championship been held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa as planned April 27-29, it would have been quite a competition. In addition to OU and OSU, Texas (No. 4), Texas Tech (No. 5), Baylor (No. 11) and Kansas (No. 31) also carried lofty rankings.

“Obviously, we’re sad the season’s done and that we didn’t get a chance to go com-

Natalie Gough, OCU

pete,’ Hybl said. “I tried to tell my guys how bad this thing is going to get from the projections we keep hearing. Whenever you have experts in a room who start talking about what it means, it puts it in a whole different perspective. My guys understand it’s not really about golf right now. It’s about everybody trying to be safe.”

Sarah Bell, ORU

Lorena Tseng, TU GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

2020 Golf Pass is BIGGER AND BETTER! Visit scspgagolfpass.com to order yours today!

Coach Youngblood?

OU senior looks forward to run at professional golf, coaching career by ken macleod

I

t seems like a movie script gone awry.

The high school hero is derailed by injuries and an at-times rocky relationship with her college coach, overcomes the physical and mental challenges and, with her game in top form and mind at peace, is poised for a triumphant finale to her final season.

Instead, for Sydney Youngblood of Durant and the University of Oklahoma, there is a heart-wrenching scene at an Arizona hotel as the Sooners learned that their season was suddenly over, another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Sooners were in the midst of a practice round for the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz., when they were pulled off the course and told the tournament was canceled. At lunch, they learned the NCAA had pulled the plug on all spring championships. The next day the Big 12 Conference ended any chance of playing more golf that spring by canceling all spring activities including conference championships.

“It wasn’t until we got back to our hotel that the emotions of everything took over,” Youngblood said. “This season meant so much to every one of us. We had a young team with a lot of talent and really high hopes. We knew we could go far.

“And for myself, being a senior, it was really hard. I really wanted to finish with a good stretch run in the Big 12, make it to nationals and perform well.”

Youngblood rode back to the hotel with fellow senior Ellen Secor.

“We got out of the car and hugged it out,” Youngblood said. “The entire team was in the parking lot crying for about 15 minutes.

It was definitely an emotional time.”

Youngblood was a three-time Class 5A GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

state champion at Durant, where she won 16 events. She entered OU in 2016 but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in her freshman year. She played five events in her redshirt freshman year in 2017-18 with one top-10 finish.

In her redshirt sophomore year of 201819, she played in six events but also sat out several spring events in which she was healthy as she and head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell butted heads on some issues. Youngblood had many in her circle advising her to transfer, but she was determined to work out the differences with her coach and graduate from OU. That part will still happen. And despite the strange ending to her senior season, Youngblood will enroll in Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant to begin work on her Masters in Education with the goal of being a college coach herself one day. First, she would like to spend another year working on her game and give professional golf a try.

Youngblood was averaging a career-best 72 stokes per round in her redshirt junior season. In four events, she had one top-10 and two top-20 finishes and felt she was ready for her first collegiate win.

“I knew as sharp as my irons were and where my game was at that I could win the Clover Cup,” she said. “I’m going to take that as a positive and keep moving forward.”

Her experiences in college, both the successes and the difficulties, will prepare her well for both professional golf and a potential career in coaching.

“Every difficulty has allowed me to grow as a person and grow in my faith,” she said.

“As challenging as it has been at times, you have to believe that God has a purpose and you just have to trust it. For some reason, He didn’t see fit that I play much golf in the spring the last four years.

“Being a college athlete has opened my eyes as to how hard it can be. You can have issues with life, school, stress, a demanding schedule and I want to be the person that my girls can come and talk to about what is going on in their lives. I’ve learned a lot from my coaches including some difficult times that I went through . . . I just want to help people in general.”

Youngblood, who is also the defending Women’s Oklahoma State Amateur champion, is fully healthy now and will be practicing at nearby Chickasaw Pointe and visiting her swing coach Kevin Johnson, who works at Hank Haney’s teaching facility in Flower Mound, Texas. She’ll enter some smaller professional events in 2020 with an eye towards trying to qualify in 2021.

That movie script for her playing career hasn’t reached the final chapter yet.

Notes: Losing the spring season was a huge blow for Youngblood’s teammate Kaitlin Milligan of Norman. Milligan was not only leading the team with a 70.18 stroke average, the junior had been selected to play in both the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, since postponed, and for the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup on July 3-5 at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland. That event was still on at press time.

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GAME

APR/MAY

State of the

With far fewer venues, can less be more? distances to travel to the next available course.

When a real estate driven course in a metro area closes (White Hawk in Bixby, Coffee Creek in Edmond, Silverhorn in Oklahoma City, Emerald Falls in Broken Arrow, Scissortail in Catoosa, to name a few) it creates an entirely different set of concerns.

When a real estate developer purchases the course with intent to add more housby ken macleod ing, conflicts between the home owners espite losing more than 40 golf and the developer are almost guaranteed courses compared to only a and often lead to lawsuits. In the end, handful of openings since 2002, it’s very difficult to force a developer to the ongoing market correction in Okla- rebuild and operate a golf course that is homa is not over nor is it necessarily a losing money, though how quickly developments proceed depends on how bad thing for the industry.

That’s according to Jim Koppenhaver, flexible the new owner is and often on the industry’s leading analyst and watch- whether judges agree that neighborhoods dog as head of Pellucid. Koppenhaver enjoy deed restrictions preventing future development. said Oklahoma’s rate of closure Koppenhaver says the U.S. closely reflects the national market is in the midst of average. Nationwide there an adjustment period that have been 2,369 courses goes back to the beginclose since 2000 and nings of the “country while 1,555 opened in club for a day” philosothat span, many of those phy that drove much of were from 2000-06, the course development in end of the misguided the 1980s and 1990s. “open a course a day” era Prior to that, municipalities fueled by costly and difficult provided courses as low cost courses designed to sell real Jim Koppenhaver alternatives to pricey country estate but not serve any identiclubs that made the game more accessified need in the golf business.

Losing a golf course can be emotion- ble to citizens of all means. Most of these ally devastating to the workers and those courses did okay financially because the who depend on the course for enjoy- demand for golf was strong but they neiment, recreation and a shared history and ther made nor lost huge sums.

Municipalities, however, began chascommunity. And in real estate courses, the homeowners are hugely concerned ing the dream of bigger returns by emuwith their real estate values as well as the lating the real-estate driven “country club for a day” model promising green fees of attraction of living near a golf course.

The most endangered species is Okla- up to $100 or more daily. Koppenhaver homa and nationally has been the private- calls it the Penal, Pristine and Premium ly-owned public course, as operators are market. The returns were potentially finding it impossible to compete against much greater but the expenses were as courses that receive at least some form of well and the amount needed to subsidize both an operational subsidy and capital them after the real estate crash of 2008 expenditure outlay from a municipality, was far greater than the original municipal concept. whether a city, county, state or tribe.

