Jun-Jul 05 - Golf Oklahoma

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FEATURES
Volume 14, No. 5
Editor
Production Manager
Copy editor
Contributing writers
Contributing photographers
Cover photo by
October-December, 2007
Ken MacLeod
James Royal
Jenk Jones Jr.
Vicki Tramel
Mal Elliott
Barry Lewis
Tim Landes
David R. Holland
David Cobb
Del Lemon
Beck Cross
Mel Root
Benjamin Krain
Mel Root
South Central Publications
NEW COURSES AND RENOVATIONS
Emerald Falls opens in Broken Arrow ...................8
Choctaw Creek thriving under new owners............9
Hillcrest Country Club, Jimmie Austin University of
Oklahoma Golf Course among high profile renovations this fall in the section...............................10
CLARY FIELDS’ ACE ......................................12
Q&A WITH WALLY UIHLEIN ..........................13
TULSA NET COMPANY BOOMING ...............14
OKLAHOMA HERO.......................................15
TULSA, ARKANSAS LPGA EVENTS
Tulsa event expands, purse increases..................19
ARKANSAS ADVENTURE
Zany round wears down trio.............................21
DESTINATIONS
Dallas-Fort Worth ..........................................27
North Dakota...............................................31
2723 S. Memorial Drive • Tulsa, OK 74129
918-280-0787 • Fax: 918-280-0797
Website: southcentralgolf.com • E-mail: [email protected]
South Central Golf is the official publication of the South Central Section of the PGA of
America, which includes all of Oklahoma,Arkansas and southern Kansas. The magazine is
endorsed by 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.
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5
AROUND
THE
SECTION
Tewell helps First Tee in Oklahoma City
One member of the Oak Tree Gang has
ridden into the sunset, at least as far as his
playing days are concerned.
Doug Tewell, who won four times on the
PGA Tour and eight times on the Champions
Tour, only played in one event in 2007 and
has no plans to continue his competitive
career. Yet in many ways, Tewell is more
involved with golf than ever.
The Edmond resident is helping the
Oklahoma City First Tee program as a cochairman for its capital campaign with a
goal of raising $2 million to build an 85-station driving range with target greens, chipping and putting greens and perhaps a couple of artificial greens and a putting course
on land near Douglas High School. The plans
for the practice area have been donated by
Tulsa architect Randy Heckenkemper, who
has worked closely with the Oklahoma City
public courses in the past.
Tewell said $700,000 has been raised Edmond resident Doug Tewell has ended his professional
toward the goal. The First Tee of Oklahoma career, but remains heavily involved with the game.
City is also searching for a new executive
director to replace Tosh Hays.
was the operator at Stonebridge Golf Course
In addition, Tewell has been exploring the in Verdigris, Okla., previously.
possibility of bringing a Champions Tour
Susan Neal, an assistant to Tulsa Mayor
event to Oklahoma City on a annual basis.
Kathy Taylor, said the committee would not
Tewell envisions the tournament being co- give the mayor a recommendation until it
sponsored by a group of Oklahoma City’s had evaluated proposals from Tulsa County
thriving energy companies. There is a short and one from city employees.
list of potential sites led by Gaillardia Golf &
“The Mayor’s Golf Advisory Task Force
Country Club, which hosted what was then has selected our top pick among the private
the Senior Tour Championship in 2001 and sector firms that responded to the rfp,” Neal
2002.
said in a statement. “However, we will not
In addition, Tewell is engaged in talks with make a recommendation to the mayor until
The Golf Channel about resuming his role as we have completed the full analysis of the
an analyst. He has previously worked for other two options the mayor asked us to
The Golf Channel as well as ESPN and Fox consider which included the possibility of
Sports and is now as comfortable behind the the city or county assuming the manageannouncer’s desk as he was on the course.
ment. Not until completion of that analysis,
will we have fully met our obligation as
CITY OF TULSA COURSES UPDATE charged by the mayor and will then make
A committee formed to help the city of the best recommendation to her by our
Tulsa select a new form of operations for its established deadline of October 19.”
two 36-hole golf facilities was still finalizing
Richard Bales, Tulsa County parks direcits decision between the private group Billy tor, said he had prepared a preliminary
Casper Golf or asking Tulsa County for report for the city more than a month earliassistance as SCG went to press.
er, but had not been asked to expand on it or
The committee had solicited proposals appear before the committee. Neither had
nationally, winnowed them down to six Pat McCrate, a golf course operator who has
finalists that it invited for interviews, then the contract with Tulsa County to run the
made the cut to the final three. Those were golf operations at Tulsa county courses at
Billy Casper Golf, Kemper Sports and I.R.I. South Lakes and LaFortune Park. The counGolf Group.
ty provides the maintenance crews and
Billy Casper, based in northern Virginia, staffs the restaurants. Bales and McCrate
manages 75 golf courses nationally, includ- work closely together on maintenance and
ing 51 municipals. Regionally it operates operational issues and the results have been
Stonebridge Meadows in Fayetteville and that South Lakes and LaFortune Park aver6
age more than 40,000 rounds annually, while
none of the four 18-hole courses managed by
the city averages more than 25,000.
The low number of rounds, due to a number of factors including inconsistent maintenance and increased competition, led to an
annual deficit of more than $1.5 million which
the city was subsidizing from the general
fund. Taylor made a proposal early this year
to close 18 holes at Page Belcher and nine
holes at Mohawk Park in order to reduce the
subsidy. Homeowners and other golfers
protested, leading to the formation of the
committee to look at private entities running
the operations and reducing the subsidy.
A bid for the city and its union work force
to continue operations was not expected to
gain much headway among the committee.
“The way I look at it, if the city had
improvements to make in operations it
should have done so a long time ago,” said
one member of the committee.
ECKROAT READY TO ASSUME ROLE
As a former collegiate player, coach and
one of the state’s better amateur players,
Steven Eckroat knows plenty about golf.
The part of his background that may
prove most useful to him in his new role as
executive director of the Oklahoma Golf
Association, however, is the past seven
years he spent selling insurance.
“Insurance all boils down to sales,”
Eckroat said. “I see this position the same
way. Selling the OGA is exactly what I
should be doing. Not just GHIN (handicapping services). But selling the fact that it’s a
new day and trying to pass on some of my
enthusiasm.”
Eckroat, 37, will work with tournament
director Mark Felder and a staff that
includes Corky Billen, who heads up the
course rating teams, and Jay Doudican, who
handles marketing, publicity and other
GHIN services.
Among Eckroat’s goals are to improve the
OGA’s relationship with public courses, continue to build the GHIN program and to
secure top flight courses to help ensure the
strongest fields possible for OGA championships.
“Golf has been a passion of mine since I
was 10,” Eckroat said. “I just have a complete love for the game. This is a great opportunity for me to get back in the game and to
lead the charge to grow the game in
Oklahoma. That’s what it is all about, creating more awareness for amateur golf
throughout the state.”
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
“Steven really wanted the job and as much
as anything I’m happy about that,” said
Murph Mitchell, a member of the OGA executive committee which conducted the job
search. “He’s got a good administrative background, having served as an intern with the
OGA. I think he’ll be a good communicator
for the OGA.”
Eckroat grew up in Hennessey, played
golf at Oklahoma City University, served as
golf coach there from 1995-97 and was an
intern with the OGA from 2000-2001.
SOUTHERN HILLS TO HOST 2009
AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Based on a joint agreement, Tulsa’s
Southern Hills Country Club will host the
2009 U.S. Amateur Championship, replacing
Congressional Country Club in Bethesda,
Md., the USGA has announced. Dates of the
2009 championship are Aug. 23-30.
Southern Hills was originally scheduled to
host the 2010 Amateur and Congressional
the 2009 championship. The site of two previous U.S. Opens, Congressional is also
scheduled to host the 2011 Open.
Recent weather trends in the mid-Atlantic
region were extreme this past August and
were exacerbated by prolonged drought,
causing course condition problems at
Congressional and many other clubs. In order
to begin specified U.S. Open course revisions
and complete them on time for the 2011 Open,
the USGA and Congressional agreed to move
the 2009 Amateur from Congressional and
Southern Hills accepted the switch.
The site of the 2010 U.S. Amateur is to be
determined.
The USGA now has three events scheduled in Oklahoma in the next two years. The
2008 Senior Women’s Amateur will be held
at Tulsa Country Club Sept. 20-25. In 2009,
the USGA Public Links will be held at the
Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf
Course in Norman July 13-18, followed by
the U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills. Jimmie
Austin is rebuilding all 18 greens and tee
boxes this fall.
Southern Hills General Manager Nick
Sidorakis said he was happy to accommodate
the USGA request and that moving the dates
presented no problem. It did require a vote by
both the Southern Hills board and its counterparts at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken
Arrow, which will serve as the site of one of
the two qualifying rounds for the Amateur and
also host two days of practice rounds.
The 2009 Amateur is the ninth USGA
championship and second U.S. Amateur
(Bob Murphy won in 1965) to be conducted
at Southern Hills, a classic Perry Maxwell
design built in 1936. Previously, the club has
hosted three U.S. Opens (1957, 1977, 2001),
the 1946 Women’s Amateur, the 1953 Junior
Amateur and the 1987 Women’s MidAmateur among USGA events.
The 2008 U.S. Amateur will be played at
Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort Aug. 18-24.
KANG BUYS CLARY FIELDS
D.W. Kang, former owner of the now
defunct Glen Eagles Golf Course in Broken
Arrow, has purchased Clary Fields Golf
Course in Sapulpa.
Kang purchased the course for an undisclosed amount from Mike and Glenda
O’Brien, who own a nearby landfill. The
O’Brien’s had themselves purchased the
course from original builder Bob
Rosencutter. Clary Fields, a Tripp Davis
design, opened in 2000 and has averaged
between 25,000 and 30,000 rounds annually.
Just 6,704 yards with a modest slope rating
of 118, it has been a popular test for the average
player. Kang, however, did not waste any time
changing the look of the course, as he began
brush hog work to cut down tall native areas the
within hours after taking possession on Oct. 5.
“We’re going to clean up the golf course,”
Kang said. “It was too junky, too many
weeds. We’re going to make it easier for people to find their ball.”
Kang said other changes he would implement include building a new clubhouse.
Mark Tams, head PGA professional at
Clary Fields, was not retained in the ownership transfer. Kang, a PGA member currently on inactive status, said he would run the
course at least temporarily.
In his last foray in the golf business, Kang,
a Tae Kwon Do grand master, built and operated Glen Eagles. He sold it to housing
developers in 2003.
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M A N A G E M E N T • M A I N T E N A N C E
M A R K E T I N G • C O N S T R U C T I O N
7
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
View from behind the par-4 sixth hole at Emerald Falls.
Photo by Mel Root
Emerald Falls will challenge
the best in Green Country
By KEN MACLEOD
The word is already spreading about
holes five through nine at Emerald Falls, the
newest addition to the upscale golf market
in the Tulsa area.
“Those five turned out great, but a little
tougher than I had intended,” concedes
architect Jerry Slack. “You had better be
playing the right set of tees for your game
when you play through there or it could
make for a long day.”
The right set for 95 percent of the golfing
public on those two holes will not include
the two back tees.
“Just make sure you’re on the right set of
tees and you’ll be fine,” says director of golf
Billy Neal. “From the back tees, those holes
are really tough.”
Emerald Falls opened to the public in
September. The course is open Wednesday
through Sunday this fall, giving superintendent Tim Schaefer and his crew two days a
week to put the finishing touches on numerous projects ongoing at a course in its infancy.
Holes 1-4 and 10-18 were routed on the
former site of the 36-hole Deer Run Golf
8
Course, although that entire project was
plowed under and the holes are all new.
Five through nine are on the west side of
South 305th East Avenue (10 miles east of
the Creek Turnpike on 71st Street) on much
more hilly and wooded terrain, giving the
course two distinct topographies.
Here’s a guide through the area that will
give your game a thorough examination:
No. 5, 423 yards, par-4 (all yardages are
from the tips). One of the prettiest holes on
the course, it plays from an elevated tee to a
generous fairway that bends right. A good
drive will leave only a short-to-medium iron,
but the green is fronted by a lake. No room
for error or run-up shots here.
No. 6, 416 yards, par-4. The forced-carry
drive plays into the prevailing south wind
and needs to be long enough to get past a
line of trees on the left, allowing the golfer
an unimpeded second shot on this dogleg
left. The fairway narrows by the elevated
green, which is also protected by bunkers. A
tough hole, good preparation for what
comes next.
No. 7, 492 yards, par-4. The toughest par4 in the Tulsa area? In the state? In the section? You could make that case. Or you
could say it’s not as tough as the hole right
after it at Emerald Falls.
The gold tees are some 75 yards in front of
the black tees on No. 7. From the back tees,
with the lush zoysia fairways as soft as they
were on a recent visit, it will play more like
a par-5.
From the gold or blue tees, it’s still a
humdinger of a hole. For starters, the prevailing crosswind from left to right will push
drives toward a massive fairway bunker eating into the right side of the fairway. If you
can stay between the bunker and the native
grasses left of the fairway, you’ll probably be
faced with a second shot of from 180 to 210
yards.
Not so bad, except the entrance to the
green is narrow and flanked by deep pits
both to the left and right. Like snarling guard
dogs from a Harry Potter movie, those are
going to make the second shot one of the
most demanding in the area.
Before we go on to describe the eighth
hole, we should let you know that lest you
think we’re exaggerating, Emerald Falls
drew a 140 slope rating from the back tees
from the Oklahoma Golf Association rating
team. This is higher than such classics as
Cedar Ridge (138), Southern Hills (137) and
the Golf Club of Oklahoma (139), although
the back tees at Oak Tree Golf Club (144)
and Karsten Creek (142) are still rated more
difficult.
No. 8, 488 yards, par-4. The eighth hole
features a long forced carry over native
grass. The second shot will be long with the
prevailing wind coming from the right and
blowing diagonally into the golfer. A stream
crosses the fairway about 30 yards in front
of the green, after which the fairway rises
and pinches in. Shots hit short which miss
the bunker front and left of the green could
roll back into the ravine.
Again, the best way for many golfers to
play this hole will be to hit enough to clear
the native grasses with the drive, lay up at
about 100 yards and hit the third shot on the
green and try to sink a putt for par while
expecting to make bogey. Those who go for
the green in two and miss left, right or short
could easily make double bogey or worse.
No. 9, 160 yards, par-3. A relative breather
after what you’ve been through, this hole
will require precision rather than strength. A
picturesque shot from an elevated tee to a
small green which you don’t want to miss.
The rest of the course is not always
straightforward – there are somewhat blind
shots on 10 and 11 and it’s very difficult to
know the first time you play where to hit
your drive on the third hole (there’s much
more room left of the tree in the center of
the fairway than appears from the tee box)
or second shot on the par-5 fourth (if you go
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
out to the left, you’ve mistakenly hit into the
18th fairway, as I did.) It’s definitely a course
you’ll want to play more than once to get the
proper feel for it. Yet no amount of experience will help with holes 5-9; those are just
going to require good golf shots.
“Holes seven and eight are the two hardest
holes on the golf course,” Neal said. “On
seven, if you could move the tee a few yards
back, it would make a good par-5. A lot of
folks are laying up their second shot and hitting a short iron in, which is probably a
smart way to play the hole. I did have one
guy say he birdied it from the back tee,
which is an awfully good birdie.”
Neal finally got a chance to play the
course himself from the back tees and shot
2-over with bogeys on both seven and eight.
“The slope rating is high, but if we had a
tournament (PGA or Nationwide Tour) out
there these kids today would still shoot 60
out here, no problem,” Neal said. “They just
hit it so far.”
Record rainfalls in the spring and early
summer pushed the planned Emerald Falls
opening date back several months, but also
helped the course identify and correct a host
of drainage issues. The Zorro zoysia fairways
have come in strong, as have the greens, a
blend of A-1 and A-4 bentgrass.
Neal, a former head professional and
director of tournament operations for PGA
West in LaQuinta, Calif., learned the ins and
outs of customer service while working for
Oklahoma legends Ernie Vossler and Joe
Walser at various Landmark facilities.
“I learned from the two best guys in the
golf business and there will never be another company like Landmark,” Neal said.
“They had everything figured out and we
were all lucky to be a part of it.”
Neal said customer service will be a hallmark at Emerald Falls.
“That’s where we will really shine. That’s
the only way we can separate ourselves from
other people and that’s what we’re going to
do.”
That and a golf course that should be a
favorite of good golfers eager to test themselves.
By mid-October, rates at Emerald Falls
will be $45 for a round including cart, with
$40 for seniors. Tee times can be booked by
calling 918-266-2600. For more information,
go to www.emeraldfalls.com.
A clubhouse is under construction and
expected to open in the spring. For now,
operations are out of the remodeled former
clubhouse for Deer Run, which is also serving as the sales office for the ample real
estate available at Emerald Falls.
The practice facilities include putting
greens, a pitching green and practice bunker
and a circular driving range.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Choctaw Creek shines under new owners
By TIM LANDES
One year ago, Choctaw Creek Golf
Course was on the verge of being converted into a housing development for lowincome families.
If those plans went through, there was
no longer going to be a course known
locally for its 18 greens cut in the shapes of
different states.
Known for its tight layout with Choctaw
Creek coming into play throughout the
course, the Oklahoma City suburban area
was soon going to be known as the neighborhood that was once a golf course.
Luckily, former Shawnee fire chief Jerry
Bower arranged for five friends to meet
him for dinner to discuss buying out the
contract to save the course.
“They had no intention of becoming
owners of a golf course when we first started discussing it,” said Bower, who showed
interest as a home owner on the same land
as the course. “But the city wasn’t in financial condition to purchase it, and as a
group we decided something had to be
done to keep it open.”
On Oct. 3, 2006, Par Six LLC bought out
the contract and began making plans of
what needed to be done to make Choctaw
Creek GC a featured attraction for the
community.
Since Par Six has assumed ownership of
the course the new owners have replaced
the ball washers and tee markers, improved
cart paths and added a new pavilion on the
back of the clubhouse, which allows for
large groups to host outdoor functions and
provide a shaded atmosphere.
While the course spent most of June under
water due to heavy rains, director of golf Don
Nicholson said revenue was up compared to
last year because of the renovation of the
snack bar into a full-scale restaurant.
Creekside Grill offers a pretty basic
menu, but more importantly offers space
for special events as well as another place
to feed the locals. Open daily for lunch and
on Thursday and Friday evenings, the
restaurant also caters local events.
“We are very involved in the community,” said co-owner Kathy Henry. “We host
the rotary and Kiwanis meetings here as
well as many private parties and school
functions. We are one of the few places in
town that can hold big events.”
