Never a Dull Moment
Shangri-La Resort on Monkey Island, Oklahoma Always Has Something Going On By Glen Turk
Shangri-La’s modern clubhouse presides over the 9th hole on The Champions nine.
What will Shangri-La Resort’s owner Eddy Gibbs do next? After purchasing the historic property in 2010 after it had fallen into a state of disrepair, the founder of Tulsa-based Ameristar Fence Products has invested more than $90 million dollars in hopes of creating a modern-day Shangri-La. And I can tell you from firsthand experience, he has. Best known for its 27 holes of Championship golf (that New York Yankee legend Mickey Mantle once called home) and a luxury 119-room resort hotel, Shangri-La Resort is continually expanding their amenities to provide the ultimate year-round destination. The new 12-million-dollar activity park that opened this May includes a new racquet club facility with six outdoor tennis courts, six pickleball courts, basketball, sand volleyball, fire pits, a fishing pond, an outdoor event area, and a mini-Fenway Park replica, which will offer WIFFLE BALL providing fun for kids of all ages. Another important outdoor feature is a replica of one of the original anchors from the USS Oklahoma battleship, which was the inspiration for the name of the new activity park – “The Anchor”. The ship’s anchor stands proudly across from the new facility and display the names of the 429 personnel who perished
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Summer 2021 www.MidwestGolfingMagazine.com
for our country on this vessel when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1941. “We have expanded the recreational offerings to add to our popular championship golf course,” said Shangri-La President & CEO Barry Willingham. “We are also focused on providing more indoor entertainment options for our members and our hotel guests to make Shangri-La an attractive year-round destination for business groups and families alike.” Speaking of year-round amenities, their 11,000-square-foot indoor facility features, Hologate state-of-the-art virtual reality games, Trackman golf simulators, shooting simulators, escape room games, arcade games, pop-a-shot basketball, billiards and pingpong tables, shuffleboard, darts, a plethora of sporting event video screens, and the most inviting indooroutdoor bar and lounge on Grand Lake. The golf simulators include the ability for golfers to play all 27 holes of Shangri-La’s legendary course. Longtime Shangri-La Lead Assistant Golf Professional Ryan Dalton has taken on a new role at The Anchor as an on-premises Player Development & Fitting Specialist. With two Trackman simulators, players are now able to refine their game including an ability to play the same hole multiple times under Ryan’s watchful eye