2009 June / July Issue of South Central Golf

June-July 2009 Vol. 16, No. 3

MAGAZINE w w w. s o u t h c e n t r a l g o l f . c o m

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New Courses and Renovations Pinnacle..................................................8 Buffalo Hills..........................................10 Rose Creek. ...........................................11 South Lakes ..........................................12 Wichita course closes. ........................... 14 Winstar, Red River Valley..........................15 Jimmie austin hosts Public Links................18 Hunter Haas remembers summer of 1999....19 Destinations Eagle Creek & Downstream Casino. ..........13 Branson................................................21 Arkansas second in NCAA.......................29

Ken MacLeod Derek Hillman Adam Bode Jenk Jones Jr.

Contributing Writers Mal Elliot Barry Lewis Beck Cross David Holland John Rohde Art Stricklin Contributing Photographers Rip Stell Mike Klemme South Central Golf, Inc. 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Suite 200 • Tulsa, Okla. 74136 918-280-0787 • Fax - 918-280-0797 www.southcentralgolf.com • ken@southcentralgolf.com South Central Golf is the official publication of the South Central Section of the PGA of America, which includes all of Oklahoma, and southern Kansas. The magazine is endorsed by the PGA Midwest Section, and the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas state golf associations. South Central Golf is published five times annually, including our annual course directory. Subscriptions are $18 and are available by calling 918-280-0787 or on the website.

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

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

Departments 6 Around the Section 30 Schedules and Results On the Cover Aerial view of the new Payne Stewart Golf Club which opened in June in Branson, Mo.

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From the Publisher

The June-July issue of South Central Golf marks a change in our distribution.

From this issue forward, we will be adding courses in southest Missouri, including Springfield, Branson, Joplin and Carthage, as well as courses in north Texas, particularly the Red River Valley across the border from Oklahoma.

For those of you picking up this magazine for the first time in one of those areas, welcome to South Central Golf. We have been publishing a regional golf magazine covering Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Kansas since 1993. Our new distribution area is just a much more natural fit.

Our Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and southern Kansas readers want to know what’s happening and what the playing opportunities are across the borders in Texas and Missouri. And certainly viceversa. For example, our new North Texas readers will be interested in the Branson cover story, as there is now service from Dallas to the brand new Branson Airport.

You will find that South Central provides information on all aspects of golf. The printed magazine focuses on course news, personalities, regional travel, instruction and golf business, while our website www.southcentralgolf.com handles break-

ing news, tournaments, special playing opportunities and offers.

We encourage each of you to sign up for our weekly enewsletter, which not only provides the latest golf news from our correspondents throughout the region, but special offers from our sponsors and advertisers.

South Central Golf publishes four editorial issues – April-May, June-July, Aug.Sept. and Oct.-Nov. We also publish an annual directory of the courses in the region in February. That directory is also online, as are past issues of SCG. Although South Central Golf is a free publication, you can ensure timely delivery to your home for just $18 for a full year. And you will see on our website that we also offer a special rate that includes a copy of the PGA Golf Passport offering free or reduced rate golf at more than 200 courses in the area.

Please do not hesitate to call myself or any SCG staffer with any comments, questions or suggestions at 918-280-0787.

We are always open to story ideas and golf news and information. You can also email us at info@southcentralgolf.com.

Thank you for reading and see you on the links.

Ken MacLeod, Publisher

AROUND THE SECTION Ryder Cup gift starts new program at OU course It helps to have a former player on the Ryder Cup team.

The Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Course received a check for $90,000 to fund a Play Golf America University course. The money was donated by former OU golfer Anthony Kim as part of the 2008 Ryder Cup Outreach Program through the PGA of America.

The Play Golf America University is a program designed to teach and engage students in the game of golf. John Johnson, a PGA teaching professional at Jimmie Austin, will administer the program. He hopes to have

Cimarron Grubb, vice president of the South Central Section, presents the award to John Johnson and Rodney Young from Jimmie Austin.

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20 students per semester involved.

“We want to invite students in to give them an opportunity to understand the game of golf and how it can help them in the business world,” Johnson said. “We not only want to teach them the game, but also bring in business leaders to show them how important the game can be to business.”

Johnson said the golf course, which is owned by the University of Oklahoma, eventually would like the PGA course accredited so students will be more apt to take it for credit hours.

The check was presented by Cimarron Grubb, vice president of the PGA South Central Section, to Johnson and Rodney Young, the director of golf at Jimmie Austin.

Although the initial donation will get the program off the ground, Johnson said he will work to get other businesses involved in future funding. Of course, he will also be cheering for Kim to be on the Ryder Cup team for years to come.

“Right now, the PGA only funds this if you have a player on the Ryder Cup team, and hopefully Anthony will be for years to come, but we want it to grow and get the community involved so we’re not dependent on that.”

South Central Golf Magazine

AROUND THE SECTION Rain, rain go away

Rain was at best a nuisance and at worst a devastating force for South Central Section courses in April and May. The Tulsa area received 21 consecutive days of rain at one point, depressing rounds and sales of equipment and apparel.

Just to the north in Pryor, a devastating 11 inches of rain fell in one 24-hour span, resulting in the flooding of Pryor Creek Golf Course. Head pro Dennis Bowman said the water receded quickly, leaving behind a lot of debris but no permanent damage.

That wasn’t the case at the nearby Patriot Golf Club under construction in Owasso.

On May 1, four inches of rain in a three-hour span caused flooding that destroyed several bridges, washed away the sod on three fairways and left enough silt on greens that six full greens and parts of others had to be reseeded, according to head professional David Bryan.

Fortunately the construction crew from Landscapes Unlimited was still on site and able to redo the work, including making improvements to the drainage systems.

The Robert Trent Jones II design, originally slated to open July 4, 2009, will now open sometime late this fall or in the spring of 2010.

The other noticeable affect of the rain at

many courses is that those with common “I didn’t realize the extent of good work Bermuda fairways have been slow to fill in they were doing or we would have been this spring. Bermuda loves rain, but not the supporting this earlier,” Wooten said. “The cool nights and cloudy days that accompa- program Janice is running is amazing.” nied it this spring.

Philippo has been in the program for five years and has progressed as a golfer First Tee of Tulsa to the point where he recently accepted a golf scholarship to Northeastern State Uniawards scholarships versity in Tahlequah, Okla. He is the eighth The Jo Bob Hille Memorial Scholarship youngster to receive a golf scholarship since rewards a deserving youngster in the First the program’s inception in 2001.

Tee of Tulsa program with $10,000 towards higher education and this year that went to Jeremy Phillippo of Inola. The scholarship is presented annually to a student who has demonstrated leadership, continued their involvement in The First Tee program and displayed the core values inherent to the game of golf. The scholarship was established and is provided by Tulsa’s Hille Foundation.

In addition, the Oklahoma Golf Course Superintendents Association awarded its first annual scholarship of $1,000 to Kristen Perrin of Tulsa. The Union High School senior will be attending the University of Arkansas in the fall and studying bio-medical engineering.

Mike Wooten, vice president of the Oklahoma Superintendent’s Association, said he recently spent time with Gibson and was over- First Tee scholarship recipients Kristen Perrin and Jeremy Phillippo. whelmed by the positive work being done.

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South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations

PINNACLE of success Membership rolls swell as course reopens to acclaim

The 18th hole at the newly renovated Pinnacle Country Club in northwest Arkansas.

By Ken MacLeod Defying the economic tumult, Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers reopened in early June with a net gain of more than 50 new members after an extensive redesign by architect Randy Heckenkemper.

Yes, you read that correctly. While country clubs across the country are hemorrhaging members, Pinnacle added significant membership while the course was closed.

How? Many factors were at work. One, current members were pleased by the proposed changes and by what they witnessed and talked up the club to friends. Second, Pinnacle worked hard to dispel a misconception that one had to live in the gated community surrounding the course in order to be a member.

Third, the club picked up some members from nearby Springdale and Fayetteville country clubs while those two were recovering from massive ice storm damage.

A recent look at the renovation suggests Pinnacle should be able to keep its membership rolls elevated.

Heckenkemper, the Tulsa-based architect who also designed nearby Stonebridge Meadows, was tasked with updating the 1991 Don Sechrest design, adding length, enhancing strategic options and improving the playing surfaces and aesthetics. Superintendent Todd Towery and his crew, along with the construction firms of Landscapes Unlimited and Jones Plan, brought the plans

to life. Towery’s crew also added numerous landscaping and beautification projects outside the scope of the renovation, which members will enjoy.

The thorough renovation included repositioned greens and tee boxes, all new grasses including Zorro zoysia sodded in the fairways, a blend of bluegrass and fescue in the roughs and on the greens a new bent grass Tyee, which has consistently outperformed all others in USGA testing over the past five years.

The greens, tees and roughs were superb for opening. The zoysia needs a few weeks of hot growing season, of which it had very little in the cool, rainy spring.

All of the changes should be in full flower by the time of the P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas LPGA Classic Sept. 7-13.

Pinnacle, originally designed by Don Sechrest, had dropped off the state rankings in recent years and the membership had stagnated, partly due to inconsistent playing conditions and partly to the perception that one had to live in the gated community to be a member.

Membership director Jennifer Pape used a simple strategy to counter that; she hung up signs that said you don’t have to live here to play here.

Combined with the excitement over the renovation, Pinnacle had signed up an amazing 76 members by late May, more than making up for those lost to the economy and/or the renovation.

“Every day we’re getting inquiries on our

website and phone calls,” Pape said. “It’s been beyond belief.”

“The members are out there in the evening in their carts, talking about how they’re going to play this hole or that hole,” said Pat Hennessey, the general manager. “They’ve very excited.”

Many architects claim after a renovation that the new course is harder for the good players and easier for the higher handicap

Laser-leveled tee boxes and all new turfgrassses are among the improvements.

South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations players. In this case, it’s true and here’s one example of how Heckenkemper accomplishes this.

The 443-yard par-4 fourth hole has a stream to the right of the green. Short of the green, there is a strip of tall fescue to the right, which will stop balls hit short from rolling into the creek. However, longer drivers must choose between the safe option of driving down the left side, but then facing a second shot that could roll across the green and down the closely mown bank into the water, or driving up the right side and leaving a much better approach to the green.

The risk in that is there are trees and the stream awaiting any ball that drifts right of the fairway.

“There will be less tolerance for missed shots,” said Towery. “From a strategic standpoint, we think the course will be really improved.”

The course will again welcome raters from Golf Digest and Golfweek magazines and believes it should again be a top-five course in the state. The competition is much tougher these days since the openings of The Alotian Club near Little Rock and The Blessings in Johnson, as well as the continued improvement of many of the courses in Hot Springs Village. Pinnacle should be in the mix.