“Everybody went running after the When a rural course closes, it can create hardships for the golfers and teams that use the course, often leaving great See Venues on page 28 Editor’s Note: This look at the golf industry in Oklahoma was largely written prior the COVID-19 pandemic. Although fortunately most courses remained open in the early stages, the short and long-term consequences of the pandemic on the game, and industry will be examined as we begin to get some clarity on the length of the shut down of the U.S. economy.

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COURSES CLOSED SINCE 2002 OKLAHOMA PUBLIC Antlers Springs, Antlers Brookside GC, OKC Cedar Creek GC, Coweta Cherokee Grove, Grove Clary Fields, Sapulpa Coffee Creek, Edmond Cotton Creek, Glenpool Deer Run, Broken Arrow Dietrich Memorial, Anadarko Drumright Golf Club Durant Country Club Eagle Crest GC, Muskogee Elks Country Club, Altus Fairview Lakeside Country Club, Longdale Glen Eagles,Broken Arrow Healdton Golf Course Hilltop GC, Porter Hugo Country Club Miami Golf & Country Club Nashoba Valley GC Okmulgee Country Club Parks Memorial, Prague Pawhuska GC Pecan Valley GC, Fort Gibson Persimmon Hills GC, Meeker River Bend GC, Chickasha Rock Creek GC, Hugo Scissortail GC, Catoosa Shadow Creek CC, Sallisaw Silverado GC, Durant Silverhorn GC, OKC Sugar Creek Canyon, Hinton Tenkiller Resort, Vian Thunder Creek Golf Course, McAlester Traditions Golf Course, Edmond University Lake Golf Course, Enid Vinita Golf & Tennis Club, Vinita Westbury Country Club Whispering Meadows, Warner White Hawk GC, Bixby Wildhorse Golf Course, Velma The Woods, Coweta

OKLAHOMA PRIVATE Cedar Lakes GC, Fort Sill Emerald Falls, Broken Arrow Frederick Country Club Sunset Country Club, Bartlesville

COURSES OPENED SINCE 2002 THAT HAVE NOT CLOSED The Patriot, 2010 Rose Creek, 2003 WinStar Golf Resort, 2006

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Forest Ridge, still the exception ty,” Allen said. “Joe is just totally committed years ago in pricing,” Allen said. “Isn’t that and lets us do capital improvement projects remarkable? The ones that are left standing are going to start to see the benefits of the cross the United States, there every year.”

The golf market never reached that $100 reduction in supply.” are thousands of golf courses deThe course has changed and veloped in the golf course adapted over the years as well, with boom of the 1990s in tony residential many holes now lined by housing neighborhoods with no long-term where once only wilderness was visstrategy other than to sell lots. Many ible. New lakes and ponds have been are now on their third or fourth ownadded, but the course has essentially er at least or have fallen back to the kept its character and is still one of the neighborhood property owners’ assogreat challenges of public golf in the ciation to deal with. state. Superintendent John Babe was Only a few public privately owned there on opening day and is still on the residential courses built in the Country job today, adding to the continuity.

Club For A Day era survive in Okla“They’ve done a great job out there, homa. One great example of how that it’s a heck of a success story,” said Laphilosophy can lead to long-term sucForest Ridge Golf Course in Broken Arrow.

Fortune Park Director of Golf Pat Mccess is Forest Ridge in Broken Arrow.

But it takes an owner with foresight and pa- a round plateau predicted in the late 1980s. Crate. “It’s been a tough go for everyone, tience like Joe Robson, one who is equally Golf course revenue is just now getting close it’s not like 30 years ago where you were devoted to his homeowners and the golfers. to what it was then, as prices of rounds easily making money. But they’re always Forest Ridge opened in 1989, right at the across the country took two major hits, first going to put a good product out there. It’s outset of the Country Club For A Day mod- from the Great Recession and second from the story of a development that is tied to the golf course instead of the other way around, el. Golfers may forget how exciting it was overbuilding.

“We’re finally back to where we were 30 very hard to duplicate.” then for a public course golfer to have access to a course and conditions equal to most private clubs. Of course, you had to have the course and conditions to warrant $75 green fees in an era when public courses cost $25.

In the Randy Heckenkemper design carved out of deep woods and then impenetrable native areas, Forest Ridge instantly Call today about our non-resident membership promotions created an aura and example for others to 918.782.3220 follow. But Robson also had the advantage of plenty of land and no great hurry to develop it all. Here we are 31 years later and there are still new sections of Forest Ridge under construction.

“The big thing is he wasn’t in any hurry,” said General Manager Lance Allen. “Here we all still going strong, while most of the others, you look at 10 or 15 years in and all the lots are sold, then you wind up with a WE WELCOME YOU TO TRY US BEFORE YOU BUY US. management company or hand it over to the homeowners.”

Our management team welcomes you to visit us for a round of golf. Come see what As the neighborhood has grown, so have makes our golf course a fun and beautiful place to play. We offer both resident and its amenities. Robson added a fitness and non-resident memberships. For a limited time The Coves Golf Club on Grand Lake social center called The Ridge Club last year O’ The Cherokees offers no initiation fee with your annual membership. and it was wildly popular until the COVOur championship course offers beautiful design, numerous challenges for golfers of all ID-19 situation. age and skill levels. It’s a perfect place to spend your next golf outing.

The neighborhood has grown steadily to about 1,300 rooftops. Last year, a new stateof-the-art fitness center opened and more family activities are planned for the future, including a shooting range, softball field, and a kitchen for cooking classes.

32922 Pebble Beach • Afton, OK 74331• 918.782.3220 • CovesGolfClub.com “We’re really building our own communiby ken macleod

A

It’s Tee Time.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

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GAME

APR/MAY

State of the

VENUES,

continued from page 26 middle market,” Koppenhaver said.

“The industry hit its peak and then started its downward slide, an suddenly that market is not makClary Fields in Sapulpa, a fine Tripp Davis design, now lies fallow. ing money.

The ideal public course today is one that tal projects.

“Now you’ve got this huge muddle in As long as municipalities decide to the middle with many of the operators not offers solid conditions without extravagancunderstanding what their niche in the mar- es. Waterfalls are not needed, bunkers kept smartly maximize their revenues and ket is. Plus you’ve got the situation where to a minimum and easily maintained and minimize their expenses, they are going to most municipalities are losing money and trees limbed or removed to allow for plenty continue to make it difficult for the privately-owned public course to compete. Sand justifying it as a community enhancement. of sunlight to hit greens and fairways.

For the game to grow, it helps if a munici- Springs is currently investing in both a new That is forcing out the privately-owned pal course is well run with a stocked pro clubhouse and new greens at The Canyons public course owner.

