2018 Golf Oklahoma August|September

Official publication of the Oklahoma Golf Association

ROAD TRIP No. 44

More golf than you can shake a 9-iron at.

When it comes to championship golf, there’s no better destination than Alabama. Come play where the PGA TOUR professionals compete and see why Golf Digest editors picked two of Alabama’s golf resorts among their favorites. For starters there are the 468 holes along the world-renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Stretching from the mountains in the north to the Gulf Coast in the south, America’s original golf trail opened 25 years ago and recently completed a massive renovation of its 26 courses. Then there are the many other impressive courses scattered across the state, designed by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jerry Pate. Each with its own set of challenges, each with its own rewards. Plan an epic road trip to great golf courses across the state of Alabama.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Volume 8 Issue 4

The Goods 10

Tom Bedell goes back to the Auld Sod to review some new books on links golf. Ed Travis examines how the golf manufacturers are doing in 2018

13 Chip Shots • Saying goodbye to Mark Hayes, Larry Flesner and Bruce Lietzke • Titleist representative Patrick Moriarity heads to Washington • Annie Young tries to restore TU women's golf program.

26

Features 24

Gil Hanse, the most in-demand architect in the country, begins reshaping Southern Hills

26 30

Quail Creek CC renovation nearly complete

24 Destinations

Bob Tway enjoying semi-retirement

32

33

44

Alabama's Gulf Shores remains a hit with Oklahoma visitors

46

Muscogee Creek Nation in process of restoring Fountainhead, Margaritaville comes to Lake of the Ozarks

Departments Competition 32

Wood wins OGA State Amateur, recaps of OGA Stroke Play and OGA Senior Amateur

33

Milligan is WOGA Champ, new AJGA event in Tulsa

34 35

Teachers rule in OGA Senior Amateur Towers, Son, Mikish are champs

On the cover

6 8 8 9 10 41 42 45

Letter from the Publisher OGA ED Mark Felder WOGA ED Susan Ferguson OGA Rules by Gene Mortensen USGA by David Thompson Fitness: Clint Howard Instruction: Cary Cozby, Jim Young Schedules and results

Golf architect Gil Hanse on the 13th green at Southern Hills

Support junior golf by contributing to the OGA Foundation Call 405-848-0042 for more information 4

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

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FROM THE PUBLISHER KEN M AC LEOD

Yes, Tiger will win another major, but let's define comeback Volume 8, Number 4

Will Tiger Woods win another major? all over the world while married. The As long as he remains healthy and able resulting and humiliating treatment for to swing, the answer is yes and why sex addiction The later addiction to pain wouldn’t it be. The distance is there, the medications after the first two failed back iron game is pure and he still has the de- surgeries.

We are glad he was able to find relief sire and competitive spirit. No one alive knows more about how to win a golf tour- froom the constant pain with the fusion and hope it lasts. It's a much more internament.

Yes, maybe all of his self-inflicted trou- esting golf world with Tiger an active participant. bles have erased The best part part or all of the about the new Timystique that used ger is the years and to cow his competithe troubles seem to tors. But he can win have finally given without intimidahim some perspection. He's still that tive and softened good. He’s still Tiger the warrior that parWoods. ents Earl and Tida However, to those worked so hard to ready to anoint that construct, the pervictory as capping fect golf assassin one of the great who could care less comebacks in the at times about acthistory of sports, ing with common hold your horses. decency towards Unlike Ben Hofriends, foes, media, gan nearly dying in business associates an auto accident, and the list goes on.

Tiger’s wounds, He smiles more, both physical and interacts with his psychological, were Tiger Woods playing partners, largely of his own signs autographs, poses for pictures, gives making.

We’ll never know how much the stress actual thoughtful answers at press conof his golf swing versus the Navy Seal- ferences and seems to be enjoying the type training he put himself through legendary status he has with the younger resulted in his knee and back injuries. It players, for all of whom his playing served seems clear that if he had just worked on as such an inspiration and example.

Could he have been equally successful treating golf-related injuries with the finest medical treatment and rehab facilities acting this way all along? Or was the inin the world at his disposal, (stretching, timidation and cold-warrior persona that swinging less violently as well) he may he carried on and off the course part and not have been forced to take most of the parcel of his success?

Golf obviously benefits tremendously past five years off.

But as Hank Haney’s book “The Big when Tiger is back and in contention, as Miss” and the new “Tiger Woods” book the ratings on the final day of The Open

by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian both Championship attest. Not sure what real make clear, the pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ golf fan wouldn’t have been watching record of 18 majors became less important the final round of this major anyway, but at some point than the need to perhaps apparently there are millions who only show his father, a war hero, that he would watch golf if Tiger is in contention. Welhave made an exceptional soldier as well. come back, Tiger groupies! Please spend We will never know what percent of some money on the game while you’re his physical issues were due to golf versus here and let's all enjoy the ride. outside activities. His other issues were - Ken MacLeod his doing. Chasing hundreds of women 6

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Golf Oklahoma Offices Southern Hills Plaza 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Ste. 200 LIKE US! Tulsa, OK 74136 FACEBOOK.COM/ 918-280-0787 GOLFOKLAHOMAMAGAZINE Oklahoma City Office 405-640-9996 Publisher Ken MacLeod ken@golfoklahoma.org

FOLLOW US! @GOLFOKMAGAZINE

COO/Marketing Director A.G. Meyers agm@golfoklahoma.org Art & Technology Director Chris Swafford chris@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, Bill Powell Golf Oklahoma PGA Instructional Staff Jim Woodward Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National jwoodwardgolf@sbcglobal.net, 405-3482004 Jim Young Teaching Professional, River Oaks CC 405-630-8183 Cary Cozby Director of Golf Southern Hills Country Club ccozby@southernhillscc.com Tracy Phillips Director of Instruction, FlyingTee vt4u@yahoo.com, 918-352-1089 Maggie Roller Director of Instruction, Cedar Ridge CC maggie.roller@sbcglobal.net, 918-261-1441 Jerry Cozby PGA Professional jerrycozby@aol.com, 918-914-1784 Kyley Tetley, PGA Professional The Golf Studio 918-232-6564 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 2018 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.

AN ACE IN THE HOLE

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MARK FELDER

FROM THE OGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OGA Executive Director

Future stars shine in OGA State Amateur It’s not often you get to see Dave Bryan, Derrick Vest and their staffs. to congratulate Hughett on his 21st OGA two future PGA Tour level golfers battle You made it a great experience for all the victory with his win in the Senior Stroke Play Championship! Also Scott Adams it out in your state amateur champion- contestants.

We’re blessed to be able to host the of Spiro for his win over Phil Brumly of ship match, but that’s what friends and members of The Patriot were treated to OGA State Amateur Championship on Muskogee in the championship match of c o u r s e s the OGA Senior State Amateur, and to in our deciding the qual- Dustin Hasley of Yukon for his one-shot match between ity of The victory over Thomas Johnson of Norman Hayden Wood Patriot. In in the OGA Stroke Play Championship at and Austin Eckthat vein, Tulsa Country Club. roat on a steamy Now we turn our attention to the Oklawe’re exThursday aftert r e m e l y homa Open, which will be held Aug. 23noon. e x c i t e d 25 for the 34th consecutive year at Oak The two and proud Tree Country Club on the East Course.

Oklahoma State Looking at the names on the champito anstars put on a n o u n c e onship trophy, nearly all of the golfers good show in the 2019 who have won in the past 10 years are that match and still competing throughout the at some level of week, as did professional golf, many others in including twothe field. From time champion high school phe- Austin Eckroat and champion Hayden Woods Robert Streb on noms up through the PGA Tour 60-year-old Mike Hughett, the field was c h a m p i o n s h i p and Rhein Gibjammed with talent but also polite, well will return to Oak son on the Web. mannered men who are a credit to Okla- Tree National in com Tour. It’s a Edmond, site of homa and to golf. great test for our major Wood was the eventual champion. numerous collegiate playCongratulations to him and all the semi- c h a m p i o n s h i p s . ers and aspiring finalists, including 2017 runner-up Cody A big thank you professionals to Burrows of Chickasha and Brady Rich- to owners Everett test themselves Dobson and Ed Evardson of Tulsa.

Dustin Hasley of Yukon against talented Also we want to thank The Patriot ans for providing for being exceptional hosts. Director of this venue to the top amateurs in Okla- mini-tour players from throughout the country to see where their games stack Agronomy Jeremy Dobson and his crew homa.

Also since we last published, we need up and help them assess the future. do amazing work, as do professionals

SUSAN FERGUSON

President WOGA

WOMEN’S OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION

Meadowbrook was first-class host The 100th playing of the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship couldn’t have been much better. Meadowbrook Country Club was a great host and in superb condition as commented on by many competitors. And we had two excellent representatives of the sport in our final match.

Kaitlin Milligan of Norman prevailed over Sydney Youngblood of Durant. Both young ladies play for the University of Oklahoma and will be among the better collegians in the country in the 2018-19 season. Thanks to those two and all the participants in a memorable competition.

Still remaining on the WOGA calendar for 2018 are the WOGA Four-Ball Partner8

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ship Tournament Aug. 20-21 at Shangri-La and the WOGA Cup Club Team Tournament Sept.

24-25 at Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville. Entry deadline is Sept. 13 and the forms can be found on www.woga.us.