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Architect Randy Heckenkemper and superintendent Todd Towery worked together on the renovation.

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Mike Hudson, club president and son of founder James T. “Red” Hudson, pumped more than $6 million into the renovation and so can be forgiven for putting an impossible standard on Towery with his quote in the club’s press release announcing the renovation.

“Thanks to Randy, we’re going to have perfect greens, perfect fairways and perfect tees and this is what we want for our members,” Hudson said.

Patrick Moriarty Oklahoma patrick_moriarty@acushnetgolf.com Tina Wiswedel Kansas tina_wiswedel@acushnetgolf.com

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Southern Hills Country Club Hosts The U.S. Amateur Championship

August 24-30, 2009 Tickets and Volunteer Opportunities on the website.

www.2009USAmateur.com South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations

Buffalo Hills

Where the future and past meet

By David Cobb Buffalo Hills Golf Course, now a popular public venue that was originally built as Pawhuska Golf and Country Club, is located in a part of northeastern Oklahoma with one foot planted firmly in the future and another grounded in an area rich in history.

Located in the city of Pawhuska on the doorstep of The Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve where about 2,600 of its namesake roam free, this 9-hole golf course has a rich past of its own. The course opened in 1922, and recently, after extensive research, Chris Clouser, author of “The Midwest Associate,” a comprehensive look into Perry Maxwell’s body of golf-course design, listed the course as one of Maxwell’s earliest works.

The course begins on a subtle note with a 309-yard, slightly bending dogleg left par-

Some exceptional views can be found on this old Perry Maxwell gem.

4 with a bunker crossing the fairway and fronting the green. That is followed by a simple par-3 where the only danger comes in play if you severely go right into the native vegetation or well over the green into a stand of trees.

Don’t let this placid start fool you, for while Buffalo Hills echoes the simplistic design traits of early Maxwell courses it is not

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without its own exciting challenges. Varying tee arrangements not only allow for golfers of different skill levels, but also enable the course to be played as a second nine. A few of these tee setups make a profound difference in the way the holes are played.

For example, from the front set of tees the par-4 third hole plays 329 yards, but the back tees are elevated and extend the hole to 400 yards and bring dense trees that line the right side more into play. One unique aspect of this hole is also found behind the green where a narrow bunker is just about all that separates it from the fifth green.

Things then become quite unsettling from the fourth tee where you face a severe dogleg left 369-yard par-4. There is a large pond fronting the tee box and trouble all the way down the left side, with out-of-bounds to the right requiring precision play regardless of the strategy you choose. There is also the option here of a peaceful stroll to the other side of the water hazard to the forward tees.

At 204 yards the par-3 fifth also requires a heroic tee shot that must carry a pond that extends from the teeing area to about half the distance of the hole. The oval shaped green is one of the largest on the course and lightly rests on the top of a knoll. When Frank Lorenzo, principal and managing partner, took over the property, one of the many improvements that were made was the re-grassing of the Bermuda fairways and bent-grass greens, which are in excellent condition. Other upgrades include a new fleet of golf carts that were scheduled to arrive in June.

The next two holes offer a couple of the best approach shots on the course. The sixth hole leaves no mysteries from the tee as the elevated and handsomely placed green echoes that of other Maxwell endeav-

South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations ors. The seventh hole climbs uphill, and if you play the back tees you start this adventure with a blind tee shot that must be shaped back to the right to avoid a tallgrass native area to the left. The profoundly sloping green is one of the best on the course.

The 312-yard par-4 eighth hole runs the length of the southernmost edge of the property and offers fine views of Pawhuska.

The charming downtown area includes 82 buildings that comprise a district on the National Register of Historic Places. Other attractions include Immaculate Conception Church with its 36-foot-tall stained glass windows and The Osage Tribal Museum.

At 665 yards, Buffalo Hill’s par-5 ninth hole is Oklahoma’s longest. This hole gently flows downhill, bending from left to right, skirting a dense forest to the east before straightening and plunging suddenly onto a smooth plain where a slightly elevated green awaits your approach. While you can expect any hole of this length to be challenging, the ninth hole also delivers a very pleasant walk through the heart of the property. It is here where you can perhaps most appreciate Maxwell’s minimalist golf philosophy. Move as little dirt as possible and make the most with what the land has given you.

A visit to Buffalo Hills won’t be complete if you don’t try the fine food in the restau-

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Next door is the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. rant, which of course includes a buffalo burger. The full-service restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and hosts many area events.

In addition to Pawhuska’s history, the continually growing interest in the golden age of golf course design during the 1920’s, Perry Maxwell and the presence of an ecotourism jewel like the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve during a surging “green movement” should leave Buffalo Hills with a bright future.

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We’ll make sure your tournament runs smoothly and effectively from start to finish.

Feel free to drop by and pick up your Free Gift & Tournament Planner to get you on the right track.

6218 S. Lewis Ave., Suite 200 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74136 918-280-0787 adam@southcentralgolf.com

Rose Creek

New owners have big plans

By Ken MacLeod Major improvements including a new clubhouse are in the planning stages for Rose Creek Golf Course in Edmond under new owner Tour 18 Inc. of Houston.

Tour 18, owned by Dennis Wilkerson, developed and sold the Tour 18 replica courses in Houston and Flower Mound, Texas.

The company now owns and manages two courses near Houston, Augusta Pines and Gleannlock Pines, both in Spring, Texas.

Greg Saul, director of golf for both facilities, is an Oklahoma State graduate and worked at Lake Hefner Golf Course in Oklahoma City for Alsie Hyden. He will be supervising the management and golf operations as they get under way at Rose Creek.

The new head professional will be Chad Lamb, formerly the first assistant at The Greens Country Club in Oklahoma City.

Lamb is a Class A PGA member and this will be his first job as a head professional.

The facility was designed by Arthur Hills, formerly operated by Troon Golf and owned

South Central Golf Magazine

by Melrose Development, which pulled out last winter, leaving Tour 18 to negotiate the purchase with a bank.

Saul said his company would operate the course as an upscale daily fee but with an aggressive membership program with the goal of becoming a private country club one day.

The first step in that direction will be the construction of an 11,000-square foot clubhouse. The facility has been operating out of temporary facilities since it opened in 2003.

On the course, the maintenance budget will be doubled this year from $500,000 to $1 million. Improvements will include bunker renovation, new walk mowers for the greens, added landscape features and resodding of at least two greens.

A new golf cart fleet will also be purchased.

The maintenance staff will grow from five to 11, including a machinist, allowing for more thorough maintenance practices.

Membership packages are available

A new clubhouse and on-course improvements are planned at Rose Creek. with more information at http://rosecreek. tour18inc.com.

The clubhouse, which will include lockerrooms for men and women, a grand hall and dining, as well as a large veranda overlooking the course, will commence in September.

11

New Courses and Renovations

South Lakes Anniversary of success story

By Ken MacLeod When South Lakes Golf Course in Jenks, Okla., opened to the public on April 29, 1989, it was guaranteed to be an instant success.

Just by picking up overflow rounds in the overcrowded Tulsa market it would succeed. If it managed to attract a following of its own, so much the better.

South Lakes attracted more than 44,000 rounds the first year and that figure swelled to between 56,000 and 58,000 on average from 1992-94, with an all-time high of 58,100 in 1994.

Golfers of all types appreciated South Lakes. Seniors loved the speed of play and the lack of intimidating distances. Juniors and women also. Yet mid- to low-handicap players found enough of a challenge to keep them coming back as well.

However, much has changed in the inter-

South Lakes has been a model of success for municipal courses. vening 20 years, including the addition of an additional 207 holes to the Tulsa metropolitan area golf market. Courses including Forest Ridge, White Hawk, Battle Creek, Bailey Ranch, Scissortail, Emerald Falls, Broken Arrow Golf & Athletic Club, Owasso Golf

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& Athletic Club, The Woods, Lit’l Links and the Links at Bixby have all opened since South Lakes. A few others, such as Deer Run and Glen Eagles, have come and gone in that time.

There is no longer a need for South Lakes.

Yet the demand is still rampant.

In what is now a fiercely competitive market, the “little” course in Jenks, built on just 129 acres next to the Jones Riverside Airport, is more than holding its own. While no course in the state averages in excess of 50,000 rounds annually, South Lakes pulled in 44,582 in 2008 and is on pace to match or exceed that number in 2009. It is consistently in the top three courses in the state in terms of rounds played.

This type of success, when many other public courses are striving hard to break the 30,000-round barrier, is no accident.

It started with a crafty design by Randy Heckenkemper, his first course since leaving the employ of Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf the previous year and starting his own design firm.

Equally important has been a consistent level of conditioning, service and amenities offered.

Paul Ridings has been the head professional since opening day, coming over from an assistant position to Jerry Jones at LaFortune Park. He worked first for Jones and later for Pat McCrate, whose company contracts with Tulsa County to run both of its facilities at South Lakes and LaFortune Park.

The county is another key component in

Please see S. LAKES, Page 29

South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations

Eagle Creek, Downstream team up at the border

By Ken MacLeod

Golfers are familiar with the Loma Linda resort near Interstate 44 just over the Oklahoma state line in southwest Missouri.

And the name Downstream Casino is probably familiar through advertising. Or perhaps you’ve seen the 12-story, 222-room luxury hotel towering off to the east at the confluence of the state lines of Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

Perhaps you didn’t know, however, that the two are now connected.

Renamed the Eagle Creek Resort, the golf courses at the former Loma Linda are now available to guests at Downstream as part of stay-and-play packages.

The north course at Eagle Creek is currently open and in excellent condition according to head professional Larry Brewer.

It has recently been updated with more than $3 million in improvements, including new cart paths, bridges and other landscaping improvements. Further work is planned on to update the irrigation system and bunkers.

“We’ve put a lot of emphasis into improving the greens and it’s looking beautiful,” Ramsey said.

The South Course, as you may have read

previously, is closed pending a major renovation including a redesign by John Daly.

There is no announced time frame for this work.

Downstream Casino is in Oklahoma and is owned by the Quapaw Tribe. The $301 million resort opened July 5, 2008, and includes a state-of-the-art gaming room with 2,000 slot machines and 30 table games, a poker room and race book, five restaurants, two full bars, an outdoor pool with an enormous deck replete with fireplaces, hot tubs and a fire pit, a business conference center and a 2,000-seat event center.

“It’s really a very high-tech casino resort and virtually smoke free thanks to our ventilation system, which changes the air out of the entire building every six minutes,” said Kato Moy, vice president of marketing.

Guests interested in including golf as part of a visit to Downstream can go to www. The new Downstream Casino is a Las Vegas style downstreamcasino.com or call 918-919-6000. wonder.