As far as course conditions, Nicholson,
who started working at the course in 1995,
said the fairways are the best he’s ever
seen them.
“When I started here it was basically a
goat pasture,” he said. “In less than a year
under these owners, the roughs are continuing to improve and the fairways have
never been so good.”
Since taking over the course, the ownership group has had its fair share of problems along the way. But one has proven to
be a positive surprise.
Due to severe ice storms in January the
course had its worst opening month of any
year, and due to heavy rains in the spring
Choctaw Creek went over its banks 12
times, which also reduced play. Then late
this summer a bad chemical mix ate up
some of the greens, which led to the owners and staff turning a bad situation into a
public relations dream come true.
“As soon as it happened we pulled the
course off golfnow.com and made people
call to get tee times, so we could tell them
about the greens,” Bower said.
Added Henry: “We gave out free green
fees to those who had booked tournaments and paid for them, and we’ve seen a
lot of them come back.”
Nicholson said the problem became
more of a positive as time progressed
because of the reaction the staff got from
golfers, who appreciated the straightforward attitude.
To get through the bumps and bruises,
Bower and Henry both credited the staff,
which remained intact when Par Six took
over the 17-year-old course.
“We would not have survived the first
year had it not been for all the people that
already worked here,” Henry said. “They
do a tremendous job and make ours that
much more enjoyable.”
While play is up and revenues have
increased, Bower said he still has a lot of
improvements planned for the course in
the coming years.
“There are some trees we want to either
remove or transplant, and we want to
increase the amount of water and add
bunkers,” he said. “I really want to install
an electronic driving range with extended
hours and lights up, so people can swipe a
credit card and it will spit the balls out.”
For those wanting to book a tee time,
visit choctawcreekgolf.com, which has a
link to golfnow.com, another new addition
for the course that Bower said has proved
to be a big success.
“We have a lot of potential for growth,”
he said.
“There are 1,000 homesites within a
five-mile radius – not counting our course.”
9
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
yardage from the changes, including 30
yards from a new tee on the first hole and 30
more yards from a new tee on 13. The ninth
hole – formerly 18 – will move back 25 yards
to bring the fairway bunker back into play.
All told, the changes will add more than
180 yards, stretching the course to 7,400
yards.
The changes will help the course provide
a stringent and enticing setting for the USGA
Public Links Championship in July of 2009.
“It’s kind of amazing to see how it’s all
going to turn out,” Maxwell said. “We’re
adding a whole new service level catered to
providing a great golf experience. We’re
making it an experience like belonging to a
country club.”
THE WOODS TO BE REMODELED
Workers with JonesPlan build a huge new tee box on the eighth hole at Hillcrest CC in Bartlesville.
Several section classics will
show off recent renovations
By KEN MACLEOD
Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville, one
of Perry Maxwell’s less publicized but most
appreciated works, is getting a facelift.
Under the direction of architect Randy
Heckenkemper and builder Justin Jones, the
course is getting nine new tee boxes this fall,
the beginning of a restoration plan that will
eventually rebuild all the tee boxes as well
as hopefully all 18 greens.
The new tees are much larger and more
level than their predecessors and will particularly improve conditions for the women.
The process will also add a few yards to
Hillcrest, which at 6,516 yards from the tops
could use the extra distance. Though distance has never been a major concern at
Hillcrest, where Maxwell’s design has withstood the ravages of time and technology
and the course record is still 64.
Superintendent Ed Brookshire is also
leading a tree trimming campaign which will
combine with the new tees to offer better
sightlines and healthier turf grass conditions.
Both Heckenkemper and Jones said it’s
been an honor and a privilege to work on
restoring one of Maxwell’s courses, while
10
long-time head professional Jerry Cozby
said both have done an excellent job
respecting the Maxwell tradition yet not
being afraid to make improvements.
The new tees on the front nine will reopen
later this fall.
GREENS REPLACED AT OU COURSE
All 18 greens at the Jimmie Austin
University of Oklahoma Golf Course in
Norman have been stripped of their old turfgrass and resodded with a blend of A-1 and
A-4 bentgrass from a sod farm in Bonham,
Texas.
The nines will also be switched when the
course reopens in mid to late November.
In addition, the bunkers will be rebuilt
with higher sod faces and white sand added.
The Bermuda collars will be resodded with
Astro.
The course, originally designed by Perry
Maxwell, underwent an extensive irrigation
by Bob Cupp in 1996, when irrigation was
added for the first time. The greens, however, suffered from massive invasions of Poa
Annua, which the denseness of the A-1, A-4
blend should help combat.
Assistant professional Lance Maxwell
said the course will also gain considerable
The Broken Arrow-based golf design and
land planning firm of Pittman-Poe &
Associates has been hired to provide a massive renovation and improvement of The
Woods Golf Course in Coweta.
The project will include nine new holes
built on 145 additional acres the owners
have purchased. The original 18 will be consolidated into nine holes and a housing
development will be threaded throughout
the project.
The existing course will remain open for
approximately one year while the new nine
is constructed, following which work will
commence on the second nine. The finished
project should open in 2009 or 2010.
“It’s going to be a much more high-end
course compared to what they have now,”
said Hunter Pittman, who noted that the
only feature on the existing course that will
be saved is one retaining wall. “We’ll have
larger greens built to USGA specs, bigger
fairways and better quality.”
The new course should measure 6,700
yards and play to a par of 72.
POINTE VISTA STILL ON TRACK
Unfortunately for a project the scope of
Pointe Vista Resort at Lake Texoma,
mounds of paperwork must be moved
before a shovel of dirt gets turned over.
Yet signs are encouraging that the project
could commence early in 2008.
Latest plans for Pointe Vista include a partial rerouting of Chickasaw Pointe Golf
Course, a complete renovation and upgrade
of the existing Lake Texoma state park
course course, a hotel with convention and
conference center, a smaller hotel, high rise
and low rise condos, a large indoor water
park, with residential and private development features as well.
The Chickasaw Nation plans to expand a
casino in the area.
Combined with the fishing and water
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
Workers strip in the new green sod at the Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Course.
sport opportunities available on the lake, the
36 holes of golf and other tourism attractions could make this the top tourism destination in the state.
Delays in securing titles to portions of the
land from Marshall County have kept the
project on hold all summer, according to
Scott Fischer, who represents the investor
group led by leaders of Chaparral Energy
(Mark Fischer) and Chesapeake Energy
(CEO Aubrey McClendon), both based in
Oklahoma City. Both are acting as individuals and their companies are not involved.
While waiting for title work to be cleared,
Pointe Vista has been working extensively with
Tulsa-based architect Randy Heckenkemper
on plans for the two golf courses and Jim
Crosby of Planning Design Firm on the rest of
the land plans for the resort.
“We’re really excited about the plans,”
Scott Fisher said. “Randy’s group has gone
above and beyond the vision we had.
Originally our thoughts were on making this
an exclusive resort, but we’ve really been
trying to focus on tourism and making this a
year-round destination.”
THE PATRIOT TO BREAK GROUND
Construction is expected to begin in
November on The Patriot (SCG Aug.-Sept.
2007), an 18-hole private course in Owasso,
Okla., to be designed by Robert Trent Jones
Jr. and built by Landscapes Unlimited.
TULSA COUNTY FACILITIES
Construction has begun on expanded
practice putting greens at South Lakes Golf
Course in Jenks. Golfers will now have
15,000 square feet of putting surface, a huge
improvement on the two small greens previously.
At LaFortune Park Golf Course, plans for
a new clubhouse are being finalized and con-
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
struction could begin this winter. Director of
Golf Pat McCrate said it was not certain yet
whether the existing clubhouse would be
rebuilt or a new clubhouse built to the west
with the existing clubhouse demolished and
turned into expanded practice facilities.
Renovations to the par-3 course at
LaFortune Park, including all new greens
and tee boxes, are scheduled to commence
in August of 2008.
MURDER ROCK GETTING NEW LOOK
The Bald Knobbers, a violent vigilante
group operating in the southeast Missouri
Ozarks after the end of the Civil War, started
out with the intent of ridding the area of
thieves and ruffians but later turned into the
same.
These days, the Baldknobbers are a jamboree in the Branson entertainment district.
Murder Rock, according to club officials,
was an area in the hills near Branson and
Hollister where the Bald Knobbers would
gather on their nightly terror runs, which
resulted in at least 15 to 18 deaths.
Today, it’s a golf course in the same area.
While we can be glad that life is a bit softer early in the 21st Century, golfers will find
that the new Murder Rock Golf Course near
Branson will still get the blood boiling.
“Actually the first five holes are fairly easy
and you can get a couple under if you’re
playing well, said head professional Chris
Meade. “When you get to six, it’s time to
hang on.”
The back nine is on some of the highest
land near Branson, about 400 feet above
nearby Branson Creek and at a 1,300 foot
elevation above sea level.
“The views are just dramatic,” Meade said.
“It plays along the ridge and you can see
Branson to one side and the Arkansas hills
to the other.”
The course has the aggressive Patriot
Bermuda hybrid on the fairways and roughs.
“Two inches of that in the rough is like a
brillo pad,” Meade said. “Out back tee distance is just over 6,700 yards, but I invite
anyone who thinks it’s easy to step back
there and give it a try.”
For one thing, Meade said the wind on the
elevated back nine consistently blows close
to 30 mph.
For another, the holes are demanding.
One of Meade’s favorites is No. 14, a par-5 of
just 500 yards but with a carry of 235 yards
from the back tees. Meade said it’s a hole
you can “easily make three or easily make
seven while trying to make your three.
Because there’s nowhere to miss the second
shot.”
The course was designed by Chris Cole
and Jeff Potts of Landmark Land Co., the
Landmark owned by Jerry Barton as
opposed to that owned by Joe Walser and
Ernie Vossler, which is now called
Landmark Golf. Both are descended from
the Landmark that began with Oak Tree Golf
Club in Edmond.
To try your hand at Murder Rock, call 417332-3259. Rates are $60 Monday through
Thursday and $68 Friday through Sunday.
The web site is murderrockgolf.com.
Golf course
construction
and renovation.
Athletic fields.
Parks and
recreation.
CONSISTENT • QUALITY
CONSTRUCTION
Services to meet your needs:
• Greens
• Bridges
• Tees
• Grassing
• Bunkers
• Drainage
• Cart Paths
• Grading
• Irrigation
• Shaping
• Laser
Leveling
Our most recent clients include:
• Gaillardia Golf Club
• Cedar Ridge Golf Club
• Bristow Country Club
• Tulsa County Parks
• City of Tulsa Parks
• Stonebridge Golf Course
• Indian Springs
Golf Course
• Emerald Falls
Golf Course
• Silverhorn Golf
Course
2328 E. 13th Street, Tulsa, OK 74104
P.O. Box 4845 Tulsa, OK 74159
(918) 832-5544; (918)-832-7721 fax
E-mail: [email protected]
11
ACE
IN THE HOLE
Clary Fields superintendent
James Cronister has made an
unbelievable 11 aces
James Cronister stands on the sixth tee at Clary Fields. To the right is the fairway. To make his hole-in-one, Cronister hits his
drive left of the branches of the dead tree well to his left. One cannot see the green at all from the tee box.
By KEN MACLEOD
Standing on the sixth tee box
at Clary Fields, the only apparent choice confronting the
golfer is whether to hook a shot
around the trees to the left or
play straight ahead and leave a
slightly longer second shot on
this dogleg-left par-4.
Unless you know the course
really well, you would never
think of looking 20 yards left of
the tee boxes into a stand of
huge trees, take aim just left of a
dead branch and let fly with a
power fade in hopes of cutting
out the dogleg entirely and getting somewhere close to the
green on the fly.
And unless you have the
incredible gift of Clary Fields
superintendent James Cronister,
12
you would not do all the above,
then walk up and find your ball
waiting at the bottom of the cup.
An ace on a par-4. Most folks
settle for one or two in their lifetimes on a par-3. After all, the
odds of a hole-in-one on any par3 have been calculated at 12,500
to one.
Cronister is 30, has been playing golf for just nine years and
these days plays just 10-15 times
a year.
Yet he says this was his 11th
ace in that span. Even more
incredibly, it was his fifth on a
par-4.
“It sounds incredible, but
they’re all documented,” said
Clary Fields director of golf
Mark Tams. “It’s one of the most
amazing things I’ve ever heard
of. I think in the history of the
PGA Tour there’s only been one
hole-in-one on a par-4.”
Cronister, a product of the
Oklahoma State University turfgrass program who has been at
Clary Fields since shortly after it
opened in 2000, describes himself as a good athlete but average golfer (13-plus handicap).
The recent stroke on No. 6
was his second at Clary Fields.
He also aced the 11th hole, a
short dogleg-right par-4 in which
the prudent shot is to play a midiron or fairway wood straight
ahead and hit a wedge to the
green. Cronister said he hit a
high fade with a 4-iron over the
intervening trees and gunch.
The other three came at Rock
Creek Golf Course near Hugo,
where he learned to play. Two
came on a 295-yard par-4 and the
other on a 292-yard hole. He
used fairway woods for all three
shots on the hard fairways of
Rock Creek.
Cronister also has six aces on
par-3 holes. Two have come at
Cedar Valley Golf Course in
Guthrie, one at Cimarron Trails
in Perkins, one at Silverhorn in
Oklahoma City, one at The
Woods in Coweta and one at the
par-3 executive course at
Cimarron National in Guthrie.
Robert Morton, who maintains
the
website
Holeinone.com, a national registry of aces, said he has never
heard of any golfer making more
than one hole-in-one on a par-4.
“That is just incredible,”
Morton said. “He must be a very
accurate golfer with both his
short irons and his fairway
woods. And there has to be a little luck involved as well.”
A little? The odds of doing
what Cronister has done are
beyond calculation.
“It’s just a blessing from God”
is how Cronister describes it.
“I’m not the greatest player in
the world, but God blessed me
with a fair amount of athletic
ability. And I’m very competitive.”
Still, in addition to his timeconsuming job, Cronister has a
wife and baby at home and playing golf is low on his list of priorities. Yet the aces keep coming.
His latest was witnessed by
his pastor and another member
of his church. Some have been
in tournaments. Some have
included wild cheers. Others
were scarcely noticed.
“The one at The Woods, the
OSU turf program has a fundraiser there every year,”
Cronister said. “The guys in my
group were busy flirting with the
Hooters girls who were out
there and no one even saw the
shot. We’re walking to the green
and one guy who had stuck his
in there pretty good was asking
me where my ball was. I told
him it was in the hole, but
nobody believed me until we got
up there.”
If Cronister spends much time
pondering his feat or what it
means, he keeps that to himself.
“I haven’t thought much about
the odds,” he said. “I just go out
and play and they keep happening.”
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
QA
&
With Acushnet
Chairman and CEO
Wally Uihlein
SCG: The power debate rages on with the
impending USGA ruling on grooves. How
will this affect your company, if at all?
Uihlein: We complied with the notice
and comment process and are now waiting
for exactly what the approved dimensions
will be and the time frame of adoption and
implementation. Obviously those companies who have wedge distribution and an
already compelling market share will need
to be positioned to support and service all
of those golf pro shops during the new rule
adoption and implementation
SCG: Your position on technology being a benefit is well-stated and crystal clear. At the recent PGA Championship, we
watched players such as Bubba Watson drive it within 90 yards
of the green on the first hole at Southern, a 464-yard par-4. He
made birdie, then shot 79. Showing that exceptional length does
not automatically translate into exceptional scores.
On the other hand, Tiger Woods consistently hit his long irons
and 3-woods over 300 yards and with great control, leaving
himself 8-iron or less on even the longest par-4s -- and there
were six that measured over 450 yards (1,2,3,12,16 and 18). Is
this a trend we will see a lot more of, that the best players just
put the drivers away for the most part on tight courses such as
Southern Hills? If so, does that have a negative affect at all on
the ability of manufacturers to promote their products?
Uihlein: That’s a good question. On the one hand the greatest
player in the game today is sending the message that to prevail you
need to (a) keep the ball in play off the tee, (b) position the ball on
the fairway that allows you an ability to access the pin placement
and (c) be able to control the shot into the green allowing yourself
to position the ball in the most makeable putt position. Distance
seems to be a subordinate variable in this new (but old) strategy
for success. Some may think we are in the “Bomb and Gouge” era
but the guy who is winning is the guy who is the best strategist.
SCG: The Pro-V1 and Pro-V1x were tremendous advances in
technology and are still the standard against which all other golf
balls are compared. What is the life cycle for these types of products and is there room for more landmark advances in ball technology? If so, in what areas is there room for improvement in
performance?
Uihlein: The great thing about the game of golf is that it invites
mastery (through technique, equipment, conditioning and strategy) while remaining to be a game that, in the end, cannot be mastered.
The game’s regulatory bodies (USGA and the R&A) have been
very aggressive in reducing the field of go forward innovation
opportunity. With that said, as long as there are golfers who aspire
to get better there will always be golf ball and golf club manufacturers attempting to provide better product in order that the golfer
can close the gap between how they play and how well they aspire
to play. And with the overall aging of the U.S. and worldwide golf
populations, skill deterioration (due to aging) continues to repre-
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Acushnet Chairman and CEO Wally Uihlein is to be the featured
speaker Oct. 18 at the Tulsa Business Forum at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel in Tulsa. Uihlein, who oversees Titleist, Cobra and Footjoy
brands, is one of the most powerful and respected figures in golf. For
more information or tickets, call 1-866-678-3933.
Uihlein’s son Peter is the nation’s top-ranked junior golfer and has
committed to attending Oklahoma State. The Tulsa Business Forums
is put on by the OSU William S. Spears School of Business.
Uihlein consented to an email interview with South Central Golf:
sent the necessity that will lead to future inventions.
SCG: What are the greatest challenges facing Titleist in the next
10 years? Also, how pleased are you with grow-the-game initiatives such as First Tee and Play Golf America and what else needs
to be done to generate more players to ensure a strong future for the
game. What do you see as the major challenges in this regard?
As for the state of the game, do you see hopeful signs that rounds
will begin to increase and courses are taking steps to become
healthier and more profitable. What is the future of the green grass
shop as an integral part of the game? Of the PGA golf professional?
Uihlein: The questions above are a bit interchangeable for me so
I have batched my responses together.
First the golf industry here in the U.S. needs to acknowledge that
the growth the game experienced in this country 1945-1980 will
unlikely repeat itself. That was a unique period which included the
arrival of this country’s first sizeable middle class (post WWII), time
and discretionary income, Ike, Arnie, golf on TV and then the baby
boomers.
Golf is a middle class (and above) recreational endeavor. We need
to do what we can to stretch the golf playing years of those that were
born 1945-1980.
