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FEATURES
Volume 14, No. 2
Editor
Production Manager
Marketing Director
Copy editor
Contributing writers
Contributing photographers
April-May, 2007
Ken MacLeod
James Royal
Lacy Lewis
Jenk Jones Jr.
Vicki Tramel
Mal Elliott
Dave Holland
Barry Lewis
Jim Misunas
Tim Landes
Katharine Dyson
Wayne Mills
Mel Root
Mike Klemme
NEW COURSES AND RENOVATIONS...............8
Peninsula, Emerald Falls, Willow Creek, Jimmie
Austin, Village Creek, Mountain Ranch profiled.
TULSA COMFORTABLY COSMOPOLITAN.........13
SHOWDOWN AT CEDAR RIDGE
SemGroup Championship moves to May ............14
Quick start for Stacy P....................................16
Wootens: A Family Tradition ............................18
Cedar Ridge not likely to yield another 61 ..........19
DESTINATIONS
Oh Canda, you look fine for golf......................20
Preserving Old Florida ...................................23
THE BIG CHILL..............................................24
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME .......................28
PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW
The hottest new styles in women’s golf................30
Golfers dream big.........................................30
South Central Publications
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.
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
Columns
33, Jay Fox, ASGA
34, Superintendent’s Corner
34, Rick Coe, OGA
35, Barry Thompson, PGA
35, Gene Mortensen, Rules
36, Kim Richey, KGA
Departments
6, Around the Section
28, Around Kansas
37, Schedules & Results
On the cover Stacy Prammansudh photo
by Scott Halleran/Getty Images
5
AROUND
THE
SECTION
Section names Soerensen pro of year
The PGA South Central Section has
announced its 2006 award recipients.
Brian Soerensen of Kickingbird Golf Club
is the Golf Professional of the Year, while
Hillcrest Country Club’s Aaron Speaker is
Assistant Professional of the Year. Earning
the President’s Plaque is Dan Hayes of
Tinker AFB Golf Course.
Mac McCall of Longhills Golf Club and
Mark Curlett of the First Tee of Ft. Smith
have been recognized for 25 years of service,
while Charles Lewis Jr. of Little Rock, Ark.
has been honored for 50 years of service.
Merchandiser of the year awards were
given to Pat McCrate at LaFortune Park Golf
Course (public), Chris Hayes of Pleasant
Valley Country Club (private) and Barry
Howard at Hot Springs Country Club
(resort).
Jerry Cozby of Hillcrest Country Club
earned the Bill Strausbaugh Award and Bob
Phelps of the University of Central
Oklahoma earned the Horton Smith Trophy.
Janice Gibson of the First Tee of Tulsa
earned the Junior Golf Leader, and Steve
Ball of Ball Golf Center was named the
Teacher of the Year.
BLEVINS LEAVING SECTION
Lynn Blevins, whose management company, Buffalo Golf, ran Battle Creek Golf Club
in Broken Arrow from its inception in 1996
until losing the contract in 2006, has been
hired to run two golf course in Ocala, Fla.
Blevins will be in charge of the Ocala Golf
Club and Pine Oaks Golf Club.
Blevins had been a sales representative
for EZ-Go Golf Carts since early in 2006, but
was eager to get back into golf course operations.
“It’s what I’ve done for 25 years,” he said.
“This is a great opportunity for me.”
MICKELSON TO ALOTIAN
Phil Mickelson will be the celebrity golfer
at this year’s Jackson T. Stephens Charitable
Golf Tournament April 24 at The Alotian
Club. The tournament benefits Arkansas
charities supported by the late Jack
Stephens.
The tournament and events surrounding it
are by invitation only. A group of children
from the Little Rock Air Force Base have
been invited to a golf clinic to be conducted
by the world’s two-time Masters champion
and number two ranked player. Tiger Woods
appeared at the event’s debut in 2006.
Harriet and Warren Stephens, founder and
president of The Alotian Club, have
announced a donation on behalf of the
Alotian Club will be made to the Mickelson
6
charity program called “Birdies for the
Brave.” Each time Mickelson makes a birdie
or an Eagle on the PGA Tour, a donation is
made to the Phil and Amy Mickelson
Charitable Gift Fund to support Homes for
Our Troops and the Special Operations
Warrior Foundation. Those funds benefit the
families of US military personnel.
Mickelson’s clinic will be held at the
Alotian Club’s 18th hole and will be devoted
to the art of chipping the golf ball.