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New Courses and Renovations

The Kansas Beat Mal Elliot

It is a rarity in Kansas for a golf course to close. Since World War II many golf courses have been added to the availability of layouts in the state, particularly in Sedgwick County, of which Wichita is the county seat.

But a closing is almost unheard of.

One can count on one hand the number of Kansas courses that have gone out of business since 1945. A large number of courses failed in the 1930s after a frenzy of course building in the 1920s. Those failures were primarily caused by the Great Depression and WWII, which created a shortage of manpower and materials such as rubber and gasoline.

Wichita recently lost one course and could lose another in the next year or two.

Kansas courses have a record of longevity.

Only one layout of significance has closed since WWII. Junction City Country Club went under within the last decade.

This year, Twin Lakes Golf Course, a Floyd Farley design located in Wichita on McConnell Air Force Base, was converted to a wildlife preserve. The course was opened in 1960. The land is being converted

Twin Lakes converted to wildlife preserve to a wildlife area named in memory of the base’s vice commander who died in 2008.

Also, if the plans of Wichita developer Mike Loveland come to fruition Wichita’s Echo Hills Golf Course, one of the oldest layouts in the state, will become a shopping center. Loveland is working to deal for the land on which Echo Hills is situated.

National Golf Foundation records show that in 2008, for the first time since NGF began keeping records, course closings outnumbered new course openings 106 to 72 nationwide. While Kansas courses are remarkably stable, could it be that national trends are catching up with Kansas?

The possible closure of Echo Hills would not be due to business failure. It is one of the more popular courses in the city, with a picnic area and dining facilities for businesses and groups. It also attracts senior golfers because it is not a demanding facility to navigate.

Prior to 1930, there were 20 courses opened in Sedgwick County. Only seven of those are still in existence. Echo Hills is one of the seven. The others folded almost 70

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years ago.

“I was saddened to learn about the closing of Twin Lakes,” said Gary Navarro, head professional in the early days when the course was getting started.

In those days Twin Lakes conducted several tournaments and for a while took its turn hosting events sponsored by the Wichita Golf Association.

Navarro said the early days were fun because the base commander was a gung-ho golfer who went all out to see that the facility got what it needed to succeed. Navarro said the problem with a military golf facility is that it is a victim of the whims of those in charge.

“We made a little money, but the real purpose was to support the airmen who are there to defend our country. Sometimes I don’t think we do enough for them.”

The origins of Echo Hills are difficult to nail down, but research shows it was created prior to 1930 on a site north of Wichita.

It is accessible off I-135, which cuts through the center of Wichita. To the west of the course is Wichita’s Broadway Avenue. Echo Hills was a sand-greens course until 1980 when owner Bert Henderson converted it to grass greens and has added a new clubhouse, watering system and other improvements.

The possible conversion of Echo Hills to a shopping area is at least a year or two away, according to developers, because Loveland is preoccupied with his primary project, the $50 million Parkstone at College Hill residential development in uptown Wichita, part of which was to open May 31.

Cottonwood Hills Golf Club, a Nick Faldo design east of Hutchinson, closed temporarily last winter but is reopened with new financing.

Kansas has a strong track record when it comes to healthy golf course operations.

Golfers in Wichita and Sedgwick County have access to more golf holes per capita than most metropolitan areas in the nation.

There are 18 courses in Sedgwick County and other quality layouts in neighboring counties. Some worry that the area is overbuilt in golf courses.

Sedgwick County has a population of more than half a million. With 306 holes on 18 courses, there is one hole for every 1,555 residents, which ranks among the highest in the nation.

Wichita’s five municipal courses have complained about a decrease in the number of rounds played, but they have the advantage of being publicly owned, with breaks on taxes and cost of water and other expenses. So they are not likely to go under.

For the time being, Wichita golfers have abundant choices when they decide to play.

South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations

New Nine at Winstar

compact sitting in a valley, plus it had to have some waste areas with a resort feel,” Weibring said.

Because his daughter was going to the University of Oklahoma, en route to seeing her he would stop by and check on Winstar to see the layout progress.

The results have been so well received rooms is set to open Sept. 1 next to the con- that the new nine became a necessity. stantly expanding casino complex. With the “They had very good sandy soil there and already existing Microtel and Best Western it was great to play in the sand and craft a Hotels on site, the casino will now offer course which looked natural and was so more than 550 rooms with a Holiday Inn Ex- well received, especially after dealing with press under construction as well. the (harder) soils we have in north Texas,” Country signer Toby Keith has one of his Wolfard added. signature I Love This Bar & Grill restaurants Their job at Wichita Falls Country Club, under construction as well.

The land for the new nine will include several holes that wind through hardwood tree stands and several that are more open.

Weibring and Wolfard, who last month received high praise for their redesign of the TPC Four Seasons during the Byron Nelson, have also completed a major redesign of Wichita Falls Country Club.

Northern New Mexico’s Combined with the Jeffrey Brauer redo finest alpine golf of the city-owned Weeks Park course in Wichita Falls, golf in the Red River Valley course opens May 9th! has taken a giant step forward.

Weibring, who has a 30-year professional golf career, said it’s important to listen to several different voices in building a course so they get a well-rounded point of view for a layout, which is enjoyable for all kinds of golfers.

He said he enjoyed working on Winstar because he was bringing a public facility to a place where there wasn’t a lot of golf before.

“It had to be playable, it had to be fairly

Wichita Falls, Weeks Park renovated From Staff reports The ever-growing empire of Winstar Casino and Resort just north of the Red River on Interstate 35 in Thackerville, Okla., will soon be adding an additional 400 hotel rooms and nine holes.

Construction began in early June on an additional nine holes, designed by orginal architects D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard and built by Wadsworth Construction. Once ready for play in August of 2009, the new nine will blend into the original 18 to create three nines.

The original front nine will be called the East Nine. The West Nine will consist of hole 10, followed by six of the new holes, then finish on what are now holes 11 and 12.

The third nine will begin with current hole 14, followed by three new holes, and finish with holes 14-18.

The additional holes will be a boon to director of golf Mike Hammond, who has witnessed the course improve its rounds by close to 20 percent annually since opening in 2006.

“This gives us a lot of options when we have events,” Hammond said. “We’ll still be able to get golfers out on nine holes even if we have an event taking up much of the course.”

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South Central Golf Magazine

come up for air

15

New Courses and Renovations which opened in December 2008, was a bigger challenge in many respects. The course, which opened in the 1940s, had at least six different architects and renovations done and the goal for Weibring-Wolfard was to tie all the varying styles together.

“It was tough getting all the history put together, but it was clear they had three or four different kinds of architectural styles thrown together at the course,” Wolfard said. “We were trying to get a consistent theme for the course, to get a brand.”

To achieve that look on the par-71 layout they added a new lake on the course along with some additional mounding.

“The main thing is to listen to all the partners in the project.” Wolfard added. “We added all new tees and bunkers at Wichita Falls and it looks much cleaner and more polished.”

That was also the goal for Arlington architect Jeffrey Brauer, who set about to renovate the public Weeks Park facility in Wichita Falls that hosted generations of top Texas and Oklahoma junior golfers in the annual summertime Texas-Oklahoma tournament, better known as the TO. The result at the city-owned facility long played by local residents at bargain prices, was startling.

“There weren’t two trees together on that

course and now there are seemingly hundreds,” said longtime Wichita Falls sports editor Nick Gholson.

“It’s just amazing what they did and how nice it looks now compared to the old course.”

Weeks Park even gained a new name, The Champions Course at Weeks Park, along with the same discount prices.

Lake Kiowa Golf Course, located near the Texas-Oklahoma border outside of Wichita Falls, will be shut down for three months this summer for a series of renovations which will change the grasses on the fairways, tee boxes and greens.

“We feel its time,” said Scott McCrory, head professional of the 1969 layout, originally designed by Texas architect Leon Howard.

The course closed in early June and was scheduled to re-open on September 4th for Labor Day. Changes include new 419 Bermuda grass on the fairways and tee boxes of the 18hole, par 72 course which measures 6,605 yards from the back tees.

The greens are also being changed from bent grass to mini-Verdi to better adapt to the Northeast Texas conditions.

“We hope when we re-open we will have a much better looking course,” McCrory said.

The Old American Golf Club at The Tribute -- designed by Tripp Davis and PGA TOUR/Ryder Cup star Justin Leonard -- is on track to open this fall.

The course was formerly referred to as “The New Course” in complement to The Tribute’s existing “Old Course,” a Davis design featuring holes inspired by the great Scottish golf courses on the British Open rota.

“Tripp, Justin and Matthews Southwest felt that ‘Old American Golf Club’ captured the spirit and essence of the design and what we are attempting to convey to the golfer, thematically,” says Jack Matthews, president of Matthews Southwest.

“The Old American Golf Club focuses on emulating design techniques from the great American courses that were designed with strategic interest as the foundation,” says Davis. “Stylistically, we took cues from how these early American designs created strategic interest via features.”

The course’s natural contours, hazard styles, native grasses and green shapes conjure images of such storied masterpieces as Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links, Prairie Dunes and Crystal Downs. Davis and Leonard toured and played a handful of America’s classic “Golden Age” designed golf courses prior to starting the design process for the Old American Golf Club.

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17

A great challenge Public Links comes to OU

When the USGA Public Links Championship comes to the Jimmie Austin Golf Course July 13-18, don’t expect to see the public-course chiseler in the next group over on Saturday morning vying for the title.

Whether public links or both public and private as in the U.S. Amateur in August at Southern Hills, these tournaments are dominated by flatbellies, usually the kind that attend a major university on a golf scholarship and thus are essentially playing and training year-round, getting ready for the next level Trevor Immelman (1998), Hunter Haas (1999), Brant Snedeker (2003), Ryan Moore (2002 and 2004), D.J. Trahan (2000) – these well-known PGA Tour players are your typical winners of the Public Links Championship.

That’s bad news for most true public-

www.ougolfclub.com 405.325.6716 18

The Jimmie Austin OU course hosts the USGA Public Links Championship July 13-18. Photo by Rip Stell course golfers, but probably good news for the spectators attending the championship at Jimmie Austin and hoping for a glimpse of, if not the next Tiger Woods, at least the next Colt Knost (2008).

When the championship began in 1922, it did afford public-course golfers the chance to show off, and half of the original 140-man field arrived without golf shoes. Though it continues to attract everyone from bartenders to bus drivers, and last year from ages ranging from 16 to 56, it has also produced luminaries such as Ken Venturi, Tommy Bolt, Tony Lema, Dave Marr, Bobby Nichols and George Archer among its champions.

This year’s field will have an opportunity to test itself on a much-improved course pushed to nearly 7,400 yards for the championship.

Jimmie Austin was originally a Perry Maxwell layout that lacked nothing except a watering system. A redesign in 1996 by Bob Cupp added complete irrigation for the first time, but horrified some Maxwell purists by changing the routing significantly on all but three holes.