Secondly the regulatory bodies need to take a deep breath (and
possibly chill out a bit) and recognize that the game of golf is hardly
on the edge of some insipient Armageddon (due to technology). In
the past 10 to 15 years we have seen a constant erosion of the invention landscape. In an era when the USGA is sitting on a $300 million
war chest (yet still feels the need to add “Corporate” partners like
Lexus (Lexus as the official car of the USGA?) and American
Express) their actions represent long term suffocation of those companies (also commercial entities) who have been long term supporters of the game and its ruling bodies.
Finally this industry needs to do what it can to preserve and nurture the institution and role of the PGA Home professional. The PGA
Home Professional is to the game what the educator is to the public
school system. Without the preservation and perpetuation of the
PGA Home Professional there will be no game to play and that will
be a lose-lose for all of those currently involved.
SCG: How can the CEO of Titleist let his son go to a school whose
home course is KARSTEN Creek!?
Did that relationship begin during the Mike Holder era or has he
been recruited by Mike McGraw exclusively? What about OSU
attracted Peter?
Uihlein: Fair question but contrary to what people might think,
Peter Uihlein’s college selection was his choice (and his alone)
As a company we work with over 150 Division I men’s and
women’s programs. Peter was told early on that while I would be
there to assist and answer questions, the ultimate decision would
have to be his. After all it is his life.
With that said, Mike Holder has been a friend for 25 years. And
Mike McGraw is a first class individual and he has put together a
wonderful golf infrastructure at OSU.
Peter was told he made a very good choice.
Go Pokes.
15
13
Tulsa-based Net Masters an industry power
By TIM LANDES
What happens when you take six people,
an old lumberyard and an idea to make custom hitting nets for training facilities and
golfers?
For Tulsa-based business Net Masters,
it’s been a highly successful three years,
resulting in the company becoming a global
player in the golf industry.
Founded by Zane Goodwin, Net Masters
produces practice nets, golf mats, putting
greens and simulator bays for companies,
colleges and general consumers.
“Business has grown about 25 percent
each year since we started,” Goodwin said.
The biggest growth continues to be in the
commercial sector, where Goodwin’s company has inked contracts to provide hitting
nets and simulator bays for Golf Smith,
Edwin Watts, Golf USA, Golf Tech and Bass
Pro Shops, among others.
Net Masters has also worked with Duke,
North Carolina, Texas, Illinois, Baylor and
Louisiana State to enhance each university’s indoor training center.
“It has definitely gotten to be bigger than
what I expected it to ever be when I started
the company,” Goodwin said. “I enjoy the
Net Masters installed this net in the home of PGA Tour pro Ben Crane.
designing process, but I dislike the travel
that’s involved.”
And when Goodwin discusses travel, he
doesn’t mean a day trip to Arkansas or
Texas. Net Masters has provided custom
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
14
hitting nets and other products to foreign
companies in Korea, Indonesia, Europe and
other areas. Goodwin estimates they have
provided training equipment in 15 to 20
countries to date.
Goodwin said most of his orders come
from
the
website,
www.nettingmasters.com, where customers can choose from standard- sized
nets and mats to customized dimensions,
which accounts for 85 percent of all orders.
Goodwin said he and his staff provide free
advice to anyone who wants to place an
order.
Once the order is received, the six-person staff is broken into groups. One custom-shapes the metal bars that hold the net,
while another group sews the pieces of nets
together to meet the order specifications.
After it is completed, one person from
the staff travels to the site to install the
product.
Due to the high-quality netting – either
archery or shark netting, which is purchased in bulk – Goodwin admits his prices
may be higher than some other companies’,
but he also guarantees his product will last
longer than you need it to.
“The thing about our nets is the resale to
customers is very low because of the high
quality of the product,” said Goodwin,
whose company has provided custom nets
for Nicklaus Golf and Ben Crane. “We use
the same netting that they use to catch
sharks, so you know it’s going to hold up.
“And it doesn’t matter whether the order
is for a company or someone wanting to
build something small in their house. We
use the same high quality netting.”
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Golf and Country
World War II vet
put his heart into
OSU golf to help
create a dynasty.
By Del Lemon
Dennis Smith looks out the picture windows wrapped around
the corner of his spacious home
on Oklahoma State’s Karsten
Creek Golf Club, his eyes focusing through a grove of oak trees
onto a sunlit clearing where a
fairway bristling with the blades
of early spring wends its way
toward the creek.
His voice becomes deliberate,
his gaze more intent; his words
precise, clear and measured.
With eyes beginning to well,
his recollection turns back some
63 years to a snow-covered field
of wheat stubble half a world
away, from which he was carried
on a stretcher, critically wounded to the heart and lung. Smith’s
helmet had been placed on the
stock of his rifle, the bayonet
stuck in the ground – the gravest
symbolism on the battlefield.
Prior to that moment virtually every war wound to the chest
cavity meant a death sentence
– if not from hemorrhaging,
from infection. Years later
when fellow combatant and
Silver Star recipient Frank Lookabaugh saw
Dennis stride through the doors of his office,
his first words were, “We thought you were
dead.”
Across the table from Dennis sits his wife
of 60 years, the former Bonnie Emerson, who
grew up in Bowlegs, Okla., an oilfield boom
town in Seminole County. Dennis and Bonnie
met while they were students at OSU, then
known as Oklahoma A&M College. Bonnie
was president of both the Student
Association and Student Senate and a varsity
cheerleader. She later earned a Masters
degree while working as secretary for legendary basketball coach Henry Iba.
Dennis, from Hastings, Okla., joined the
Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. In the
spring of 1943 he was inducted and called to
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Lt. Dennis Smith
active
duty. Their marriage (July 25, 1947) bore four
sons, one dying soon after birth. Dennis rose
to top management of a prominent
Oklahoma oil-well drilling company. Too
humble to acknowledge it, they are forever a
part of what journalist Tom Brokaw famously described as “The Greatest Generation.”
The Smiths had been sitting with their
interviewer for more than two hours uninterrupted and a break was in order. Bonnie
knew by heart the story Dennis was about to
tell, knew the strength he would muster to
repeat it once more. She knew how by a
matter of millimeters the path of a shrapnel
shard and the blessed discovery of penicillin
had made it possible that Dennis even survived his 22nd birthday.
“This
is probably a good time to go have some
lunch,” said Bonnie. “I want us all to see the
new trophy.”
The Smiths are OSU people to the marrow,
the staunchest of fans. Going back 40 years
before building their dream home at Karsten
in 1995, they have supported OSU academics
and athletics across the board. They’re
donors at Pickens Stadium for football, and
fixtures at Gallagher-Iba — midcourt, concourse level – for basketball and wrestling.
But their strongest ties to OSU athletics
have been with the golf program. The par-5
ninth hole at Karsten is named in their honor,
along with their neighbors, the Rob Geresis.
The hardware Bonnie wanted to see had
15
newly come on display at the Karsten Creek
clubhouse, located beside the 2006 national
champion trophy. The Cowboys and coach
Mike McGraw had just returned to Stillwater
from Prairie Dunes at Hutchinson, Kan.,
secure with the 50th conference title in program history.
Indeed Dennis had rolled the clock back
all morning, all the while keeping an eye
trained toward the TV, where the Dow ticker
scrolled nonstop across the screen.
“My family, we were farm people,” he had
explained. “We grew up with a hoe in our
hands. A lot of it was work but I had a good
childhood. Cotton and row crops, right on the
banks of the Red River. We fished when it was
deep and played ball on the sandbars when it
was low. We didn’t think much about it. I
guess we just assumed everybody had a river.”
By the time he and Bonnie married,
Dennis had earned a degree in animal sciences. One of his uncles, Guy Fitzgerald,
whom he admired greatly, had spent most of
his life in the oilfields of southern Oklahoma
as an independent producer. Dennis watched
his uncle have success in the shallow oil-well
business in Jefferson, Murray and Carter
counties. Inspired, Dennis enrolled at OU,
earning a second major in geology, hoping to
strike out on his own.
Now a husband and father of three, he
roughnecked at night and carried 16 hours
per semester, taking freshman through senior
courses simultaneously, graduating and earning membership in an honorary geological
fraternity. However, the inherent nature of
acquiring leases and drilling wells independently carried a substantial risk. Salaried jobs
in the petroleum industry were at a premium.
“I realized early on that I couldn’t do like
my uncle,” Dennis said. “The risk was too
great — with a young family I needed a job
with stability.”
So he called on a friend from the
Firehouse Gang and the ROTC program at
OSU – Frank Lookabaugh – who hired him
at $400 a month as a geologist for Big Chief
Drilling Co. in Oklahoma City. Lookabaugh
had been a war hero, recipient of both the
Silver and Bronze Stars during World War II.
His uncle, Olympian Guy Lookabaugh,
played football for OSU. His second cousin,
Jim Lookabaugh, was head football coach at
OSU from 1939-1949.
In the Oklahoma oilfields of the 1950s,
good jobs were hard to come by, even harder to hold. In his critically acclaimed new
non-fiction book, “A Billion Bootstraps,”
(McGraw Hill, 2007), about microfinance in
Third World countries, the Smiths’ son,
Tulsan Phil Smith, vividly recalled those
days of his boyhood and how even as a child
he came to value his father having that job:
“Business was so tough in 1958 that in lieu
of a Christmas bonus my father received a
warning against making any new purchases
since his job was at risk. That year I was 7
16
Bonnie and Dennis Smith outside their home at Karsten Creek in Stillwater.
years old. During the remainder of my childhood, I recall my parents whispering as one
family friend after another lost his job.
Throughout that time I worried that our family was only a phone call away from the hunger
and cold I associated with joblessness.”
The Smiths settled in Oklahoma City.
When Big Chief merged with a utility company in the mid-1960s, Dennis’ job contacts
were helpful in bringing the parties together.
By virtue of the merger, the value of his
stock and his role in the management of the
company significantly increased. So too did
the Smiths’ involvement with OSU athletics,
most notably the golf program.
“William T. Payne, the founder of our company, had very strong ties to OSU,” explained
Dennis. “Mr. Payne and his son, Stephen B.
Payne, supported all OSU athletics, not just
golf. They introduced us to Labron Harris and
the Cowboy golfers. Not long after that
Labron started the Cowboy Pro-Am.”
In 1973, Harris hosted the first Cowboy
Pro-Am to generate interest in the men’s
NCAA Championship, to be held at
Stillwater Country Club. The Pro-Am was a
huge success. Thereafter it became an annual tradition, a reunion and festive gathering
of former players and others interested in
Cowboy Golf. It also became a primary revenue generator for the golf program.
In the fall of 1973, Harris retired and relegated the Cowboy golf coaching duties to
Mike Holder, a three-time OSU All-American
and Big Eight Conference medalist, originally from Odessa, Texas, who played highschool golf in Ardmore. The transition from
Harris to his hand-picked successor put into
place the foundation for a college golf
dynasty. It also galvanized financial support
for the construction of Karsten Creek, and
eventual renovations to Gallagher-Iba Arena
and Boone Pickens Stadium.
Over lunch at Karsten, the Smiths spoke
about Holder and their own involvement
with the golf program.
“Cowboy golf – it’s been a focal point of our
life,” said Dennis. “So many of our friends we
met through the OSU golf program. And no
question, Mike Holder is one of OSU’s brightest stars. Now Labron Harris, he was ‘the
beginner.’ And T. Boone – we call him ‘the finisher.’ But Mike Holder — none of this could
ever have happened without him.”
The Smiths were slightly amazed when
they first learned of Holder’s plan to build a
championship course for the OSU golf team
in the blackjacks west of Stillwater.
“The first geological survey map I saw of
the property listed it as ‘goat pasture’ with
very little value,” Dennis recalled with a
chuckle. “But for a golf course, the land had
some very desirable characteristics such as
elevation changes and a dependable source
for water.”
Smith explained it was not by happenstance that Karsten Creek came to be located directly across Highway 51 from Lake
Carl Blackwell. “Among the property assets
owned by the university, that lake is our
most valuable for the long term. Fifty or 100
years down the road it will become increasingly evident.”
One of the first steps taken was construction of a pipeline under the highway from
Lake Carl Blackwell to the course.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
“Fortunately,” said Smith, “our primary
water supply at the course (Lake Louise) has
served us well almost all of the time. But on
one occasion drought conditions required us
to pump from Lake Carl Blackwell for 10
days to keep the course alive. That paid for
the pipeline right there.”
The financial commitment Holder needed
to build – and just as importantly, maintain –
a world-class golf facility in the Payne
County countryside would be extensive. It
would demand not just an initial investment
for land procurement and utility and course
construction, but also to underwrite a longterm budget to sustain its pristine newcourse condition. Rare indeed is the golf
facility maintained to championship standard on a budget of greens fees and membership dues. To do it the right way would
require an endowment.
Smith explained that Holder’s knack for
making sound business decisions was vital to
the project’s success.
“Mike understood it wouldn’t suffice if
only private individuals were asked to contribute,” he continued. Holder took note as
golf soared in popularity during the 1980s,
seeing more and more corporate involvement with new course construction to complement residential developments.
“Oh, perhaps he could have secured
enough private financing to build the course
– but then what? Anybody can say they’re
going to open a golf course, but what’s it
going to look like 5, 10, 25 years down the
road? Forget about golf holes for a minute.
Just the cost for infrastructure was prohibitive. But Mike Holder was very astute.”
Beginning in the late 1960s under Harris,
some Cowboy golfers began playing Ping
golf clubs, manufactured by the Scottsdale,
Ariz.-based Karsten Manufacturing Co. The
clubs, marketed as more forgiving for offcenter hits, were considered non-traditional,
even controversial, both in appearance and
playability. They were some of the first irons
ever manufactured by molten steel casting
instead of forging. The company was named
after its founder, Karsten Solheim. Harris,
and later Holder, were impressed with the
new line of clubs and it didn’t hurt the company’s marketing efforts when OSU golfers
won championships playing Pings.
Texas oilman and OSU-grad Boone
Pickens had come on board as the largest
individual contributor for the Cowboy golf
program, but Pickens’ commitment alone
wasn’t nearly sufficient to fund the entire
project. So Holder approached Solheim
about his dream for a championship golf
course at Oklahoma State. The Solheims and
Karsten Manufacturing previously had helped
fund a golf course at Arizona State University
in addition to equipping Cowboy golfers with
clubs and bags for more than 20 years.
Private donors, such as Pickens and the
Payne family, needed assurance that if they
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
committed to begin the project, there would
be momentum to see it completed. Solheim
needed a similar commitment — who were
the others besides his corporation to be on
board? Both groups trusted Holder’s judgment. Architect Tom Fazio, considered by
many the pre-eminent American course
designer of the 1980s and ‘90s, agreed to
design and oversee construction of the
course at a reasonable fee. A mutual trust
among the parties, with Holder as the common denominator, forged the bond that
combined the resources of the private
donors and the Karsten firm, transforming
Holder’s dream into reality.
Individual holes were dedicated in honor
of the private donors. Having established
both a professional and personal friendship
with Solheim and his wife, Louise, Holder
honored them and their generosity by naming the new course after Karsten and the
lake after Louise. As noted in the 1998
Cowboy golf media guide, “Without the
Solheims, Karsten Creek would never have
become a reality.”
When it opened in 1994 Karsten Creek
received the “Best New Public Course”
award by Golf Digest and a 5-star rating by
the magazine, one of only 10 courses in the
nation so ranked. Since then Karsten Creek
was named best college course in the country by Travel & Leisure Golf magazine, and
has hosted numerous championships includ-
ing the 2001 NCAA Central Regional and the
2005 Division I Men’s NCAA Championship.
It serves as the home course of the Cowboy
and Cowgirl golf teams.
CALL TO ARMS
The Smiths’ marriage, their sons, their
eight grandchildren, their career, their love
affair with OSU, their home at Karsten – it
almost never happened.
On April 6, 1943, with World War II raging
in Europe and the Pacific, Smith, a student
and ROTC member at Oklahoma A&M, was
inducted into the Army and called to active
duty. After boot camp at Ft. Sill in Lawton,
Smith and members of his group were promoted to private first class and reassigned
back to Stillwater while awaiting entrance to
Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Ft.
Benning, Ga. Housing was tight in Stillwater,
with other military groups sent to campus
for training. In the fall they found temporary
housing beneath the stands at Lewis Field.
Finally they moved to the third floor of the
Fire Station (at Third and Knoblock), where
they were known “infamously” as the Fire
House Gang. Cattycorner was Mile’s Student
Store, where Dennis and Bonnie first met.
Bonnie lived down the street in the Sigma
Nu fraternity house, which had been leased
by the college for a girls’ dormitory.
Smith entered OCS at Ft. Benning in the
summer of 1944. On Sept. 4, he was com-
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17
missioned and joined Company M, 3rd
Battalion, 254th Infantry Regiment, and 63rd
Infantry Blood and Fire Division. At Camp
Van Dorn, Miss., he was assigned as a heavy
weapons platoon leader. In November 1944
he was staged at Camp Shanks, N.Y., awaiting deployment.
After spending one night in New York City,
Smith sailed with his regiment aboard the
M.S. Sauternia, a captured Italian liner.
Thanksgiving dinner was eaten aboard ship.
Before he would see the hills of Oklahoma
again, Smith would march into the belly of a
beast conceived by Nazi dictator Adolf
Hitler, serve with valor on the battlefield, his
own life hanging in the balance.
In early December Smith and his unit
arrived in Marseilles, France, by way of the
Strait of Gibraltar. From all reports it
appeared hostilities in the European Theatre
were winding down. Soaring with confidence following the D-Day beachhead landings the previous June at Normandy, the
Allied front stretched some 600 miles across
the breadth of Europe, from the Swiss border to the North Sea.
With the Russian Army poised on the eastern boundary of Germany and the American,
British and French armies on the Western
Front, it appeared they had Hitler’s Nazi
armies pinned in a vise. Sensing a German
surrender, tens of thousands of Allied troops
were stationed in Paris and elsewhere in
preparation for a decisive spring onslaught.
Allied intelligence had intercepted Nazi
radio intelligence (or so they thought) along
the northern reaches of the front, and
believed Hitler had one surge remaining,
probably in northern France, and not until
the end of winter.
But the Allied intelligence had interpreted
the data wrong. Terribly wrong.
The radio chatter intercepted by Allied
intelligence turned out to be a Nazi diversionary tactic. Hitler’s forces were massing
midway along the front, in the snowy quietude of the Ardennes Forest, on either side
of the Rhine River separating Germany from
France. As German forces swelled, it created a 100-mile salient, or “bulge,” straddling
the Rhine, protruding deep into the
Ardennes. Hitler’s plan was to split the Allied
line in half, make a mad dash for Antwerp
and Brussels, encircle and destroy four
Allied armies and force them to negotiate a
peace treaty in Hitler’s favor.