Also on the site are the forms for the high school grant applications. The grant applications period runs Aug. 13-Oct. 16. Recipients will be announced Nov. 15.

Forms and more information are on the website.

Runner-up Sydney Youngblood and champion Kaitlin Milligan.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

GENE MORTENSEN

OGA Rules Director

OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION NEWS

Know the rules for your own benefit After you hit your ball into the woods and see that it has come to rest in the middle of some gnarly tree roots, you conclude that even if you could get a club on the ball, there is serious doubt that you will advance it and you could suffer an injury.

So, how do you put the ball safely back into play?

The answer – declare the ball to be unplayable under Rule 28 and proceed with one of three options for relief.

Let’s review that procedure.

A player may declare the ball to be unplayable anywhere on the course, except in a water hazard.

The player is the sole judge as to whether the ball is unplayable. Under penalty of one stroke, the player may: (1) return and play a ball at the spot of the last stroke

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

(stroke and distance); or (2) drop a ball within two club lengths of where the ball lies in the roots; or (3) create an imaginary line from the flagstick to where the ball lies and drop a ball going back anywhere on the extension of that line. Be careful when you use option No. 2 because if the ball rolls back into the same troublesome spot you start over, and incur an additional penalty stroke.

When a ball is declared to be unplayable in a bunker, the same three relief options are available with this caveat; when using the above options Nos. 2 and 3, the ball must be dropped in that same bunker.

If you become knowledgeable as to Rule 28, you can use it to your advantage. We’ll look at the recent incident with Phil Mick-

elson as an example.

During the U.S. Open, Mickelson had a putt of about 20 feet. He hit the ball and observed that it was probably going to end up off the green and down an embankment so he ran after the ball and while it was rolling, he batted the ball back toward the hole. Mickelson was given a penalty of two strokes and ended up with a “10” as his score.

Another way to approach that situation would have been to wait for the errant putt to stop and then declare the ball to be unplayable. Under option No. 1, he would then replace the ball where it lay on the green, before the putt. And he would have only had a penalty of one stroke.

Remember, the Rules are our friends.

Sign up for our enewsletter at golfoklahoma.org for the chance to win tickets, rounds and other prizes as well as keep up with all the breaking news

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9

United States Golf Association News

presented by

USGA's goal to simplify the game Since our last column, USGA committee members have conducted several qualifiers. We are sending worthy players on to compete in David Thompson the championships USGA Regional and make our state Affairs Committee look good.

As discussed in earlier columns, I am going to concentrate on changes in the rules for 2019. This column will focus on rules changes with emphasis on the putting green.

Today a player is permitted to improve damage to the green caused from ball marks and old hole plugs. In 2019, the player can additionally improve damage from shoes, such as spike marks or sole indentations, scrapes caused by equipment or flagstick, as well as animal tracks or hoof indentations and holes left by embedded objects such as a stone or acorn.

That seems like the player has freedom to fix about anything, but there are some

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limitations. Any damage that is a result of normal practices to maintain the condition of the green like aeration holes or vertical grooving can’t be improved.

Keep in mind that actions can’t exceed what is reasonable to restore the putting green to its original condition. For example, the player is not allowed to create a pathway to the hole. Doing so will result in a two-shot penalty in stroke play or loss of hole in match play.

A ball or ball marker on the green that is accidentally moved by the player can be replaced without penalty.

New for 2019: If the player plays his ball to the green and it comes to rest, has been marked, lifted and replaced and the ball then rolls because of wind, gravity, etc., the ball is replaced back to the spot where it was previously marked.

However, if the ball has not been marked and lifted and rolls to a new location be-

cause wind, gravity, etc., caused the ball to move, the ball must be played from the new location. Also, the 2019 rules specifically state that the marker must be lifted before a stroke at the ball.

A player may leave the unattended flagstick in the hole and make a stroke from the putting green without penalty if the ball strikes the flagstick. There are limitations on the caddie and other players that move or remove a flagstick that the player has decided to leave in the hole.

Another significant change is the elimination of any penalty for the player touching the line of putt.

While some of these changes may seem confusing at first, as we begin to play under the new rules, I believe they will become more intuitive and simplify the game.

USGA.org has some great videos regarding the new rules.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

A select number of memberships are available.

Call 405-325-6716

AUG/SEPT

The

GOODS

Some things we like to do before and after the round

The Bookshelf

at least to the now-sober Coyne. That’s not to say that there isn’t great good humor at work here, as the author works his way around more than 100 Scottish (and a few English and Welsh) courses in a mere by tom bedell 57 days, albeit not on foot between tracks Though I’ve had a copy this time.

Coyne has a purported goal at the end of Tom Coyne’s popular “A Course Called Ireland” on of all his rounds, trying to qualify for the my bookshelf for years I’ve Open Championship. Suffice it to say, never gotten around to reading it. Coyne has game, both on the ground and Coyne actually walked around the at the keyboard. His battles with par and coastline playing scads of Irish links descriptions of most of the courses he courses, so it was probably envy that kept plays at could easily have been stultifying, me from cracking the spine of the 2009 but Coyne is too talented a writer for that.

The book may appeal more to those book — why didn’t I think of this stunt?

Having read Coyne’s latest, “A Course who have tussled with some of the same venues in ScotCalled Scotland” land, and there (Simon & Schuster, are many here, $27), I’m not sure I from the usual can go back to the suspects in St. earlier work, since Andrews and it was basically Dornoch and written by another East Lothian person — the stilland Aberdeen drinking Coyne, and so on. But who subtitled that there are countbook, “A Long Walk less hidden in Search of a Coungems as well, try, a Pint, and the made so apNext Tee.” pealing here The latest, “Searchone is tempted ing the Home of Golf to start checkfor the Secret to Its ing flight Game,” is, I suspect, a schedules. far more serious book, Many of the rounds are enlivened by friends and strangers; before he left Coyne put out a call on social media for anyone who wanted to join him for a few rounds, and more than a few do just that, forming, he later realizes, a vital support group.

The real goal here, it seems to me, is less Coyne’s search for the secret to golf but a search for himself and a sense of personal peace. To that end, unless I’ve grievously misread the book (maybe Coyne will let me know), he invents a character, an old friend named Robert who seems Askernish Golf Club on the Isle of South Uist. utterly real in the early going, but

The Scottish Game

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becomes increasingly spectral as the trip goes on.

In a remarkable late chapter that recounts the author’s play at the near-mystical Askernish Golf Club on the Isle of South Uist, we learn that Robert is, in essence, Coyne’s drink-

ing alter-ego, not to mention his actual first name — Robert Thomas Coyne.

Coyne goes around Askernish four times in one day, a soul-cleansing exorcism in 72 holes that reveals the beating heart of the book.

It’s anything but dour; Coyne doesn’t belabor his fight for sobriety, but it was there to be confronted. It’s an easy enough journey for any reader to cheer him on throughout the volume, right up to the last of his 7,858 strokes.

BORN ON THE LINKS Scotland also plays a huge part, as it must, in a bold attempt by John Williamson to summarize more than 600 years in just over 200 pages of “Born on the Links: A Concise History of Golf” (Rowman & Littlefield, $36).

Concise it is. I can only imagine the choices one would have to make in such an effort — not so much as what to include, but what to leave out. Williamson, who over three decades has written a series of handbooks for lawyers, makes a pretty good case here for his brief.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

He hits the high points of the sport’s evolution, mainly the Scottish transformation of the medieval Dutch game of het kolven into golf as we recognize it today. (And notes that an indoor version of kolven is still played in the Netherlands.) Once through early chapters detailing 400 years of golf in Scotland and its gradual spread from there, Williamson concentrates on golf in the United States.

The immediate difference, of course, was that golf in Scotland quickly became a game for the multitudes, while in the United States. it began as a sport for the elite, an impression that, despite the current reality, has been difficult to shake.

The game here, he suggests, grew in popularity mainly through the influence of a series of superstar personalities who came along at various periods — Francis Ouimet in 1913, Bobby Jones in the 1920’s, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen as the first compelling professionals, the triumvirate of Byron Nelson-Ben HoganSam Snead in the pre- and post-World War II years, Arnold Palmer (and then Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson), right up to the Tiger Woods era.

None of this is terribly surprising, and naturally much of it is more fully covered in more targeted books. Williamson also writes in a “Just the Facts, Ma’am” missionary position type of prose that rarely lights up the skies.

This is perhaps unintentionally humorous when on one page Williamson lists three courses that all claim to be the oldest continuing site for golf in the United States.

One could also point to a few errors — twice spelling Dornach as Dornack, or crediting the origin of the term “birdie” to the Atlantic Country Club in Plymouth, Mass. — the USGA says it was the Atlantic City Country Club in New Jersey.

Still, it’s all here in one place, with chapters on the African-American experience in U.S. golf and the women’s game as well. There are 50 appendix pages listing all the winners of major professional and amateur tournaments and team competitions, with ample room to add on winners for those who like to keep up to date.

Through no fault of his own Tom Bedell was not born on the links, and has been trying to make up for it since.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

E.P. Carrillo - Encore by laramie navrath

With so many new regulations and rules imposed by the FDA affecting the cigar industry, many in the business wondered if new cigars and blends would make it on to local tobacconist’s shelves. Date changes and substantial equivalence options have so far have given us hope.