Be that as it may, the combination of Cupp and Maxwell holes makes for a long and challenging course that, with some strategic risk-reward holes mixed in, should make for an entertaining match-play venue.

The tournament begins July 13-14 with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying for a field of 156. The top 64 will advance to match play on Wednesday July 15. The match-play champion will be crowned on Saturday.

Jimmie Austin has undergone a major sprucing up before it greets some of the country’s top amateurs.

All the tee boxes have been rebuilt, all bunkers reshaped and replaced with new sand and liners. All the greens have been

rebuilt using an A1-A4 blend of creeping bent grass. The clubhouse has undergone a major spring cleaning with new paint, new carpet and new fixtures.

“I think the course will hold up well,” said Jimmie Austin director of golf Rodney Young. “I think we’ll offer a great challenge for this field.”

The course will play as a 7,295-yard, par71. It is normally par-72, but the eighth hole will play as a 508-yard par-4.

The fourth hole will be another test, a 490yard uphill hole over a ravine. Players will tee off from a tee box known as the Anthony Kim tee, as that is where the former OU star would play during his normal practice rounds. It is actually a tee for hole eight.

The championship will have five par-4s in excess of 440 yards as well as several shorter holes that can be drivable, such as the 329-yard third hole and 319-yard 10th hole.

The 18th is a 586-yard par-5 that the long hitters will go for in two and should make for an exciting closing hole for match play.

The championship is open to the public at no charge and there will be no gallery ropes except on the ninth and 18th holes.

Volunteers are still needed; you can sign up at www.ougolfclub.com or call 405-325-6716.

This is the first USGA event for the Jimmie Austin OU golf course. It will be the site of the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship in 2010 and hopes to land additional USGA events in the future.

Tree lovers walking the course will want to be sure to stop by to see two of the largest and oldest burr oak trees in the state, one on each side of the fairway on hole No. 7. The one on the right side is the state champion tree, measured with a circumference of 226 inches and a crown of 125 feet back in 1998.

South Central Golf Magazine

One hot summer

Public Links win one of many accomplishments for Hunter Haas in incredible 1999 run

By JOHN ROHDE Hunter Haas has always lived in the moment, but even he admits thinking back to the summer of ‘99.

That’s when Haas had one of the hottest summers ever assembled in amateur golf.

Following his senior season of eligibility at the University of Oklahoma, Haas began his summer vacation by going 3-0 in a USAJapan match overseas.

He then won the U.S. Public Links Championships, collecting an unfathomable 47 birdies and two eagles in 141 holes of competition at Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course in Alton, Ill. Then came a victory at the Porter Cup. The Western Amateur was next, but an exhausted Haas returned to Norman and opted to skip the event, a decision he said he still does not regret.

U.S. Amateur tickets available online Haven’t hung out much in the clubhouse at Southern Hills Country Club?

Now’s your chance, with the Clubhouse Ticket to watch the 2009 U.S. Amateur, scheduled Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills and Cedar Ridge country clubs.

The clubhouse ticket costs $120 and gives the bearer a full week of access to the Southern Hills clubhouse. Also available are weekly grounds tickets for $50 and daily grounds tickets for $15.

All tickets can be purchased at www.2009usamateur.com.

The tournament is also still seeking volunteers, particularly for marshals and several other functions. Volunteers pay $65, but receive a hat, shirt, meals while on duty and a full week’s pass to the event. Please go to the website to download a form to volunteer.

Oklahoma State’s Rickie Fowler won the college division of the Amateur Preview event June 1 at Southern Hills by shooting 71-71. The Californian said it was a great opportunity to get a few rounds in at the championship site.

“If you can get competitive rounds on a course, to me that’s the best practice for an event,” Fowler told the Tulsa World. “Then my plan is to definitely go out and win the U.S. Amateur.”

South Central Golf Magazine

A rejuvenated Haas then advanced to the semifinal of the U.S. Amateur at storied Pebble Beach Golf Links, where he lost 4 and 3 to 17-year-old Sung Yoon Kim. After a 12th-place tie in The Oklahoman Open, Haas was chosen for the U.S. Walker Cup team and posted a 3-1 personal record against Great Britain-Ireland.

Winning the Publinx earned Haas an amateur exemption into the 2000 Masters, where he shot 69 during a practice round with Arnold Palmer.

Haas also was in a four-way playoff in Wednesday’s Par-3 contest at Augusta National with Jay Haas (no relation), Steve Pate and Chris Perry. (Perry won, which means he lost, since no Par-3 event winner has ever won the green jacket in the same year.)

Not a bad 10-month run for Haas.

“Yeah, I reminisce from time to time,” said the 32-year-old Haas, a two-time winner of the Knoxville Open on the Nationwide Tour.

“You remember all the fun you had, all the support you received. You remember everything that surrounded that time. Overall, it was a good experience. I was just glad it happened to me.”

Part of that history will intertwine with Haas 10 years later when the U.S. Public Links Championships is staged July 13-18 at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course, the first time in history the competition will be held on a university campus course.

Haas played a role in helping his alma mater’s course land the prestigious tournament, politicking with various USGA officials shortly after his summer to remember.

“I heard it wasn’t going to happen and I was questioning what was going on,” Haas said of OU’s course being chosen. “Maybe the fact that I was questioning it may have gotten some people to realize some things and may have got some people talking. Who knows, I might have perked up some ears.

It’s pretty cool it’s coming there. It’s a shame (former OU great) Charlie Coe (who died May 16, 2001) is not going to be around to see something like this happen. I know he had warm feelings for it.”

In his Publinx triumph, Haas birdied 11 of 33 holes in the 36-hole final, which he won 4 and 3 over Michael Kirk. Haas didn’t even have to play hole Nos. 17 and 18 until the morning round of the championship match.

Haas trailed only once in match play, and that was for one hole.

Hunter Haas with the 1999 U.S. Public Links Championship trophy. Photo by John Mummert/USGA It was one of the most dominant weeks in U.S. Public Links tournament history.

Winning the Publinx earned Haas an exemption into the U.S. Amateur one month later.

“Looking back, that’s the one thing I wish I could have done was win that,” Haas said of the Amateur. “It would have been nice to win that tournament, to look and say I won both those tournaments the same year.”

Only Ryan Moore (2004) and Colt Knost (2007) have won both events in the same year. Billy Mayfair won both, but not in the same year (1986 and 1987).

Asked to compare the pressure of playing in the Publinx, the Amateur and the Walker Cup, Haas said, “I would say in the Public Links and U.S. Amateur you experience the same kind of pressure. The Walker Cup is for your country. That’s a different feeling all in itself. All you can do is give it your best.”

Haas, a native of Fort Worth, was Big 12 medalist and player of the year in 1998 and was a member of the conference’s 10th-aniversary team.

Because he had to remain an amateur to compete in the 2000 Masters, Haas returned to OU and earned his degree in sociology before turning pro at age 23.

“To me, it was a no-brainer,” Haas said at the time. “How many guys out there would have turned pro? There’s a few in history who have done it, but I guarantee you they’re kicking themselves for doing it.”

Haas has earned nearly $1.5 million on tour. He and his family now live in Dallas and Haas plays out of TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.

19

Just pick one or play’em all.

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20

South Central Golf Magazine

Branson booms Payne Stewart course lifts area into next level of golf destinations

By Ken MacLeod Branson leaped forward as a true golf destination with the grand opening of the Payne Stewart Golf Club in early June.

Nine holes had been open since May 2008, with the opening of the second nine delayed by poor weather. Now both nines can be played and appreciated, as well as the spectacular clubhouse replete with Payne Stewart memorabilia, photos and artifacts, most provided by his wife Tracey, who has worked closely with the course’s owners at HCW, LLC and Stonegate Realty. HCW, LLC is also the developer who built the acclaimed Branson Landing shopping area.

The course, run by Hilton Golf, offers numerous stay-and-play opportunities, including two Hilton’s (one at Branson Landing, one downtown), an onsite Hampton Inn and golf villas and condominiums. There is also ample room in the gated community encompassing the course named Branson Hills to build a residence and the course is actively seeking members.

In addition to the course, mem-

South Central Golf Magazine

bers will have access to a pool, workout facility, plush locker room facilities and other amenities.

The course itself will leave a lasting impression as it rolls through the Ozark countryside. The zoysia fairways are fairly wide, surrounded by thick fescue rough. If you miss the fairway, you will often be on a slope. While very player friendly from the correct set of tees, it will be all the course anyone wants from the back.

“This is just going to be a fabulous golf course,” said PGA Champions Tour member Jim Woodward of Oklahoma City, who has already scheduled an event there on Aug. 9 in collaboration with country music star Vince Gill. “With the addition of this course, Branson has really taken a big step. You can go up there now and play three or four days of golf on really good courses.”

The course was designed by Chuck Smith of North Carolina with some design consulting by former PGA Tour player Bobby Clampett.

Gary Fultz, the project director for the

The new Payne Stewart Golf Club is both beautiful and challenging. golf course and subdivision for HCW, worked closely with Smith through what ended up being a long design and construction process. Not only were there weather delays, but the original layout was not what the developers had envisioned, more land was acquired and a new larger and bolder design took shape.

“It’s been five years since we started walking in the woods,” Fultz said. “That’s probably two years longer than we thought it would be. But the end result is a great golf course.”

21

“The director of golf is TJ Baggett, who spent the past eight years in the Bahamas.

He was originally intrigued by the connection with Stewart and dazzled upon first seeing the property.

“The course, the facilities, the grand hall, the memorabilia, I was extremely impressed,” he said. “My first impression of the golf course was it had a level of difficulty and character that you could host any level of event here.

“It wasn’t an easy course to build. There was a lot of tree removal and some blasting.

But it ended up being a very natural looking layout that fits into the land well and has a lot of great water features. They did a great job of keeping it feeling natural.

“The elevation change is pretty significant on a few holes, but other than that it’s pretty gentle.”

The public can play for from $99 to $59 depending on the day and time. You can make reservations and learn more about the course at www.paynestewartgolfclub.com.

The grand hall and dining area (serve as a museum of images of Payne’s personal and professional life) are filled with photos and items from Payne Stewart’s career. Stewart died at age 42 in a bizarre and tragic plane crash after a private jet in which he and five others were flying veered off course and crashed in a field near Aberdeen, S.D. It was suspected that the plane lost pressure hours

Branson Creek has been the top-rated public course in Missouri since it opened in 1999. earlier and had been flying on autopilot for hours at unsafe altitudes before running out of fuel.

Stewart, a native of Springfield, Mo., was a three-time major winner including the 1999 U.S. Open, when he drained a 15-foot

putt on the final hole to beat Phil Mickelson.