“I have been overwhelmed by the
response to this tournament from my personal friends and colleagues who have supported it,” Warren Stephens said. “My dad
loved golf and the life lessons the game
teaches and he also derived tremendous satisfaction from helping others. This tournament allows his philanthropic work to continue as a tribute to his memory while recognizing the love he had for his home state
and the game of golf.”
COOK JOINS BAILEY RANCH
Chris Cook, the former first assistant at
Wichita Country Club, has been hired as golf
course superintendent at Bailey Ranch Golf
Club in Owasso.
Cook is a 2004 graduate of the golf course
management program at Kansas State
University.
“We will initially focus on maintaining a
high quality on our greens with them being
firm, fast and consistent,” Cook said. “Our
team is going to make the greens at Bailey
Ranch the best of any public course in
Tulsa,”
“We are very excited to have Chris on our
management team at Bailey Ranch”, said
Director of Golf Corey Burd. “Chris has an
outstanding eye for detail and many noticeable improvements have already been made
in the short amount of time he’s been here.
We have great expectations for our golf
course and Chris is certainly up to the task.”
Cook said his goal is for Bailey Ranch to
be one of the top destinations for golfers in
Green Country.
2008 EXPO AVAILABILITY
Space reservations and sponsorship positions are available for the 2008 golf and travel expos in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and northwest Arkansas, according to Expos director
Tim Landes.
Landes reports the 2007 shows in Tulsa
and Oklahoma City were outstanding
events, while the Arkansas show was off
slightly from 2006 due to a constant rain and
severe ice storms in the area.
“Also, frankly we didn’t have enough par-
Golfers shop for bargains at the Oklahoma City expo.
ticipation from the area and region in terms
of merchandise available and we’ll make
sure to remedy that for 2008.”
Sean “The Beast” Fister, three-time world
long drive champion, was a special guest at
all three expos. Also appearing were
Champions Tour golfers David Edwards and
Ron Streck, instructor Marshall Smith and
many other top instructors.
For information on the 2008 events, go to
www.southcentralgolfexpos.com or call
918-280-0787.
TERRITORY EARNS HIGH MARKS
The Territory Golf and Country Club near
Duncan, – ranked No. 10 on Golfweek’s “Top
50 Best New Courses” list – has announced
that the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer
Center will be the charitable beneficiary
when the club hosts the 2007 Halliburton
Southwest Oklahoma Championship on the
Tight Lies Tour event.
The tournament is scheduled July 11-14,
2007 on the 18-hole Randy Heckenkemperdesigned course.
“The Territory is very pleased to get the
opportunity to host a stop on the 2007 Tight
Lies Tour,” said Tim Johnson, the Territory’s
director of golf and general manager. “The
Halliburton
Southwest
Oklahoma
Championship will be a good challenge for
the players on the tour this year. It will also
be a great opportunity for us to show off The
Territory to people from outside the area.”
With 26 scheduled events, the Tight Lies
Tour is open to any professional or amateur
golfer with a handicap of 5 or less who is at
least 18 years old. The Tight Lies Tour is one
of the nation’s top developmental tours, providing opportunities for successful players
to move on to the Nationwide Tour and ultimately PGA Tour.
SCG TO PUBLISH SPECIAL ISSUE
South Central Golf, the official publication of the South Central Section of the PGA
of America, is currently working on a unique
commemorative edition for the upcoming
2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills
Country Club in August.
This special issue will include features on
Tiger Woods and many of the game’s top
golfers going into the Championship. It will
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
AROUND
also feature the background of Southern
Hills, as well as the history of previous tournaments hosted by Southern Hills Country
Club.
In addition to normal
distribution throughout
the South Central Section,
this special issue will be
available at more than 200
locations, including all
fine-dining
establishments, hotels, and health clubs around the
Tulsa Metro Area.
For more information, or to get your company involved in this special issue, please
contact Lacy Lewis at 918-280-0787 or
[email protected].
BATTLE CREEK EXPANDS PROGRAM
Many parents wish their child would learn
to play golf. Battle Creek is making it affordable, convenient and fun with the help of former collegiate golfer, Amanda Fisher
Fisher has recently been hired to manage
the golf instruction programs for all juniors
and women at Battle Creek. A former collegiate player at Oral Roberts University,
Fisher has also received her LPGA teaching
certification.
“My goal as an LPGA member is to grow
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
THE
SECTION
women's and
junior golf,”
says Fisher.