If the plan succeeded, Nazi Germany
would rule the European continent.
On Dec. 16, 1944, in the dead of early
morning, Hitler launched what became
known in Europe as the “Ardennes
Offensive.” Back in the States they called it
the “Battle of the Bulge.”
It was an all-out assault spearheaded by 45
panzer divisions of the combined German
armies, a brutal, bloody attack that would
claim the lives of 19,000 Allied soldiers in the
first 72 hours of fighting. Initially the Allies
18
were disbelieving, considered it “a local
diversion.” Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was
so unconcerned that the following afternoon
he attended the wedding his of driver.
By next morning, as news of Hitler’s
attackspread across the Allied front, Smith
and the 254th raced for Camp Oberhoffen,
near Strasbourg, on the banks of the Rhine.
It was a mammoth undertaking.
“We had to move a division,” Smith
recalled, “fifty thousand, to join the front
line. We couldn’t get there fast enough.”
Smith’s 160-man company spent Christmas
on the French side of the Rhine. “There
weren’t any presents, only verbal gifts. We
decorated a tree with belts of ammunition.”
On Jan. 27, 1945, Smith and Company M
met up near the historic Siegfried line with
three units commanded by Audie Murphy,
the most-decorated American soldier of the
war, whose hometown was Kingston, Texas,
about 100 miles southeast of where Smith
grew up. Smith’s job was as a forward
observer, the eyes of the unit, to aim artillery
where the mortar shells were to be fired.
“I talked to Audie Murphy late in the day on
the 27th. His units had been shot up bad. Our
job, and his job, when we jumped off, was not
to shoot each other. He wasn’t a flashy individual but he was solid. He fit the mold of a
fighting man. He knew what hand-to-hand
was. Earlier that day a mail orderly in that
tiny town had delivered Audie one of his
Silver Stars right there in the middle of the
street. I was told later he stuck it in his boot.”
The temperature during January was bitter and it snowed relentlessly. Finally late in
the month they caught a break. The morning
of Jan. 28 broke clear and cold. Smith’s unit
fought to seal off the Colmar pocket, pushing the enemy toward their last bastions in
occupied France — the bridgeheads on the
Rhine. They fought their way into the tiny
village of Riedwihr, just a few hundred yards
from the River.
“We hadn’t moved very far,” Smith recalled,
“but were catching some light fire. The
Germans had no airpower, just a lot of men
with rifles. We were crossing a field of wheat
stubble. The snow was hip-deep. It was a nice
day and clear, good to guess yardage. We
could see trees. You could see their bunkers
between the forest and the Maginot Line (a
boundary of French-built concrete fortifications). We kept pressing forward…”
In an instant an 80 millimeter German
mortar shell was right on top of Smith’s company. As Dennis explained, “It dropped
almost straight down, right in front of my
nose.” The tip of the projectile impacted
snow three feet in front of Smith’s left foot,
exploding shrapnel in all directions. Smith
wore a little protection as it were – three layers of clothes — which cushioned some of
the blast. But one piece “as big as a pea” penetrated his uniform. It entered his rib cage
and came out his back, the proverbial silver
bullet. The piece of shrapnel tore through,
touching both the heart and lung.
“I remained conscious. Your brain isn’t
affected. But it says you’ve been shot.”
Although the Battle of the Bulge ended in
failure for the Germans, after it 76,890
American families received form telegrams
which began “The War Department regrets…”
Lt. Dennis Smith was carried from the battlefield by stretcher and Jeep. His family did
not receive such a telegram. Beginning the
next morning at a military hospital near
Nancy, France, and for the next two years he
was operated on seven times. His weight
dropped from 165 pounds to less than 100.
He lost portions of three ribs.
Had he sustained his wound even one
month earlier. the odds of him surviving
would have dropped to less than 5 percent.
“Until that time, when they opened you up
(the chest cavity) it was almost always a
death sentence. It wasn’t that you bled to
death, it was the infection.”
Stabilized on the battlefield, then medically evacuated to a field hospital, his initial
surgery took place on Feb. 15, 1945. He was
transported to Marseilles for further surgery
in preparation for return to the U.S. He
departed Europe via the Army hospital ship,
U.S.S. Blanch Sigman, on March 26, one day
after his 22nd birthday. He arrived at
Charleston, S.C., on April 12, 1945 — the day
President Roosevelt died.
Dennis was moved by hospital train to
Brooke General Hospital at Fort Sam
Houston in San Antonio for multiple surgeries, treatment and rehabilitation. There he
was greeted by Dr. Donald L. Paulson, a pioneer thoracic surgeon specializing in caring
for wounded soldiers.
“He met me at the train,” Dennis recalled.
“Then he asked me, ‘Would you let me operate on you tomorrow? I’ve been saving lots
of soldiers.” Smith’s weight had dropped to
90 pounds but his life was not considered in
jeopardy because beginning with his first
surgery he had been treated with a new miracle drug penicillin, which only had been
approved for use a few weeks earlier.
“I wasn’t the first person to be given penicillin,” said Smith, “but I was one of the first.
I wouldn’t be here today without it.”
For his valor Dennis was awarded the
Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star,
Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal,
American Campaign Medal, EuropeanAfrican-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal,
with Bronze Service Star and World War II
Victory Medal. Permanent wear was authorized for the Presidential Unit Citation for
extraordinary heroism in action by his unit
at Colmar and the French Croix de Guerre
with Palm for actions at Colmar.
Del Lemon ([email protected]),
an Oklahoma State graduate, lives in
Austin, Texas, with his wife, Leslie. His
book, “The Story of Golf in Oklahoma,” was
published by OU Press in 2001.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Tulsa, Arkansas LPGA events look ahead
By KEN MACLEOD
A week of rain washed away a determined
community effort that could have put the
Northwest Arkansas Classic in the upper
echelon of LPGA events.
About the worst scenario possible
occurred when constant rains forced the
tournament to be shortened to 18 holes
played between Friday and Sunday, with no
spectators allowed on the course on Sunday.
Although the weather cleared for Sunday,
organizers had few paved parking facilities
because of church usage and motorists
would have been stuck in mud left and right.
“It was the only decision we could have
made,” said Tim Erensen, vice president of
operations for Octagon, which runs the
event. “We’re hearing now that the weather
was great on Sunday, but we still had the full
field to contend with. No way we could have
finished the first round and gotten 144 players around for the second round.
“No one was happy with the decision,”
Erensen said. “Here at Octagon, we’ve been
working on this event for four years, so you
can imagine how we felt. But the sponsors
understood.”
The community was poised to embrace
the event. Ticket sales were strong, the
media was out in force and a lot of corporate
support was evident.
“The players were blown away by the
area,” Erensen said. “They loved the hotels
and the convenience of the event. They
loved the way they were treated and
received. And they really loved the golf
course (Pinnacle Country Club).
“The layout and the setup really appealed
to them. It was going to be a completely different event from Tulsa (where Cedar Ridge
presents more a U.S. Open-type examination.) The scores would have very easily
been 15-under or lower. They like having the
five par-3s and the five par-5s. It was going to
be a fun week.”
Erensen said many of the players had never
heard of northwest Arkansas as a region, let
alone the growing cities that comprise the
area, including the host city of Rogers.
“The city of Rogers, we could not have
asked for a better partner,” he said. “I’ve
never seen that kind of support from the
mayor, the police, public works.”
The tournament will return in the fall of
2008 and keep its dates on Labor Day weekend. While this year’s event was presented
by John Q. Hammons, Erensen said he
hopes to have a title sponsor in place for
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
next year’s event soon. Raising the purse up
from $1,250,000 will be imperative if the
tournament is to attract a top field.
While the Northwest Arkansas LPGA
Classic will remain in the fall, the SemGroup
Championship at Cedar Ridge is staying in
the spring.
The 2008 event will be held April 28-May 4.
It will be expanded to a four-day tournament
and the purse increased from $1.4 million to
the neighborhood of $1.8 million. SemGroup
CEO Tom Kivisto has gone on record as saying he wants to create a major championship
atmosphere around the Tulsa event.
The first week of May is a bit iffy for
Bermuda fairway conditions and the rough
is liable to be a bit thin. The club, sponsors
and Octagon would like it to move back to
mid- to late May which might be possible in
future years. For 2008, Cedar Ridge superintendent Mike Wooten will have to hope for
an unseasonably warm spring.
“We were really lucky last year that the
Bermuda was as thick as it was,” Wooten
said. “We’ll just have to do the best we can.”
From a sponsorship perspective, Erensen
said Octagon will be happy to be out of the
shadow of the PGA Championship and will
be soliciting some additional partners for
SemGroup to make the event as strong as
possible.
Photo by Mel Root
Arkansas senior Stacy Lewis tees off during the lone
round of the NW Arkansas Championship.
UA’s Lewis shines in ‘unofficial’ event
BY TIM
LANDES
ROGERS, Ark.— Following the conclusion of the rain-shortened LPGA
Northwest Arkansas Championship on
Sept. 9, Arkansas senior Stacy Lewis
remained atop the leaderboard to win the
unofficial event.
After substantial rainfall during the first
two days of the tournament, LPGA and
tournament officials determined the
Pinnacle Country Club-hosted event
would be shortened from 54 to 18 holes
and would not be an official LPGA tournament.
Lewis, playing on a sponsorship exemption, shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to finish the lone round one stroke ahead of
Teresa Lu, Kristy McPherson and
Katherine Hull. The 32 players still needing to finish their first round teed off early
Sunday morning and finished by 10 a.m.
“Well, obviously I played really well,”
said Lewis, who would have earned an
exemption to enter any LPGA tournament
in 2008 had she led for two more rounds.
“I mean, I’m disappointed that we didn’t
get to finish, but we played so well, it’s
hard to really be upset.
“Yesterday was just a roller coaster of
emotions, going from playing my best
competitive round ever and then to kind
of feel like a knife in your heart you don’t
get a chance to win. But it was a great
week, it was a great experience, and I’ll
never take it away. I’ll always have it.”
As for the professionals, the LPGA did
not release the amount of prize money
that was distributed, but an anonymous
caddy told Golfweek: “They are talking
about cutting the purse in half, paying the
top 70 and ties according to score and
then giving everyone else some money to
cover expenses.”
Since the event was not listed as an official event, tournament officials have
announced that all 2007 ticket buyers will
be given free tickets to the 2008 event.
19
ANDOVER, Kan. – Smooth-swinging Stan
Lee, the U.S. Golf Association’s 2007 Senior
Amateur champion, is not only happy but
also thankful it’s over.
For the past month the small-town
Arkansas banker had been fighting an ominous feeling that made him a physical
wreck. He had a premonition he would win
the Senior Amateur title at Andover’s Flint
Hills course. And he told people in his home
town of Heber Springs about it. Not in a
cocky way, but matter-of-factly.
It became an obsession. He told his wife,
Kathy. She said, “Look, if you get on your
high horse you’re going to get it knocked
right out from under you.”
But he could not ignore it. It was as if talking about it was something he had to do. Yet
it lurked in the back of his mind that it might
not happen. He was uptight for a month.
“Even when you have confidence, you
have to have a little luck,” he said.
That luck came in two forms. To win his
quarterfinal match he had to birdie the final
hole and send the match into extra holes. He
said he hit the greatest shot of his life into
the 18th green. “It was a 240-yard 3-wood
into a 20-mile-an-hour wind that had to hook
20 yards. It was like a guided missile. It went
right to the hole.” He won that hole and then
won on the 19th hole with a par.
In the title match, luck took the form of a
50-foot putt on the eighth hole that pretty
much knocked the wind out of his opponent,
Sam Farlow of Alabama. It put Lee 3-up en
route to a 4-and-3 triumph.
The end came just in time. Lee said he was
falling apart. “I lost 15 pounds. I couldn’t eat.”
At 55 years and five days, Lee is the
youngest player ever to win the Senior
Amateur.
Lee is an eight-time state amateur champion and a member of the Arkansas Golf
Hall of Fame. Now the Arkansas golfing legend has started carving a niche for himself
on the national level and will get a shot at
international fame. The victory qualified him
for future British and U.S. Senior Amateur
and Open events as well as several of the
USGA’s other national championship events,
such as the Mid-Amateur.
The victory exorcised another demon that
had been gnawing at him. A two-time AllAmerica golfer at LSU in the 1970s, Lee competed on the PGA Tour for five years after
college. He said his highest finish was second in the Louisiana Open but he also had 10
or 12 top-10 finishes. However, the money
was not that good in those years. He didn’t
have to quit, but he did.
“And since 1980, that’s 27 years ago, I have
felt like there’s been a monkey on my back,
that I failed at something. And in this tournament . . . I was able to extricate that. I
failed at the Tour but I got something better.
I would rather have this than the Tour.
Winning a USGA amateur event to me is the
20
Kansas Beat
Mal Elliott
ultimate. And so I am exonerated and I can
pass away in peace now.”
MORE USGA EVENTS?
The 2007 Senior Amateur was the second
USGA national championship staged at Flint
Hills National Golf Club, and if founder Tom
Devlin has his way it could be one of many
more to come. Devlin said he would like to
get on a regular rotation to bring more USGA
championships to the Tom Fazio-designed
course near Andover.
Devlin feels Flint Hills could host a future
Women’s Open and he likes the idea of staging
such international events as the Curtis Cup
and Walker Cup competitions, which pit the
top U.S. women and men amateurs against
those of Great Britain and Ireland.
“I think we could handle the traffic of a
Women’s Open,” he said. “Our goal would be
every five years to have one of their major
tournaments. We hope that, because of the
job we did here that we can get other events.
The Women’s Open would be terrific. The
Men’s Amateur would be terrific.”
The Women’s Open is scheduled through
2011. Even though he thinks Flint Hills
would be happy staging a USGA event every
five years, Devlin said if some course that
has committed to a USGA event encounters
troubles, he would be willing to have Flint
Hills fill the gap.
Devlin also has a fan in Wichita native
Judy Bell, the trailblazer who became the
first woman named to the USGA’s executive
committee and was later the first woman
president.
“Tom and I became good friends after
Flint Hills hosted the 2001 Women’s
Amateur,” said Bell during a visit to Flint
Hills during the Senior Amateur. “I love it
when he hosts a tournament. He pays attention to details.”
Bell is now head of the USGA’s grants program. She is not on the executive committee
nor the tournament selection committee but
she still commands much respect among
USGA officials.
Speculation is that most likely Flint Hills
will be the site of the 2014 Curtis Cup matches. “My understanding is that they could not
bring the matches here before 2014,” said
Devlin.
“We love amateur golf. But the Women’s
Open is the one professional tournament we
could host. You know there are a lot of good
golfers out there on that women’s tour. It has
really exploded. We could easily handle the
crowd of a Women’s Open. We’d like to have
another televised tournament. I think that
would be really nice.”
Devlin’s reasons for loving amateur golf
run deep.
“My mother played amateur golf and my
dad was a scratch player. I come from a family of golfers,” he said. “I’ve played in a lot of
Kansas tournaments. Unfortunately, I
worked as a young man so I when I got to
where I could really play, age was kind of a
factor. I shoot 72 to 78, so I can still play, but
not good enough to play with the really good
players. But I love it and I love to watch it.”
Stan Lee, the 2007 Senior Amateur champ,
paid Flint Hills high praise.
“How can people be any nicer than the
people are here?” he asked. “They’re the
most gracious people I’ve ever seen. And I
played in tournaments in almost every state
in the Union. I’ve never seen nicer people
than this, Never.”
Flint Hills is ranked No. 49 on the Golf
Digest list of top U.S. courses. But it is only
10 years old. The more exposure it gets, the
better its chances of rising in the rankings.
The Curtis Cup and Walker Cup matches
would be international exposure for Flint Hills.
“We’d love that,” said Devlin. “One of the
ladies on the Curtis Cup committee is here
and we hope she likes it and goes back and
tells them what we did here.”
Gordon Brewer, who played in the Senior
Amateur, is on the executive committee and
represents the USGA in dealings with the
Royal and Ancient Order of Golf in Scotland.
He is also a member of Pine Valley Country
Club in New Jersey, which is always ranked
the No. 1 course in every list of the top
courses in the United States.
Devlin said, “Gordon was telling me, ‘You
know Tom, when I first played here with you
five years ago, I thought Flint Hills was pretty good. But now that I have played it five
days in a row, I think it has matured into a
great golf course.’ “
With opinions like that prevailing among
the people who really count in amateur golf,
Devlin could get his wishes.
BELL JOINS ANOTHER HALL
Judy Bell, a member of the World Golf Hall
of Fame, was inducted into the National Black
Golf Hall of Fame in Auburn, Ala., July 14.
Bell is not an African-American, but was
honored for her role in securing access to
the game for minorities and underprivileged youths. She is the consulting director
for the USGA Fellowship and Grants initiative which has awarded $57 million in
grants since 1997. Among those organizations benefiting from the grants are Golf
20/20, The First Tee and other grassroots
programs.
Bell is also enshrined in the Kansas Golf
Hall of Fame, Kansas Sports Hall of Fame,
Wichita Sports Hall of Fame and Colorado
Golf Hall of Fame.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Photos by Benjamin Krain
A long day in tall weeds for Arkansas Golf Association Executive Director Jay Fox.
ACROSSARKANSAS
Trio puts love of golf to the test
GOLF ADVENTURE
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette golf writer Beck Cross lured
three prominent Arkansas golfers to play one hole on 18 different golf courses in the Central Arkansas area in one day.
Cross went along for the ride to chronicle the journey.
THE PLAYERS: Jay Fox, 48, longtime executive director
of the Arkansas State Golf Association, played professionally in the early1980s before later earning ASGA Player of the
Year awards in 1983 and 1989. Chris Jenkins, 37, was the
ASGA Player of the Year in 1998. ‘99 and ‘01. Amanda
McCurdy, 23, was a two-time all-Southeastern Conference
player from Arkansas. She was the 2004 U.S. Women’s
Amateur runner-up and made the cut in the 2005 U.S.
Women’s Open. She is in her first season as a professional on
the Futures Tour.
CRITERIA: All courses selected were within a 35-mile radius
of Little Rock. The 18-holes added up to a par-71 course,
with five par-3s, four par-5s and nine par-4s.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
BY BECK CROSS
Jay Fox chuckled at the idea before being
told it wasn’t a joke.
The concept was to have three wellknown Arkansas golfers play one hole on 18
different golf courses in the Central
Arkansas area in one day.
“I’m not sure if it can be done,’’ said Fox,
who is one of the most respected players
and tournament administrators in the state.
“You’re going to have about 13 hours of sunlight but what about traffic? What if the
course is packed? What if it rains? There are
so many variables at play here.