He also won the Open in 1991 and the PGA Championship in 1989, along with 10 other PGA Tour wins. He was a five-time member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He was hugely popular in southwest Missouri.

Branson reaches new heights

Branson attracts close to five million visitors annually, most to see the wide variety of shows available. But where does it rank as a golf destination?

No doubt, the concentration of world class courses, combined with the abundant accommodations, outdoor activities, dining and leisure, make it an ideal choice regardless of your appetite for the shows.

If you come to Branson to play the Payne Stewart Golf Club, you will also want to schedule rounds at . . .

Enjoy panoramic views of the Ozark Mountain landscape from some of the most spectacular golf courses located in the Heart of America. These courses are designed to challenge every skill level and the climate is suitable for golf year round. Visit www.golfbranson.com to learn more about the golf experiences awaiting you in Branson, MO. •

22

G IVE U S A C ALL !

For more information call the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce at 1• 800 • 427•1881 or visit www.golf branson.com

• Branson Creek • Holiday Hills • Ledgestone Payne Stewart • Pointe Royale • Thousand Hills

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Murder Rock Top of the Rock

• Branson Creek, the Tom Fazio layout ranked as the top public course in Missouri every year since it opened in 1999 and by Golf Digest as one of the top 100 public courses in the U.S. A scenic delight with incredible views, a must on every visit.

• Murder Rock, towers over Branson Creek at 1,300 feet. John Daly was the design consultant here, but the panoramic views and collection of solid holes make this a treat even if you can’t grip it and rip it.

• Ledgestone Country Club, located across town in the scenic Stonebridge Village and minutes from Silver Dollar City, a twisting ride through the hills with some demanding holes.

• Pointe Royale, the original country club

South Central Golf Magazine

in town, reworked this year with all new greens, tee boxes and many other landscaping features.

• Branson also has Thousand Hills, a first class executive course with some surprisingly tough holes, Holiday Hills, a public course that has also recently been improved, and Top of the Rock, a ninehole, par-three course designed by Jack Nicklaus at Big Cedar Lodge that is currently closed.

And the golf is not the only attraction for non-show goers. The area is bursting with outdoor activity opportunities, including trout fishing and other water sports at Lake Taneycomo and Table Rock Lake.

“Why did people come to this area in the first place,” asks Jeff Walster, head professional at Pointe Royale and president of the Branson Golf Council. “It was the natural beauty, the lakes, the beautiful trees, getting back to nature. Golf fits in with that.

“When I came here in 1990, there were two golf courses, Holiday Hills and Pointe Royale. Now there is a tremendous diversification. Payne Stewart is a phenomenal course, as good as Branson Creek but with all the amenities.”

The recently opened Branson Airport, with flights daily from Atlanta, Dallas, Minneapolis and Milwaukee, has been a boon, particularly to its neighbors Branson Creek

ing and entertainment (check out Bar Louie at Branson Landing for a great sports bar) and the complementary outdoor activities to be a great golf destination, it still lacks cohesion.

The Branson Chamber of Commerce has rightfully been consumed with Branson’s show activities and hasn’t fully come around to viewing the area as a golf destination. First steps would be a website in which you can book times at all the courses and choose from accommodations (there are great villas and resorts throughout Branson). Next would be a public relations person to adequately promote Branson as a golf destination.

“We’re very close to becoming that,” Meade said. “We know we now have enough quality golf that it can be a true golf getaway. The biggest reason for that is we’re not real cohesive sometimes as far as working together.”

That’s simply because each pro has the best interests of his own facility at heart.

It’s going to take an outside person with Murder Rock adds to Branson’s golf offerings.

Chamber backing to promote Branson golf effectively. and Murder Rock.

Regardless, SCG readers know now that “I knew it would be good, but I’ve booked with a little effort, Branson, an easy drive 20 tee times just on people stopping by to for most of our readers, can offer a truly look around in the first week,” said Chris special golf trip for friends or family. And Meade, director of golf at Murder Rock. if you like the Baldknobbers, so much the While Branson has the facilities, the din- better.

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South Central Golf Magazine

23

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24

OGA Views Steve Eckroat

OGA Executive Director We kicked our Championship season off with our two annual four-ball events, the Four-Ball played at Twin Hills May 4-5 and the Senior Four-Ball played at Dornick Hills May 18-19. Weather interfered at Twin Hills, limiting us to just one day of action. A pair playing out of Gaillardia, Dr. Jon Valuck and Christopher Lee, both of Edmond, fired a 7-under score of 65 to bring home the Gold Putters.

The weather a couple of weeks later in Ardmore at Dornick Hills couldn’t have been any better with highs in the 80s and light winds, and the scoring reflected this.

A couple of longtime OGA members, Eric Mueller of Bixby and Michael Hughett of Owasso, added to their already large collection of pewter plates by winning the Senior 4-Ball with a two-day total of 133 (67-66).

We had a great field of 88 participants and greatly appreciate all who attended our first two events of the 2009 season.

New at this year’s events are OGA tee markers, OGA flags on Laserlink Flagsticks as well as few OGA banners and sponsorship banners located throughout the course. We have “dressed” our events up a little, recognizing that our participants are not just playing in a club event but in a state championship. We have had many compliments regarding these new items and appreciate when our participants recognize the hard work and long hours that our staff and volunteers put in at each event.

The State of Oklahoma is very proud to be hosting two USGA national championships this summer. Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course will host the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship July 13-18. This event is open to amateur golfers with a USGA Handicap Index of 4.4 or lower and who do not have playing privileges at a private golf club. College and high-school golfers who have these privileges only while they are in school meet this requirement. Southern Hills in Tulsa will host the U.S. Amateur Aug. 24-30. The U.S. Amateur has been tabbed the biggest amateur golf event in the world. It will draw the world’s best amateur golfers with a USGA Handicap Index of 2.4 or lower. If interested, please visit our website www.okgolf.org for information on being a volunteer for these national championships.

Notes: The OGA will be moving into new office space the first week of June. Our new office will still be located in Edmond, just over a mile east of our current location. The new address will be 2800 Coltrane Place, Ste 2, Edmond, OK 73034. Our telephone numbers will stay the same.

South Central Golf Magazine

KGA Views Kim Richey

KGA Executive Director Each June the highlight of the national golf scene is the U.S. Open. This year the championship returns to the very difficult Bethpage Black, a public course. Along with the usual predictions (like who might beat Tiger?), one topic is always the subject of much discussion and debate: course set-up.

For the U.S. Open it is a small group of people led by Mike Davis, senior director of Rules and Competitions, that determines where to put the tees and the holes each day, how long to cut (or not cut) the rough, the width of the fairways and the speed of the putting greens. As you can imagine, this task takes place over several years preceding the event with the bulk of the details being determined in the prior months. No detail is left out. There are contingency plans and legions of superintendents staged to prime the golf course to perfection at 7 a.m.

Eastern time on Thursday, June 18, when the first stroke is played.

Having witnessed the end result of the monumental preparation for a U.S. Open several times, the skill and performance of today’s golf-course superintendent and the equipment at his disposal never ceases to amaze me. For my colleagues at the USGA who set up golf’s ultimate test, they truly have the best “canvas” every year upon which to “paint” the playing field to determine the world’s best golfer.

Of one thing I am sure – if you or I had the opportunity to play Bethpage Black the day before or after the U.S. Open in order to experience the same ultimate conditions, we probably wouldn’t break 100 and we would probably sprain a wrist hitting from the rough more than once! I’m thrilled to just watch these great players from inside the ropes.

My U.S. Open experiences have been very helpful to me in seeing how course set-up is done and being able to translate those characteristics to the local level for KGA events.

So, if you have ever wondered what goes through my mind as I set up a golf course for a state championship (or for that matter, Jay Fox in Arkansas or Steve Eckroat in Oklahoma), here are the main points: 1. I don’t ask the host superintendent to do anything out of the normal for his golf course. He knows what his turf can handle and if I expect greens too fast, rough too long or surfaces too firm we will both have a problem (his job and my ability to book a future event at that golf course). Basically, our players are guests for a couple of days and a guest should be gracious, not demanding.

2. I have to know the quality of players

South Central Golf Magazine

in the event. Setting up a golf course for juniors is different than mid-amateurs and still different for seniors. Is the event for a wide range of players of different skill levels, or is it one for only our state’s best players? The better the field, the longer any particular hole might play or the closer the cup might be set to the edge of the green or bunker.

3. What is the size of the field? If I am trying to get 144 players around a golf course I want to make sure that we have a reasonable pace of play (no more than 4½ hours).

“Tipping and tucking” the tees and holes is the first reason play will be slow (weather is the second reason). Besides, setting up a golf course from the tips and putting every hole behind a bunker takes no imagination!

4. Keep the tee markers on good, level teeing grounds and placed within five to six yards of each other. This is so all players are required to play from essentially the same place.

5. Know the golf course. Where are the water hazards, boundaries, practice areas, flowerbeds, cart paths, etc? Mark them appropriately and inform the players (in writing) how these areas are to be treated under the Rules.

6. Locate the hole on each green so that a player does not have to be afraid of a threefooter! In other words, put the hole in a reasonable place. Also, whether the hole is left

Retief Goosen survived demanding USGA course setup to twice win the U.S. Open. or right, back or front, will depend on the length of shot approaching the green, the prevailing wind, the firmness of the putting green and the skill level of the players.

Those are the basics of course set-up for our level of competitions. The guiding principals are simply enjoyment and fair competition. If I accomplish those two, then players will keep entering our events!

Have a great season on the golf course!

The Territory, Duncan, Okla.

Heckenkemper Golf Course Design a division of Planning Design Group Randy Heckenkemper 5314 South Yale, Suite 710 • Tulsa, OK 74135 Phone (918) 628-1255 • Fax (918) 628-1256 25

Rules of Golf Gene Mortensen

OGA Rules Official Every year we continue to have pace of play problems and I continue to ask, “Why?” Every one of us has been distracted by a slow player at some point during a round.

The subject is discussed at all levels of competition. Accordingly, every one of us should work to bring about the solution.

Yet, here we are.

The Rules of Golf address slow play in a very conclusive manner. Rule 6-7 tells us that, “the player must play without undue delay and in accordance with any pace of play guidelines that the Committee may establish.”

The penalty for violation of this Rule the first time is; loss of hole in Match Play, or two strokes in Stroke Play. The penalty for a subsequent violation is disqualification.

In writing this Rule the USGA took into consideration the crippling effect of slow play on the other players and did their part to stop it by giving it the most severe form of punishment. For slow play you get one warning and then you go home.