“The rational market structure is the one shop, lessons, club fitting, grow-the-game at Blackjack Ridge. Edmond is contemplatwe were attempting to hit 40 years ago programs, practice facilities, junior golf ing exactly when to shut down Kickingbird where the municipalities were providing and leagues for men and women. Many for year to rebuild its clubhouse and redo accessible, no frills golf and leaving the up- municipal courses in Oklahoma do exactly its irrigation system. The city of Claremore scale market for private clubs or privately- that and operate with only minimal annual subsidies, but still need help with any capi- See Venues on page 30 owned facilities.”

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

2020 Golf Pass is BIGGER AND BETTER! Visit scspgagolfpass.com to order yours today!

Teams get creative when courses close backup plan then. Somewhere for his players to go when the weather was bad or time OKMULGEE — On Okmulgee High was short.

Then in 2014, Okmulgee’s golf course School’s fourth floor, inside what used to be a storage room, golf coach Dave Good- closed, and suddenly, those nets and driving man hung nets and laid down pads to create range pads were Plan A. “We’ve not had a golf course since then,” a makeshift driving range for his players to have an extra spot to occasionally hit balls Goodman said. “We’ve got some hitting areas up there, and I’ve got a little chipping and work on their games.

That was in 2007, when Goodman took area where they can chip into nets, and I’ve over as Okmulgee’s coach. The nets were a got a putting area. That’s mostly what we do, but after a while, that gets old.

“The kids aren’t seeing their ball in flight, so it’s hard to know what you need to do to adjust to fix your game.”

Unique as it sounds — Bixby, which lost White Hawk GC, built a practice facility at the school. by scott wright

www.LaFortuneParkGolf.com

and it has some quite unique aspects — Okmulgee’s situation isn’t exactly rare. With golf course closures in rural areas trending upward over the past decade or more, small communities have to get creative with their golfing plans.

As much as anyone, that means high school teams that would typically be practicing virtually every day, but are losing their locations.

At Okmulgee, Goodman occasionally will take his team to the football practice field behind the town’s middle school, where his players hit plastic balls that travel 30 yards or less.

“The other things I’ve done in the past, we’ll travel to Henryetta or to Fountainhead at Lake Eufaula,” Goodman said. “That’s a little farther drive, but they have a really good facility for putting. Also, I’ve taken them to the FlyingTee in Jenks. Of course, that costs us a little bit of money, too.”

For those drives, Goodman is taking his

See Teams on page 30

Now Booking Corporate Outings

5501 S. Yale Ave., Tulsa, Okla.

918-496-6200

South Lakes

9253 S. Elwood • Jenks, America 918-746-3760 www.SouthLakesGolf.com GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

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VENUES, continued from page 28 and Rogers County are trying to determine how to finance badly needed improvements at Heritage Hills, Committees have been formed to advocate for improvements at the City of Tulsa owned courses Page Belcher and Mohawk Park.. Huge new clubhouses are on the drawing board at both Earlywine and Lake Hefner in OKC. With the overall golf market falling by approximately eight million golfers to just over 20 million, there is no need for new courses. But the demand for golf and rounds among the retiring baby boomer set is up and millennials are starting to embrace the game in stronger numbers. Junior golf is thriving. Finally blessed with decent Residents and the developer are still jousting at White Hawk in Bixby. weather in February, many public courses in Oklahoma reported having the strongest The pain associated with every course And as soon as there is a waiting list for a February in decades, showing the latent closing is real, but those that remain should good tee time again, let that be the norm bedemand for the game is strong. have a strong chance to thrive. fore we go rushing off to add more courses.

TEAMS, continued from page 29 own vehicle or a school-owned SUV for trips that are between 30 and 70 miles roundtrip for his kids to practice.

Schools all over the state are facing similar challenges. Coweta’s course closed recently, and its teams joined the crowd at Indian Springs in Broken Arrow.

Bixby started traveling there a couple days a week two years ago when the town’s course, White Hawk Golf Club, shut down.

“Our boys go there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our girls go Mondays and Wednesdays,” said Bixby boys coach Wes Coleman. “We also have our own complex that our former coach, Kem Morrow, built from the ground up, where we can have about 30 golfers, girls and guys, split into groups, with hitting bays and putting greens and outside chipping areas.”

Out at Tuttle, girls golf coach Kristen Finn will take her team over to the Tuttle Driving Range — the place most people in town know as the pasture behind the grocery store.

“We’ll practice there a day a week,” Finn said. “The other places we’ll go are Earlywine or J.R.’s Par 3 course in southwest Oklahoma City. We’ve driven to El Reno to play at Crimson Creek.

“We just have to get creative, because there’s nothing around us. It gets hard to travel everywhere, because sometimes, practice will take most of your evening.”

Tuttle teams regularly practiced at River Bend in Chickasha before it closed.

Places like Earlywine Golf Club have become magnets for high school teams, so finding space to practice on that facility can 30

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be difficult as well.

From Tuttle, it takes 30 minutes to get to Earlywine.

“A lot of times, we’ll be out there with Mustang, Westmoore, Southmoore,” Finn said. “At J.R.’s, several different schools use that, because they’ll let us play for free.”

That’s why the Tuttle Driving Range is so handy.

A school employee owns the property, which is just east of the school and within walking distance of the high school. The owner keeps it mowed for the team. The players set up flags that are marked for distances, or they can use their rangefinders to get accurate yardages.

“It’s just an open pasture,” Finn said.

“We’ve put out railroad ties to make tee boxes. People laughed at us, but some days, it was really nice to not have to travel an hour — 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back — because we got a lot more done. We could meet out there at 3 o’clock and we could get a good, solid practice in before we could’ve even gotten on the course at Earlywine.”

Rod Henning has fought that crowd for years. Now, he’s coaching middle school golfers at Southmoore, but he had a strong run with the girls teams at Mustang while he was there.

And even though the school was only a few miles away from Westbury Country Club — where Mustang players had practiced for years — ownership at the time wouldn’t let high school teams on the facility. Soon after, the course was sold to a real estate development group that had no interest in keeping the course operational.

Regardless, Henning’s Mustang teams

were forced to find somewhere else to practice. The closest place was Earlywine.

“Being a public course, it’s always supercrowded,” Henning said. “There have been times we’ve gone over there and couldn’t even get on the range, because it was full.

The chipping greens and putting greens were packed. So even when we went over there, it made it difficult to get a good practice in.”

The Mooreland golf programs have won eight state championships since 2004, with two for the boys and six for the girls. Yet when most of their players get to high school, they can’t afford clubs, much less a membership at Boiling Springs, the state park course about 15 minutes away on the edge of Woodward.

The teams still get to practice there, thanks to cooperative management at Boiling Springs. But just getting to the course is no easy chore.

“We still have to find ways to get out there,” coach and superintendent Terry Kellner said. “Some of our kids have a driver’s license and some of them don’t. So transportation is always a problem.”

The girls team has made the state tournament the last 19 years under the guidance of Kellner, who was only a recreational golfer when he was asked to oversee the program.

