go back over time and they have struggled year after year. Something that looks so good right now could need to be rebuilt in August.” That was the case just two years ago as greens on holes 1, 5, 10, 11 and 13 all needed significant repair due to heat damage. The Bermuda greens on Olde Page survived the unseasonably mild winter of 201112 without having to be covered for more than a couple of days and were green and growing by late March.
Shangri-La opens nine
You’re not going to be able to tell the nines without a scorecard at Shangri-La Resort near Afton. Opening this Memorial Day will be the Legend Nine. This is a complete renovation of what used to the back nine of the Blue Course. Architect Tom Clark of Virginia was brought in for a changeover that included new tees, completely rebuilt greens and new fairway grass. When the Legend Nine opens, it will join the Champions Nine to give Shangri-La 18 new holes. The Champions Nine was designed by Randy Heckenkemper on land that used to form the smaller Gold Course. The front nine of the Blue Course will
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shut down the day the Legend Nine opens and it also will be completely redone. It should reopen in the spring of 2013, at which time the Grand Lake resort will have 27 holes of new golf to go with its stately new clubhouse. Shangri-La has swelled from a low of 84 members to a current level of 640. “It’s pretty exciting,” said director of golf Rob Yanovitch. “People are coming back to the lake. We can’t wait until we have all 27 holes open; it’s really going to be something great.”
Trails reopens greens
Nine new greens opened on the front nine at The Trails Golf Club in Norman April 1. The greens were seeded last fall with a blend of Tyee and 007 bent grasses and have grown in beautifully, according to head professional Alan Hager. The project included new bunkers throughout the course. Greens on the back nine will be interseeded with the new blend beginning immediately, with the espectation it will becomes the dominant grass by next fall. Hager said the new greens already sport a root depth of eight inches and that the membership is “excited and ready to get out there.”
Battle Creek bunkers
Battle Creek Golf Course in Broken Arrow will be undergoing an extensive bunker renovation project under the auspices of Norman-based golf architect Tripp Davis. Battle Creek was opened in 1996 with more than 100 bunkers, a very expensive number to maintain for a public course. The renovation will leave Battle Creek with far fewer bunkers and greatly reduced square footage. The course will remain open throughout the bunker renovation. “We are working with Greenway Golf and the City of Broken Arrow to establish a more sustainable situation with the bunkering,” Davis said. “However, the plan we have developed will actually enhance the strategic and visual nature of the bunkers even though we are dramatically reducing the existing square footage. Given the quality of maintenance that Greenway provides, the bunkering after we are done will elevate the quality of the golf experience both relative to quality of the playing condition of the bunkers and the enjoyment the players will have in playing the course.” Battle Creek head professional Dee Roadman said the project will begin in June and not interrupt play.
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