Owners and manufactures say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and new products will continue to be created and distributed. That being said, most cigar companies have released small batches of various blend and brands into the US Markets prior to a seemingly changing cutoff date in order to look to the future with continued releases of said products. One such owner and company, EP Carrillo, did just that.

The Encore is the long awaited follow-up cigar to Ernesto Carrillo’s’ award winning La Historia Family Series and with a fitting name I might add. The cigar was teased at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show prior to the Au-

gust cutoff date for new cigars in the market. This cigar is fresh and some might say an instant classic. Encore features all Nicaraguan tobacco that’s been aged and married in small batches for two years. The result is a balance and elegance unrivaled in the industry. Encore encapsulates complexity, delivering a luscious profile ripe with soft tobacco notes, slight cedar, baking spices, and hints of sweetness.

Like its predecessor, the Encore comes box pressed and in a 10 count box. The wrapper smells sweet and earthy with a clean an effortless dry draw. Once lit the Encore provides plenty of blue and white smoke. The sugary spices and rich ligero make this cigar stand on its own giving strength. The obvious notes of light cedar linger on the back of the pallet.

The retrohale has some notes of black pepper, and lightly toasted walnuts. The complexity in the Encore will pair nicely with a sweet bourbon, a highland scotch or ice cold lager after 18 on the course.

Proudly serving Oklahoma with a fine selection of cigars and related products.

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The GOODS

Tie-Waist Seersucker Skort in Blue

Casual elegance with

Course and Club

T

by greg horton

years, and one that gave me access . . . iffany O’Malley is quick to to all those meetings I’d been misstell you that she is not a good ing.”

That’s also where she grew frusgolfer, but she loves the game.

“I started playing as an adult,” she said, trated with the golf attire available “and I took to it quickly. It’s a gentleman’s for women.

“I should say first that I love a game; it’s based on tradition, and I love that.”

O’Malley grew up in southwest Okla- lot of the merchandise that comes homa City, and she attended Christian from the big names: Nike, Under Heritage Academy before attending the Armour, Adidas, etc.,” O’Malley said. “I buy it; I wear it. But University of Central Oklahoma, I wanted something where she earned a degree more traditional, in fashion merchandising more versatile.” and design. She spent O’Malley time in Los Angeles, said that working in fashion, much of the and she learned women’s quickly that busigolf apparel marness meetings and ket is dominated face-to-face time by super athletic with vendors were attire: stretchy faboften held on the rics, mesh, wickgolf course. She ing, and bright (very didn’t like missing bright) colors. She and those opportunities, her husband are members so when she moved to of a club in Dallas, and she Montana for her next gig, she wanted golf attire that was as made a life change.

Tiffany O'Malley, founder versatile as men’s attire.

“That’s where I started to of Course & Club.

“I wanted to be able to play golf,” she said. “I wanted an outdoor activity I could share with throw on a pair of heels and eat at the club my husband, one I could play into my later after a round,” she said.

Men’s attire has many options that are country-club friendly, including traditional sweaters, slacks and shirts. Athleisure may be the dominant style now, but country clubs tend to frown on highlighter-pink, stretchy skorts for dinner attire. O’Malley saw a chance to combine two of her great passions: fashion design and golf.

She launched Course & Club, her own line of women’s golf attire, in August 2017.

The line features hand-selected, imported, high-quality fabrics and designs that O’Malley made with the female golfer in mind. O’Malley is the vice president of her

Course & Club’s Classic Pleated Skorts and Tie-Waist Seersucker Skorts.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

women’s golf club at Vaquero Club in Dallas, and so she has plenty of opportunities to test out her line. Currently, she has four tops — two sleeveless polos and two traditional polos — and four skorts, including a custom seersucker that looks very much like everyday attire.

“I added one percent stretch to the seersucker, but other than that, it’s everyday appropriate,” she said. “All the fabrics are the same kinds used in everyday business attire, so the look is very traditional, and the clothes are very comfortable.”

The items are priced competitively with big name brands, with tops going for about $60 and skorts ranging from $100-130. Proceeds from all sales go to a charitable organizations that Course & Club partners with, including Els for Autism, the Miracle League, and Eagle Mount. The company also donates a large quantity of products to charities that ask for help.

O’Malley said the line is available at locations in Dallas, Newport, RI,, and Chicago, and she’s in talks with country clubs around the country about carrying her products. The entire line is also available for sale at her website, www.courseandclub.com.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

www.jonesplan.com

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EQUIPMENT

The golf industry in Where do we stand thus far? by ed travis

I

2018

According to Topgolf, its customers tend to be younger than the average on-course player (84 percent are under the age of 44) with one-third being female and roughly half (51 percent) nongolfers. The question then is – how many of TopGolf’s 6.6 million who don’t presently play and the 27 percent or 3.5 million who only occasionally play will convert from the driving range-sports bar type of experience to teeing it up on real courses? Thus far the answer seems to be not many.

With plans for 18 more U.S. facilities,

premium category with the Pro V1 and Pro n January, when most of the counV1x. The apparent strategy is rather than try is putting up with snow and cold, pulling sales from the Pro V1 or Pro V1x, the PGA Merchandise Show begins the AVX will attract golfers now playing the golf year with 40,000 industry competitive products such as Callaway’s professionals gathering to take advantage Chrome Soft. Acushnet also says iron sales of learning opportunities, see the latest and have been strong though sales of woods so greatest products and rekindle friendships. far in 2018 have not.

But there’s another activity implicit durCallaway Golf (NYSE: ELY), also publicing that week in Orlando’s sunshine – asly traded, enjoys the top sales spot in drivsessing the health and vigor of our industry. ers, woods and irons. Sales grew to $1,049 This past PGA Show consensus was the million in 2017 and with the success of the corner had been turned and brighter days Epic and Rogue product lines, Calwere ahead for an industry that laway’s share of the U.S. retail hard some pundits have classified as goods market reached 26 percent dead or maybe simply on life supin the first quarter 2018. Another port. It should be worthwhile then bright spot is in golf balls with the to look at the status of a couple of Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X indicators and see if they may hold pushing Callaway’s portion of ball any clues to the future. sales up more than 2 percent to 16.2 Everything in our industry is percent in the first quarter – still driven by the number of players well behind Acushnet but outdisand the number of rounds they tancing third-place TaylorMade. play. World Golf Foundation reTaylorMade Golf is in its first search shows in the United States season under new owner KPS in 2016, the latest year for which Capital Partners and can boast of numbers are available, golf genera notable list of endorsers, startated $84.1 billion in economic acing with Tiger Woods and Dustin tivity. That’s an increase of more Can Topgolf make real golfers out of the date night crowd?

Johnson. TMaG’s uniquely designed than $15 billion in five years and the WGF report says golf’s 1.9 million jobs Topgolf and competitors that are expand- M3 and M4 Twist Face drivers have gained ing the traditional golf industry, have some acceptance with touring professionals, but paid compensation of $58.7 billion. have not had traction in the retail market The number of courses in the United important tasks ahead.

Industry revenues, from greens fees to to retake the sales lead from Callaway. The States continues to decline, undergoing what experts call a “market correction” equipment sales, are dependent on the TP5 golf balls have received strong reviews with 205 closing last year contrasting with number of people actually playing so for and since the first of the year edged ahead just 15 opening – leaving 14,794. The num- golf’s financial health it is critical to address of Bridgestone into third place in that segment. ber of committed golfers, defined as those the changes represented by Topgolf.

Bridgestone Golf has brought back Dan Reports indicate that equipment sales playing 95 percent of the rounds, stayed at about 20 million or more than 80 percent of are doing better than in 2017 with the U.S. Murphy to be President and CEO, clearly the 23.8 million who played at least once. market up 9.5 percent for the first three with the task of regaining their spot as No. In addition, another 8.3 million patronized months of the year including an increase in 2 in the ball market, a place lost under Angel Ilagan, who also said golf ball performance off-course facilities such as Topgolf of Fly- average selling prices.

Publicly traded Acushnet Holdings Corp. should be rolled back. During Murphy’s ingTee for total participation of more than 32 million, but with the number of on- (NYSE: GOLF) is targeting 2018 sales of previous tenure with Bridgestone, he was course players staying the same the number about $1.6 billion which would be about instrumental in creation of the ball-fitting of rounds remained unchanged at around $40 million more than 2017. Its flagship program used to differentiate its products Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls give from Titleist. One coup during Ilagan’s 450 million.

These numbers tell us golf is probably Acushnet a firm hold on more than 50 per- tenure though was signing Tiger Woods to holding its own. It’s certainly not growing cent of the ball market. However, both are play its Tour B XS ball.

Family-owned PING Golf is thought of in the traditional sense, but with roughly in the second year of the two-year product 25 percent of participants making use of cycle and sales have decreased, being only as a putter company and it is, competing in golf-oriented entertainment venues such partially offset by introduction of the new the marketplace with an outstanding line of putters, though challenged by Acushas Flying Tee, Drive Shack and Topgolf, it’s Tour Soft line.