“After all the years of success we’ve had, the girls here understand that if you want to be highly competitive in golf, you have to play golf,” Kellner said. “The various managers at Boiling Springs have been incredible, because they know we don’t have a team without them.”

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H IGH SCHOOL PR EV I EW

Stars

without a season by scott wright

Andrew Goodman of Christian Heritage.

A

lthough they will not be able to com- Dowell pete for state titles, Golf Oklahoma wanted to recognize some of the top high school golfers as we would normally do in this early season issue.

Here is a look at our selections for the top-10 boys and girls players, plus other exceptional players that would have challenged the Jaxon Dowell top 10.

Boys 1. Andrew Goodman, Jr., Christian Heritage Runner-up in the super-competitive Class 3A state tournament a year ago, Goodman has made a name for himself on a national stage, with two victories and two runner-up finishes on AJGA events, also tying for seventh at the Rolex Tournament of Champions last November. Committed to the University of Oklahoma, he’s in the top 30 nationally.

2. Jaxon Dowell, Sr., Oklahoma Christian School You could make a case for 32

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Jordan Wilson

James Roller

as the No. 1 player in the state, Tech signee also carded a 69.2 stroke average over the OJGT season. considering he beat 5. Luke Morgan, Sr., Guthrie Goodman for the 3A The Baylor signee missed the title last season and had OJGT fall season because of ina 66.8 stroke average on jury, but is the reigning 5A chamthe OJGT. Dowell, compion. mitted to OU, is ranked 6. Charlie Jackson, Sr., Norman in the top 100 nationally North after winning the OGA Followed up a third-place finboys stroke and match Luke Morgan ish at the 6A state tournament by play championships last posting some low numbers on the season.

OJGT slate, finishing with a 70.1 3. Jordan Wilson, Jr., stroke average.

Edmond North 7. William Sides, So., Cascia The reigning 6A indiHall vidual champion, WilHas placed in the top 25 of his son is a top-150 player last five AJGA events, including a on the Rolex Junior Golf pair of top-five finishes last sumrankings. The Oklahoma State commit won Charlie Jackson mer to go with a 69.2 OJGT stroke average. the 2019 OGA Amateur 8. Jake Hopper, So., Norman Championship as well.

North 4. James Roller, Sr., ReAnother young player with gent Prep some impressive AJGA showings, The 2A champion in including three top-25s, plus a 2018, Roller moved up fifth-place finish at 6A state last to the 3A level and took season. third behind Dowell and 9. Bo Robbins, Sr., Guthrie Goodman. The Texas William Sides GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

up one stroke short in the Class 4A state tournament. She won the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association state championship and dominated the OJGT, where she never finished worse Maddi Kamas Jake Hopper than third and posted a scoring average of 71.8 — 2.5 strokes ahead of the next-lowest scorer.

2. Jenni Roller, So., Regent Prep Roller won the 2A Others to watch championship as a freshRyder Cowan, Fr., Oklaman last season, just like homa Christian School Jenni Roller her brother, James, had Hayden Hall, Jr., ReBo Robbins done the year before. She joice Christian followed that with a 76.5 Jackson Hoelker, Sr., scoring average on the Oklahoma Bible OJGT circuit and a pair of Drew Mabry, So., Holtop-10s in AJGA events. land Hall 3. Raychel Nelke, So., Craig Sanders, Sr., Pocola Crossings Christian A rising star on the Eric Schuessler, Sr., Stillwater girls golf scene, Nelke Dominic Stevens, Jr., Emily Miller Tres Hill primarily competes in Crescent AJGA and OJGT events.

Benjamin Stoller, So., Owasso She had four top-20 finBrayden Strickland, Sr., Lincoln Christian ishes — three of them Brett Wilcoxen, Sr., Owasso 11th or better — on the AJGA Tour last sumGirls mer, to go with mul1. Maddi Kamas, Jr., Kingfisher tiple OJGT wins in her Committed to Oklahoma City Univeryoung career. She had sity, Kamas won seven straight tournaan OJGT stroke average ments against all levels of competition Brooklyn Benn across Oklahoma last year before coming of 74.3, second-best of the season behind Kamas.

4. Emily Miller, Sr., EdRaychel Nelke of Pocola. mond North The third-place finisher at the 6A state tournament, Miller posted an OJGT stroke average of 75.2 in the fall. Bound for the University of Central Oklahoma, Miller helped Edmond North win the last two 6A team titles.

5. Brooklyn Benn, So., Oklahoma Christian School Emerging as a freshman last season, Benn won the OGA Junior stroke play and match play titles, then followed with a strong fall, posting the lowest round of the OJGT fall season with a 66 at Kickingbird in Edmond. Her runner-up finish at the 2A state tourAfter taking fourth at the 5A state tournament, Robbins followed it up with a strong OJGT season, posting a stroke average of 71.5.

10. Tres Hill, Jr., Elk City A fifth-place finisher at the 4A state tournament, Hill won the points title on the OJGT circuit in the fall.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

Reagan Chaney

Lilly Whitley

Olivia Coit

Sarah Sherrard

Kaitlyn Kennedy

nament led OCS to the team title.

6. Reagan Chaney, Plainview Following in the line of talented players from Plainview, Chaney won the 3A title last season and her team won for the third straight year.

She finished the OJGT year with a 75.3 stroke average.

7. Lilly Whitley, Jr., Edmond Memorial Whitley has more than a half-dozen wins in her young career, and tied for seventh at the 6A state championship last season before posting a 76.7 OJGT stroke average.

8. Olivia Coit, So., Edmond North Another talented sophomore, Coit stepped into the lineup as a freshman to help Edmond North repeat as 6A state champs. She took 11th individually and had a 75.5 stroke average last fall on the OJGT circuit.

9. Sarah Sherrard, Jr., Christian Heritage Took third at state in a stout 2A field behind Roller and Benn last season, and was one of 10 girls to post an OJGT stroke average below 80, coming in at 78.5 over 12 rounds.

10. Kaitlyn Kennedy,

Sr., Noble Took fourth individually at the 5A state tournament, helping Noble to a fourthplace team finish, one of its best performances ever in girls golf.

Others to watch Logan Allen, Jr., Perkins-Tryon Sara Armstrong, Sr., Crossings Christian Katelyn Bollenbach, Jr., Jenks Jordyn Clayborn, Sr., Hilldale Drew Dodgion, Sr., Guthrie Gracie Doke, So., Victory Christian Jade Kuykendall, Sr., Hilldale Mika Ramos, Sr., Bishop Kelley Lindy Ross, Jr., Plainview W W W.GOLFOKL AHOMA.ORG

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GolfSuites plans sweet time by ken macleod

N

New firm takes over FlyingTee in Jenks

ick Flanagan and the power- favorable lease with One Fire.

Some changes are cosmetic, others are ful investor group that leads GolfSuites had an interesting more fundamental. The tracking techdecision to make as they contemplated nology used to monitor and show the jumping into the competitive golf and en- shots hit was previously based on Top Tracer, which was purchased exclusively tertainment field.