“I’m up for it, but we’re going to have our
hands full, that’s for sure.’’
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with cooperation from the Arkansas State Golf
Association and area public courses, put this
rather quirky Golf Challenge to the test last May.
Fox, Little Rock’s Chris Jenkins and El
Dorado’s Amanda McCurdy signed on for
the adventure and all later agreed it was an
experience they would never forget.
7 A.M.: WAR MEMORIAL
GOLF COURSE PARKING LOT
The first tee time at Cypress Creek at
Greystone Golf Club in Cabot was at 7:45
a.m., so the group arranged to meet at a centrally located site in midtown Little Rock.
Jenkins, the only one person to have a
large enough automobile (Suburban) to haul
all four people, three golf bags and various
supplies from course to course, was the last
to arrive at 7:03 a.m. and took some goodnatured ribbing.
“You’re late,’’ McCurdy said with a grin
while extending her hand to meet him for
the first time.
“From all the good things I’ve heard about
21
you, I guess you get a pass.’’
With bags loaded and a quick check to
make sure nothing had been forgotten, the
group was on its way to the Cypress Creek
Course at Greystone Golf Club in Cabot.
After small talk and pleasantries were
exchanged in the first few minutes of the
ride, Jenkins seized a brief lull in the conversation to utter what everybody was likely
thinking.
“When the alarm went off at 6 this morning,
I asked myself, “What the hell am I doing?’’ he
said to agreeable looks from all three passengers. “I just hope I don’t say something to
offend Amanda before 8 [a.m.].’’
Now that the ice had been broken, talk
immediately turned to a bet between the
three well-matched golfers. Fox, 49, who
was the most dominant amateur player in
the late ‘80s and early ‘90s before limiting his
participation in tournament golf because of
his role as ASGA executive director, immediately labeled himself the underdog.
“Is there a prize for third place?’’ he asked.
“Actually, my money’s on Amanda.’’
“That’s one thing I’m inclined to agree
with you on,’’ said Jenkins, who has been
named ASGA Player of the Year three times.
McCurdy, a former all-SEC Player for the
Arkansas Razorbacks who is currently in her
first season on the Futures Tour, knew a
sandbag when she heard it.
“I know the reputation you guys have and
I don’t buy that for a second,’’ McCurdy said.
“But it sure makes me like ya’ll more. Let’s
just play for bragging rights.’’
The scheduled 30-minute drive to
Greystone took slightly longer than expected,
with rush-hour traffic and an unplanned holdup behind a cement truck on Highway 5.
“Knowing Chris as well as I do, he’ll definitely be able to make up for any lost time
the way he drives,’’ Fox said. “You girls just
make sure you’re strapped in at all times.’’
7:46 A.M.: ARRIVE AT CYPRESS
CREEK; ODOMETER: 33.8 MILES
Though the group was scheduled to be on
the tee at 7:45, the transition went smoothly
thanks to Greystone golf director Dustin
Ralston.
He was waiting in the almost-empty parking lot with two golf carts and the fastest
directions to the 18th tee, a dogleg-left par-5
with water to the left and out-of-bounds to
the right.
Without benefit of hitting a single range ball
and still stiff from the drive, Fox wondered if
there would be any first-tee mulligans.
“We’re all the in same boat here,’’
McCurdy said. “Tee ‘em up.’’
Fox and Jenkins, who were playing the
blue tees while McCurdy played the white
tees, both found the fairway despite the cobwebs.
Satisfaction turned into worry for both
when McCurdy striped her tee shot 260
yards with a slight draw, leaving her only
about 175 to the pin.
“Yep, she’s going to beat the heck out of
us,’’ Jenkins said.
All three went for the green in two shots
but were just over the edge. Fox was the
only player to settle for par after failing to
get up-and-down for birdie.
“It’s the first hole and I’m already one
down with a par,’’ Fox said. “This might be a
long day.’’
After holing out, the three raced to the car,
threw their bags in the back and were off at
8:09 a.m.
8:13 A.M.: ARRIVE AT
MOUNTAIN SPRINGS,
ODOMETER: 36.8 MILES
It’s a three-mile drive from Cypress Creek
to Mountain Springs, but Jenkins made the
trip in just over 4 minutes in a 25-mile-perhour zone.
“Jay, I see what you mean about Chris’
ability to make a deadline,’’ McCurdy
quipped as she was jostled all over the back
seat. “With him driving, we might be through
in six hours.’’
Ralston called ahead and had two carts
waiting at the clubhouse entrance. “Gosh,
we only have to do this 16 more times,’’
Jenkins said as he unloaded three bags from
the back of the truck. “Yeah, this should be
interesting before it’s all said and done.’’
The group arrived on the tee at 8:18 but
22
there was a brief delay while Fox explained
the dogleg-left par-4 to McCurdy, who hadn’t
played the hole in more than seven years.
“I know I’ve played this hole but I have
absolutely no memory of it,’’ McCurdy said.
“I hope you guys don’t give me any bad information.’’
Fox pulled his tee shot left out of bounds
before eventually taking a double-bogey 6,
while Jenkins and McCurdy were both safely on in two.
After Jenkins rallied to make par with a 6footer, McCurdy rammed in her 17-foot putt
to mark her second birdie in a row.
“Chris, she’s lied to us about her putting
problems,’’ Fox said. “It’s not the first time
I’ve been lied to by a woman.’’
8:46 A.M.: ARRIVE AT HICKORY
CREEK; ODOMETER: 47.2 MILES
Without accurate driving directions from
mapquest.com, Hickory Creek isn’t the easiest place to find. It’s well off the beaten path,
about a mile off Highway 107 in
Jacksonville.
When the truck pulled up the gravel road
into the clubhouse entrance, Hickory Creek
owner/designer Rocky Mantooth awaited
with a curious smile. “Ya’ll really think you
can get in 18 holes today?’’ he asked.
By the expression on everyone’s faces, the
jury was still out on that question.
When the group arrived at the severe dogleg-right par-4 to a blind green, McCurdy had
the honor after birdieing the first two holes.
“Any advice here?’’ she asked. “I have
absolutely no idea what to hit.’’
After none of the men said a word,
McCurdy hit her drive through the fairway
on the left side, leaving her with no other
option but to hit out into the fairway and
play for bogey.
“Thanks guys,’’ she said with a laugh.
Learning from McCurdy’s mistake, both
Fox and Jenkins selected an iron off the tee
and made easy pars while McCurdy was fortunate to make bogey after her mistake off
the tee.
“Hey, she’s a pro,’’ Fox said. “We’re a couple of has-beens or never-weres.’’
After a thank-you to Mantooth, the group
headed out at 9:05
9:14 A.M.: ARRIVE AT PINE
VALLEY; ODOMETER: 53.6 MILES
After making a wrong turn out of the
Hickory Creek parking lot, which led to a
three-minute detour, Jenkins made up for the
lost time with his “aggressive’’ driving style.
Pine Valley owner Mark Brown awaited
with two carts and assisted with unloading
before directing the group to their toughest
test yet, the par-3 5th.
At 175 yards from the tips to a green that
is guarded on three sides by water, No. 5
drew some comparisons to the famed 17th
at TPC Sawgrass.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
“I would say this hole is harder because it’s
at least 50 yards longer [than 17 at
Sawgrass],’’ Jenkins said. “Even if you miss
the green long and avoid the water, it’s almost
impossible to get up-and-down [for par].
“I’d be nervous playing a three-man
scramble on this hole.’’
Jenkins, who filibustered for almost a
minute while deciding on a club choice in
the swirling winds, narrowly missed holing
out for an ace before the ball slipped to the
back of the green.
Fox and McCurdy weren’t so fortunate.
Each succumbed to the waiting water hazard and both scrambled for double bogey
while Jenkins chipped within inches before
tapping in for par.
“I hope to goodness we don’t play a hole
like that again today,’’ McCurdy said. “That
was almost impossible.’’
The group bid adieu to Brown and Pine
Valley at 9:36 a.m.
9:59 A.M.: ARRIVE FOXWOOD
COUNTRY CLUB;
ODOMETER: 69.1 MILES
Foxwood director of golf Rick Jenkins,
Chris’ older brother, awaited our arrival with
anticipation. “I thought ya’ll were going to be
here about 30 minutes ago,’’ Jenkins said.
There was no collective panic on anyone’s
faces at this point. After a glance at his
watch, Fox reaffirmed our optimism.
“Guys, we’re actually ahead of schedule,’’
Fox said. “Thanks to Chris’ driving. Knock
on wood.’’
Still not completely over the tension of
playing the beastly 5th hole at Pine Valley,
Rick Jenkins led us to the par-3 14th, another green that is fronted by water and lined
with a decorative brick wall.
“Great, a par-3 with water,’’ McCurdy said
with a hint of sarcasm.
While Jenkins and McCurdy safely avoided trouble, Fox couldn’t buy a break. His tee
shot slid behind the green into a hazard,
resulting in his fourth penalty shot in five
holes.
“I knew I was playing for third place, but
this is getting a little ridiculous,’’ said Fox,
who later suffered his third double bogey
while both Jenkins and McCurdy made pars.
“I’m 6-over after five holes. Am I going to
break 90 today?’’
Headed back to the car, Fox shrugged off
his bad luck.
“That’s actually a great hole,’’ he said. “The
ASGA Junior Match is here this summer and
I’m looking forward to seeing how the kids
play that hole.’’
Loaded up at 10:17 a.m., the group headed
to StoneLinks.
10:34 A.M.: ARRIVE STONELINKS
ODOMETER: 84.4 MILES
StoneLinks golf director Tommy
Rutherford, who was busy with a Pelz shortSOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Jay Fox, Chris Jenkins and Amanda McCurdy at the end of a very long day on the golf course(s).
game clinic that morning, greeted us at the
clubhouse and made arrangements for us to
be ferried to the par-4 10th.
“I haven’t been out here in a while but it’s
really in
good shape,’’ Jenkins said. “This is a
course where you can shoot a really high
number if you’re not careful.’’
The 10th hole is relatively straightforward
but requires a 220-yard carry over water
from the tips and has more water that comes
into play at the green.
With a 20-mile tailwind behind them, Fox
and Jenkins each blasted tee shots more
than 300 yards while McCurdy wasn’t too far
back with a drive of 275 from the white tees.
Fox missed the green short in regulation,
but sank a 10-foot putt to tie his two playing
companions with pars.
“Well, it’s something,’’ Fox said. “Maybe
that’s the putt that’s finally going to get me
going.’’
Having completed six holes by 10:59 a.m.,
which was more than 30 minutes ahead of
schedule, the group was feeling a little cocky
and very hungry.
After a failed attempt to grab a quick bite at
a crowded diner by the airport, the group settled for some buffet pizza on Chicot Road in
Southwest Little Rock en route to Lake View.
Fox, who recently began a diet and limited himself to two thin slices and a small
salad, watched in awe as rail-thin Jenkins (62, 175 pounds) and McCurdy (5-0, 100) went
back for seconds, thirds and fourths.
“That’s just not right,’’ Fox said. “There’s
no justice in this world.’’
11:50 A.M.: ARRIVE LAKE VIEW
GOLF COURSE;
ODOMETER: 105.6 MILES
Lake View, which was originally known as
Whispering Pines, was a blast from the past
for Jenkins.
“I used to play here quite a bit as a kid but
I haven’t been here in years and years,’’
Jenkins said. “I remember it had quite a few
really hard holes.’’
Don Parker, who is the Lake View owner,
pointed us to the par-3 18th, which was just
off the parking lot.
When the three arrived on the elevated tee
and peered over at the extremely elevated
green with absolutely no room for error,
Jenkins’ hazy memories of Lake View were
now crystal clear.
“I think I might puke on my shoes,’’
Jenkins said, drawing guffaws from
McCurdy. “I’ve got about nine slices of pizza
in my belly and you make me play this hole?’’
Jenkins, who still had the honor for the
fourth consecutive hole, slightly pulled his tee
shot before the ball kicked dead left off the
hole, leaving him with a 30-yard pitch shot.
“Wow, what a surprise,’’ Jenkins said.
Fox and McCurdy both missed the green,
but in safe spots in the fringe. McCurdy
almost chipped in for birdie while Fox saved
par with a tricky 7-footer.
Jenkins, meanwhile, was just getting started. He bladed his second shot over the green
on the other side, chipped 8 feet short of the
flag and two-putted from double bogey.
“I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’m ready to
get to the next stop.’’
The group was packed and ready to leave
Lake View at 12:06 p.m., with the anticipated
15-minute drive to Longhills Golf Club in
Benton.
Fox phoned ahead to Longhills pro Jeff
Hamm. “Jeff, we’re on our way,’’ Fox said.
“15 minutes, tops.’’
Though the distance from Lake View to
23
Longhills is 14.7 miles, things didn’t go as
expected.
After about 15 minutes of wandering aimlessly though subdivision after subdivision,
Jenkins realized he might have made a mistake.
“I know it’s around here somewhere,’’
Jenkins said. “But I guess there’s a slight possibility we’re lost.’’
Jenkins eventually found his way back to
1-30, but was west of the course. After circling back twice over the interstate, the
group found its destination following a 25mile total detour.
feet. He really is the best.’’
After a 10-minute wait, Fox and McCurdy
made routine pars after hitting the green in
regulation and two-putting for par. Jenkins
sank a 17-footer to record the only birdie on
the hole.
“See, the guy rarely misses when he feels
like he has to make a putt,’’ Fox said. “I’ve
seen it time and time again.’’
After speeding back to the clubhouse,
bags were loaded and packed at 2:34 p.m.
2:47 P.M.: ARRIVE HINDMAN
PARK; ODOMETER: 161.6 MILES
12:53 P.M.: ARRIVE LONGHILLS
GOLF CLUB; ODOMETER: 140.6
MILES
Hamm was waiting in the parking lot, with
his hands on his hips.
“I thought you guys said you’d be here
about 30 minutes ago?’’ Hamm said.
The group stopped in their tracks and
stared at Jenkins.
“Oh, we took a slight detour,’’ Jenkins
said. “Boy, ya’ll really have a lot of nice subdivisions in this area.’’
More rusty than ever after the hectic, 45minute ride, Hamm led the three golfers to
the par-5 11th, which was totally redesigned
in 2002.
The scenic hole had several fairway
bunkers, a ditch that runs along the right
side of the fairway, out of bounds on the left
and a pond that fronts the right side of the
green.
“I have not seen this hole since it was
redone and it’s absolutely beautiful,’’ Jenkins
said.
None of the three players were able to
reach the par-5 in two shots, but McCurdy
came away with her third birdie of the day
after sinking a 17-footer while Jenkins and
Fox settled for two-putt pars.
“I really can’t believe I birdied that hole
because I had this horrible cramp in my leg
after that ride,’’ McCurdy said.
After Hamm gave Jenkins precise instructions on how to reach Hurricane Golf Club
in Bryant, the group left Longhills at 1:20.
1:27 P.M.: ARRIVE HURRICANE
GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
ODOMETER: 144.3 MILES
Hurricane, which was the newest course
on the schedule, passed the eyeball test from
all in the truck as we drove through the front
gate.
“This is one of the prettier courses we’ve
seen today,’’ McCurdy said. “I’ve never been
here but have heard some good things.’’
Hurricane director of golf Ron Bruton
directed us to the par-4 5th, a dogleg left with
fairways bunkers in the landing area and
water fronting a large green.
“This hole is a synopsis of the whole
24
A sunburnt and tired Amanda McCurdy.
course,’’ Fox said. “Water comes into play on
almost every hole if you don’t hit a precise
shot.’’
Fox and Jenkins both found water on
their second after perfect tee shots and each
scrambled to make bogey off putts longer
than 10 feet. McCurdy, who narrowly missed
the green right in regulation, chipped to
within inches and tapped in for par to take a
two-stroke lead over Jenkins at the turn with
an even-par 35. Fox was seven strokes back.
“I can see her lead getting even bigger,’’
Jenkins said.
The front nine was completed at 1:50 p.m.,
30 minutes ahead of schedule.
“I think it’s going to get easier at this point
because we’re headed to Little Rock and the
courses will be closer together,’’ Fox said.
2:07 P.M.: ARRIVE EAGLE HILL
GOLF CLUB;
ODOMETER 155.7 MILE
Eagle Hill is the home of the ASGA and we
were met by staffers Mac Stubbs, Leo
Neblett and Jamie Moore, all of whom were
eager to hear about our progress.
“We still have a ways to go but there is a
light at the end of the tunnel,’’ Fox said. “And
yes, Amanda is kicking our butts.’’
After arriving at the par-5 11th, the group
endured their first lull of the day while waiting for a rather slow foursome to clear the
hole.
McCurdy made the most of the timeout by
soliciting some putting advice from Jenkins,
who is revered as having the best short game
in the state.
“If I could putt like you, I’d be on the LPGA
Tour right now,’’ McCurdy said to Jenkins.
Jenkins obliged by giving McCurdy a few
putting drills to help her with her consistency.
“Chris really does make it so easy,’’ Fox
said. “We’ve played nine holes and have
putted on nine different putting surfaces,
going back and forth from Bermuda to bent,
and he hasn’t missed a putt outside of 10
The group got a brief jolt when Jenkins
announced he knew a short cut from Eagle
Hill to Hindman.
“Oh no, please, not again,’’ McCurdy
pleaded. “We can’t go through that again.’’
Jenkins redeemed himself from the fiasco
three holes back after he meandered
through a residential neighborhood and
found a back entrance to Hindman,
accessed through a small gate adjacent to
the ninth fairway.
“See, no problem,’’ Jenkins said. “I probably saved us five miles going this way.’’
The three golfers were met at the clubhouse by Hindman head professional Ed
Dreher and assistant pro Charles Smith, who
had two cart keys in hand.
Making their way to the par-4 9th tee box,
Fox noticed that a group was forming
behind the green.
“Hey, we have our first gallery,’’ Fox said.
“We better make it look good.’’
McCurdy, who was 155 yards from the
green after a perfect drive, badly pulled her
approach. She later needed a 4-footer to save
bogey while Fox and Jenkins made pars.
Back in the truck at 3:04 p.m., the 12th
hole of the day awaited after the short drive
to the First Tee of Arkansas.
3:11 P.M.: ARRIVE FIRST TEE;
ODOMETER: 164.7 MILES
First Tee doesn’t allow carts on the
course, but director of golf Jim Hauman
took one look at the weary threesome and
grabbed two keys.
“Don’t tell,’’ Hauman said with a smile.
“This is only for a special occasion.’’
Thrilled, they rode to the par-3 ninth. Fox,
who at that point trailed both Jenkins and
McCurdy by six strokes, ran in a 25-foot
birdie putt while the other two made pars.