“I've always
had a passion
for teaching
kids, watching
them
learn
and helping
them grow as
individuals.
Many junior
Amanda Fisher works with Grant golfers have
Holley, 4, at Battle Creek.
dreams
of
playing in high
school, getting a college scholarship and even
playing on the professional tour one day. I
want to help them achieve those goals.”
Fisher will organize group lessons limited
to five students. Friends are encouraged to
sign up together.
“I believe that every parent who enrolls
their child in golf at a young age is setting
them up for success,” Fisher said. “I can't
thank my parents enough for introducing me
to this great sport. It has taken me so many
places that most people only dream of
going.” For more information on the junior
and women's golf instruction at Battle
Creek, call Fisher at 918-557-8762.
LAFORTUNE PARK SITE OF
PLAY GOLF AMERICA DAY
LaFortune Park Golf Course in Tulsa will
be the site of a special Play Golf America
Day associated with the PGA Championship
at Southern Hills Country Club.
On Aug. 6, the Monday of PGA
Championship week, close to 200 youngsters will participate in morning clinics
which will include performances by a trick
shot artist, skills competitions and instruction from the LaFortune Park staff and other
area PGA professionals. Each of 40 local
charities will sponsor five children to participate in the morning activities.
The public will get a chance to participate
in the afternoon. There will be free 10minute golf lessons, another series of exhibitions and clinics, some major manufacturers showing off the latest equipment and
other activities.
“It should be a really neat event,” said Pat
McCrate, director of golf at LaFortune Park.
“The kids who come over for the clinics in
the morning get to go to the practice round
for the PGA Championship in the afternoon.”
For more information on the event, call
LaFortune Park at 918-596-8627.
7
N E W C O U R S E S A N D R E N O VAT I O N S
An artist’s rendering of the planned condo and hotel tower to be built near the tip of Monkey Island at Grand
Lake, the centerpiece of the new Peninsula Resort & Club.
Grand plans for Peninsula
By KEN MACLEOD
If Oklahoma is to successfully compete
with surrounding states for tourism dollars,
projects such as The Peninsula Resort &
Club on Grand Lake and Pointe Vista at
Lake Texoma will be the reasons why.
The two massive projects both hope to
break ground this year. Both are counting
on the Oklahoma Legislature to provide
some tax relief in the form of credits, a
prospect to be determined later this spring.
At The Peninsula, sales of condo units
planned in the initial $160,000 million development have also begun. Owner Peter
Boylan III has said the project must pre-sell
32 units at up to $1.5 million each before his
development partner Presidian will commence building the 16-story condo and 150room hotel tower. Also in the initial project
will be a 45,0000 square foot conference
center, a restaurant, yacht club and marina
including dry storage for smaller boats, spa,
and possibly a wellness center.
Matt Benn, director of golf at Shangri-La,
said there has been tremendous interest in
the condo units since promotions began
early in the year.
“What we’re finding is the Kansas City
market is really fed up with the overcrowding at places like Lake of the Ozarks. Then
on the corporate side you have a huge
untapped market in northwest Arkansas. A
lot of those folks didn’t even know that
Grand Lake existed.”
Benn said numerous companies through8
out Oklahoma that are now having meetings
and conventions in Branson or Las Colinas,
Texas, would return to Oklahoma if the
facilities were there.
The Peninsula project, if completed,
would go beyond the original grandeur of
Shangri-La, which once attracted as many
as 100,000 visitors a year. Those facilities
were allowed to run down or were sold off
piece meal by previous owners. The former
lodge and guestrooms are being converted
to a sales office in which potential condo
buyers can step onto a faux balcony, flip a
switch and see the lake view on a giant wall
projector of any condo they may be considering.
Benn’s pro shop will also be housed there
while the towers are being constructed. The
hotel and condo towers are located where
the former fitness facilities were, while the
convention center location will remain the
same.
From a golf standpoint, little will change
during the initial phase. If all goes as
planned, the Gold Course, currently wedged
onto 80 acres, will be consolidated to nine
new holes built around several mid-level
condo towers. A second nine will be built on
land to the north of the current maintenance barn. The consolidation and the new
nine will be handled by Bland Pittman of
Pittman-Poe @ Associates in Tulsa.
The Blue Course will remain the flagship
course for the facility and recent upgrades
in equipment and maintenance have the
course in prime condition.