Of significance is introduction of the net’s Scotty Cameron and Callaway’s Odobvious a whole new type of customer is soft-feel AVX model ball positioned in the yssey brands. However, PING makes clubs being attracted to the game.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

as well and the G400 series and especially team has created an aggressive marketing the G400 driver has been a winner. Two plan with more advertising and for the first professional club fitters have said it consis- time Tour Edge is paying for professionals tently hits the ball longer and straighter for to endorse its clubs. It remains to be seen if a large number of the golfers they measure. this strategy will produce results, but one And it sells for $400, which is $100 less approach already has --- the Hot Launch 3 than Callaway’s Rogue and TaylorMade’s line. Built with lots of technologically refined features, the entire HL3 line carries M3. golfer-friendly pricing startShowing some outside-theing with the driver at $190, box thinking this year, less than half of competCobra Golf put the Arcing brands. cos data gathering senSo, as we have said in sors on all their clubs the past, the only constant at no charge, giving is change, change from the recreational players many cultural and busismartphone access to ness factors starting with information that can mathe state of the economy and terially improve their games. whether golf is deemed to be We also like the KING F8 driver “cool.” with a unique milled, rather Equipment manufacturers conthan forged, face and Cobra Cobra Golf tinue trying to make the game is the one major manufacKING F8 driver less frustrating for recreational turer promoting the irons of players within the restrictions all one length, which have gained publicity being used by PGA Tour endorser Bryson placed on clubs and the ball by the USGA while the majority of players continue to DeChambeau.

Tour Edge Golf is the smallest of these fight a slice. The unknown factor, however, companies and owner David Glod is the is the effect of golf’s growing entertainbrains behind its innovative fairway wood ment segment as represented by companies and hybrid designs. A new management such as Topgolf.

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News around the state Sponsored by SHOTS Mark Hayes: Oklahoma loses a Hall of Famer always respected him as one of the hardest working guys in the game. He was a Ben Mark Hayes, a legendary figure in Okla- Hogan-type figure to me growing up, one of homa golf and a 2017 inductee into the the guys who would practice until his finOklahoma Golf Hall of Fame, passed away gers bled. Maybe not really, but that’s what July 17 at the age of 69. Hayes was suffering you thought of him. He just always continued to work at his game.” from early onset AlzheimHayes was the 1965 Class er’s Disease.

A state medalist playing at “We’ve been friends Northeast High School and since the sixth grade and later teamed with Tewell to he’s the reason I play golf,” win state titles at Stillwater said long-time friend and (Donart) High School. He fellow 2017 Hall of Fame was Oklahoma’s 1967 and inductee Doug Tewell. “I’ve 1971 Oklahoma Golf Assolost one of my best friends. ciation State Amateur chamIt’s heartbreaking.” pion and in 1972 won both Hayes excelled at an early the prestigious Sunnehanna age and just kept getting Amateur and the World Cup better and better. A native of Amateur, helping the United Stillwater, Hayes won mulStates capture the Eisentiple in-state tournament hower Trophy. tournaments while growing Hayes played collegiateup and is considered to be Mark Hayes ly at Oklahoma State for one of the finest junior playLabron Harris (1968-71), where he was a ers Oklahoma has ever produced.

“He was a true Oklahoma golf legend,” two-time, first-team All-American his junior said Mike McGraw, former Oklahoma State and senior seasons.

Known for wearing his signature bucket coach and Oklahoma golf historian. “I’ve by ken macleod and john rohde

cap, Hayes turned professional in 1973, won three times on PGA Tour in the 1970s and also finished runner-up six times. He placed no worse than 68th for eight straight seasons (1974-81).

Hayes’ premier tour victory came at the 1977 Tournament Players Championship.

He also won four other professional stops, including the 1986 Tallahassee Open.

Hayes’ most historic major moment came when he shot a record 63 in the second round of the 1977 British Open on the Ailsa Course in Turnberry, Scotland.

Making the performance particularly impressive was the fact Hayes was playing in his first British Open, had carded an opening-round 76 and had suddenly switched his putting grip. Hayes went to a cross-handed grip for the second round at the encouragement of Bruce Lietzke, who that year had won two straight tournaments using the grip, and Mark Lye. “It’s a very basic stroke that about 15 golfers on the U.S. tour were using,” Hayes said. “The biggest thing is getting yourself to putt that way without being afraid people will laugh.”

See Hayes, page 19

Flesner, Lietzke left their marks in Oklahoma In addition to the loss of Oklahoma Golf Hall of Famer Mark Hayes, two other professionals with significant impacts on the state passed away this summer.

Bruce Lietzke, who won 13 PGA Tour events with a reliable and famously lowmaintenance fade, succumbed to brain cancer on July 29 at the age of 67.

Lietzke had many ties to Oklahoma. He lived in a house on Grand Lake and was a member at Shangri-La from 1978 to 88, representing the resort and doing clinics.

He was an avid fisherman. His older brother Duane, who lives in Grove, has been a sales rep in the South Central Section for decades, including 30 years for Tommy Armour Co. Lietzke originally was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive malignant tumor, on April 12, 2017.

At his peak, Lietzke was ranked inside the top 15 in the world, and even played on the winning 1981 American Ryder Cup team. In addition to his Tour wins, Lieztke also won seven times on the Champions 18

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Tour, one of those coming at the 2003 U.S. Senior Open at Inverness Club.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan issued the following statement: “Our PGA Tour family lost a treasured member with the death of Bruce Lietzke. He touched

Larry Flesner

Bruce Lietzke

on parts of five decades as a player, competed in 700 tournaments as a member of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, and recorded a total of 20 victories. But to celebrate Bruce Lietzke’s life properly, we offer praise to the great family man and

the cherished friend to many. Our deepest condolences to his wife, Rose, and his children, Stephen and Christine.”

PGA professional Larry Flesner, who most recently was the head professional at Oak Hills Country Club in Ada, passed away July 14 at age 70.

Flesner, born September 1, 1947, began his golf career helping Duffy Martin build Cedar Valley GC in Guthrie in the early 1970s. In 1982 he began a 23-year career at John Conrad Golf Course in Midwest City. He also worked at Choctaw Creek before going to Ada CC. Born in Stillwater, Flesner traveled extensively as the son of an Air Force Colonel, but came back to his roots, becoming a Sooner, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 1969.

He was commissioned into the Air Force the same year, where he served until 1972. He was a lifetime member of the PGA of America with 42 years of service.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Moriarity moving on to outfit rich and famous by ken macleod

Pat Moriarty is a Chicago native who went to college in Providence and now is the Titleist rep for the important Washington D.C. and northern Virginia markets, where’s he’s likely to rub elbows in prestigious clubs with some of the world’s richest and most (self) important golfers, including presidents, senators and congressmen while making the rounds.

He knows how to handle and work a crowd, but in 23 years traveling the more lonely stretches of Oklahoma highways and rural roads, Moriarty became a Sooner at heart.

“I’ve had a great run here and it makes it hard to make a move,” Moriarty said.

“The pros have been great to me. I want to thank them for everything they’ve done for me. And it’s been a great place to raise a family.”

Despite his love for the state, this is a job that Moriarty could hardly refuse. His new territory is considered one of the top-five national markets and includes such clubs as Congressional, Burning Tree, Chevy Chase, Woodmont CC and many other prestigious private and public courses.

Working the region has been a stepping stone to important corporate positions within the company. His promotion there is a sign the personable Moriarty, 45, is on that track.

“It’s a smaller area geographically at about 55 square miles, but it has more courses, more volume and certainly more people,” Moriarty said. “Three of the coun-

Hayes, cont. from page 18 Hayes and Tewell were fast friends throughout their playing careers as Tewell strived to catch up to his childhood friend in accomplishments on the course.

“We had a lot of good times together,” Tewell said. “He was a blast to be around.

He had a funny, very dry quiet humor, but if you could get him laughing it would go on for minutes. We just had so many great times together.”

In addition to his extensive practice habits, Hayes had a reputation as an early practitioner of strict diets and would not allow any junk food in the house, so much that Tewell took to hiding Sara Lee brownies in his fridge for Jana. However, once on a return trip from Japan to play in a team GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

ties I’ll cover are among the wealthiest counties in the U.S. “The first day I was out there I ran into Don Nickles (former U.S. senator from Oklahoma) wearing a Southern Hills hat, so it’s a small world.

“You’ve got politicians, FBI, CIA, all A good crew: Bonnie Ashley, Hannah, Pat kinds of corporate and industry folks and Jack. at these clubs. The other day our rep just fit President Obama for a full bag of my sales reps as business partners and he’s Titleist equipment. I know the Republicans earned that classification.

“I think we’ve probably always known in Oklahoma won’t like that, but that’s a good example of what you might run into.” that Pat was destined for bigger and better Moriarty will stay in corporate hous- things but he spent enough time here that ing for most of the 2018-19 academic year Oklahoma was his top priority, not just a while his children remain in the Bixby stop on a ladder."

Lake Hefner Golf Club director of golf school system. His daughter is a senior and will be able to graduate with her Alsie Hyden said, “Pat was the consumclass and his wife is a teacher in the Bixby mate salesman. He was knowledgeable, time efficient, pleasant to be around and he school system.

Moriarty succeeded the popular Dale was my friend. He was the perfect repreDavison as the Titleist rep for Oklahoma sentative for Titleist and for our business.”

Moriarty would keep detailed records of and proved his own mettle through a eye for detail, relentless work ethic and friend- which club professionals were playing each ly and accommodating style in working brand of equipment and ball and make with clubs large and small throughout the those available at the PGA Section Club state. As the golf industry trended towards Professional Championship, which Titleist professionals writing fewer orders at the often sponsored. The numbers of PGA club PGA Merchandise Show, that meant more professionals in Oklahoma using Titleist work for the club reps in seeing and taking equipment and balls compared to other major manufacturers was overwhelming. orders from each individual.