A Committee is authorized to modify the penalty in Stroke Play so that a first offense = one stroke; the second offense = two

strokes; and any subsequent offense results in disqualification. The Committee is also authorized in note 2, to establish pace of play guidelines including the times permitted to complete a stipulated round, a hole or even one stroke. Most state associations, including Oklahoma, have adopted such guidelines.

The OGA has put to use a very pragmatic guideline in keeping with this note. In our events each group (usually three players) is allowed two hours and fifteen minutes to complete each nine holes for a total time of four hours and thirty minutes.

In a simple way of looking at it, a group should complete four holes every hour.

When a group is over the allotted time for nine holes, each player in that group is given one penalty stroke. If they are late in completion of their second nine holes, each payer in that group receives two more penalty strokes. The players themselves have the responsibility to play in the allotted time and that is where the solution will be found.

The guidelines of the OGA have a very significant savings feature and that is, while you are expected to play within the allotted time, there is no violation if the group finishes each nine holes within fourteen minutes of the group in front of them. Golf administrators are aware that difficulties may arise to slow play during an event and

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this provision was included for just those cases. Essentially, and this is all any pace of play policy hopes to achieve; all groups are to remain in position. As a Rules Official we may advise groups that they are lagging and need to pick it up if they wish to avoid the penalty. When we hear the standard response; “we aren’t holding anyone up,” we remind them that the location of the group in front of them should be the focus.

Do you know where we should demand strict compliance with this Rule to do the most good? The ideal place to start is at high school events and, in particular, the State Championships. The powers-that-be in the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletic Association, and similar organizations, should require that the coaches stress compliance of all of the Rules, including Rule 6-7. Coaches could easily monitor pace of play and mete out penalties when groups take more than the allotted time to complete a round.

There is no better place to start to teach young players and nobody has easier access to them. I suggest that the problem might continue to exist right up until the first penalty shots are given out and then the players would become aware that the Rules are being enforced . . . all of them. Penalty strokes have a very profound deterrent effect on players who are engaged in competition. Doug Brecht, an official with the LPGA, indicated that when penalty strokes are a possibility, pace on that tour improved dramatically.

This training would then carry over to events in which these same students are involved. Can you imagine the enjoyment all of us will have when we no longer wait to play our next stroke?

We will not correct the problem unless every player takes it upon himself to make it a goal to play in the allotted time. Four hours is not an unreasonable time in which to play 18 holes. If you took longer than that to play in countries where three hours is the norm, you would never be permitted back.

Be prepared to make your stroke when it is your turn. Those of you who put on your glove as part of your routine should be doing that while walking to your ball or while other are playing. Replace your head covers while others are playing or while moving to your next shot. You need not make a spectacle when doing these things.

If you walk, move quickly between shots so you can have time to do your regular pre-shot routine without being rushed. You only need to speed up the part about moving from shot to shot.

If you ride, take an extra club when going to your ball so you can change your mind with having to return to the cart to re-club yourself.

Do the little things to speed up your play and trust that everyone will do the same.

South Central Golf Magazine

ASGA Views Jay N. Fox

ASGA Executive Director Bobby Jones, founder of Augusta National Golf Club and one of the best amateur golfers of all time, said, “There is golf and there is tournament golf, and you really cannot compare the two.”

Golf is almost always an individual sport, but when you play golf on a team it is a special feeling that is hard to put into words.

Such was the case for the 2009 Governor’s Cup at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock – the fourth annual team competition between the best amateurs and seniors representing the Arkansas State Golf Association and the Mississippi Golf Association.

First, a little background on how this team competition got started.

In 1977, six states – Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas – formed the Mid-South Golf Association and the Mid-South Cup Matches. Texarkana Country Club was the annual site for many years in this Ryder Cup format with fourball, foursome and individual matches. At first, each team consisted of 12 players and it was an honor for me to play in several Mid-South Cup Matches and on the winning Arkansas team twice.

The matches became so popular and successful that some believe the USGA State Team Championship, which began in 1995, developed from the Mid-South Cup. By 2004, however, a few of the states had lost interest and the last Mid-South Cup was 2005.

Arkansas and Mississippi – led by the amateur golf associations, ASGA and MGA -- did not want to cease the annual competition. We put our heads together and established the Governor’s Cup in 2006. Mississippi won the first one at Reunion Golf Club near Jackson and Arkansas won at Texarkana Country Club in 2007.

“There is golf and there is tournament golf, and you really cannot compare the two” Last year, Beau Pre’ (beautiful land) Golf Club in Natchez, Miss., hosted the event.

The match came down to the last putt of the last match on the last day.

Wes McNulty got up and down out of the greenside bunker on the par-5 finishing hole for birdie to secure the Governor’s Cup for Arkansas as almost all of the 32 players stood on the hillside behind 18th green. McNulty said later that he felt a pressure usually not felt in golf – that of wanting to do well for his teammates. “If I don’t get it up

and down in an individual competition, I am disappointed in myself,” he said. “But with 15 other guys rooting for me to pull it off, it is a completely different kind of pressure. I did not want to let my teammates down.”

It was Arkansas’ turn to host the 2009 Governor’s Cup and despite the rain leading up to the event and during the event, Chenal Country Club was an outstanding host as it is one of the finest facilities in the Mid-South.

With 36 holes, the 2009 matches were held on the Bear Den Mountain Course, leaving the Founders Course for membership play.

The players’ dinner was held at the governor’s mansion, a rare treat indeed for all players, captains and wives.

While Arkansas won 23-13, the score was misleading as 11 matches went the full distance and Arkansas won more than its share. Give that point to Mississippi, and the score could have been 18-18, or 19-17 in favor of Mississippi.

Ten mid-amateurs and eight seniors comprised each 18-man team, based on points earned from tournaments in 2008. Arkansas has now won three consecutive matches and the Governor’s Cup sits on the conference table in the ASGA office. Just being a part of the team was special to me – and the fact that this 50-year-old administrator won two of three points, including defeating someone in singles nearly half my age – well that is icing on the cake!

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South Central Golf Magazine

27

PGA Views Barry Thompson

SCS Executive Director The South Central Section is excited about our newly formed foundation. June is going to be our Junior Golf Foundation fundraising month. Some of our golf professionals in Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Kansas are helping to raise money by playing 100 Holes of Golf! Also June 29 at Belmar Golf Club we will be having a proam for our foundation. It will be a fun-filled

Instruction Zone Darryl Court

GolfTEC, PGA Professional

Transition is arguably the most difficult move in the golf swing. The desired result of a successful transitional move is a club that is on plane early in the downswing, where all that remains is to turn the body into impact on a shallow plane that produces solid contact and the correct trajectory and ball flight.

The trouble is that most golfers have no idea how to start the downswing. Unless you have a clear understanding of the sequence of transition you will probably start

full day of golf with a dinner and silent auction that evening.

Belmar Golf Club is also hosting our Section’s Play Golf America day June 27. As always it is a great time for a first-time golfer or a seasoned player to come out and get a free 10-minute lesson from a golf professional and see some products available.

The tournament season has started and we want to recognize some early winners.

The District 7 Challenge in Branson, Mo. is a three-day tournament between the Midwest, Gateway and South Central sections.

This year the Midwest Section won the Senior Division and for the fourth year in a

row the South Central Section team won the regular division. It was composed of Steve Blaske, Dennis Bowman, Greg Bray, Judson Choate, Cary Cozby, Tim Fleming, Kyle Flinton, Shannon Friday, Mark Fuller, Tim Graves, Tracy Phillips and Tim Zimmerebner. Congratulations to everyone!

Aaron Kritopeit won the Assistants Match Play Championship at Shawnee Country Club, while Tim Zimmerebner and Andy Schaben won the Pro-Senior at Stillwater Country Club. Zimmerebner and Barry Howard were the winners at the Section Skins Game at Hot Springs Country Club.

More results at www.southcentralpga.com.

the downswing something like this (here we go). Because it feels powerful the right shoulder initiates the start of the downswing, shoulders turning too level which gets the club traveling steep to the ground and on a path that is from outside to in, now with less than one second till impact remaining you must find a way to shallow the club out before it buries itself in the turf!

The easiest way to accomplish this is to stand up in our posture and chicken wing the left arm. The body stops turning which allows the arms to pass the body and produce a scooping motion with the club face that produces weak high slices or depending how much you did or did not stand up at

impact FAT SHOTS!.

After making this swing you make the comment to your playing companions “ah…

I stood up through that one.” Well, it’s a good thing you did or you would have buried the club in the ground.

This move leads to a lot of badly struck golf shots and ultimately frustration!

The golf swing is not two dimensional “turn-turn”; there is a third dimension: TILT! The correct sequence of motion from the top of the backswing, providing that the upper body is leaning away from the target is: The right knee moves towards the target, this lowers the right hip, right shoulder and the golf club, now the club is on plane and we can turn the body into impact producing a solid-feeling, well-struck golf shot.

This move will help correct those who fight “COMING OVER THE TOP.” Some of the best teaching facilities now have ways to measure positions in the golf swing. When you add high-speed video to motion measure you can very accurately depict swing flaws and make the required corrections. Motion measurement enabled me to fully understand the importance of tilt in the downswing. The average tour player has 10 degrees of right shoulder tilt at address (this means that the right shoulder is tilted 10 degrees lower than the left shoulder at address). At impact the average tour player has 43 degrees of right shoulder tilt, an increase of 33 degrees of tilt. At the top of the backswing that same tour player has 36 degrees of left shoulder tilt; that’s an exchange of 79 degrees of shoulder tilt in less than one second! This clearly illustrates the importance of shoulder tilt in the golf swing, but in the world of golf instruction it is an element that is often overlooked or misunderstood.

Tilt is also a required to hit a driver well, especially now that drivers are all over 45 inches in length. If you have a hard time squaring the club at impact or dropkicking your driver, you may be lacking in right shoulder tilt at impact. Consult with your local PGA Golf Professional to check if you have enough tilt in your swing.

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South Central Golf Magazine

S. LAKES

Continued from page 12

the stability of South Lakes, as parks director Richard Bales has been supervising the maintenance side since opening day. There has also been a commitment to improve the course, as witnessed by the opening of a 13,000-square foot putting green in 2008.

“This course has always been about fun,” Ridings said. “It’s not a course that wears you out. And it’s almost always in really good condition. The greens are contoured such that we can run green speeds at 10 or more on the stimpmeter. Yet it’s hard to make a whole lot of putts because the breaks are so subtle. It’s a real challenge.”

The course has had its share of hurdles to clear. There was severe winterkill on the fairways during the second year in 1990.

Getting enough air and sunlight to the sheltered 13th green has been a constant battle.

And some areas, such as the adjoining fairways on holes 12 and 16, are a tight fit.

Removal of trees by 13 and the growth of some of the 850 trees planted when the course was built have solved some separation issues.