“It might be a case of too little, too late for
me,’’ Fox said. “But hey, you never know.
We’ve got some tough holes left and fatigue
is bound to be a factor soon.’’
With thanks to Hauman and First Tee staff
Kenneth Patterson and Bobby Hinn, the
truck was on its way at 3:27 p.m.
3:40 P.M.: ARRIVE WAR
MEMORIAL PARK;
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
ODOMETER: 168.5
McCurdy had never played War Memorial,
but Fox and Jenkins couldn’t help but wax
nostalgic about the place they considered
“hallowed grounds.’’
Between the two, they had won 10 War
Memorial Fourth of the July Championships.
“We have all sorts of nicknames for the
place like ‘UnFair Park’ and ‘TPC War
Memorial’ but Chris and I obviously love this
place,’’ said Fox, who has the edge over
Jenkins with six Fourth of July titles. “It
would truly be a sad day if this golf course
wasn’t here.’’
The three faced the par-4 18th, the most
dangerous hole on the course with Markham
Street looming on the right, a ditch in the middle of the fairway and a hazard to the left.
“It shouldn’t be that hard of a hole but it’s
the first on this course where OB [out of
bounds] is a real possibility and it gets you
thinking,’’ Jenkins said.
The three made it look easy on this day.
Each easily carried the ditch, hit the green in
regulation before making stress-free pars.
The total stop took only 19 minutes,
paving the way for the short drive through
Hillcrest to Rebsamen Park.
4:10 P.M.: ARRIVE REBSAMEN
PARK; ODOMETER: 172.7 MILES
Not surprising on a sunny, spring day,
Rebsamen Park was packed, making it difficult to even find a parking spot.
One of the friendly faces there to greet the
group was Bill Jett, fondly known as ‘Mr.
Bill’ to the kids at First Tee whom he has
mentored.
Rebsamen golf director George Earls led
the way to the par-4 13th, a lengthy cart ride
to the farthest point on the course.
The course’s signature hole has a beautiful
view of the downtown skyline with the
Arkansas River running along the fairway on
the left.
“I haven’t been on this course since it was
redone,’’ McCurdy said. “This might be the
prettiest hole we’ve played all day.’’
Nobody made it easy on himself or herself
here. All missed the green in regulation after
errant drives before Jenkins and McCurdy
rallied for pars while Fox made a bogey after
a plugged lie in a greenside bunker.
“Yep, I think we’re all starting to feel it,’’
Jenkins said. “Every shot is starting to get
harder and harder.’’
Chatter was at a minimum when the bags
were loaded at 4:38 p.m.
5:01 P.M.: ARRIVE BURNS PARK;
ODOMETER: 182.4 MILES
After battling the stop-and-go of rush-hour
traffic on the 25-minute trip, the three were tiring fast. Their rapid and once-energized gait
was replaced with a slow trudge up an incline
to the Burns Park pro shop.
Burns Park staff members Ron Barentine
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
and Russell Wrentz glanced at the three with
sympathetic smiles after being apprised of the
day’s schedule.
“I don’t know if I can speak for anybody
else, but I’ve hit the wall,’’ Fox said. “I’m not a
marathon runner, but if I were, this would be
mile 23.’’
Fortunately, this was a two-for-one stop.
The three played the par-4 8th at the
Tournament Course before making a lengthy
cart ride to the par-5 18th on the Champions
Course.
Tied for the lead with Jenkins while Fox
trailed by six, McCurdy’s weariness began to
show at the 8th, a severe dogleg left with water
in play on the right side.
After a decent drive in the left side of the
fairway, she badly pulled a 6-iron well left of
the green.
“That’s the textbook version of a fatigue
swing,’’ she said, now frustrated. “It’s going
from bad to worse.’’
Jenkins, who was the only player to hit the
green in regulation, narrowly missed his 20foot birdie attempt while McCurdy and Fox
were thankful to make bogeys.
More sloppy play followed at the 18th on the
Champions Course, considered a birdie hole
because it’s reachable by most in two shots.
Fox, who was just 180 yards shy of the green
after a 315-yard drive, missed the green right in
two before failing to get up-and-down for
birdie from the right side of the green.
McCurdy, who was also greenside in two,
hit her chip fat before two-putting from 25 feet
for par. Jenkins, who was the only player in
trouble off the tee after a bad hook, recovered
when it counted after holing a 15-foot putt for
birdie to seize a two-stroke lead over McCurdy.
“That guy just makes everything, doesn’t
he?’’ McCurdy said to Fox.
Heartened that the end was drawing near,
the group left Burns at 5:42 p.m. for the short
drive to Emerald Park.
5:50 P.M.: ARRIVE EMERALD
PARK; ODOMETER: 186.4 MILES
Emerald Park pro Joe Ralston gave the
three a knowing look as they slowly made
their way to the clubhouse.
“Long day?’’ Ralston asked.
“You couldn’t begin to know,’’ Fox said.
The par-3 second is innocent looking,
measuring only 128 yards with a lone bunker
on the left side.
Fox, who is out of contention at eight
strokes back, salvaged a measure of pride by
almost holing out for an ace before the ball
settled only 6 inches away.
McCurdy, who missed the green in regulation, chipped 6 feet past the pin and missed
her putt for par while Jenkins two-putted for
par from 20 feet.
“Well, I guess that does it for me,’’
McCurdy said. “Chris has it wrapped up.”
The group headed for the final hole at 6:08.
6:24 P.M.: ARRIVE COUNTRY
CLUB OF ARKANSAS; ODOMETER: 198.7 MILES
“Thank goodness,’’ McCurdy exclaimed as
the truck made it’s way up the drive. “This is
the last hole, right?’’
Slightly energized that this was indeed the
last hole, the three took the waiting cart keys
from Country Club of Arkansas staffer Pam
Evans and headed out to the par-4 10th, a
drivable 290-yard par-4 that is guarded by
bunkers on all sides.
Though Jenkins had a three-shot lead over
McCurdy, there was some final-hole drama.
After hitting his tee shot in what appeared to
be a safe area left of the green, Jenkins couldn’t find his ball after a 10-minute search.
McCurdy, who was 20 yards shy of the
green and chipped to within 15 feet, realized
she was back in contention.
Jenkins, who was now hitting three after
the two-shot penalty, played safely off the
tee and chipped to within 12 feet. After
McCurdy missed her birdie attempt, Jenkins
made the putt for bogey to secure the twostroke victory. Fox, who bogeyed the hole,
finished seven strokes back.
When the final putt dropped at 6:54 p.m.,
the stress and physical grind of the experience gave way to satisfaction of accomplishing a feat most deemed unrealistic at the
beginning of the day.
McCurdy, who was a stranger to Jenkins
and Fox when the day began, celebrated the
feat with bear hugs for each.
“I got nosed out at the end but I’ve made
two really good friends today,’’ she said. “I’m
glad I did this.’’
After about a 10-minute toast at the clubhouse, it was time to head home on the 15mile drive back to Little Rock.
“This was so much harder than I ever envisioned it to be,’’ Fox said. “There was never
a chance to get any rhythm because it felt
like every hole was the starting hole of the
day. Typically, you warm up with a few range
balls and it normally takes you a hole or two
to get the feel of what your swing is.
“Mentally and physically it was a toll
because it took around 12 hours. Adrenaline
could only keep you going for so long. The
thing that sustained me was the camaraderie. I would do it again with this group.’’
7:34 P.M.: DROP-OFF AT WAR
MEMORIAL,
FINAL ODOMETER READING:
212.5 MILES
As the three unloaded the truck for the
final time and exchanged goodbyes, the
question of an encore was posed.
“I guess the only way we could top this is
if we rented a helicopter and played 18 different holes around the state,’’ Fox said.
Hmmmm, now that’s a true Golf
Challenge.
25
D E S T I N AT I O N S
An aerial view of The Tribute Golf
Club and Lake Lewisville.
Golfing Big D
By DAVID R. HOLLAND
Tall tales, folklore and myths surround the
historic golf of the Dallas-Fort Worth
Metroplex, a place every travel golfer should
visit to walk in the footprints of legendary
Hall of Fame golfers.
Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson? They
worked as teen-age caddies at Fort Worth’s
Glen Garden Country Club, and both golf legends are mentioned frequently when the PGA
Tour makes its annual visit to the Crowne
Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the EDS
Byron Nelson Championship at Las Colinas.
A kid named Lee Trevino hustled by playing with a Dr Pepper bottle at Hardy
Greenwood’s old driving range, and East
Dallas municipal Tenison Park was an early
home course to Lee Elder, Titanic
Thompson and Babe Didrickson Zaharias.
Today’s generation can remember two PGA
Tour stars -- former Oklahoma State golfer
and 2007 Byron Nelson Championship winner
Scott Verplank, who grew up on Dallas’
Brookhaven Country Club, my home club
back in the 1970s. And former British Open
champ Justin Leonard learned the game
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
WHERE TO PLAY
Tour 18 Dallas
Flower Mound; Phone: (800) 946-5310, (817) 430-2000
The Tribute Golf Club
The Colony, Phone: (972) 370-5465
Buffalo Creek Golf Club,
Rockwall; Phone: (972) 771-4003
Bear Creek Golf Club,
Dallas; Phone: (972) 456-3200
Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club
Fairview; Phone: (800) 579-3089, 972-549-0276
across town at Royal Oaks Country Club.
History even recounts Depression-era
bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, who were
known to hide and camp out in the Oak Cliff
section of Dallas at Stevens Park Golf
Course when they were fleeing from Texas
Rangers. Clyde Barrow’s grave is just a
minute away from the fairways on Fort
Worth Avenue.
Mix in a golf history
lesson on your next
North Texas trip
Today the number of daily-fee courses in
the Metroplex available for travel golfers is
mind-boggling, along with a list of outstanding municipals.
Tour 18 Dallas and The Tribute Golf Club
are two courses that celebrate the history of
golf. On the banks of Lake Lewisville, The
Tribute Golf Club in The Colony plays homage to great holes of the British Isles and
was routed by former Oklahoma AllAmerican golfer Tripp Davis.
You will walk the famous Old Course at
St. Andrews’ holes like 1, 12, 17 and 18. Play
it on a cool, windy, gray day and you can
almost imagine golf in Scotland. Golf Digest
listed it as one of the “100 Greatest Public
Courses” for 2005-2006.
Another layout, named the New Course, is
in the planning stages for The Tribute and
hopes to open in 2009.
“We are thinking about the first course we
built at The Tribute as the Old Course and
the second design as the New Course,”
Davis said. “Its design will not embody specific holes, but the style of early American
courses such as Shinnecock, National Golf
Links, Crystal Downs and Prairie Dunes.
These courses were very natural in appear27
ance and they tried to mimic their older
brothers in Scotland.”
The other replica course, Tour 18 Dallas,
is actually in Flower Mound and located on
a street named Amen Corner. That should
tell you about one three-hole stretch on this
entertaining replica course. Other enjoyable
holes include Cherry Hills’ first, the island
green of Sawgrass and holes from Southern
Hills, Oakmont, Harbor Town, Winged Foot,
Medinah, Crooked Stick, Baltusrol, Doral
and Pine Valley.
Be amazed at No. 12, where a doughnutshaped bunker sits in the middle of this 170yard par-3 green -- a replica of the sixth hole
at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Last
fall management finally gave up on bentgrass and planted Bermuda-a, a new strain
of ultra dwarf.
Just 50 miles from the Oklahoma border,
Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club, in
Fairview is a convenient first stop on your
drive to Dallas. This Arthur Hills-Steve
Forrest design measures 6,988 yards at par72 amidst century-old pecan trees and oaks,
streams and rolling hills. Conditions are fast
and firm and you might even be greeted by
Trevino’s son, Tony, who is director of golf.
This complete club includes all the amenities needed -- 24,000 square-foot clubhouse
with a restaurant, the Corral Grill, Golf
Shop, craft and card rooms and indoor heated swimming pool.
For business air travelers, the most con-
The 17th hole at Sawgrass is easily recognizable as the ninth hole at Tour 18 in Flower Mound, Texas.
venient daily-fee complex is Bear Creek Golf
Club located at D/FW Airport. Sounds flat
and unattractive? Nothing could be further
from the truth. This is a beautiful, rolling 36hole adventure among huge trees, large
boulders, undulating greens, narrow fairways and Bear Creek crossings. Its new
mini-verde Bermuda greens roll true and the
courses are overseeded in winter.
Ted Robinson designed the East and West
Courses, both measuring about 6,700 yards
at par-72. If you can’t hit it straight you might
leave the driver in the bag. Bear Creek is listed among the “Top 50 Resort Courses in
America” by Golf Digest.
Tulsa’s Most Scenic Golf Course
Tee Time Reservations: 918-246-2606
1801 N. McKinley • Sand Springs, OK 74063
28
The rolling terrain of Rockwall is home to
Buffalo Creek Golf Club, one of only 25 true
Jay Morrish-Tom Weiskopf designs. It is 25
miles from Dallas. Water comes into play on
11 holes, with tee boxes aiming through
chutes of trees on this par-71 of 7,078 yards.
Holes five through seven are daunting par4s, but the sixth might be the toughest with
water on both sides of the fairway. Hilly and
difficult, this course doesn’t have views of
Lake Ray Hubbard, but it’s only a short drive
away. Opened in 1992, it is annually listed as
one of the best tests in Texas.
The above only scratches the surface.
Award-winning modern municipals are also
included in Metroplex “must plays.” Don’t
miss Texas Star in Euless, Tierra Verde in
Arlington, Tangle Ridge in Grand Prairie,
Dallas’ Tenison Highlands, Carrollton’s
Indian Creek, Grapevine Municipal,
Garland’s Firewheel and the 36 holes of
Sherrill Park in Richardson.
Like narrow fairways in a flood plain? Try
Iron Horse Golf Club in North Richland Hills.
Cedar Crest Golf Course, a historic public
course in South Oak Cliff, dates back to 1916
and was the site of the 1927 PGA
Championship won by Walter Hagen with a
teen-age Byron Nelson in the gallery. Rolling
terrain punctuates this original A.W.
Tillinghast design that has been renovated
by D.A. Weibring.
The most expensive public round in the
area is Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine,
where pampering is noted,. Fort Worth’s
highlighted daily-fee round is Whitestone
Golf Club. Check out Pecan Valley in the
Benbrook area south of Fort Worth for inexpensive golf with streams in a land of tall
pecans and oaks.
Even if you are one of those travel golfers
who bristles at the sound of another bragging Texan, there’s no disagreement that the
Metroplex is resplendent with golf options
for any budget or yearning.
David R. Holland is a former sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News and
author of The Colorado Golf Bible.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
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D E S T I N AT I O N S
NORTHERN
EXPOSURE
By DAVID COBB
As a member of Golfweek’s panel of
course raters you receive some tantalizing
offers to visit mouth-watering golf destinations. Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst and
Pebble Beach are just a few of the golf
courses the Golfweek America’s Best rating team has visited.
So when a tour of North Dakota golf
courses was slated for 2007 you might
think there would have been difficulty getting a group of golf connoisseurs to sign
up. But in two weeks the trip was completely booked by 45 course raters.
A golf tour to North Dakota is a no-frills
North Dakota’s
courses showcase
envinroment and
tough golf
trip, but anything extravagant would be
foreign to this golfing version of the Wild
West. No luxurious spas, five-star hotels or
restaurants await you, but what does is
plenty of unforgettable golf played against
the backdrop of the rugged North Dakota
countryside.
We started the Golfweek Prairie Dog
Tour in Bismarck. We stayed at the Kelly
Inn, within walking distance of the state
Capitol and the North Dakota Heritage
Center. While visiting the latter you can
learn more about North Dakota’s rich past,
which included Lewis and Clark. North
Dakota’s Golf Trail bears the name of these
famous explorers and is comprised of 20
courses. We set out to play three of them:
Hawktree, Bully Pulpit and The Links of
North Dakota.
Hawktree opened in 2000 and is ranked
no. 56 on Golfweek’s America’s Best
Modern list. I was fortunate to play the
daily-fee course with its designer Jim
Engh.
“I am in the entertainment business,”
Engh told me during our round, and
Hawktree does entertain. It is a roller
coaster of a golf course. The golf holes
move up and down, twisting and turning
through the surrounding undulating grassland. Burnt Creek meanders through the
property, coming into play on eight holes.
This, combined with three lakes, makes for
quite a golfing challenge.
You are also sure to remember
Hawktree’s black-sand bunkers. The material in the bunkers is really not sand at all,
but native black coal slag.
The following day we stepped up our
exploring a notch when we ventured west
into the Badlands and the town of Medora.
It is the ultimate Wild-West tourist town
with quite a history. Lt. Col. George A.
Custer traveled through Medora in 1876 on
The rugged Badlands provide the backdrop for Bully Pulpit.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
31
his way to the Little Bighorn, and Theodore
Roosevelt is Medora’s adopted favorite
son. Roosevelt at one time owned two cattle ranches near there and his presence is
still felt today.
The Medora Musical, which is dedicated
to Roosevelt, is a Broadway-style production performed outdoors in a large
amphitheatre.
There
is
even
a
Transportation Museum located in the
Bully Pulpit Clubhouse. This museum celebrates Roosevelt’s many feats including the
building of the Panama Canal.
Bully Pulpit is surrounded by the beautifully craggy and stark Badlands, but the
course starts off playing through the pleasant meadows and woods adjacent to the
Little Missouri River. This makes for quite
an enjoyable walk in the park, yet all the
while the Badlands loom around. When
you reach the 14th hole, you climb straight
into the type of terrain that one would
more expect to find a cougar than a golfer.
Here you play a stretch of four holes that
can only be described as adventuresome.
After the round at Bully Pulpit we
enjoyed a steak at the Pitchfork Fondue,
took in the Medora Musical and got a good
night’s sleep at the Badlands Motel
because our third and final course along
the Lewis and Clark Trail would be the
breathtaking Links of North Dakota.
Bully Pulpit was an enjoyable golf
Beautiful Hawktree, ranked No. 56 among best modern courses by Golfweek.
course that I look forward to playing again
and take my family. My young son will have
a great time adventuring through Medora’s
many attractions, including a miniature
golf course behind the Badlands Motel and
a Children’s Park built to look like a frontier town. Other attractions include the
North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Architect Stephen Kay told the raters on
the trip that when he designs a golf course
he looks for divine inspiration. The evidence of that type of inspiration is found
at the Links of North Dakota. This course
is outside of Williston, but you might as
well say it is in the middle of nowhere.
Still. it is worth the trip to play this golf
course and to experience a layout, which
seems to have been transplanted from
Scotland.