Should they build their own brick and by Topgolf. GolfSuites will use Doppler Radar-based technology, mortar venue in a maras does Trackman and ket of their choosing, deother tracking systems. signed from scratch to be Otherwise the technolexactly what they want. ogy in the bays, including Or take over an existing the popular games such facility and mold it to as darts and the ability to their liking. play other courses in simTurns out there was a ulator mode, is the same. very nice facility in the Flanagan, who made FlyingTee in Jenks that his mark in the restaurant was available due to the industry as a senior vice previous owners moving president at Cracker Barin a different direction rel, has helped put togethand not resigning a lease er a team that includes with One Fire, which Nick Flanagan two former Topgolf exowns the building and all of the Riverwalk Crossing shopping ecutives in Scott McCurry, the former center. So GolfSuites pounced and the national director, and Tom LaPlante, the nation’s first GolfSuites is now open for former CIO. “We had a lot of internal debate but in business.

The differences between the FlyingTee the end we believed this would be a great presentation and GolfSuites are notice- venue to prove out our concepts,” Flanaable, particularly the pricing in the bays gan said. “And in the end this turnaround which is close to 50 percent less expensive situation has been rewarding in a lot of than it was previously thanks to a more ways. It’s ultimately propelled us in that 34

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when we do build our own facilities we’ll be further ahead. This opportunity is tremendous right here and now.”

Of course, Flanagan and his team never imagined they would be opening a golf eatertainment facility right in the midst of a COVID-19 viral outbreak that had most Oklahomans hunkering down at home in well into April. The facility was forced to shut down for an indefinite time frame after Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum’s directive that all restaurants and bars in Tulsa close.

An increased level of cleanliness and disinfectant use on the shared clubs and touch screens in the bays was in place before the shutdown and will become a staple of how it operates going forward.

Flanagan said the Jenks and Tulsa market, while perhaps not as large as they would look at for future facilities, is ideal in that the number of golfers in the area is huge.

“We have invested a lot of money in the facility and we think the market is ideal for it to thrive,” Flanagan said. “We believe in the Tulsa market and in the Jenks location.”

The menu will be new with lots of tasty bar fare and the outdoor 19th hole, with its large putting greens, games and outdoor bar, will be the site of more concerts including some national acts, Flanagan said.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

As for GolfSuites, the national plan is to compete in large markets whether or not they already are the site of a Topgolf or other competitor.

“We are focused on the Top-100 DMA markets,” Flanagan said, without specifying where the first GolfSuites would be built. “There’s a lot of white space out there. We think with our strong team of founding investors we can do really well.

We think we’ll have broader appeal from both the entertainment side and we’ll have a superior, more realistic golf experience.”

NOTES: The original developers of FlyingTee, including brothers John and James Vollbrecht of Oklahoma City and former director of instruction Tracy Phillips, have moved on with a smaller company called Flite.

“We’re now more of a tech company delivering our proprietary technology to existing driving ranges and new entertainment facilities,” Vollbrecht said. “We’re excited to help GolfSuites and the Creek Nation make that venue as successful as possible.”

Under Vollbrecht’s management, FlyingTee had more than 200,000 visitors annually.

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A grand history preserved

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by ken macleod

W

hen a club with a rich history of major championships such as Southern Hills decides to bring the legends to life, there was just one call to make.

Andy Mutch is a one-man historical restoration society for the great golf clubs of the United States and beyond.

Mutch was the director of the USGA Museum and Archives from 1989 to 2001 and since going out on his own his company Golf Curator has been overwhelmed with requests to help present each club’s history in a manner that will fascinate both members and guests.

At Southern Hills, Mutch got the call from General Manager Nick Sidorakis more than five years ago to help the club organize and document its archives and historical records. From this initial review, the decision was made to completely renovate the historical displays in the long hallway leading from the pro shop to the main living room.

That project is now complete, and the display of all 15 championships to be held at Southern Hills, including the hosting of three U.S. Open Championships, four PGA Championships, two Tour Championships, two U.S. Amateur Championships and four other USGA championship events, is museum quality and a treasure trove for history buffs.

“They did an amazing job,” Sidorakis said. “It’s beyond my expectations.”

Southern Hills historian Clyde Chrisman, left, with Andy Mutch of Golf Curator working on History Hall at Southern Hills.

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Each championship has a display, as do replicas of the major championship trophies awarded.

Along every step, Mutch had the invalu- ticular championship lacked sufficient ar- fill in the gaps. able assistance of club historian Clyde tifacts, pictures or memorabilia, it was his “And there were gaps,” Mutch said.

Chrisman. If it was determined that a par- job to contact the golfer or family and help “They had things sitting around that needed to be out but it all needed to be coupled with an acquisitions campaign. And that’s where Clyde has done an amazing job tracking down the past champions, asking for materials and having them delivered.

Then I get to put them in a display case.

That’s the easy part.”

Some of Mutch’s favorite items that were acquired for the new History Hall: • A full set of iron and woods from 1958 From small business to U.S. Open champion Tommy Bolt. large enterprise, from rural • The champions gold medal from 1987 communities to metropolitan U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion areas and wholesale connectivity, Cindy Scholefield.

• The Pro Staff golf ball Raymond Floyd Dobson connects you through used to shoot 63 in the opening round of his our own 3,700 mile state-of-the-art victory in the 1982 PGA Championship. fiber optic network. Your strategy, The new History Hall extends from the your choices, our product, pro shop back east past the locker room to one provider…that’s the power of the main hallway and lobby where another being truly connected. new treat awaits – brand-new display cases house replicas of all the major championship trophies won at Southern Hills in what will be called Trophy Hall.

The replicated trophies of the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Tour Championships alone cost close to $300,000 and there is just one individual authorized to duplicate both the PGA Championship and 1.855.5.DOBSON DOBSON.NET another for the U.S. Open trophies. Both INTERNET | VoIP PHONES | MANAGED IT those gentlemen are based in London. The Tour Championship trophies were dupli38

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

Babe Zaharias won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1946, Billy Mayfair the Tour Championship in 1995. tion and opening of Southern Hills, includ- promising to build a course where “chamcated by Tiffany and Co. Remaking of History Hall included tear- ing a letter from then-prospective architect pionship golf will be held.”

How right he was. ing out all the previous drywall, carpet and Perry Maxwell asking to be selected and handrails, rebuilding the hall with new display cases, wainscoting, lighting, paint and other touches. One could easily spend an hour soaking up the club’s amazing history 124 N Peoria Ave Tulsa, OK 74120 918.832.5544 with championship golf.

“You’ve got your rabbits and your turtles,” Mutch said. “Some guys will want to read every word and others just want to know the big picture.”

Mutch oversaw a restoration of the historical displays at Merion in 2002 and when he finished he had offers from Winged Foot, Pine Valley and Baltusrol waiting. A new career was off and running.