Besides the golf, South Lakes has followed the philosophy established by Jones and continued and expanded by McCrate and Ridings of being a well-rounded golf facility. The pro shop is fully stocked and custom club fitting is a mainstay. There is a staff of PGA professionals on hand to offer lessons and run clinics. The practice facilities are good. There is a spacious restaurant.

“The consistency is the big reason for their success,” Heckenkemper said.

“They’ve never wavered from their mission.

They had a vision and everybody was on the same page. Over the years, they’ve kept the majority of the key people in place and they’ve stayed focused on the plan.”

The course is tied in to the community, not only as home to the Jenks High School program, but through various organizations such as Tulsa Community College and the Jenks Continuing Education summer camps.

Ridings is the father of PGA Tour golfer Tag Ridings. He started at LaFortune Park in 1974, coming over from an assistant’s position at Surrey Hills Golf Course near Oklahoma City. He has worked at the two county courses for 36 years. Poor circulation in his leg prevents him from playing the game he loves these days and he is contemplating retirement, giving him more time to spend with his grandkids. When the time comes, he’ll leave South Lakes with no regrets.

“It’s been fun,” Ridings said. “That’s what this course has always been about. A fun atmosphere here in the clubhouse. And a fun course to play.”

South Central Golf Magazine

Match play format trips OSU Was it worth it?

That’s the question Oklahoma State will be asking itself for some time to come, as the new match play format at the NCAA Championship, a move strongly endorsed

by OSU athletic director and former golf coach Mike Holder while a member of the NCAA men’s golf committee, deprived the Cowboys of a certain 11th national championship.

OSU had a comfortable 13-shot lead after 54 holes of stroke play, but was knocked off in a thrilling duel with Georgia in the first round of match play.

Georgia, spent after the morning duel with OSU, then was drummed out by Arkansas in the afternoon semifinals. The Hogs, riding a strong finish to the season, lost in the championship match to 12th-ranked Texas A&M, which finished 18 shots behind the Cowboys at the Big 12 Championship and trailed by 20 shots after three rounds at the NCAA Championships at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio.

OSU coach Mike McGraw endorsed the format even after it came back to bite his squad.

“The (match play) format is unbelievable, and those coaches who say this isn’t the right format need to be here on a day like today,” McGraw said after the Georgia match, in which Georgia senior Brian Harman birdied the last three holes to edge Rickie Fowler 1 up in the deciding match.

Arkansas certainly liked the format, as it gave the Hogs a chance they would not have had in the old 72-hole stroke play format.

Arkansas trailed OSU by 16 shots through 54 holes.

Arkansas coach Brad McMakin thought his team was going to win its first national championship in golf when Texas A&M’s Bronson Burgoon hit into the rough on the 18th hole, but the Razorbacks’ fortunes turned with the senior’s next shot. Burgoon hammered a gap wedge from the rough to within 3 inches of the hole to win his match and clinch the first NCAA Division I men’s golf title for the Aggies.

“I felt like we were down and out with about five holes to go, but Andrew (Landry) fought back, fought back, climbed back in it,” McMakin said. “And then actually on the last hole when Bronson hit it in the rough I thought we were gonna win the whole thing.”

Burgoon, a senior and the team’s No. 1 player, had lost the previous four holes to Landry before hitting from the deep rough far to the right of the 18th fairway. Landry conceded the tap-in for birdie, then missed a 35-footer that would have sent the match to extra holes to give the seventh-seeded Aggies a 3 and 2 win.

McMakin was very happy with his team’s effort.

“It was just an incredible week,” McMakin said. “It’s amazing you come and play all week and it comes down to one hole and one shot.”

OU golf coaches resign

University of Oklahoma Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione announced that he has accepted the resignation of men’s golf coach Jim Ragan and women’s golf coach Carol Ludvigson.

Ragan just completed his ninth season at OU. The Sooners advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first eight. He plans to seek an opportunity that will allow him to concentrate on his family.

“As a result of family and personal reasons that have arisen over the last six months, I have made the decision to concentrate my efforts and resources to addressing and resolving them,” Ragan said. “Consequently and reluctantly, I am resigning my position as head golf coach at Oklahoma and wish my players, associates and supporters the best in the future.”

Ludvigson resigned as women’s golf coach after 24 seasons and will move to a position in the athletics department.

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Schedules and Results COLLEGE MEN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP At Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio (par-72) May 27-30 Match Play Team Results: Quarterfinals: Michigan def. Southern California 3-2; Texas A&M def. Arizona State 3-1-1; Arkansas def. Washington 3-2; Georgia def. Oklahoma State 3-2; Semifinals, Texas A&M def.

Michigan 3-1-1: Nick Pumford (Mich.) def.

Conrad Shindler 2 and 1; Matt Van Zandt (A&M) def. Bill Rankin 1 up; John Hurley (A&M) vs. Matt Thompson - Halved; Adrea Pavan (A&M) def. Alexander Sitompul 8 and 7; Bronson Burgoon (A&M) def. Lion Kim 4 and 3. Arkansas def. Georgia 3-1-1; Jamie Marshall (Ark.) def. Adam Mitchell 1 up; Jason Cuthbertson (Ark.) def. Harris English 2 and 1; Russell Henley (UGA) def. Ethan Tracy 2 and 1; David Lingmerth (Ark.) def. Hudson Swafford 3 and 2; Brian Harm (UGA) vs. Andrew Landry -Halved.

Finals: Texas A&M def. Arkansas 3-2; Jamie Marshall (Ark.) def. Conrad Shindler 3 and 2; Jason Cuthbertson (Ark.) def Matt Van Zandt 3 and 1; John Hurley (A&M) def.

Ethan Tracy 6 and 4; Andrea Pavan (A&M) def David Lingmerth 7 and 6; Bronson Burgoon (A&M) def. Andrew Landry 1 up.

Team Stroke Play: 1, Oklahoma State 288-280-281 – 849; 2, Arizona State 294281-287 – 862; 3 (tie), Southern California 305-281-279 – 865; 3 (tie), Arkansas 297283-285 – 865; 3 (tie), Washington 293-286286 – 865; 6, Michigan 296-285-287 – 868; 7 (tie) Texas A&M 298-276-295 – 869; 7 (te), Georgia 288-285-296 – 869; 9, TCU 299-285289 – 873.

Individual Leaders: 1, Matt Hill (NC

St.) 69-69-69 -- 207; 2, Kyle Stanley (Clemson) 72-71-66 -- 209; 3(tie), Rickie Fowler (Okla. St.) 72-70-68 – 210; 3(tie), Tom Glissmeyer (USC) 74-70-66 – 210; 3(tie) Tom Hoge (TCU) 70-70-70- -- 210; 6, Alexander Sitompul (Michigan) 72-69-70 – 211; 7 (tie), Morgan Hoffman (Okla. St.) 72-69-71 – 212; 7 (tie), Blayne Barber (UCF) 75-69-68 – 212; 9 (tie), Brian Harman (Georgia) 71-7171 – 213; 9 (tie), Russell Henley (Georgia) 71-67-75 – 213; 9 (tie), Jesper Kennegard (Ariz. St.) 72-69-72 – 213; 9 (tie) Nick Taylor (Washington) 70-70-73 – 213.

Other Scores: 18 (tie) Peter Uihlein (Okla. St.) 73-72-70 – 215; 23 (tie) David Lingmerth (Arkansas) 75-72-69 –216; 27 (tie) Kevin Tway (Okla St.) 74-71-72 – 217; 27 (tie) Ethan Tracy (Arkansas) 76-68-73 – 217; 36 (tie) Andrew Landry (Arkansas) 75-70-74 –219; 36 (tie) Trent Leon (Okla.

St.) 71-70-78 – 219; 47 (tie) Jamie Marshall (Arkansas) 71-78-71 – 220; 60 (tie) Jason Cuthbertson (Arkansas) 77-73-72 -- 222 NAIA CHAMPIONSHIP AT TPC at Deere Run, Silvis, Ill. (par-71) May 19-22 Team leaders (17 teams): 1, Oklahoma Christian 291-298-293-299 – 1,181; 2, Texas Wesleyan 299-296-293-297 – 1,185; 3, British Columbia 304-296-293-298 – 1,191; 4, Oklahoma City 303-301-299-292 – 1,195; 5, Berry College 299-303-291-308 – 1,201.

Individual leaders: 1, Sam Cyr (Pt. Loma Naz.) 72-72-67-71 – 282; 2, Armando Villareal (TW) 74-73-69-69 – 285; 3 (tie), Anthony Michael (Okla. City) 74-75-73-66 – 288 and Ben Smith (Malone) 69-77-71-71 – 288; 5, Cory Renfrew (Br.Col.) 77-70-6973 – 289; 6, Fernando Gonzales (Okla. Chr.)

69-72-76-74 – 291.

Uribe (UCLA) 75-66-77-77 – 295; 10, Lisa McCloskey (Pepp.) 74-69-78-75 – 296.

WOMEN Other scores: Caroline Masson (Okla.

St.) 77-73-78-73 – 301, Caroline Hedwall NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP (Okla. St.) 76-78-76-73 – 303, Kendall Dye At Caves Valley GC, Owings Mills, Md. (par-72) (Okla.) 82-73-76-75 – 306, Karin Kinnerud May 19-22 (Okla. St.) 78-74-81-75 – 308, Amanda JohnTeam scores: 1, Arizona State 302-298- son (Okla. St.) 76-78-79-80 – 313.

291-291 – 1,182; 2, UCLA 296-293-304-297 NAIA CHAMPIONSHIP – 1,190; 3, Southern Cal 301-295-294-301 – 1,191; 4, Oklahoma State 303-297-309-290 At Meadowbrook GC, Rapid City, – 1,190; 5, Denver 294-304-309-299 – 1,206; S.D. (par-72) 6, Duke 308-301-302-296 – 1,207; 7, North May 12-15 Carolina 299-301-306-304 – 1,210; 8, VirTeam leaders (28 teams): 1, Oklahoginia 305-302-301-304 – 1,212; 9, Pepper- ma City 302-311-302-313 – 1,228; 2, Bethel dine 312-298-302-301 – 1,213; 10, Purdue (Ind.) 303-330-306-322 – 1,261; 3 (tie), Cal306-301-311-298 – 1,216; 11, Alabama 305- Baptist 297-337-313-319 – 1,266 and Embry302-311-299 – 1,217; 12, Louisiana State Riddle 315-320-307-324 – 1,266; 5, British 302-304-309-304 – 1,219; 13 (tie), Michigan Columbia 302-328-330-327 – 1,287.