Replacing Moriarty in Oklahoma will “Pat will be missed by almost everyone in this section,” said Pat McCrate, director be Joel Hounchell, a graduate of Ball State of golf at LaFortune Park. “He is the quint- University. Hounchell has previously been essential sales professional. His willing- a professional in the Washington D.C. area ness to help not only our business but our and also at Firestone CC in Akron, but profession is rarely matched – just like his most recently has been the Titleist sales rep work ethic. He is the primary reason I view covering Wyoming and Montana.

event in Florida, Tewell arrived at the condo the two had rented several hours early and found Hayes devouring a whole quart of Hagen-Dazs.

“I told him, ‘You are so busted,’ “ Tewell said. “Mark said, ‘sometimes you just have to have it.’ “ Hayes played on the victorious Ryder Cup team in 1979 and was teammates with Oak Tree neighbor Gil Morgan. Hayes, who won his Sunday singles match against Antonio Garrido, actually was first alternate for the team and ended up replacing leading money winner Tom Watson, who withdrew to be with his wife, Linda, for the birth of their first child.

From 1976-82, Hayes had Top-15 finishes in all four majors. His best finish was a tie

for sixth at the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, where he began the final round just two strokes behind eventual winner Jack Nicklaus.

A long-time resident at Oak Tree National and a member of the famous Oak Tree Gang, Hayes was a three-time Oklahoma Open champion (1976, 1988, 1993) in the days when the field was its most competitive and culminated with a victory at age 44 across the street at Oak Tree Country Club.

He also lost in a playoff to Tom Jones in 1983. Jones is now the President and COO of Oak Tree National.

All told, Hayes won more than $2.1 million in official prize money with 57 Top-10 finishes and 150 Top-25 finishes in 604 career starts on the PGA Tour.

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Annie Young ready to restore legacy in TU women's golf by ken macleod

Annie Young is very aware of the weight of history associated with being the women’s golf coach at the University of Tulsa.

She also knows that history is so far in the rearview mirror that she’s nearly starting with a blank slate.

“That’s why I was so excited when the job came open,” Young said.

“The history is unmatched by a lot of programs.”

Living up to the standards set by Dale McNamara and her daughter, Melissa, have proven to be impossible for the four coaches who have occupied the position in the 16 years since Melissa left in 2002 to accept a position at Arizona State.

Although there have been some bright spots, the program that won four national championships while turning out a constant string of collegiate All-Americans and future LPGA Tour greats is now largely forgotten, a program that languishes near the bottom of a not-fearsome American Athletic Conference and hasn’t even competed in an NCAA Regional since 2012 or the NCAA Championship since 2008.

Today’s players may have heard of Nancy Lopez, but are largely unfamiliar with Kathy Baker, Barb Thomas, Jody Rosenthal, Kelly Robbins or even Stacy Prammanasudh, all of whom went through TU and then on to success on the LPGA Tour.

What Tulsa is now known for in golf is its controversial decision to drop the men’s golf program in 2016 in order to save an estimated $500,000 annually.

Young’s immediate successor, Emilee Klein, seemed to have everything necessary to get the program moving in the right direction, from the perspective of personality, playing and coaching pedigree and work ethic. But in four years she made only modest progress in revitalizing the program before family issues derailed her career and she resigned last spring.

Young is known as a bulldog of a competitor. Despite modest physical gifts, 20

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she was a great junior basketball player before a devastating knee injury and then worked her way up to All-America status as a golfer during her OSU career from 2001-05.

She was grinding to make the LPGA Tour before Mike Holder beckoned her back to Stillwater to become a very young head coach in 2008.

Young’s teams had success during her three-year stint as head coach, including a pair of top-10 finishes at the NCAA Tournament and the 2009 Big 12 Conference title.

She coached OSU’s first NCAA women’s individual c h a mpion in 2010 when Caroline Hedwall took home the top honors.

Five players earned AllA merica honors, i n c lu d i n g Per n i l la L i n db er g , who finished third at the 2009 N C A A ChampiAnnie Young onships.

Despite the mostly solid record, Holder removed her as head coach in favor of Alan Bratton, whom he was obviously grooming to replace Mike McGraw as head men’s coach. Young moved with her husband, Caleb, to California and was the head coach at Cal State Northridge in 2011-12 before taking over at Colorado State in 2012.

McGraw was the head coach of the OSU women’s program during Young’s senior season when she was Big 12 Player of the Year. He is a firm believer she is the right person to get the Tulsa program untracked.

“She’s a great competitor and fought hard for everything,” McGraw said. “There was really no reason she should have been a first-team All-American if you look at what God gave her. But what a competitor!”

Young earned All-America honors in 2003 and 2005, earning first-team accolades in ‘05, as well as being named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year that same season. She was the individual medalist in

leading OSU to the team title at the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championships and helped the Cowgirls to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Young’s career also included a 2004 Big 12 individual title, and she was a three-time All-Big 12 performer (2003-05). In 2004, she helped OSU to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships, which marked the best finish in Cowgirls golf history.

“She will give the effort, have the competitive attitude and do all the things that are right and correct to rebuild that program,” McGraw said. “I promise you she will outwork the people she’s competing against.”

That work often boils down to one word.

Recruiting.

Despite making the move from Fort Collins to Owasso and tending to an 11-monthold baby boy, Young has already been busy this summer looking for the players to help TU in 2019-20 and beyond.

For her first year at the helm, Young will be developing the four returning players from Tulsa’s 2017-18 team. There are also three incoming recruits, including three time Class 3A state champion ShaeBug Scarberry of Purcell and Tsai-Ching (Lorena) Tseng of China, both of whom are expected to make an immediate impact.

Young is excited about building relationships with the courses in Tulsa that afford her team access, including The Patriot, Tulsa Country Club and Cedar Ridge, and is looking to get back in the good graces of Southern Hills when it reopens in 2019.

“The golf courses we have access to compete with any program in the country,” she said. “I just think there’s a ton to offer here.

And the better we play, the easier it will be to recruit in the future. Between the education you receive and the golf courses, we will have quite the product.”

Young has already visited with both Dale and Melissa, and other former players have reached out to offer their support in her effort to rebuild the program.

Her husband is looking into employment options and helping look after son, Cameron, while the family settles into life in Owasso. Meanwhile Young, after coming off the summer recruiting circuit, will start becoming more familiar with her current roster.

“I don’t know their games right now,” she said. “I’ve heard they are pretty good players who have just had some rough times. The focus this fall is to get to know each other, grow the program and get better. If they’re willing to work hard, we’re going to get where we need to be.”

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Golf Expo to return

January 25-26 The Oklahoma Golf Expo returns in 2019 at an exciting new venue, the Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills in bustling south Tulsa.

The expo dates are Friday Jan. 25 and Saturday Jan. 26, with move-in available

Ja n ua r

in the evening of Jan. 24. Exhibitors can download an exhibitor kit and get first crack at prime booths at an earlybird discount rate at www.golfoklahoma.org. Call 918-280- booth reserved before it is 0787 with any questions or to get your gone.

25 -26

Hotel tt Tulsa Marrio ern Hills South 71st St 1902 E 74136 K O Tulsa,

Hopkins, O'Donnell receive Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame scholarships The Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame presented its 2018 scholarship to Faith Hopkins of Bartlesville and John “Nick” O’Donnell of Oklahoma City. The two were honored at the Hall of Fame Classic at Oak Tree National on July 16, The scholarships, worth $5,000 each, will go to Oklahoma Faith Hopkins State University for Hopkins and the University of Oklahoma for O’Donnell.

“Once again, it was an incredibly dif-

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

ficult decision because of the many outstanding candidates,” said Lew Erickson, chair of the scholarship committee. ““Some folks think the hall of fame is only about celebrating the past, but we are also investing in the future. Nick and Faith are two of our brightest stars. We Nick O'Donnell are pleased to invest in their future.”

Hopkins earned a 3.9 GPA in the classroom and won the Class 6A state championship held this spring on her home

y

course Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville. She will compete on the golf team for OSU beginning in the fall season.

O’Donnell earned a 3.83 GPA while maintaining an extremely busy schedule at Bishop McGuinness High School.

Like Hopkins, he played four years of high school golf after starting in U.S. Kids Golf, PGA Junior League and OJGT events. He is a National Honor Society member among many academic and leadership clubs and societies.

O’Donnell has also worked in the industry at Lake Hefner Golf Course and came highly recommended by Hall of Fame member and Director of Golf at Lake Hefner Alsie Hyden.

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COU R SE R ENOVAT ION

Number 18 circa 1940’s

Master of restoration by ken macleod

The 18th hole as it looked in the 1940s and today. Note Hanse finds Southern Hills the difference in bunker styles. "comes to life like no course architecture and they are both the North and South courses. When Myers first reached out to Hanse to gauge being well rewarded.

And as you’re reading this, Hanse and his interest in Southern Hills, plans were other I've seen" his team are in the midst of having a signifi- for a limited project, including a remodel of

T

he world’s most in-demand golf course architect is undoubtedly Gil Hanse.