Benn said three factors are crucial to the
development’s success. One is the presale
of the 32 condo units and there has been
great interest in that. The second is
approval by the Federal Energy &
Regulatory Commission on the resort’s
request for an expanded marina. The third is
the tax incentive plan.
Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, a staunch supporter of The Penisula, unsuccessfully tried
to push through a $30 million tax incentive
plan in 2006. This year he is waiting for legal
teams for The Peninsula and Pointe Vista,
the group that has purchased the Lake
Texoma resort from the Commissioners of
Land Office, to present a plan on how to
pursue the tax credits in this legislative session, which concludes in May.
“It will probably go into the tax package
bill that we look at in the last month,” Cox
said. “At this point the legal people from
each project are working with each other to
come up with a plan to present to us.
“I would like to see both projects succeed. In this case, I think one plus one
equals three for the state of Oklahoma.”
Randy Heckenkemper, architect of the
Chickasaw Pointe course at Lake Texoma,
said he is currently working on a redesign of
the course to accommodate plans for the
resort and condos at what will be called
Pointe Vista Resort. He expects construction on the resort and re-routing of the golf
course to commence in the fall of 2007.
EMERALD FALLS GOLF CLUB
One section project that has generated
much curiosity and anticipation is the
upscale Emerald Falls, located several
miles east of Forest Ridge, which has long
been recognized as the flagship of upscale
daily fee courses in the section.
Can a similarly priced course (anticipated
greens fees are $75 weekends, $65 weekdays including cart and range balls) within
five miles generate the play necessary to
pay bills and sell real estate, as more than
650 lots are available?
The Oklahoma-based ownership group is
betting on it.
“We know we’ve got to provide something unique,” said Director of Golf
Operations Billy Neal, who knows something about customer service having
worked for the Landmark team at PGA
West. “We’ve got a great layout, and our conditioning and customer service will set us
apart.”
Some of those touches Neal mentioned
will include greeters in the parking lot and
bottled water provided on the carts. The
course will be the first in Oklahoma to have
the acclaimed Zorro zoysia, with an
extremely fine blade, on the fairways, with
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
Meyer zoysia in the rough. The greens have
been seeded with a blend of A-1 and A-4
bent grasses, the same grasses used at
Southern Hills.
Superintendent Tim Schaefer, who previously was an assistant at Spring Creek
Ranch in Memphis, said the grasses alone
will help set Emerald Falls apart.
For now, Schaefer and his crew have
their work cut out getting all those grasses
–fairways, roughs, tees, greens, as well as
fescue waste areas that were not planted by
late March, in shape for a July 1 opening.
“Yes, there’s a lot left to be done,” said
Neal, who pointed out that the snow and ice
that limited rounds at other courses also
hurt them as far as construction days. “We
need some rain and some warm nights and
everything will start filling in.”
The fairways and roughs were sodded,
mostly last summer and fall. After a few
heavy rains, it became apparent that some
drainage channels had to change and more
bridge work was needed.
Extensive practice facilities and a driving
range are also under construction near the
area where the future clubhouse will be
built. For now, the pro shop and sales
offices are combined in a tasteful remake of
what was the clubhouse for Deer Run, the
previous 36-hole facility which was bulldozed to make way for Emerald Falls.
Jerry Slack, who designed the course, has
said it is his best work. At first glance, it
looks to be quite a test of golf, with smallish
greens in some difficult and scenic settings.
The five holes built on land to the west that
was purchased and includes more trees and
elevation change have a chance to be spectacular if set up fairly, although a few more
Mel Root
Renovation of the 11th hole at Willow Creek.
trees may have to be judiciously removed.
For more information on Emerald Falls,
call 918-266-2600 or visit emeraldfalls.com.
WILLOW CREEK COUNTRY CLUB
An extensive renovation is ongoing this
spring at Willow Creek Country Club in
Oklahoma City, including redoing nine
greens, 12 tee boxes and the irrigation system.
The renovation includes stretching two of
the course’s par-4s into par-5s and expanding the average green size by nearly 2,000
square feet. The greens will still average
between 3,500 and 4,000 square feet, small
by contemporary standards, but much
roomier than those to which the members
were accustomed.
Willow Creek, which opened in 1952, was
built on just 110 acres. The course was a
par-70 at just over 6,400 yards, it will now be
a par-72 at more than 6,600 yards.
Some of the changes being made by golf
architect Mark Hayes involve:
• No 3, formerly a par-4, will now tee off
from the old No. 2 tee, stretching the hole by
90 yards. A new position for the green adds
a few more yards and to the difficulty.