State 307-303-315-300 – and Wake ForIndividual leaders: 1, Sydney Cox est 303-300-318-304 – 1,225; 15, Georgia (OCU) 77-73-73-74 – 297; 2, Ashley Sholer 316-307-301-310 – 1,234; 16, Arizona 310- (OCU) 76-77-73-74 – 300; 3 (tie), Charlotte 305-314-306 – 1,235; 17, Tennessee 307- Guilleux (Wayland Baptist) 74-79-76-76 313-306-311 – 1,238; 18, Texas Christian – 305 and Malin Thorberg (CB) 76-82-73314-316-301-307 – 1,238; 19, New Mexico 74 – 305.

311-314-307-310 – 1,242; 20, Tulane 312305-317-312 – 1,246; 21, Chattanooga 316AMATEURS 307-305-320 – 1,248; 22, Cal-Irvine 320-316ARKANSAS MEN’S MATCH PLAY 312-301 – 1,249; 23, Texas 314-311-313-314 At Big Creek CC, Mountain Home – 1,252; 24, Ohio State 323-311-314-310 April 30-May 3 – 1,258.

Quarterfinals: Nicklaus Benton def.

Individual leaders: 1, Maria Hernan- Wes McNulty 1-up (21 holes), Nathan Cirdez (Purdue) 74-72-72-72 – 289; 2, Jennifer cle def. Ron Mangold 1-up, Kirk Browndef.

Song (USC) 72-73-71-74 – 290; 3, Pernilla Matt Willmott 3 and 1, Trey Schaap def.

Lindberg (Okla. St.) 74-72-76-69 – 291; 4 John Bragg 1-up (20 holes). (tie), Azahara Munoz (Arizona St.) 78Semifinals: Circle def. Benton 2 and 1, 71-72-72 – 293 and Amanda Blumenherst Brown def. Schaap 3 and 2.

(Duke) 75-73-74-71 – 293; 6 (tie), Calle NelFinal: Brown def. Circle 5 and 3. son (Virginia) 75-76-71-72 – 294 and NanARKANSAS MID-SENIOR MATCH nette Hill (WF) 72-71-79-72 – 294; 8 (tie), Alice Kim 74-75-70-76 – 295 and Maria Jose PLAY

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Schedules and Results At Big Creek CC, Mountain Home Team leaders: 1, Tipton 303; 2, Rock Hills 315; 3, Yates April 30-May 3 Center 319.

Quarterfinals: Rodger Bates def. Todd Martin 3 and 2, Individual leaders: 1, Robert Hollerich (Tipton) 71; 2, John Siratt def. Clark Fitts 2 and 1, Stacey Shiew def. Jeff Cory Frasier (Lakeside) 73; 3, Jake Morrison (YC) 74.

Benton 2 and 1, Robert Cooper def. Scott Bowen 3 and 2.

Semifinals: Shiew def. Cooper 1-up (20 holes), Siratt OKLAHOMA HIGH SCHOOL def. Bates 1-up.

BOYS Final: Shiew def. Siratt 1-up.

May 11-12 Class 6A KANSAS SPRING FOUR-BALL (Rain-shortened, 36 holes) At Sycamore Ridge GC, Spring Hill At Emerald Falls, Broken Arrow (par-72) May 19-20 Team leaders: 1, Edmond North 588; 2, Jenks 604; 3, 1, Steve Groom/Andy Smith 65-69 – 134; 2 (tie), James Edmond Santa Fe 608; 4, Putnam North 612; 5, Edmond Jigger/Bryan Norton 66-71 – 137 and Don Cox/Don Kuehn Memorial 613.

69-68 – 137; 4 (tie), Wendell Stuntz/Dick Stuntz 68-70 – 138 Individual leaders: 1, Nathan Hughes (Bartlesville) and Tim Tyner/David Anderson 69-69 – 138; 6 (tie), Ron 139 (won playoff); 2, Chandler Rush (EN) 139; 3, Chase Eilers/Rich Gleghorn 68-71 – 139, Tom Bachelor/Vern Griggs (EN) 141.

Cline 70-69 – 139 and Kevin Handlan/Mike Shteamer 70-69 Class 5A, (54 holes) – 139; 9 (tie), Mark Addington/Jim Seward 72-68 – 140 and At Rose Creek North, Edmond (par-72) Dana Harris/John Gibbs 71-69 – 140.

Team leaders: 1, Ardmore 922; 2, Bixby 944; 3, Duncan 974; 4, Edmond Deer Creek 979.

KANSAS MID-AMATEUR Individual leaders: 1, Karsten Majors (Bixby) 216; 2, At Falcon Lakes, Basehor (par-72) Ian Davis (EDC) 219; 3 (tie), Taylor Williams (Chickasha) May 11-12 and Talor Gooch (Carl Albert) 221.

1, Kit Grove 72-69 – 141 (won playoff); 2 (tie), Charlie Class 4A, (54 holes) Stevens 71-70 – 141 and Steve Newman 67-74 – 141; 4 (tie), At Lake Hefner GC, Oklahoma City (par-70) Charles Ballard 72-73 – 145, Jon Troutman 70-75 – 145 and Team leaders: 1, Fort Gibson 911; 2, McGuinness 918; David Kirschbaum 70-75 – 145; 7 (tie), Pete Krsnich 72-74 3 (tie), Hilldale and Guymon 948.

– 146 and Jon Platz 69-77 – 146; 9, Tom Bachelor 70-77 Individual leaders: 1, Tyler Russell (Elk City) 209; 2, – 147; 10 (tie), Aaron Sheaks 71-77 – 148, Mark Elliott 76- Brandon Jackson (FG) 215; 3 (tie), Zac Myers (Idabel) and 72 – 148 and Tyler Cummins 72-76 – 148.

Robert Raborn (Sallisaw) 219.

Class 3A, (54 holes) OKLAHOMA SENIOR SPRING FOUR-BALL At Cimarron Trails, Perkins (par-72) At Dornick Hills, Ardmore (par-70) Team leaders: 1, Cascia Hall 916; 2, Heritage Hall 957; May 18-19 3, Purcell 969.

1, Eric Mueller/Mike Hughett 67-66 – 133; 2, Bret Individual leaders: 1, Charlie Saxon (CH) 220; 2 (tie), Penick/Albert Johnson Jr. 67-68 – 135; 3 (tie), Dean Riggs/ Kyle Lewis (Bethel) and Justin Brown (Kingston) 221.

Al Smith and Joe Ray/John Krogh 69-67 – 136; 5 (tie), Jerry Class 2A, (54 holes) Ellis/Bill Jackson 70-67 -- 137, Ed Cohlmia/Richard Hunt At Sugar Creek Canyon GC, Hinton (par-71) 68-69 – 137 and Chuck Jones/Jim Roberson 66-71 – 137; Team leaders: 1, Okla. Christian 612; 2, Washington 8 (tie), Don Cooke/Bob Sine 71-67 – 138, Tim Wilson/Tom 639; 3, Fairview 642.

Wilson 69-69 – 138, Ken Kee/Richard Koenig 69-69 – 138 and Ricky Lutz/Doug Perry 68-70 – 138.

OKLAHOMA SPRING FOUR-BALL At Twin Hills, Okla. City (par-72) May 4-5 1, Jon Valuck/Chris Lee 65; 2 (tie), Mel Huffaker/Stephen Hooper, Bobby Rucker/Sam MacNaughton and Justin Barrick/J.B. Law 66; 5 (tie), Shawn Barker/Brent Taylor and Paul Brunner/Cooper Johnson 67; 7 (tie), Mark Austin/John Austin and Richard Koenig/Tim Hoagland 68.

KANSAS HIGH SCHOOL BOYS May 26, (18 holes) Class 6A At Topeka Team leaders: 1, Washburn Rural 304; 2, Blue Valley North 305; 3, Shawnee Mission East 309 (won playoff); 4, Blue Valley 309.

Individual leaders: 1, Curtis Yonke (BV West) 68; 2, Brax Ball (WR) 72 (won playoff); 3, Harry Higgs (BV North) 72.

Class 5A At Emporia Team leaders: 1, Andover Central 290; 2, Hutchinson 293; 3, Aquinas 293.

Individual leaders: 1, Joe Winslow (Aquinas) 66; 2, Treg Fawl (McPherson) 67; 3, Alex Carney (Andover Central) 68.

Class 4A At El Dorado Team leaders: 1, Andover 319; 2, Chanute 322; 3, Topeka Hayden 322.

Individual leaders: 1, Myles Miller (Wellington) 67; 2, Corbin Mihelic (Andover) 74; 3, Ryley Haas (Colby) 75.

Class 3A At Wichita Team leaders: 1, Collegiate 314; 2, KC Christian 337; 3, Halstead 343.

Individual leaders: 1, Michael Gellerman (Sterling) 70; 2, Andrew Hourani (Collegiate) 74; 3, Craig Howell (Collegiate) 77.

Sand Greens At Tipton

South Central Golf Magazine

Individual leaders: 1, Logan Herbst (Fairview) 141; 2, Jackson Ogle (OC) 145.

GIRLS May 6-7, (36 holes) Class 6A At Emerald Falls GC, Broken Arrow (par-72) Team leaders: 1, Jenks 653; 2, Mustang 680; 3, Broken Arrow 685; 4, Edmond Memorial 690; 5, Union 695.

Individual leaders: 1, Aly Seng (Enid) 149 (won playoff); 2, Ashton Collier (Union) 149; 3, Jade Staggs (Westmoore) 151; 4, Lauren Michael (Jenks) 152.

Class 5A At Earlywine North GC, Okla. City (par-72) Team leaders: 1, Duncan 634; 2, Altus 644; 3, Bixby 654; 4, Coweta 728; 5, Pryor 730.

Individual leaders: 1, Megan Blonien (Altus) 144; 2, Kendra Mann (Harrah) 149; 3 (tie), Danielle Campbell and Kyle Johnson (Lawton MacArthur) 150.

Class 4A At Lake Hefner GC, Okla. City (par-73) Team leaders: 1, Clinton 656; 2, Hilldale 750; 3, Seminole 775; 4, McGuinness 778.

Individual leaders: 1, Taylor Neidy (Clinton) 147; 2 (tie), Stacy Geswender (Clinton) and Shelby Anderson (Cache) 156; 4, Hannah Tubbs (McGuinness) 167.

Class 3A At Cimarron Trails, Perkins (par-72) Team leaders: 1, Kingfisher 703; 2, Eufaula 713; 3, Victory Christian 740.

Individual leaders: 1, Bethany Darrough (Kingfisher) 146; 2, Caitlin Swisher (Chandler) 158; 3, Whitney Weems (Kingfisher) 166.

Class 2A At Sugar Creek Canyon, Hinton (par-71) Team leaders: 1, Oktaha 711; 2, Mooreland 734; 3, Pioneer 742.

Individual leaders: 1, Tressa Brumley (Chouteau) 159; 2, Aleesha Horton (Fletcher) 161.

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South Central Golf Magazine