A just announced two-year massive renovation of Oakland Hills comes on the heels of Hanse’s spruce-up work at Merion, Pinehurst No. 4, Colonial, TPC Boston, Los Angeles Country Club North, Winged Foot and Aronimink, to name just a few.

Then there are his original designs, such as the well-received Olympic Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Castle Stuart on the east coast of Scotland; Mossy Oak Golf Club in West Point, Miss.; Los Angeles CC South; and Streamsong Black an hour south of Orlando, Fla. In a time when golf course construction is slow at best and non-existent for many, Hanse’s phone is buzzing. Hanse and his Caveman Design team have embraced all that is natural, fun and pure about golf 22

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cant impact on the top course in Oklahoma.

Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, site of seven major championships with two more on the way, closed at the end of July for an extensive nine month renovation.

Hanse got to know Southern Hills superintendent Russ Myers well when Hanse was doing his work at Los Angeles Country Club and Meyers was the superintendent there between stints at Southern Hills. The club hired Hanse in 2014 after a successful 19year relationship with consulting architect Keith Foster of St. Louis.

“We hired him based on the work he had done throughout the world,” said Southern Hills General Manager Nick Sidorakis. “All my peers for whom he had worked held him in such high esteem as a man with great character and integrity.”

Myers got to know Hanse well while he was doing his work at Los Angeles CC on

the driving range and addition of a shortgame area. The Board of Governors and the long-range planning committee, who were working on a facility master plan, pushed for Hanse to proceed with a more comprehensive golf course master plan.

That’s how Hanse came to be doing not a limited project, but one that includes all new greens and new bunkers, including going away from the massive ovals that have characterized Southern Hills for decades back to a more natural look that reflects architect Perry Maxwell’s original design.

Since he started meeting with an executive golf course committee to plan the renovation, Hanse has impressed all with his passion, commitment, attention to detail and willingness to study Maxwell’s design not just at Southern Hills but elsewhere around the country and also which renovation projects of Maxwell courses have turned out the best.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Hanse is totally captivated by Maxwell’s work at Southern Hills. Interestingly, that wasn’t the case initially.

Hanse readily admits that when he first heard of the job and looked at aerial shots of the course, he was underwhelmed.

Then he arrived on property.

“When you look at it from the air, you see a lot of oval bunkers on tree-lined holes and you might just skim past it,” Hanse said. “But when you are on the ground, the course comes to life like no other I’ve seen.

The way it hugs the contours, the way the holes fit the property like a glove, the wonderful features, routing, variety and changes of direction. The way the front nine comes sweeping around and playing through those dips and valleys.

“Southern Hills has almost every conceivable combination of golf holes and it’s not until you get down there that they really come to life. It’s a special, special course and we’re excited that the membership is as excited about this project as we are.”

When Hanse began walking the property he asked for as many old pictures and plans of the course as course historian Clyde Chrisman could provide. One of the first things he noticed was that the saucer-shaped bunkers were not there originally.

Once he was vested in the project, Hanse began to passionately sell a committee of savvy members, ones with much experience in golf course architecture both in their knowledge of Southern Hills and vast playing experience playing top courses elsewhere.

“The committee was put At left, the par-5 13th hole in the 1940s. Gil Hanse takes a shovel to work on the tie-ins with the rough, making sure the fallaways at green's edge are more prominent. together specifically not to be easily impressed,” said Andy Johnson, at that time president of Southern Hills and a committee member. “Yet with Gil we found that he inspires a tremendous amount of confidence. It’s like when you need a medical specialist and you meet the right guy and say, ‘This is it. He knows exactly what he’s doing.’

“He’s truly an expert and cares passionately about what he’s doing,” Johnson said.

“We were able to go visit Winged Foot and several of his other restorations and see the

examples of things he had done, hear his reasons and thought process.”

Sidorakis, like Johnson, found his admiration of Hanse growing with each meeting.

“These architects (Foster and Hanse) have that ability to look at the course as an artist as well as an architect and really put themselves in Perry Maxwell’s eyes,” Sidorakis said. “It’s really interesting to be around and listen to him. It gives you a better appreciation for their profession and their genius. I think it really is pure genius how they can go back to 82 years ago and recreate features that have been lost over time.”

One of those features and perhaps the most controversial of the changes proposed

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23

COU R SE R ENOVAT ION is to create a split fairway on the second Below are just a few of the more prominent projects worked on by Hanse and his crew hole, requiring removal of a significant • TPC Boston – Designed with Brad Faxon NEW DESIGNS amount of trees left of a creek. Removing • Colonial Country Club • The Olympic Golf Course, Rio de Janeiro – trees is always an architect’s biggest hur• Royal Sydney Golf Club Design Consultant Amy Alcott dle with members, but often the result is a • Narin & Portnoo Golf Club • The Los Angeles Country Club – South more interesting hole with greater shot opCourse – Designed with Geoff Shackelford RESTORATION PROJECTS tions, which will almost certainly be the • Rustic Canyon, Calif.

• The Los Angeles Country Club – case. Hanse believes the changes will make – Designed with Geoff Shackelford, North Course No. 2 one of the course’s signature holes.

• Streamsong Resort – Black • Denver Country Club Changing the bunker style, and the loCourse • The Country Club, Mass.

• Ohoopee Match Club, Ga., cation of many bunkers, will be the most • The Kittansett Club, Mass.

• Boston Golf Club striking visual change, along with moving • Myopia Hunt Club – • The Vineyard Club, Edgartown, the seventh green back and to the right Golf Course Mass. next to a stream. Many fairway bunkers • Master Plan – Leeds • Mossy Oak Golf Club, • Course Restoration – that exist now were not in Maxwell’s West Point, Miss.

2011, Ongoing original design. Hanse and his team will • Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, • Taconic Golf Club – Golf Course move, remove and otherwise adjust them Gil Hanse The Cradle Short Course • Master Plan – Stiles as they see fit to challenge members and • Applebrook Golf Club, Malvern, Pa. • Oakland Hills Country Club also with the heavy consideration that • French Creek Golf Club • Ridgewood (NJ) Country • Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, Scotland Southern Hills is a site of major champion• Fishers Island Club, N.Y. • Crail Golfing Society, Craighead Links ships with two upcoming that must chal• Quaker Ridge Golf Club, N.Y. • Trump International Golf Club, Dubai lenge the world’s best and longest hitting • Winged Foot Golf Club players.

• Aronimink Golf Club, Pa. RENOVATION PROJECTS • Trump Doral Resort – Blue Monster Course • Merion Golf Club, Pa. “They keep moving the goal lines, but • Pinehurst Resort & Country Club – No. 4 • Palmetto Golf Club, S.C. by the time the PGA Championship rolls around who knows how far they’ll be hitting it,” Hanse said. “We’re pretty well tours as present, but also expanded in cases eral construction work, but Hanse and his stuck in that regard by looking at how the to create some new hole locations and tied Cavemen will do the design and final shapcourse plays in 2018.“ in to the new bunkers. ing of all greens and bunkers.

Greens will be rebuilt with similar conHeritage Construction will do the genHanse’s work on the course is actually

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

only a small part of the massive project Southern Hills is undertaking. It includes moving the cart barn underground, building a new indoor teaching facility, draining a pond and installing a new short-game area including greens that mimic certain greens on the course.

A green space will occupy what was the upper pond, and will be an ideal place for weddings and other member activities.

Beneath each green will be an extensive hydronic system which can raise or lower the surface temperature of the greens through cool or warm water running through an extensive series of pipes.

Other playability changes include the removal of two trees on the par-4 10th that now block a tee shot down the left side of the fairway. However, the creek between 10 and 12 will now be fully exposed to make going down the left side more dangerous. In all, creeks will be expanded or reintroduced to match original design on six holes, 2, 4, 10, 12, 17 and 18.

“We’re doing what we can to recapture the Maxwell design for the everyday golfer and member of the club,” Myers said. “We want the player who hits it 180 to feel the same risk-reward of the hazards as someone who hits it 280.”

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Quail Creek

by john rohde

U

ltradwarf TifEagle Bermuda greens, state-of-the-art bunkering, native grasses and multiple tee boxes are the most significant changes in a close to $2 million renovation to Quail Creek Golf and Country Club.

Award-winning golf course architect Bill Bergin, a high school teammate of Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame inductee Bob Tway’s back in Georgia, landed the project after his previous work at Oaks Country Club in Tulsa caught the eye of Quail Creek.

Golf Digest selected Bergin’s renovation of A.W. Tillinghast’s layout at Oaks as the fourth-best remodel in America for 2015.

The Quail Creek Board of Directors studied Bergin’s work and selected him for the project while also considering the design teams of Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, plus Tulsa native Randy Heckenkemper.

“Man, he’s got a vision,” Quail Creek Head PGA Golf Professional, Kyle Flinton said of Bergin.

Tway has been a longtime fan of Bergin. They were groomsmen in each other’s wedding and also traveled together as rookies on the PGA Tour.

“He’s kind of a traditionalist and likes traditional looks,” Tway said of Bergin’s designs. “I’ve never seen anything he’s done that hasn’t been good.”

Flinton said Quail Creek’s course improvements were long overdue.

Last September, Quail Creek recruited superintendent Chris Garrett from Lake Hefner Golf Course and both Flinton and Bergin said they couldn’t be more pleased.

“He’s a good, young superintendent with lots of energy,” Bergin said of Garrett. “He’s done an incredible job.”