• No. 17, formerly a long north-south par4 at about 440 yards, is now a risk-reward
par-5 of 500 yards.
• On the 385-yard par-4 11th hole, the fairway has been turned more to the south and
west, making for a sharper dogleg. The
green has tripled in size and water has been
brought into play in front.
The changes include four greens on the
front nine and five on the back. Shaping,
being done by Chambers Construction,
should be done in early April and the green
seeded with a planned reopening in the middle of June.
The expansion of the other nine greens
will take place within five years. Willow
Creek expanded its clubhouse and golf shop
last year, a project which was completed in
June.
JIMMIE AUSTIN OU GOLF COURSE
The Jimmie Austin University of
Oklahoma course has a new leader and will
soon have a new look as well.
Rodney Young, former general manager
of the Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm
Desert, Calif., is the director of golf, replacing Stan Ball, who is now the head professional at Topeka Country Club
Young, a native of Enid who played golf at
Cameron from 1987-90, was an assistant pro
at Oakwood Country Club in Enid for less
than three years. He has spent the past 13
years in California, including stops at
Rancho LaQuinta and Mission Hills as well
as Desert Willow.
Although he was content on the West
Coast, with two children ages 9 and 13 in
Cottonwood Hills GC to open in June
HUTCHINSON -- Cottonwood Hills Golf
Club is two months away from a June grand
opening. The Zoysia fairways and
Crenshaw bentgrass greens are greening up
quite nicely for nine holes in play and nine
holes to be opened to the public June 23.
Cottonwood Hills, a public fee public
course, is eight miles from Hutchinson and
35 miles from Wichita.
Superintendent Ron Lewis said he’s
investing most of his time preparing the
new holes for play. Several tees have to be
reseeded on the new nine holes.
He said most of the land needs more time
for all the various grasses to mature. The
greens, fairways and grassy areas near the
fairways and greens require different main-
tainance.
“Zoysia depends on the right temperatures, but with a little bit of rain, everything
should work out great,” said Lewis, who
came from Stone Mountain Golf Course in
Georgia. “We’re putting fertilizer down. It
will require quite a bit of work. It’s one of
those projects where you’re never really
ever completely finished with a new golf
course. There is a lot of maturing with a
new golf course.”
Lewis said first reviews of the greens
have been positive. He can’t get the greens
too fast because of the undulations. He’s
working with a crew of six people that
should double by midsummer.
“The condition of the greens don’t con-
cern me because they will be in pure condition,” he said. “As the course matures, you
will be true putting surfaces. I’m really
excited about how the course is coming
along.”
Nine holes that were in close proximity to
the course’s irrigation lake and pump station were opened last fall. Jeff McCormick,
director of golf, said the initial response has
been positive. The links-style terrain offers
changes in elevation and gently rolling sand
dunes that reminds players of seaside
courses.
“It is terrain that is exactly like Prairie
Dunes with a much more modern design,”
McCormick said. “Prairie Dunes is a classic,
Please see COTTONWOOD Page 32
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF
9
school, he became interested in applying for
the position (which attracted more than 80
applicants nationwide) after friends urged
him to throw his hat in the ring.
“You don’t want to rock a smooth sailing
ship, but the more I thought about the quality of life, the opportunity to come back and
be around friends and family and to be
involved in the University and the quality of
life, I thought it was the right move,” Young
said.
Young did attend OU for one year before
transferring to Cameron. He will be now be
fully immersed as Jimmie Austin is where
the Sooners practice and play. It also boasts
one of the nation’s larger junior programs.
“I’m getting a grip on all the different programs we run here,” he said. “Stan did an
excellent job with the whole facility. I’m following where he’s taken it and seeing what
areas can improve.”
One area that can improve is the course,
which will shut down Aug. 14 for a renovation that will include all new greens, which
will be expanded back to their original size
from the Bob Cupp renovation 11 years ago.
The greens had suffered in recent years
from a severe Poa Annua infestation and the
course has instituted a strong pre-emergent
program to combat the poa.
Bunker improvements, creek and bridge
work and some other minor improvements
will be made while the course is shut down
until late November or early December. The
course will then have more than a year to
get in top form before it hosts the 2009 U.S.
Public Links Championship.
NORTH HILLS COUNTRY CLUB,
SHERWOOD, ARK.
A sale to a developer who plans to turn
this 105-acres Robert Trent Jones redesign
into a housing development has some property owners and members at North Hills in
an uproar.