This natural, rolling true-links design
harkens back to the birth of the game – golf
as it should be played- -- in a truly magnificent setting along the bluffs and banks
overlooking a sprawling lake.
In true links fashion, uneven lies and
wind will challenge every aspect of your
game. Kay moved a minimal amount of soil
to create one of the purest links courses on
this side of the Atlantic. For me this golf
course was the highlight of my trip.
Today North Dakota has stepped out
boldly into the golf market. In this remote
region of the country how can this sparsely populated state support such a large
amount of golf courses? The answer is
quality and unique experience combined
with amazing value.
North Dakota is worth a look if you are
looking for a real Wild-West golfing adventure.
New Mexico’s Secret Is Getting Out
Y Quality: The Only 5 Star Golf Course in the Southwest
Y Value: Half the price of Phoenix/Scottsdale
Plan your next trip
www.newmexicogolfdestinations.com
Extend Your Playing Season
(without busting your budget)
32
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Eckroat named executive director of OGA
The Oklahoma Golf Association is pleased
to announce we have our new executive
director. Steve Eckroat has been employed
by the board and officially began work Oct.
1. Many of you know Steve as he was with
the Association both as an intern and then
an employee. Prior to coming to the OGA
the first time he played college golf at
Oklahoma City University.
Upon graduation he served as the OCU
head golf coach. Steve left us six years ago
for the financial world. He remained in contact with the OGA in that, over the last few
years, he served as a volunteer at many of
our tournaments and as a member of a
course-rating team. When we announced an
opening for executive director, he could not
resist his devotion to the game and vigorously pursued the job. Because of his experience
with the OGA, the board recognized Steve
would be an instant asset to the Association.
We encourage everyone to welcome Steve as
he brings new ideas to the Association and
undertakes to lead us in a new direction.
The OGA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(4)
Oklahoma corporation pursuant to the regulations of the Internal Revenue Service.
Essentially this means we do not have shareholders and do not pay dividends. Any profits which are generated are paid out to benefactors such as the First Tee Programs in
Tulsa and Oklahoma City and the scholarship program of GOLF, Inc. Our income
derives from sources such as subscriptions
to the GHIN Handicap Service and in conducting competitions. When a club subscribes to GHIN as the means to provide a
handicap index for its members, the revenues go to helping underprivileged children
become involved in golf. Likewise, when a
golfer signs up to play in an OGA event he is
making a contribution to benefit those
youngsters.
The OGA would like to see every club in
the state enrolled in GHIN so the amounts
we pay out to these very worthwhile programs can be increased. Tell your club managers and head professionals they should
look into enrolling your club in the GHIN
program and help spread the game of golf to
everyone. The future of golf is in our young
players so we all need to nurture their love
for this grand game.
The OGA wishes to thank the clubs that
hosted our events in 2007. We also thank the
many participants who played in those
events. Oklahoma has many outstanding
courses and, by playing in our events, you
have the opportunity to experience courses
you
might
not
ordinarily
play.
Congratulations to the following winners:
OGA Views
Gene Mortensen Rules Director, Oklahoma Golf Association
Blacketer and Bill Bishop Jr.
Senior Spring 4-Ball (Lincoln Park
West): Charles Barkley and Windy Miller
Senior Amateur (Cherokee Hills CC):
Mike Alsup defeated Bob Sine 3 and 2
Junior Am, ages 16-18 (Rose Creek
CC): Taylor Gooch defeated Andrew Green
3 and 2
Ages 14-15: Max Meyers defeated Taylor
Williams 2 and 1
Junior Stroke Play (Rose Creek CC):
Andrew Green
Senior Stroke Play (Dornick Hills CC):
Ricky Lutz
Super Senior Stroke: Bob Fouke
Twin Hills Junior (Twin Hills CC): Logan
Herbst
OK Amateur (The Trails CC): Daniel
Mitchell defeated Robert Streb 2 and 1
OK Stroke Play (Fairfax CC): Trent
Whitekiller
Oak Tree Junior (Oak Tree CC): Andrew
Green
Mid-Am (Quail Creek CC): Mike Hughett
Oklahoma Open (Oak Tree CC): Rocky
Walcher
OK Club Championship (Tulsa Country
Club): TBD
Also of note is the splendid play of our
team in the USGA State Club
Championships, which was recently concluded in Houston. One of our team members, Alan Bratton, was the medalist with a
score of 9-under par. He beat a very strong
field to accomplish that feat including Trip
Kuehne of Texas and OSU fame who finished second. The Oklahoma team, comprised of Bratton, Sam MacNaughton and
Bill Jackson, tied for sixth place.
Finally, we have three new board members who were elected at the recent annual
meeting. They are Mark Austin of Norman,
Mark Kedy of Ada and Jack Steinmeyer of
Tulsa. They join current board members
Corky Billen of Edmond, Murph Mitchell of
Tulsa, Al Swanson of Edmond and Gene
Mortensen of Tulsa. These individuals will
assist the new executive director by instilling a new attitude in the Association. We are
here to serve the clubs in Oklahoma and
conduct the very best state championships,
so if you have suggestions which will help us
accomplish those tasks, please let one of the
board members hear from you.
The Best Golf in
Oklahoma City!
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SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
33
Woody Austin, current Wichita resident
and Willowbend Golf Club member,
should be an inspiration to all of us, not
just fellow Presidents’ Cup team members. For years, Woody has been characterized as “quirky” and perhaps “bizarre”
in his on-course behavior. Remember, the
putter applied with force to the side of his
head?!
The golfers at Wolf Creek Golf Links,
where Woody used to hang out, and now
at Willowbend, will attest that not only is
Woody a fierce competitor with a “picture-perfect” golf swing, he is also a
delightful person with whom to spend a
few hours on the course or over a postround beverage.
A few years ago, Rick Nuckolls, a club
pro and co-owner with golf pro brother
Rod, was organizing Willowbend’s Kansas
Cup team. This KGA competition pits
club teams of 16 players against another
Kansas golf club in 10 different matches
of varying formats. One of the matches is
a professional four-ball match where two
club pros (usually the head pro and one of
the assistants) play along with the club
members and help build club camaraderie. Willowbend had developed some
friendly rivalries with other area golf
clubs and Rick wanted to build the best
possible line-up to make a run for the
Kansas Cup championship.
Photo by Mel Root
Kansas’ expert swimmer and golfer Woody Austin
inspired the U.S. President’s Cup team.
Two PGA Professionals on staff
u
Tee times taken seven days in advance
u
Senior Day, Ladies Day and Weekly Scramble
u
Great for corporate outings
u
Sports grill open early spring
Discover a hidden gem
Wentz Municipal Golf Course
www.PoncaCityOK.com
Call 580-767-0433 For tee times
L.A. CANN DRIVE, PONCA CITY, OK
34
KGA Views
Kim Richey KGA Executive Director
I received a call from Rick asking
whether a PGA Tour player could be a
member of his Kansas Cup team.
Knowing Rick as I do I wasn’t quick to
respond thinking this was some sort of
trick question. Once I realized that he was
serious, I told him that as long as the PGA
Tour player was a member of Willowbend
(meaning on the handicap roster at the
club), they could play in the professional
four-ball match. I had no idea to which
tour player he was referring.
A few weeks later, my staff brought me
the results of a Willowbend Kansas Cup
match against a division opponent. The
professional four-ball match displayed the
name Woody Austin. Imagine the immediate “psych-out” factor against the entire
16-player lineup when Woody shows up,
likely in one of those Tabasco golf shirts!
Over the months, Woody played in a
handful of Kansas Cup matches. He never
lost. Unfortunately, he was not always
available – after all, he has a full time
career traveling around the country playing against the best players in the world!
So, Willowbend had a good year, but they
did not win the title.
By now, the legend of “Aqua” man is
entrenched in eternal golf lore. The only
thing that could have made the fall into
the water hazard of the 14th hole of the
Presidents’ Cup course better was Woody
pushing off the bottom into a full freestyle
swimming stoke! And the next day swimming goggles was awesome (thanks to
Barbara Nicklaus for that one!).
So why should Woody Austin be such
an inspiration to all of us? Woody wanted
to win bad enough that he knew he could
hit a ball out of several inches of water
and despite falling in face-first in view of
the entire golfing world he then birdied
the next three holes to win a match, all the
while pumping up his teammates with his
competitive spirit expressed with a loose,
carefree demeanor. That was one of the
best displays of professional ability and
class I have ever seen in any sport.
Rick Nuckolls called me again after the
United States victory in the Presidents’
Cup. He told me that a few days before
Woody left to go to Canada for the competition he assured Woody that his Kansas
Cup four-ball match play experience
would serve him well as he took on the
best players from the rest of the world!
Congratulations, Woody! You ARE the
MAN!
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
ASGA Views
Jay Fox ASGA Executive Director
Driving 800 miles in less than 24 hours
might not seem like a fun thing to do, but I
can assure you that Mac Stubbs, ASGA
Director of Handicapping, and I enjoyed
every minute of the trip as Stan Lee of Heber
Springs, Ark. won the 2007 U.S. Senior
Amateur Championship at Flint Hills
National Golf Club on September 6th..
On Wednesday, September 5, I literally
wore out my “refresh” button while watching the posting of quarterfinal and semi-final
matches at www.usga.org. By noon, we had
decided, if he made it to the finals we were
going if we had to charter an airplane. Stan
did his part, and Mapquest revealed we
could drive it in seven hours and since no
one had “offered” their airplane, we would
travel by land.
Leaving Little Rock at 6:00 p.m. and stopping only once in Van Buren for fuel and supper, we arrived in Andover, Kansas about
1:00 a.m. The excitement and anticipation of
my good friend playing for a national championship left me wide awake and forced me
to watch television for at least an hour. Mac
snored in the bed next to me at the Holiday
Inn Express, which was well deserved, as he
had driven the entire trip (I offered many
times, he never accepted).
Up at 6:00 a.m., showered and down to
breakfast, we arrived at Flint Hills National
Golf Club about 7:30 a.m. I checked in at the
media center to get my photo credentials
and then we headed back to the parking lot.
As we put on caps and sunscreen, a large
Chrysler SUV pulled in the parking lot and
suddenly we heard a familiar voice ask,
“what are you two rednecks doing here?”
We assured Stan that we wouldn’t be a distraction and we simply came to watch him
play. It was easy to see that he was glad to
see us and it meant a lot that we would make
the trip. Stan told us he had 120 voice mails
on his cell phone the night before the championship match and that he had no idea anybody would care that much. Louis, his little
brother, had called to say he was driving up
from Heber Springs with some friends, but
Stan told him to stay home – he had made it
this far without anyone else being there. Mac
and I were thinking and hoping we wouldn’t
jinx him.
By 8:00 a.m., Stan was on the range warming up. It had turned cloudy and a little brisk
and the wind started to blow. Flags were
standing straight as gusts reached 25 mph,
maybe more. I didn’t want to say anything to
Mac, but I knew Stan was going to win
because he is the best wind player I have
ever seen. The knockdown shots he was hit-
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
A victory
for the ages
Courtesy USGA
Stan Lee of Heber Springs, Ark., en route to winning
the USGA Senior Amateur at Flint Hills in Wichita.
ting on the range I had seen many times. Mac
was amazed how low Stan could hit the ball.
The championship match began at 9:00
a.m., with the full fanfare of the starter
announcing the names of the players, referee and observers. Away we went. Stan
looked in control from the start, making an
easy par on one and a great up-and-down for
par from the rough right of the second green.
Using a flop shot with a hinge in his wrist,
taught to him earlier in the week by E.B.
Gee, Jr., the USGA Senior Amateur
Committeeman from Blytheville, Ark., he
pitched to 10 feet and holed the putt for a
half.
His opponent, Sam Farlow of
Birmingham, Ala. was nice to Stan on holes
three and four, with bogeys and Stan moved
2 up with solid pars of hitting the green in
regulation and two-putting. Lee increased
his margin with a birdie on number six, followed by a bogey at seven and an amazing
50-foot birdie putt on the par-3 8th hole.
Farlow birdied nine, but Lee quickly countered with a birdie at 10 to go 3 up. Mac and
I walked quickly saying little, as if anything
we said might jinx our friend. Farlow birdied
11 to cut the margin to two.
Holes 12 and 13 were halved and when
Lee won the 14th hole, a long 209-yard par-3
with a par, he drove past us in his cart as we
walked to the 15th tee. “You boys got any
oxygen?” he asked. “Just breathe,” I said. “I
haven’t been able to breathe for the last
three holes,” he replied with a smile.
Three up with four to play, our friend
stood on the doorsteps of history. Only two
Arkansans – R.H. Sikes in the Public Links
(early 60s) and Carolyn Creekmore in the
Senior Women’s Amateur in 2003 – had won
USGA Amateur Championships.
Farlow did what he had to at 15, hit a solid
approach to 10 feet. His heart surely sank
when Lee’s approach from the fairway
stopped less than three feet from the hole.
Farlow’s birdie attempt went three feet past
and Missy Crisp, match referee ruled Farlow
was still away. When his par putt rimmed
out, he removed his hat and turned to congratulate the 2007 United States Senior
Amateur Champion – Stan Lee.
After congratulatory handshakes from the
referee, observers, etc., Mac and I made our
way through the small crown to celebrate
with our friend. “I can’t believe it,” he said to
us, as his eyes filled with tears. “Yes, we
believe it Stan,” I said. “That’s why we drove
here to watch you play. We knew you were
going to win.”
The trophy ceremony was held on the
veranda overlooking 18 green and after the
ceremony and all the speeches, Stan had to
go to the USGA Media Center for interviews.
I returned a few calls on my cell phone,
including one to Dennis Young of Texarkana,
Secretary of the ASGA Board of Directors,
who had been at Flint Hills earlier in the
week with some other key staff members of
Texarkana Country Club.
“Buy champagne,” Young said. “I don’t
care if it is $100 a bottle – buy champagne
and celebrate. You won’t have many, if any
more opportunities like this.”
When Stan returned from the media center, two small bottles of champagne were
waiting on ice. James Achenbach, writer for
Golfweek Magazine, joined us as I toasted
“to Stan Lee, the greatest amateur ever in the
state of Arkansas and now the greatest senior amateur in the United States for 2007.” It
was a moment tin time I will never forget.
Stan Lee’s name is firmly etched into the
history books of Arkansas golf, with eight
state amateur titles, four stroke and four
match, and six four-ball titles with his brother Louis. He was inducted into the Arkansas
Golf Hall of Fame in 1999.
Now, whole new doors have opened to
him including exemptions into just about
everything in 2008 from the U.S. Open, U.S.
Senior Open, U.S. Amateur, British Open,
British Amateur, and British Senior Amateur.
Hope he has enough vacation time in his job
at First Arkansas Bank and a deep pocket to
cover the expense. Actually, the new USGA
rule will allow Stan to accept expense
money for these championships as long as
the money is sent to the Arkansas State Golf
Association. Word is there is a long list of
guys – including mine - who want to offer
their caddie services. Some have even
offered to pay their own way.
35
Superintendents lend a hand in Greensburg
COURTESY GCSAA
It might not make the top-100 ranking of
golf courses, but the residents of
Greensburg, Kan., will tell you that
Cannonball Golf Course is no less important.
The course, clubhouse and other structures suffered damage when a large tornado
ripped through the south-central Kansas
town May 4, leaving massive destruction in
its wake. Volunteers, including area golfcourse superintendents, provided initial
assistance in cleaning the course and readying it for high-school graduation ceremonies.
Golfers, the golf course and the town
received a muchneeded shot in
the arm when
more than 40
members of the
Kansas Golf Course Superintendents
Association, including superintendents,
assistant superintendents and vendors,
spent Sept. 19-20 assisting Cannonball Golf
Course superintendent Gerald Morehead in
finishing restoration efforts. The greens
and tees were aerated, verticut, seeded and
fertilized in addition to various other activities that enhanced the quality of the
course. All materials, labor and equipment
were donated. Additional equipment will be
given to the facility for ongoing maintenance.
“The people of Greensburg are strong,”
Cannonball Golf Course president Stan
Robertson said. “Returning to normal will
take some time, but steps are being taken
each day. This golf course is an important
part of that process. Golf is one of our best
outlets to recreate and socialize – in other
words to just enjoy life. Having the Kansas
Golf Course Superintendents Association
volunteer their time and expertise to
improve the golf course is wonderful. There
have been other priorities for us, so the golf
course has suffered a bit. Everyone has a
smile on their face today because they
know their golf course is back and ready for
play.”
Matt Miller, GCSAA Class A golf-course
superintendent at Carey Park Golf Course
in Hutchinson, coordinated the activities,
which included enlisting volunteers, securing product and equipment and working
with Robertson and Morehead to establish a
work schedule and list of priorities. Miller
credits Jason Gerber, GCSAA golf-course
superintendent at Rolling Hills Country
Club in Wichita, for bringing the concept to
his attention.
“The month of September is extremely
Superintendent’s
Corner
36
Kansas GCSA takes a break to pose for a team picture.
Photos by Scott Hollister
Those involved in the Greensburg project:
Golf Course Superintendents
Greens and tees were aerated, verticut, topdressed,
seeded and fertilized.
busy for superintendents in the Midwest, so
to get this number of volunteers is impressive,” Miller said. “I am proud of my peers
and honored that we were so warmly
received by Stan, Gerald and the residents
of Greensburg. It has been a difficult time
for them. Golf is a diversion. It was good to
see the smiles on their faces.”
Cannonball is a semi-private nine-hole
facility that was founded in 1971. It is
named after a stagecoach line that stopped
in Greensburg during Wild West days.
Because of the resources needed to assist
recovery operations in other portions of the
community, the golf course has suffered
some neglect since the tornado hit.
Ryan Bourne, Dodge City Country Club, Dodge City
Cliff Dipman, Manhattan Country Club, Manhattan
Jarrod Fink, Lakin Country Club, Lakin
Trevor Fralick, Dodge City Country Club, Dodge City
Jaron Gerber, Rolling Hills Country Club, Wichita
Don Graze, Point Rock Golf Course, Elkhart
Tom Hodges, Stafford County Country Club, St. John
Andrew Huffman, Cypress Ridge Golf Course, Topeka
Paul Jonas, Flint Hills National Golf Club, Andover
Craig Jones, Herington Country Club, Herington
Kevin Kamphaus Quail Ridge Golf Club, Winfield
Darrell Kennedy, Willow Tree Golf Course, Liberal
L.C. Lacey, Allen Country Country Club, Iola
Matt Lowery, Mariah Hills Golf Course, Dodge City
Jeff McPherson, Rolling Hills Country Club, Wichita
Danzey Nickel, Tamarisk Golf Course, Syracuse
Trampis Nickel, Wamego Country Club, Wamego
Matt Miller, Carey Park Golf Course, Hutchinson
Ron Reese, L.W. Clapp Golf Course, Wichita
Jason Reffner, Wamego Country Club, Wamego
Dave Richter, Lakin Municipal Golf Course, Lakin
Rick Schroeder, Hugoton Municipal Golf Course, Hugoton
Kevin Shook, Point Rock Golf Course, Elkhart
Jesse Smith, Mariah Hills Golf Course, Dodge City
Charlie Thompson, Willowbrook Golf Course, Hutchinson
Cole Thompson, Kansas State University turfgrass student
Kevin Wallace, Cottonwood Hills Golf Club, Hutchinson
Industry Vendors
Rick Blasi, Helena Chemical, Lenexa
Don Breault, Van Diest Supply, Abilene/Clay Center
Russell Cole, RMI Golf Carts, Olathe
Red Elliott, Standard Golf, Cedar Falls
Kevin Fateley, Wildcat Creek Golf & Fitness, Manhattan
Jeff Gazaway, Estes, Tulsa, Okla.