Bergin saw the potential in Quail Creek, which originally was designed by Floyd Farley in 1960 and re-designed by D.A. Weibring in 1998.

Asked his initial impression of the course, Bergin said, “Great bones.”

Instead of bentgrass greens, Quail Creek will now offer TifEagle Bermuda, following a trend in Oklahoma of private and public courses going with a grass that is better equipped to withstand the heat and variable conditions in the transition zone.

The Greens Country Club in Oklahoma City installed Bermuda greens in 2017, and they have been successful at Firelake Golf 26

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renovation

New bunkers, new greens await Quail Creek members.

Course in Shawnee as well as many other courses throughout Oklahoma, including White Hawk in Bixby, Indian Springs in Broken Arrow, Page Belcher and Mohawk Park in Tulsa, Chickasaw Point in Kingston, most of the state park golf system, and many courses in southern Oklahoma. The West Nine at Southern Hills Country Club went to Champion ultradwarf and TifEagle is also growing in now on the new par-3 course at LaFortune Park.

“Here’s the benefit,” Bergin said. “You play more rounds under better conditions in a hot climate with Bermuda. When Quail Creek’s (bentgrass) greens were at their best in the spring, their (Bermuda) fairways were still partially dormant and not at their best. When the fairways were

at their best in the summer, the bentgrass greens were not at their best. The grasses didn’t match up with the conditions. Then in the fall, when bent and Bermuda are good, the people in Oklahoma are hunting and watching football and not playing as much golf.”

Perhaps more important than matching seasons is the constant danger of bent grass greens suffering in the heat of the June through August time frame, necessitating constant repair and periodic renovation.

Even Southern Hills CC has had issues with heat stress and is addressing that in its current renovation with the addition of a hydronics system which cools the greens through a series of underground water pipes. That is obviously not an option for GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

all courses.

“The mindset for golfers in Oklahoma is bentgrass is the purest green, that it’s the truest roll,” Flinton said. “But the (Bermuda) ultradwarfs are getting better and better. You’re going to get situations where the temperature is up in the 100s. I think you’re going to see more clubs go to a hybrid. Not at clubs that can afford to put a heating and cooling system beneath their greens like Augusta National did (and Southern Hills is doing) but that’s the only way you’re going to be able to keep greens in full health in June, July and August.”

High traffic and high temperatures are a brutal combination for greens to endure.

“It’s just 100 days of pure hell because you’re in that transition zone for grasses,” Flinton said. “I’d rather the course be in peak condition in the summer when everyone’s wanting to play.”

Quail Creek previously had 42 bunkers, but now has 48. “The bunkers are not quite as large, but I don’t think you necessarily would know that,” Bergin said. “They’re much more efficient.”

At the base of every bunker is Capillary Concrete, a two-inch porous liner with superior drainage that made its debut in Scandinavia in 2010.

Capillary Concrete bunker liners being installed at Quail Creek.

“It’s a permanent liner,” Bergin explained.

“Those bunkers could be just the same 30 years from now. They won’t shrink or grow or erode. Occasionally you’ll replace sand, but they’re built to last.”

The bunkers will be 6-7 inches thick and will be 75 percent California White Marble Sand with 25 percent of Sure Play mixed in for better texture and also to take away some of the white glare.

“The upkeep of our bunkers is going to

be 10 times easier,” Flinton said.

Bergin said there will now be 10-11 acres of native area on the course, primarily around tee-boxes and inconsequential areas.

“There was a tremendous amount of acreage out there where they were just bailing hay,” Bergin said. “You’re going to see a lot of natural areas where they are no longer maintaining them on a weekly basis. We’re letting them be more natural. It’s

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COU R SE R ENOVAT ION good for the environment, plus it creates a really nice buffer that helps slow down water flow in heavy rain. It also adds tremendous definition and color to a golf course.

It makes the maintained areas look that much better.”

Bergin said fairway areas have increased from 18 to 25 acres, primarily thanks to the closely shaved “surrounds” area around the greens. Some fairways were narrower than U.S. Open width and have been widened.

“There’ll be lots of good short-game shots around the greens,” Bergin said.

“Most golfers miss greens. We really altered the way that plays at Quail Creek, offering much more diversity.”

“I think we’ll have six tee boxes on every hole,” Flinton said. “Instead of beating yourself up on the blue tees all day, you can go with combo tees. I’ve convinced some of our members they don’t hit it far enough, but if they play these two tees, they can go back to enjoying the game.”

In May of 1987, Chi Chi Rodriguez won the Silver Pages Classic at Quail Creek, which came during a stretch of posting four straight victories on the Senior PGA Tour. During the second round, Rodriguez converted a tour record eight consecutive

Lots Available

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The TifEagle Bermuda greens should be ready to roll by mid September. birdies, a streak that began at the par-4 sixth hole. A commemorative marker will be placed at No. 6 tee in honor of Rodriguez, who is schedule to make an appearance at Quail Creek on Sept. 21.

Bergin, who lives in Atlanta, has visited Quail Creek every week since the project began in March. When the renovation is finished, there will have been six months

Located in Blachard, OK

of essentially no traffic and the fairways are immaculate. It has remained open with temporary greens that attract a limited amount of play.

Tway said of Bergin, “Bill is an unbelievable golf course architect. The reason he keeps getting jobs is because he does what he says he’ll do and he comes in on budget. He also does a great job.”

ExperienceWinterCreek.com

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Quail Creek endured two floods in June.

On June 7, six inches of rain fell in three hours (seven inches total). Seventeen days later, four more inches fell on a Sunday afternoon. Because sprigs had yet to be planted before the first downpour, there was minimal damage to the 20 greens being renovated (including two practice greens). Only two greens – the center of No. 8 and No. 14 – suffered significant damage in the second storm.

“You’re going to have consistent (course) conditions year-round,” Bergin said of changing the greens. “The highs and lows will not vary as much. Same thing with the bunkers. The bunkers will be incredibly consistent. All these rains we’ve had lately, there’ll be zero damage to the bunkers. That’s a huge deal and something we’re very excited about.”

Despite a soggy June, everyone involved is confident the project will be completed on time in September.

“The Quail Creek project has gone beautifully, very much as expected,” Bergin said. “We have really put the club in an excellent place for the future. The course is going to be fun, it’s going to be beautiful and it’s going to be efficient to maintain.

All good things.”

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

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Time to

No need to throw Tway a pity party.

“It’s just one of those things,” Tway said. “It’s no big deal. I’m glad it happened to me at (age) 58 as opposed to 35. That would have been a little disappointing. Maybe it’s somebody telling me I need to branch out a little bit. Everyone always told me I needed to anyway. All I did was play golf and practice golf. It was like a busman’s holiday. All I do is ride the bus. Plus, you get sick of traveling, too. That was always the worst part of it all.”

Tway said playing fewer tour events will free up more time to follow the PGA Tour career of his 30-year-old son, Kevin. “I can still play golf,” Tway said. “I just won’t play as much. It’s good. I’ll go watch Kevin more.”

Tway first noticed his eye problem last August while playing a practice round with Wood at the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash.

“He thought something was wrong with his contacts,” Wood said. “He kept fiddling with it. He called a doctor who said, ‘You need to go see somebody now.’ ” Since then, Tway has been re-evaluated multiple times.

“I’ve talked to all the specialists and my doctor here (in Oklahoma),” said Tway, who resides in Oklahoma from June through the end of college football season and lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., the other half of the year.

“They all tell me I’m lucky that I can see at all. I just don’t see well enough to play competitive golf. I wasn’t going to do it forever anyway and I’ll still keep playing golf for fun. I’m going to play less and less tournament golf.”

A 2017 inductee into the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame, Tway also has sought insight from fellow Hall member Gil Morgan, who earned his doctorate in ophthalmology.

Morgan has battled vision problems his entire life, which includes having poor depth perception, yet he still managed to win 25 times on the Champions Tour and seven PGA Tour events.

“I talk to Gil all the time. He’d say, ‘I left this putt short because of this and that with my eyes.’ I told him, ‘My God, just think

see, enjoy more than by john rohde

H

golf

is entire golf career, Bob Tway has been known for his work ethic.

Whatever shortcoming his game might have had at any particular moment, Tway’s solution was hard work.

It was this persistence that allowed Tway to finally earn his playing privileges in 1985 after three failed attempts at PGA Tour Qualifying School.

In only his second season on tour, he claimed the 1986 PGA Championship and was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year by his peers.

In 1995, after several years of struggling through a swing change, Tway won the MCI Classic and was selected PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year.

“He’s never been afraid of working hard to fix something – never,” said longtime friend Willie Wood, a former Oak Tree Country Club neighbor, Oklahoma State teammate and fellow touring pro. “Many, many hours of practice.”

But not even Tway’s determination can save his game now. A detached retina in his right eye has hindered Tway’s eyesight and his golf game to the point where the 59-year-old will now only play part-time on the Champions Tour.

“I can’t fix this one, I’m afraid,” Tway said. “It throws off my depth perception. I can’t tell a good lie from a bad lie. I can’t read the greens very well and it just makes things look strange. I look at straight lines and they’re wavy. It’s just a weird phenomenon. It doesn’t necessarily change your quality of life. I can get around fine. For golf, when you need to have your eyesight be a little bit better, it just makes it tough.”

Despite this debilitating setback, Tway’s outlook and attitude are incredibly positive.

