Letter from the Editor Ken MacLeod Unlike our northeastern brethren who escape months of cold and snow in Florida, here in Oklahoma the winters are usually mild enough to keep the sticks handy. We are free agents when it comes to golf travel. While thousands head west to the desert in the winter, an equal number save up for a summer reprieve from the heat by going to Colorado and New Mexico or the gulf havens in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. There are terrific drive options as close as Branson or Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri or at Hot Springs Village or Bella Vista in Arkansas. This year we profile a variety of the western options for winter golf travel, including our cover story on Desert Mountain, a popular haven for many Oklahomans featuring six Jack Nicklaus courses. Veteran Arizona golf expert Bill Huffman pens that piece as well as a story on golf in Mesquite, Nevada, an emerging golf destination known for the stunning beauty of its courses. For comparison’s sake, long-time Golf Oklahoma contributor Dave Holland takes a look at some of the options in Las Vegas, where your course may depend on how you fared at the tables the night before. Another frequent contributor to Golf Oklahoma, travel writer Steve Habel takes a look at an area that suddenly has some amazing courses to offer and that is the Texas gulf coast. Check out the pictures of Moody Gardens and Newport Dunes. Tulsa-based writer Bill Harper lets us in on some recent travels of his to Louisiana and Arkansas. We also have an update on one of the classic U.S. travel destinations in Myrtle Beach.
As always, this issue also contains updated listings of every golf course in the state. These listings are also online at www. golfoklahoma.org and we update those throughout the year with any changes or corrections of which we are notified. Here at home, we’re looking forward to a great year of golf in the state. The Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship is July 22-24 at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, the venerable Perry Maxwell layout that celebrated its centennial in 2012. The OGA is introducing a new championship in 2013, a Junior Girls Championship to run concurrently with its Junior Boys Championship June 3-6 at Kickingbird Golf Club in Edmond. The new OGA championship reflects that girls already participate in 13 or more OGA Junior Tour events.. This event will not replace or conflict with the 63rd annual Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Junior Championship scheduled July 9-10 at Meadowbrook Country Club. Mark Felder, OGA executive director, said the girls will play 36 holes of stroke play with the top 16 advancing to match play. There will be one age bracket. “We’ve always had a lot of questions as to why the girls weren’t in our state championship when they’re playing in all the other junior events,” Felder said. “This just gives them one more good tournament to compete in here at home.” The OGA Foundation continues to need your support in its mission to benefit junior golf for both boys and girls. If you are interested and want more information or to donate, please call the OGA office at 405848-0042
2013 OGA Schedule May 20-21, OGA Senior Spring Four-Ball Championship, Cedar Ridge Country Club May 20-21, OGA Spring Four-Ball Championship, Cedar Ridge Country Club June 3-6, OGA Junior Boys and Girls Championship, Kickingbird Golf Course June 17-20, OGA Senior State Amateur Championship, The Golf Club of Oklahoma June 24-25, OGA Mid-Amateur Championship, Stillwater Country Club July 15-16, OGA Senior Stroke Play Championship, Dornick Hills Country Club July 22-24, OGA State Amateur Championship, Oklahoma City G&CC Aug. 5-7, OGA Stroke Play Championship, The Trails Golf Club Aug. 15, Oklahoma Open Amateur qualifying, Lincoln Park Golf Course Aug. 23-25, Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree Country Club Sept. 9, OGA State Club Championship, Oak Tree Country Club
2013 Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Schedule April 30, WOGA State Play Day May 13-14, WOGA Cup Club Team Championship, Stillwater Country Club June 24-25, WOGA Stroke Play and Mid-Am Championship, Indian Springs Country Club July 9-10, WOGA Junior Championship, Meadowbrook Country Club July 15-18, 95th Annual State Amateur Championship, The Greens CC Aug. 1-2, Fore State Team Championship, Twin Hills G&CC Aug. 20, WOGA Partnership Championship, Shangri-La Sept. 30-Oct. 1, WOGA Senior Championship, The Trails GC
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Golf Oklahoma Volume 3, Number 1 Golf Oklahoma Directory & Travel Issue Golf Oklahoma Offices Southern Hills Plaza 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Ste. 200 Tulsa, OK 74136 918-280-0787 Oklahoma City Office 405-640-9996 Publisher Ken MacLeod ken@golfoklahoma.org COO/Marketing Director A.G. Meyers agm@golfoklahoma.org Art & Technology Director Derek Hillman derek@golfoklahoma.org Subscriptions to Golf Oklahoma are $15 for one year (five issues) or $25 for two years (10 issues). Call 918-280-0787 or go to www.golfoklahoma.org. Contributing photographers Rip Stell, Mike Klemme Golf Oklahoma PGA Instructional Staff Jim Woodward Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National jwoodwardgolf@sbcglobal.net, 405-348-2004 E.J. Pfister Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National ejgolf@me.com Pat McTigue Owner, GolfTec Tulsa and Oklahoma City pmctigue@golftec.com Steve Ball Owner, Ball Golf Center, Oklahoma City www.ballgolf.com, 405-842-2626 Pat Bates Director of Instruction, Gaillardia Country Club pbates@gaillardia.com, 405-509-3611 Tracy Phillips Director of Instruction, Buddy Phillips Learning Center at Cedar Ridge vt4u@yahoo.com, 918-352-1089 Jerry Cozby PGA Professional jerrycozby@aol.com, 918-914-1784 Oklahoma Golf Association 2800 Coltrane Place, Suite 2 Edmond, OK 73034 405-848-0042 Executive Director Mark Felder mfelder@okgolf.org Director of Handicapping and Course Rating Jay Doudican jdoudican@okgolf.org Director of Junior Golf Morri Rose morose@okgolf.org Copyright 2012 by Golf Oklahoma Magazine. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Golf Oklahoma. Golf Oklahoma is published by South Central Golf, Inc.