Bob Johanning, Industrial Sales, Olathe
Jim Johnson, Bayer, Liberty, Mo.
Brian Ruder, Helena Chemical, Lenexa
John Sheehe, Helena Chemical, Lenexa
Mike Simon, Kansas Golf & Turf, Wichita
Gregg Snyder, TPEC, Wichita
Shawn Spann, Van Wall Equipment, Hutchinson/Olathe
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
The USGA rulebook is written with the
purpose of establishing how the game of
golf is played. A good rule of thumb is that
before the game is played, the definitions
supporting the rules should be understood. They can be found in the first several pages of the book. For specific questions pertaining to rules of golf another
great resource is USGA’s “Rules of Golf &
The Decisions on The Rules of Golf.” Or, if
you have access to the internet, check out
www.usga.org/playing/rules/rules_of_golf.
html.
For me, there are several definitions
that come to mind each time we play golf,
whether they happen to the player, fellow
competitors or opponents. I have condensed a couple of those definitions for
this article. They are important enough
that they have their own specific rules,
Loose Impediments (Rule 23) and
Obstructions (Rule 24). For complete definition and rule specifics, please refer to
the rulebook.
Loose Impediments: These are natural objects that include stones, leaves,
twigs, branches and the like, dung, worms
and insects and casts or heaps made by
them. The definition goes on to say, provided they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded, or adhering to the ball. Sand
and loose soil are loose impediments on
The rules of golf
Murph Mitchell Board Member,, Oklahoma Golf Association
the putting green, but not elsewhere. Snow
and natural ice, other than frost, are either
casual water or loose impediments, at the
option of the player. Dew and frost are not
loose impediments.
Thoughts
regarding
loose
impediments: Loose impediments may
be moved except when the ball lies in a
bunker or water (including lateral) hazard. If a player is permitted (not in a hazard) to move loose impediment, a penalty
may be applied if the ball moves. When in
a hazard (bunker, lateral water or water)
do not move anything that would be considered natural. Note: there are some
very specific decisions on the rules of
golf relating to half-eaten pears, anthills,
fruit skins, aeration plugs, and the list
goes on!!
Obstruction: This is anything artificial, including the artificial surfaces and
sides of roads and paths and manufactured ice, except:
a. Objects defining out of bounds, such
as walls, fences, stakes and railings;
b. Any part of an immovable artificial
object that is out of bounds; and
c. Any construction declared by the
Committee to be an integral part of the
course.
An obstruction is a movable obstruction
if it may be moved without unreasonable
effort, without unduly delaying play and
without causing damage. Otherwise it is
an immovable obstruction.
Thoughts on Obstructions: These
are man-made objects. There are two
types of obstructions, “movable” and
“immovable”. “Movable” is as simple as it
sounds. Generally think of bunker rakes,
trashcans, etc. In regards to “immovable,”
the player will be given both swing and
stance relief (and not line of play), nearest
the point of relief and one club length.
Examples of immovable obstructions are
cart paths, grates and drains on the
course, fixed signs and ball washers, etc.
Also, note the word “except” in the first
sentence of the definition. Exceptions
include objects either out of bounds or
defining out of bounds (don’t move the
white stakes!).
Again, for all your rules and definition
questions please refer to the USGA, Rules
of Golf & The Decisions on The Rules of
Golf, check with your golf professional or
check out www.usga.org/playing/rules/
rules_of_golf.html. You’ll be glad you did.
Also, play more golf!!
Tee times: www.PlayTulsa.com
South Lakes
9253 S. Elwood
Jenks, America
Since 1960
5501 S. Yale Ave., Tulsa, Okla.
918-746-3760
www.SouthLakesGolf.com
38
918 596-8627
Since 1989
www.LaFortuneParkGolf.com
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
cyanmagentayellowblack
After the PGA Championship at Southern
Hills, the section professionals converged
on Oakwood CC in Enid, Okla., to see who
would move a step closer to participating in
the 2008 PGA.
Kyle Flinton, assistant professional from
Quail Creek Golf & Country Club in
Oklahoma City, won the event in his first
attempt as a PGA member with a score of
205 and will represent the South Central
Section next June at the 2008 PGA
Professional National Championship at
Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro,
Georgia, Joining Kyle will be his boss Tim
Fleming, Mark Fuller of Oak Tree Country
Club in Edmond. Okla,; Bob Ralston of
Little Rock and Jim Woodward of Edmond.
The South Central Section’s Senior
Association held its annual Cup Matches and
Senior Championship at Fayetteville CC. in
Arkansas with the Western Oklahoma
PGA Views
Barry Thompson SCS Executive Director
Chapter tying the Kansas Chapter for the
Cup. The Senior’s Championship was won
by Woodward and he will represent the section Oct. 18-21 a the Callaway Golf PGA
Senior Professional National Championship
at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Also qualifying for the national event were
Steve Ball, Chuck Chutney, Bob Ralston and
Rod Nuckolls.
The section assistant golf professionals
teamed up with their head professionals at
the Pro/Assistant Championship at Oak Tree
Country Club. To the surprise of no one,
Fleming and Flinton prevailed. Flinton will
also represent the section at the National
Assistants Championship in Florida, Kyle
has won the event a record three times.
Stillwater Country Club played host to the
Senior Team Championship with the twoman team of Jerry Benedict of Adams Golf
Course in Bartlesville and Pat Jenkins of
Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City taking home
the trophy.
The Section would like to recognize Adam
Carney of Big Creek Golf & Country Club in
Mountain Home, Ark., for being selected as
the 2007 PGA Merchandiser of the Year in
the Public category. This is one of the association’s highest honors bestowed up on a
PGA member. Adam will be recognized for
his accomplishment Jan.17 at the 2007 PGA
Special Awards Ceremony held during the
2008 PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange
County Convention Center Auditorium in
Orlando, Florida.
S C H E D U L E S A N D R E S U LT S
PRO
MEN
OKLAHOMA OPEN
At Oak Tree (East), Edmond (par-70)
Sept. 14-16
1, Rocky Walcher 66-67-74 – 207; 2, Kyle
Flinton 70-67-71 – 208; 3, Daniel Mitchell 6468-77 – 209; 4, Tim Graves 70-65-75 – 210; 5
(tie), Danny Funk 71-71-72 – 214 and Kyle
Willman 66-67-81 – 214; 7 (tie), Brett Myers
73-70-72 – 215, Rich Morris 73-68-74 – 215
and Mike Wendling 69-72-74 – 215; 10, Ryan
Henry 68-72-77 – 217; 11, Shannon Friday 6872-78 – 218; 12, Willie Wood 74-76-79 – 219; 13
(tie), Jim Kane 69-77-74 – 220, a-Talor Gooch
68-77-75 – 220, Ty Carson 70-71-79 -- -220 and
Cody Freeman 71-75-74 – 220; 17 (tie),
Jonathan May 73-72-77 – 222, a-Noah Lawson
70-73-79 – 222 and Brett Akins 71-69-82 – 222.
HEARTLAND SENIOR TOUR
OPTUS CLASSIC
At Sage Meadows CC, Jonesboro, Ark.
(par-72)
Sept. 12-14
1, Albert Crews 66-71-66 – 203 ($6,000); 2
(tie), Graham Gunn 69-69-68 – 206 and Rod
Murray 70-76-71 – 206 ($3,000); 4, Mark
Johnson 71-69-68 – 208 ($2,100); 5, Peter
Horrobin 74-69-67 – 210 ($1,600); 6 (tie), Rex
Caldwell 70-71-70 – 211 and John Kuester 6967-65 – 211 ($1,350); and a-John Robinson
72-70-69 – 211.
DESERT SYSTEMS LANDSCAPE
CLASSIC
At WinStar GC, Thackerville, Okla.
(par-72)
Aug. 13-16
1, Mark Johnson 66-68-65 – 199 ($6,000); 2,
Steve Thomas 67-65-70 – 202 ($3,500); 3, (tie),
Ron Schroeder 69-66-68 – 203 and Jack
Spradlin 68-65-70 – 203 ($2,300); 5 (tie), Jim
Woodward 70-63-71 – 204, R.B. Craig 66-70-68 –
204 and Kevin Dillen 69-66-69 – 204 ($1,516).
WOMEN
LPGA NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
CHAMPIONSHIP
At Pinnacle CC, Rogers, Ark. (par-71)
Sept, 14-16
(Rain-shortened to 18 holes; Unofficial
event because it was not at least 36 holes)
1, a-Stacy Lewis 65; 2 (tie), Katherine
Hull, Tersa Lu and Kristy McPherson 66; 5
(tie), Juli Inkster, Sherri Turner and Jim
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
For up-to-the minute results and
competition stories, visit daily at southcentralgolf.com
Young Pak 67; 8 (tie), Beth Bader, Maria
Hjorth and Linda Wssberg 68; 11 (tie),
Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr, Rachel
Herrington, Reilley Rankin, Dorothy Delasin,
Pat Hurst, Julieta Granada and Alena Sharp
69; 19 (tie), Laura Diaz, Jennifer Gleason,
Seon Hwa Lee, Sarah Lee, Diana D’Alessio,
Gloria Park, Aree Song, Jamie Hullett, Sun
Young Yoo, Dina Ammaccapane, Il Mi Chung
and Any Hung 70.
72)
Aug. 27-28
1, Mike Hughett 67-71 – 138; 2 (tie),
Jimmy Young 69-72 – 141, Kelsey Cline 72-69
– 141 and Jay Smith 70-71 – 141; 5 (tie),
Ricky Lutz 70-72 – 142, Chad Lawrence 71-71
– 142 and Brad Kropp 71-71 – 142; 8, Bill
Bishop Jr. 72-71 – 143; 9 (tie), Michael Alsup
74-70 – 144 and Jeff Coffman 70-74 – 144
AMATEUR
KANSAS GOLF ASSOCIATION
HIGH PLAINS MID-AMATEUR
At Oak Tree CC (East), Edmond, Okla.
(par-70)
Aug. 14-15
1, Andrew Green 73-70 – 143; 2 (tie),
Drew Dorsey 70-75 – 145, Clark Collier 73-72
– 145 and Benjamin Gonzalez 74-71 – 145; 5,
Greg O’Connor 73-73 – 146.
OAK TREE JUNIOR CLASSIC
At Southwind CC, Garden City
Aug. 25-26
Gross: 1, Pat Grady 68-71 – 139; 2, Travis
Engle 67-74 – 141; 3, Gordon Chang 74-73 –
147; 4 (tie), Brent Dewitz 73-78 -- 151, Mark
Terranova 76-75 – 151 and Mike Jamieson 7576 – 151; 7 (tie), Grant Porter 74-78 – 152,
Tyler Cummins 72-80 – 152, Walker Frey 7478 – 152 and Tyler Lytton 74-78 – 152
MID-AMATEUR
At Shadow Glen GC, Olathe (par-72)
Aug. 20-21
1, Jon Troutman 65-75 – 140; 2, Bryan
Norton 73-69 – 142; 3, Steve Newman 75-69 –
144; 4 (tie), Chad Judd 73-72 – 145 and Kurt
Lorenzen 74-71 – 145; 6, Trent Brown 73-73 –
146; 7, Mark Terranova 73-74 – 147; 8 (tie)m
Darren Copp 74-74 – 148, Conrad Roberts 7870 – 148, John Noblit 73-75 – 148 and David
Howard 70-78 – 148.
SENIOR TEAM
At Colbert Hills GC, Manhattan
Aug. 13-15
Championship division: 1, Berwyn
Sasek/Gary Roles 64-66-67 – 197; 2, Bob
Vidricksen/Mike Grosdider 63-69-70 – 202; 3,
Curt Kitson/Frank Roth 68-69-66 – 203; 4,
Mark Addington/Bob Bezek 67-68-70 – 205; 5,
Lynn Dickey/Robert Gleissner 68-70-68 – 206;
6, Craig Shultz/Chad Renn 65-74-68 – 207; 7,
Andy Smith/Fred Rowland 66-72-70 – 208.
OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION
MID-AMATEUR
At Quail Creek G&CC, Okla. City (par-
COLLEGE
MEN
OLYMPIA FIELDS ILLINI INVITE
At Olympia Fields (Ill.) CC (par-70)
Sept. 30-Oct. 1
Team scores: 1, Oklahoma State 292-275290 – 857; 2, Texas 289-281-294 – 864; 3,
Indiana 287-291-292 – 870; 4, Florida State
292-284-298 – 874; 5, Stanford 293-286-297 –
876; 6, Duke 294-289-294 – 877; 7, Central
Florida 294-288-298 – 880; 8, Tennessee 289303-293 – 885; 9 (tie), Arizona State 293-292302 – 887 and Illinois 295-290-302 – 887; 11,
Purdue 296-298-298 – 892; 12, Northwestern
293-296-304 – 893.
Individual leaders: 1, Rickie Fowler
(OSU) 70-63-70 – 203; 2, Jorge Campillo
(Indiana) 69-67-68 – 204; 3, Charlie Holland
(Texas) 74-67-69 – 210; 4, Jonas Blixt (FSU)
71-69-72 – 212; 5, Matt Savage (FSU) 74-66-73
– 213; 6, Kevin Tway (OSU) 75-69-71 – 215.
Other OSU scores: Trent Whitekiller 7270-76 – 218, Mark Johnson 75-74-73 – 222,
Trent Leon 75-73-78 – 226.
PING-GOLFWEEK PREVIEW
At Birck Boilermaker GC (Kampen),
West Lafayette, Ind. (par-72)
Sept. 22-23
Team leaders (15 teams): 1, Charlotte
288-288-291 – 867; 2, Oklahoma State 294279-298 – 871; 3, Southern Cal 293-293-287 –
873; 4, Alabama 301-290-290 – 881; 5,
Minnesota 295-291-296 – 882; 6, Arizona
State 298-290-295 – 883; 7, Florida State 309288-289 – 886; 8, Florida 303-291-295 – 889; 9,
Texas A&M 303-292-297 – 892; 10, UNLV 293296-304 – 893.
Individual leaders: 1, Stefan Wiedergruen
(Charlotte) 70-71-68 – 209; 2 (tie), Victor
Almstrom (Minn.) 70-72-69 – 211 and Jonas
EnanderHedin (Charlotte) 69-71-71 – 211; 4,
Rickie Fowler (OSU) 73-69-73 – 215; 5, Jonas
Blixt (FSU) 78-68-70 – 216.
Other OSU scores: Trent Leon 72-72-76 –
220, Trent Whitekiller 79-68-75 – 222, Mark
Johnson 75-70-77 – 222, Kevin Tway 74-75-74
– 223.
WOMEN
WILDCAT FALL INVITATIONAL
At Univ. Club of Kentucky, Lexington
(par-72)
Sept. 29-Oct. 1
Team leaders (14 teams): 1, Alabama
292-290-295 – 877; 2, Florida 295-292-298 –
885; 3, Arkansas 298-301-299 – 898; 4,
Kentucky 301-305-304 – 910; 5, Mississippi
State 311-307-303 – 921; 6, Middle Tennessee
State 305-313-305 – 923; 7, Central Florida
300-311-313 – 924; 8, South Florida 301-301323 – 925; Miami 317-313-306 – 936; 10,
Illinois 311-304-325 – 940.
Individual leaders: 1, Courtney Harter
(Ala.) 67-71-75 – 213; 2, Camilla Lennarth
(Ala.) 71-68-75 – 214; 3 (tie), Stacy Lewis
(Ark.) 69-76-71 – 216 and Kathleen Ekey
(Ala.) 73-71-72 – 216; 5, Whitney Myers (Fla.)
70-67-80 – 217.
Other Arkansas scores: Kristin Ingram
75-76-75 – 226, Kelli Shean 78-74-75 – 227,
Lucy Nunn 79-77-78 – 234; Alexandra Schulte
76-75-85 – 236.
MARGARET BRANCH NCAA PREVIEW
At UNM Championship Course,
Albuquerque (par-73)
Sept. 24-26
Team leaders (18 teams): 1, Duke 287286-287 – 860; 2, Southern Cal 292-285-284 –
861; 3, UCLA 291-294-285 – 870; 4, Arizona
State 295-287-292 – 874; 5, Vanderbilt 295298-288 – 881; 6 (tie), Arizona 298-292-295 –
885 and Auburn 298-299-288 – 885; 8 (tie),
Purdue 298-288-302 – 888 and New Mexico
300-291-297 – 888; 10 (tie), Oklahoma State
296-301-295 – 892 and Georgia 304-295-293 –
892; 12, Pepperdine 296-292-305 – 893.
39
Once upon a time...
in a land not so far away, Emerald Falls, Oklahoma’s
first “family adventure” master-planned community, sat
nestled among east Broken Arrow’s rolling hills.
Despite its rural ambiance, Emerald Falls offers easy access to many popular shopping and specialty services.
Less than six miles from the Creek Turnpike and just 20
minutes from downtown Tulsa, homeowners at Emerald
Falls have an easy commute comparable to that from
other area suburbs. However, the development’s unique
combination of upscale country living and the convenience of nearby metropolitan comforts sets it apart from
other communities.
Traffic congestion, highway noise and over development are nonexistent at Emerald Falls. Large lots and
plenty of green space allow active residents and families
to incorporate home with weekend activities for all ages.
Sound like a fairy tale yet? It’s not.
Golf enthusiasts will enjoy Emerald Fall’s new
18-hole championship golf course, while those bored
with the “typical” golf course community are drawn to
the 420-acre development’s resort-like feel, fairway views
and Floridian-style architecture.
To learn more, stop by the Emerald Falls
development at 6500 S. 305th East Ave.
or visit www.emeraldfalls.com.
872-8484
Sales
• 266-2600
Golf
for tee times and tournament info call 266-2600