“That’s when I knew there were lots of clubs that needed this type of help,” said Mutch, who has gone on to work with close to 55 prominent country clubs. He ranks his experience at Southern Hills as among the best.

“The good news is you can walk into a situation and know how things can improve www.jonesplan.com rapidly,” Mutch said. “But you need a willing partner. I’ve done this with some clubs and you know that they would just rather not invest in their history. When I find a club BUILDER that is willing to invest in its history, it’s a treat for me. And this is one of those clubs.”

The next project is to complete a Founders Hall even closer to the main entrance than Trophy Hall. It will have documents and artifacts relating to the 1936 compleGOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

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DEST I NAT ION

Mexico TPC awaits Plan that next trip, it will happen

by art stricklin

LORETO, Mexico – Until 2019, the PGA Tour had not licensed a TPC (Tournament Players Course) in Mexico. The overwhelming success of the spectacular new TPCDanzante Bay near the tiny town of Loreto has changed that.

You can consider this one of the best American imports ever.

That’s what San Diego businessman Owen Perry, the co-owner of TPC-Danzante Bay, was planning when he opened the course and the resort a year ago.

“The PGA Tour approached us about having the first TPC in Mexico,” Perry said. “They thought it had a chance to be something special and we certainly agree. We were able to negotiate an agreement. It will continue to grow and get better and with the course and hotel, will continue to attract people.”

Like many great golf destinations (Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst, Whistling Straits to name

a few) it’s not exactly the easiest place to get to. The tiny Mexican town of Loreto is the closest village and the namesake of the only commercial airport in the region, with limited flights, located on the east coast of Baja, Mexico. But even that is a 45-minute car or van ride away from the resort.

It’s worth the drive. You arrive at a stunning, world-class site where veteran golf architect Rees Jones has crafted a brilliant, multi-themed 18-hole golf course that runs over and through valleys, arroyos, dunes, and foothills. The par-72 layout is testament to what happens when a talented golf architect meets a great natural site. The result is golf resort magic.

At this new resort, there is an inviting Villa del Palmar hotel and all kinds of under construction housing facilities with plenty to enjoy. TPC Danzante Bay is a prime amenity for guests and residents to enjoy the multistory, full-service destination resort community that shares its property with the

Loreto golf course.

While the hotel has all amenities you would expect – a huge resort pool, a nicesize Sabila Spa and gift store for all your trip necessities and beach items – the real amenity and draw is right next door with the golf course and grass putting course Jones designed to sharpen your short game.

The first sign of a great round to come is the large driving range facing a huge mountain canyon, a beautiful setting that is just a taste of the visual delights to come.

The course starts out plainly enough with a par-4 over sand and water, but it gets very interesting in a hurry. The green of the par-5 second hole sits at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff.

The par-3 third has views of huge mountains on the right and a dramatic bluff on the left. By the time you reach the par-4 No. 4

It took seven months to build the 17th hole at TPC Danzante Bay resulting in a spectacular par 3 perched on the edge of the coastal cliffs, 250 feet above the Sea of Cortez.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

The fifth hole, above, and the 15th hole, at right, prove that stunning views are not in short supply at Danzante Bay. hole, you’re in the middle of the surrounding Sierra de la Giganta Mountains, which can take your breath away, From there, it is one great hole after the next, all with spectacular backdrops and vistas.

Water is a predominant theme at the beginning of the back nine which begins near the clubhouse. The 14th hole begins a steady uphill climb. The course winds its way up to the summit, the tee box on the par-3 17th.

Jones designed the hole, which plays 165

yards from the back tees, with the green shifted to the left, literally hugging the rocks with the Danzante Bay and the Sea of Cortez hundreds of feet below. Anything left of the green is gone to a watery grave. Anything right is lost in the huge rock formations. Anything short can be snared by the bunker which rings the putting surface and long is gone as well.

In short, the perfect short hole layout for ultimate success or failure. With enough

golfing eye candy to send you onto an alltime sugar high or rushing to see when the next open tee time is.

While the saying, “you can’t get there from here” might have some truth to it, the effort to try and succeed will be greatly rewarded.

The future will bring more flights, more houses and more people. Yet to see TPCDanzante Bay in its most natural state is certainly a journey worth taking. Go to http:// tpcdanzantebay.com/ for more information.

Where one great course leads to another

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

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41

A RCH I T EC T’S COR N ER

Inspired by greatness at OKC G&CC

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hile growing Mackenzie encouraged and inspired Max- construction in 2019. I was able to be on site up in Atlan- well to create in ways Maxwell may have most every day. I was able to pay attention to the nuances of what we were working with, ta, I played a not to that point.

Mackenzie regularly pushed the envelope and pay attention to details as we worked, lot of courses designed

by Donald Ross. At and was not afraid to include interesting ele- with a clear mind of what we were after, like around 13, I became ments in his designs, especially in his greens never before.

Most importantly was how we restored infatuated with golf and the layout of holes. He was first and course design and Ross foremost focused on making the play of the and preserved the greens, which was very game vary from one hole to the next, leaving time consuming. We began the preservation was my hero.

Tripp Davis When I played golf something to talk about, if not admire. In this process by mapping the greens so that we for the University of Oklahoma, I became ex- way I have found he inspired Maxwell to be had exacting maps of the contours as they posed to Perry Maxwell. I thought Ross was more creative and varied in the work done existed. Then we could rebuild the greens really good at how he laid a course on the land at Oklahoma City – an interesting sequence from the ground up with the ability to check and how he created interesting strategy, but I of holes that are to be talked about if not ad- within one-tenth of an inch how close we realized pretty early on in my Maxwell experi- mired, continual variety, extraordinary use of were to the contours before we started. The ences that he was a genius at routing courses the land with subtle enhancement, and the restoration part of this occurred first in realizing the greens had shrunk over time and on the land and in creating greens that drove best set of 18 greens to be found anywhere.

Our work at Oklahoma City was largely we expanded them where needed, reclaimthe strategic character of a golf hole.

While I found Maxwell’s greens more in- about renovating the infrastructure to func- ing lost hole locations. Secondly, we paid very close attention to teresting as a whole, it where it was obvious was at Oklahoma City Maxwell had intended Golf and Country Club there to be a strategic that I saw something rehole location on a green, ally special. They were, at a time the greens and still are, maybe the were half as fast as they best set of 18 greens on can be now. We then a golf course I have ever restored those in a few seen – interesting, deselect portions of the manding, but rewarding. greens.

I use rewarding instead While I thought I was of fair because Maxwell at a point in my career realized that it is more when I was positioned important to reward well The rolling character of Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. to do my best work, thought out and executed strategic play by the player, than it is to be tion properly. We rebuilt the structure of old it ended up being a project where I learned greens, replaced an old irrigation system, and more than ever before. What Maxwell left, as purely fair.