Protests have been flooding into city hall
and various plans to have the city or other
groups purchase the club have been proposed since it was announced in early
March that the new owners planned to sell
the land to developers.
Ron Campbell, one of the new owners,
told the Northwest Arkansas Business
Journal that he would allow the city to
make an offer, but that other groups are
ready to begin development of frontage
property.
If it closes, North Hills would be the second golf course in Pulaski County to be
redeveloped. Western Hills Country Club in
southwest Little Rock was recently purchased by a group called Western Hills
Properties, LLC, for $825,000 and the group
plans to use the land for development. The
golf course has already been closed.
North Hills was redesigned by Robert
Trent Jones Sr. in 1980.
10
Stillwater courses feeling
effects of newest addition
By TIM LANDES
The opening of Links Golf & Athletic
Club as the fifth 18-hole course in a metro
area of more than 40,000 – but about half
of them college students -- has sent ripples of concern spreading to its competitors in the Stillwater, Okla., market.
OK, they’re not sweating at Karsten
Creek, which sets its green fees ($275) in
order to ward off excess play. The others
– Lakeside Memorial Golf Course,
Stillwater Country Club and Cimarron
Trails in nearby Perkins – have felt the
effects of the newest course, which
expanded to 18 holes on July 1 of 2006.
Depending on their ecomomic health,
cities of 40,000 in this region have successfully supported two courses, but
often struggled with the third. Examples
are in Enid, where Pheasant Run is still
struggling to catch on as the third wheel
to Meadowbrook (public) and Oakwood
Country Club. In Hutchinson, Kan.,
Prairie Dunes (private) and Carey Park
(public) have done great, while a third
course has changed names and owners
numerous times. Now, with Cottonwood
Hills, a fourth is being added to that market as well.
When Links opened in Sept. 2005,
there were only nine holes and the
course was available to the public. Since
the addition of the other nine holes last
summer, the course became private,
making it only available to apartment
dwellers, members, anyone living more
than 20 miles away from Stillwater and
residents of other Lindsey golf courses,
which is now 32 courses in eight states.
Annual membership fees are $1,250
plus tax, but Links also offers a monthly
membership fee of $125 plus tax.
“We’re doing really well. We’ve picked
up a lot of players from the other cours-
es,” said Links director of golf Blake
Dergan. “We now have 250 members. The
amount of rounds are down, but we’re
making a profit.
“I’m pleased with it. We’ll see at the
end of summer compared to last summer,
since it will be a year since we expanded
to 18 holes, but I think it will be a good
year.”
Lakeside Memorial has noticed the
addition of Links due in large part to the
courses’ proximity to each other.
Lakeside is located less than a mile north
of Links.
While the course met its average of
30,000 rounds last year, head professional Fred Forbes said the course has lost
many of its “members,” which are those
that pay annual green fees and cart memberships to play the public course at their
convenience. They start at $788 a person,
but Forbes said there are many memberships, which include five-day passes, and
memberships for families of two, three
and four.
“Stillwater is definitely oversaturated,”
Forbes said. “It’s been steady and rounds
were increasing until the winter, but the
Links affected us more than anything by
taking our memberships.”
While Lakeside has been heavily
impacted, Stillwater Country Club head
professional Dan Pryor said his course
has not been hurt as much when it comes
to losing memberships, but from gaining
new members. Initiation to Stillwater CC
is $2,500 and dues are $250 a month.
“They’ve had some affect on our memberships, but not greatly,” Pryor said.
“We’ve stayed pretty much at 24,000
rounds the last couple of years, but our
problem is we’re not getting any growth.
“Just a few years ago, we were averaging right at 32,000 a year.”
Cimmaron Trails head professional
Please see STILLWATER, Page 32
ARKANSAS STATE PARKS
The back nine holes at DeGray Lake
Resort State Park will be closed May 14 for
a project that includes coring out and
rebuilding all nine greens. The new greens
will have Tif-Eagle Bermuda grass surfaces.
The new greens are projected to open
Aug. 1, according to Director of Golf Chris
Snodgrass. Work on the cart paths should
be completed by early November. The
greens on the front nine will be closed for
renovation in mid-February and should
reopen in late April, 2008.
Snodgrass said the course will also be
renovating the practice green and expanding the driving range. The interior of the pro
shop will be remodeled.
Work on the Village Creek State Park
Please see COURSES, Page 12
SOUTH CENTRAL GOLF