I have always wanted to do work at Okla- replaced an old common Bermuda turf grass inspired in part by Mackenzie, was the best homa City Golf and Country Club. The tim- in the fairways and roughs that in some plac- classroom a golf course architect could have. ing was a good bit of good luck when I did es was descended from the original turf laid It was in this exploration and curiosity, in the setting of Maxwell working at his best, I found get the opportunity there. For 24 years, I had in the late 1920s.

I also saw our work as the restoration of my ability to do my best work. I have experibeen a golf course architect when in 2018 I was hired to prepare a Master Plan for the the strategic character of the course to fit enced this before on other projects, but never renovation, restoration and in a lot of respects the modern game, to restore the interest in as completely as I did here.

It was not me alone by any means, as the preservation, of a golf course I revered in the layout in subtle ways that moved parts a lot of ways. I had learned a lot and was in to be admired before being talked about, to we had an extraordinary group of talent inrecapture a style unique to the course and volved from my guys on site in Kyle Downs the position to do my best work.

Alister Mackenzie, the designer with Bob- its architectural linage, and to in part restore and shaper Jason Gold, golf course superinby Jones of Augusta National, had been listed and in part preserve the magical greens that tendent Nathan Neumann and his staff, the as Maxwell’s partner in the course’s design, may have been Maxwell at his best. Some Landscapes Unlimited staff that installed but I didn’t know how he was involved until will note the greens had been rebuilt in 1976, the irrigation, the Jones Plan staff that did a and resurfaced since, but in my learned opin- lot of detail work, and the work golf course I started to do research for the Master Plan.

Mackenzie considered Maxwell to be the ion and the opinion of some that have been builder LaBar Golf from New Jersey did with best U.S. golf course architect and formed an around since before ‘76, the greens as of 2018 most everything else. As importantly we had alliance with him to work on projects around were still pretty much intact to what Max- great support from General Manager Oliver Boudin and the club’s leadership. the country. As Mackenzie often did later well left.

Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club is Another bit of timing that was in part good in his career, he only made a few visits to Oklahoma City. He would leave his thoughts luck was being able to set my schedule so this a special place and I am proud to have done on design for others to implement. I believe would be the only large project we had under my part with a great team.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

I NST RUC T ION

Super Speed: A product that can be trusted to deliver

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hen I was asked what product was on the market today that I thought golfers should know more about, Super Speed came to mind simply because I know Jim Young it works from personal experience – I am not a paid endorser.

In addition to teaching and coaching, I play a full schedule of South Central PGA Club Professional events throughout the year. I’ll turn 50 this summer and over the last few years it’s become tougher and tougher to remain competitive, especially in those events where much of my competition is younger and hits it farther than I do.

I’ve worked on my fitness (despite appearances) and I’ve made some changes to my technique that have helped, but the thing that has made the biggest difference is my use of Super Speed. It’s utilized now by hundreds of men and women touring professionals around the world, including Phil

GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

Mickelson, and is quite simply the real deal.

The basic Super Speed “club” has a grip, shaft and cylindrical weight on the end. The standard set comes with three: one light, one medium and one heavy. Super Speed makes the sets in different weights for men, women, seniors, juniors (ages 11-14), “All-Stars” (ages 8-10), “pee-wees”(ages 5-7) and longdrive competitors. This year, the company added a counter-weight product to its lineup as well. A number of accessories are offered to go with the training protocol, including a very reasonably priced swing speed/launch monitor. Standard Super Speed sets retail for $199 and can be purchased on the company’s website or at a number of other retailers, including private clubs and golf shops.

Super Speed has taken great pains over the last few years to set up its training protocols as user friendly and simple. Basic, advanced, junior and pee-wee training programs are all listed

on its website and have videos showing what to do and just as importantly, what not to do so as to avoid injury and to maximize the effectiveness of training. In addition to the company’s online resources, its workforce travels all over the United States and around the world, training golf and fitness professionals in the use of Super Speed’s product and the science behind it.

I’ve utilized the basic Super Speed training protocol, which involves 39 swings and takes around 10 minutes, three times per week. Golfers make three swings with their dominant side (in my case right-handed) and three swings with their opposite side, swinging as fast as they can with the lightest shaft (green). Golfers repeat the process with the medium weight (blue) and then the heavy weight (red). The final three swings are made with the lighter weight on just the dominant side.

Super Speed calls its basic protocol Over-

See Super on page 44

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43

GOL F FI TN E SS

Exercise in place Workouts for home or away W

e all know the importance of having a golf-specific workout/fitness program. So as many gyms and fitness centers are shut down due to COVID-19, this is a great time to take care of your fitness program from your home.

Even though you aren’t playing golf as a career for millions of dollars, keeping your body strong and healthy is still important to anyone that takes golf seriously and wants to improve their game and overall health and fitness.

Don’t shelve it just because you possiClint Howard Golf Fitness Systems

bly can’t get to your local workout facility and/or aren’t able to play golf right now. If you’re not currently working out and doing a golf fitness program, it’s a great time to get started!

Here is a great, simple, total body athome circuit workout you can do with no equipment necessary.

1. Body Weight Squats 2. Push-ups 3. Plank Hold 4. Glute Bridge 5. Jumping Jacks or Squat Jumps 6. Side Plank (both sides) 7. Mountain Climbers Do each exercise for 30 seconds, 10-15

seconds rest between exercises, repeat 3-5 rounds.

Now make it happen and unleash your swing!

Clint Howard is the Owner/Director of Golf Fitness Systems and is recognized as one of the Top 50 Golf Fitness Professionals in the country by Golf Digest. PGA Tour Pros, Oklahoma State Men’s and Women’s golf, University of Tulsa golf, and many other collegiate and high school golfers, world long drive champions, and golfers of all levels go to Clint and Golf Fitness Systems to improve their body, and their game.

To learn more, call 918-296-7418 or go to www.

GolfFitnessSystems.com

From left clockwise, Skye MacLeod demonstrates squat from two angles, side plank, glute bridge, straight arm plank, pushup.

SUPER continued from page 43 speed Training. It has five levels that take around 20 weeks to complete. The idea works much like overtraining in other sports.

Most golfers, especially elite level players, do not play at maximum speed and rarely swing from the opposite side. I can’t speak for everyone else, but for me the workouts help create an awareness of speed potential that I simply didn’t recognize swinging a normal club, even swinging a driver as fast as I can. The left-handed swings for me made me concentrate on technique and got me moving in a way that I simply didn’t previously.

I saw speed gains right away. When I 44

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started, my ball speed with the driver was between 143-to-146 mph. Not long after, I was able to reach 148-to-150, which added around 8-to-10 yards. After working with the product over the past couple of seasons, my playing speed is back around 150-to-153 and when I max things out I can get close to 160, which is nice to see even if it’s not always practical to use just yet. Just for a frame of reference, the PGA Tour average ball speed is around 169 mph. Not all of my gains over the past couple of years have been due to Super Speed, but it’s been a huge contributor, which is why I feel so strongly about recommending the product.

Heads up – if you choose to purchase Super Speed, please consult the medical ex-

perts in your life to make sure that you are not going to cause yourself injury when using the product. I would also suggest checking in with your PGA Professional to ensure that your technique is being well served by the process.

Best of luck to you in this new golf season with your quest for more yardage and improvement across the board. As always let me know if I can help.

Sincerely, Jim Young, PGA Teaching Professional River Oaks Golf Club, Edmond, OK 405-630-8183 www.jimyounggolf.com @jpygolf GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

SCH E DU L E S & R E SU LTS : More at w w w.gol fok la homa.org OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION May 18-19: Spring Four Ball and Senior Four Ball, Golf Club of Oklahoma, Broken Arrow June 1-4: Junior Boys and Girls Championship, Kickingbird GC, Edmond June 16-19, Senior State Amateur, Belmar Golf Club, Norman June 22-24, Stroke Play Amateur, The Territory, Duncan July 6, State Amateur Qualifier, Lincoln Park West, OKC July 9, State Amateur Qualifier, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso July 21-23 State Amateur Championship, The Patriot, Owasso Aug. 3-4, Mid-Amateur Championship, Quail Creek G&CC, OKC Aug. 3-4, Senior Stroke Play, Quail Creek G&CC, OKC Aug. 12, Oklahoma Open qualifier, Oak Tree West, Edmond Aug. 20-22, Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree CC East, Edmond ALL-PRO TOUR May 13-16, Real Okie Championship, Muskogee Golf Club June 17-20, Supreme Lending Classic, The Club at Indian Springs USGA QUALIFIERS May 7, U.S. Open, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa June 30, Junior Amateur Qualifier, Jimmie Austin OU GC, Norman June 30, Girls Junior Amateur Qualifier, Jimmie Austin OU GC, Norman July 7, U.S. Amateur Qualifier, Kickingbird GC, Edmond July 29, Women’s Mid-Amateur, Oak Tree West, Edmond Aug. 11, Senior Amateur, Indian Springs GC, Broken Arrow Aug. 11, Women’s Senior Amateur, Indian Springs GC, Broken Arrow Aug. 13, Mid-Amateur, Tulsa Country Club, Tulsa Sept. 14, Men’s Four-Ball Amateur, Dornick Hills, Ardmore Sept. 14, Women’s Four-Ball Amateur, Dornick Hills, Ardmore OKLAHOMA JUNIOR GOLF TOUR Aug. 22-23, Kickingbird Fall Challenge, Edmond Aug. 29-30, Southlakes Junior, Jenks Sept. 6-7, John Conrad Labor Day Classic, Midwest City Sept. 12-13, Battle for Broken Arrow, The Club at Indian Springs, Broken Arrow Sept. 19-20, Lake Hefner Shootout, Lake Hefner North OKC Sept. 26-27, Earlywine Park Fall Classic, OKC Oct. 3-4, Muskogee Fall Classic, Muskogee CC Oct. 10-11, Best of the West Classic, Lincoln Park West, OKC Oct. 17-1 8 , OJGT Tour Championship, Shawnee CC Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Red River Team Challenge, Dornick Hills CC, Ardmore WOMEN’S OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION June 8-9, Stroke Play/Mid-Amateur Championship, The Territory, Duncan July 13, WOGA Fundraiser, Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow July 14-15, Junior Girls State Championship, Cedar Ridge CC July 20-23, State Amateur Championship, Golf Club of Oklahoma, BA Aug. 2-4, Fore State Championship, Canyon Farms GC, Lenexa, Mo. Aug. 17-18, Four-Ball Partnership, Shangri-La Resort, Monkey Island Sept. 21-22, WOGA Cup, River Oaks GC, Edmond GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2020

PGA SOUTH CENTRAL SECTION April 22-24, Assistants Match Play Championship, Shangri-La Resort, Monkey Island May 4-6, Senior Match Play, Lakeside GC, Stillwater June 15, Korn Ferry Tour Monday Qualifier, Sand Creek Station, Newton, KS and Auburn Hills, Wichita, Ks. June 29-July 1, Yamaha Match Play, Winter Creek GC, Blanchard July 13-14, SCPGA Professional, Golf Club of Oklahoma, Broken Arrow July 27-28, SCPGA Professional Championship, Reflection Ridge, Wichita Aug. 10-11, Yamaha Senior Section Championship, Gaillardia CC, OKC Nov. 2, Players Championship, Texarkana CC, Texarkana, Ark. SOUTH CENTRAL SECTION PLAYERS TOUR May 27-28, Wichita Open, Crestview CC June 8-9, Shawnee Junior Classic, Shawnee CC June 22-23, SC Junior PGA Championship, Club at Indian Springs, Broken Arrow June 29-30, Meadowbrook CC Junior Classic, Tulsa July 6-7, Fayetteville Junior Classic, Fayetteville CC July 13-14, Muskogee Junior Classic, Muskogee CC July 21-22, Stillwater Junior Classic, Stillwater CC July 27-28, SCPGA Senior Professional Championship, Reflection Ridge, Wichita Aug. 3-4, Walter Hopper Championship, Meadowbrook CC, Tulsa Aug. 9, The Oakley Cup, Shangri-La Resort, Monkey Island OKLAHOMA SENIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION May 4-5, Spring Medal Play Tournament, Shawnee CC July 13-14, 4-Ball Championship, Oakwood CC, Enid

Sept. 14-15, Fall Medal Play Tournament, Muskogee GC U.S. KIDS GOLF TOUR OKLAHOMA CITY March 22, Lake Hefner Golf Course March 29 Lincoln Park GC April 19, Earlywine Park GC April 26, Westwood Park GC, Norman May 3, Lake Hefner GC May 31, Westwood Park GC June 8, Kickingbird GC, Edmond June 14, Tour Championship, Lincoln Park TULSA March 8, Muskogee Golf Club March 29, South Lakes GC, Jenks April 19, LaFortune Park GC April 26, The Club at Indian Springs, Broken Arrow May 3, Heritage Hills GC, Claremore May 31, Broken Arrow G&AC June 7, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso June 14, Tour Championship, Cherokee Hills TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION May 2-3, TGA 4-Ball Stroke Play Championship, Battle Creek, Broken Arrow May 26-27, TGA Senior Stroke Play, LaFortune Park June 27-28, TGA Stroke Play Championship, LaFortune Park July 11-12, TGA 2-Man Challenge II, South Lakes Sept. 20, TGA One Day Low Net and two-man Low Net, blind draw, LaFortune Park Oct. 2, TGA Par-3 Member Guest or MemberMember, LaFortune Park Par-3 DRIVE, CHIP AND PUTT QUALIFIERS June 5, Sunset Hills GC, Guymon June 10, Lincoln Park GC, OKC June 24, The First Tee of Tulsa, Mohawk Park

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