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how good you would have been if you could see,’ ” Tway said with a chuckle.

Tway doesn’t know what led to the detached retina. It possibly could have been caused roughly two weeks before the Boeing tournament when Tway was hit in the head by a golf ball while playing alongside Wood at famed Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.

“That was weird,” Wood said.

“Someone sliced the ball over at me,” Tway said. “Never saw it coming. Someone else was telling me it’s usually something that happens that causes (a detached retina) and I thought, ‘Heck, that was probably it.’ It just takes something – a car wreck or someone kicks you in the head. Something jarred something that already was subject to happening. There could have been a different cause.

“They gave you all kinds of reasons why it might have happened. ‘You’ve been in the sun too much. Your eyes are too dry. You’ve got blue eyes.’ Who knows?”

Tway, who has yet to win on the Champions Tour, freely admits he has struggled with his short game, but refused to blame that solely on his eyesight.

“I haven’t played any good the last few years anyway,” Tway said. “That’s not much fun, either. Mainly my short game has not been any good. I still hit the ball pretty darn good. I don’t chip any good. I haven’t putted any good. I’m not scoring. A hundred yards in is basically half the game. You’ve got to do it better and I just haven’t. This (detached retina) has just kind of added to it a little bit.”

Tway said he’ll continue to play plenty more golf alongside Wood (who also splits time between Oklahoma and Arizona) and intends to do some fishing and hunting with 1988 NCAA medalist and former OSU AllAmerican E.J. Pfister. The two will venture to Montana in August.

“He’s a helluva hunter and fisherman,” Tway said of Pfister. “I think golf is just a means so he can hunt and fish.”

Tway’s career has included eight victories and $18.5 million in official career earnings on the PGA and Champions tours. He was a three-time, first-team All-American (197981) at OSU and won the 1981 Fred Haskins Award as collegiate Player of the Year.

(Wood won the Haskins the following year.)

Tway said when asked if he has begun reflecting, “Oh, I don’t know if it’s time to do any of that. I just love playing golf and I still love playing golf. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do what I do. I’ll still play for fun. Heck, I’m 59 years old. I’m not going to do it until I’m 70 years old. I don’t want to do that.”

GOLF OKL AHOMA • JUNE/JULY 2018

COMPETITION ROUNDUP

Hayden Wood, top, prevailed over his Oklahoma State teammate in the OGA State Amateur.

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Wood edges Eckroat in OGA State Amateur

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by ken macleod

OWASSO – Oklahoma State teammates Hayden Wood and Austin Eckroat have been playing similar schedules this summer, so when Wood learned his Edmond buddy had signed up for the Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur, he followed suit.

When they saw they were seeded on opposite sides of the bracket, both egged the other on to meet them in the finals.

That they did, where Wood prevailed 3 and 2 at the end of a long and exhausting three days of two matches per day in searing heat at the superbly conditioned Patriot Austin Eckroat Golf Club.

“As soon as we saw we were on opposite sides of the bracket, we thought we would have a chance to meet in the finals,” Eckroat said. “I think the two guys that should have been in the finals were there. But it didn’t quite go my way.”

“We were hoping it would shake out this way,” Wood said. “I’ve known Austin since he was eight years old. We play golf all the time together and we’re good friends too.”

Temperatures were right around 100 degrees and heat index at 108 when Wood hit an 8-iron from 180 yards to inside a foot for eagle on the par-5 16th hole to close out the match. It capped a four-birdie, no bogey performance in the championship match after he had defeated Cody Burrows of Chickasha 2 and 1 in the morning semifinal.

Eckroat, who led qualifying with a 62 at Lincoln Park and had made 28 birdies in his previous five matches, made three birdies in the first seven holes, but also lost three balls in the first eight by hitting into hazards. He compounded the errors by three-putting the par-3 ninth to fall one down at the turn.

Wood reached the 605-yard par-5 10th in two for an easy birdie to go two up. Eckroat responded with a birdie on the par-3 11th, but then hit his tee shot wide on the par-4 12th and was facing bogey when Wood holed out a bunker shot for a birdie.

From there, both birdied the par-5 15th and Eckroat missed a 15-foot eagle putt on 16 before conceding.

“I told myself on the tee that I was going to make eagle and end it,” Wood said. “I knew he would make at least birdie and I didn’t want it to go on. “ “I didn’t hit it nearly as good in the final match and take advantage of the holes I have been throughout the week,” Eckroat said. “The holes I was killing people on I was hitting in the hazards and losing golf balls. Just out of position.

“But I’m happy for Hayden. He played well and deserved to win.”

There was no tension related to the fact that Eckroat was a starter for the OSU national championship team while Wood was one of five talented players to sit out. Wood said speculation that he had considered not returning for his senior season was overblown and he was looking forward to joining Eckroat in pursuit of something no OSU team has ever accomplished, which is a repeat national championship.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

by ken macleod

I

n what was a friendly battle of University of Oklahoma teammaes looking to overcome personal challenges in preparing for the 2018-19 collegiate season, Kaitlin Milligan birdied the first two holes and never looked back in a 4 and 2 victory over Sydney Youngblood in the championship match of the 100th Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship at Meadowbrook Country Club in Tulsa.

Milligan increased her lead to four up through eight holes after Youngblood bogeyed the par-4 seventh and par-3 eighth holes.

Youngblood closed the gap to three when Milligan made her lone bogey on the par-3 11th.

The two teammates have been friends since playing junior events together at age 12 or 13 and both have been working hard on mental and physical challenges to get to the point where they could meet in the finals of this match and look forward to leading OU to a great season in 2018-19.

Just last winter, persistent pain in her shoulder had Youngblood depressed and facing the possibility of life without even being able to play recreational let alone competitive golf. She and her family okayed a surgical procedure to remove a microscopic piece of her scapula to allow the AC joint to move freely and stop impinging on a nerve.

Doctors told her it might work and might result in her never being able to swing a golf club again. The former four-time Class 5A state champion at Durant had the surgery in February and six weeks later was swinging pain free and had recovered nearly all her former distance.

“The surgery was one of those that they didn’t know if it would work or not,” Youngblood said. “But I looked at the doctors and said, ‘I need an option. I just need to have a chance to come back.’ Not having the opportunity to pursue my college career, or a professional career, it hurt me deeply. Golf has been such a big part of my life. I never went to prom in high school, I would be out watching Bedlam basketball. Golf and athletics has been an essential part of my life. I had to have a shot.”

Youngblood considers it a blessing from above that she was able to come back as quickly as she did, or at all.

She asked OU coach Veronique DrouinLuttrell for an opportunity to go through qualifying to get back in the OU lineup, earned a spot and competed in the Big 12, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championships.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Now she is working hard to build the muscle in her shoulder back, but says she is already 15 yards longer than prior to the injury.

Milligan has been working just as studiously on the mental side of her game, going through a program called Boost that teaches golfers to tune out negative thoughts and not allow a wayward shot or two to affect their mental outlook.

“They teach mental toughness and leadership,” Milligan said. “I’ve been working on certain things to keep me more mentally focused and relaxed during a round, and have to say I’ve been having a lot more fun since I started it. I have a whole new outlook on playing the game. I had become so worried about results that I wasn’t having any fun.

“This program teaches you how to win without having your A game all the time, and that was certainly the case this week. I didn’t always hit it like I wanted to or putt like I wanted to, but still was able to get the ball in the hole. It’s been a game changer.”

Kaitlin Milligan

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COMPETITION ROUNDUP “I thought I was coming back the whole and who has a day job. I would have caught time,” Wood said. “I’m not ready to go pro- some flak from the guys. He played good and fessional yet. I just need to keep getting bet- had his mistakes and I did the same.” ter and better and be ready next summer.

“It was just a bad timing thing. I started Hughett collects 21st OGA victory playing bad at the wrong time. But you EDMOND – Mike Hughett won his first just have to keep going forward. If you’re Oklahoma Golf Association title in 1986, not beating the guys on your team, you’re then had to wait 14 years before his second not going to beat tour players. I’m looking OGA win. forward to another year at “I was wondering if I was school and I think if I just ever going to win one again,” keep working on the things he said.

I’m working on, I’ll be ready These days, his competito go next summer.” tors are wondering if he’ll ever While Eckroat steamrolled stop winning. The 59-year-old four of his five opponents to from Owasso picked up OGA reach the final, Wood played title No. 21, beating Blake a steadier game, making Gibson of Yukon in a onebunches of pars and the ochole playoff to take the Senior casional birdie or eagle and Stroke Play Championship taking advantage of his opat Oak Tree Country Club’s ponent’s miscues. He was West Course. Hughett and in most danger two down Gibson both finished regulathrough 10 holes to 59-yeartion at 3-under 137.

Scott Adams old Mike Hughett in the It was Hughett’s fifth title Photo by Von Castor quarterfinals before the 21-time OGA win- in the Senior Stroke Play event, having previner had a couple of bad drives on 12 and 14. ously won in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2016, and “There was some pressure in that match,” his second OGA win this season. In May, he Wood laughed. “If I had lost to a guy older teamed with Kirk Wright of Oklahoma City than my dad (PGA Tour veteran Willie Wood) to win the Senior Four-Ball Championship at

The Club at Indian Springs in Broken Arrow.

“I’ve always seemed to do better in the stroke play,” he said. “In match play, you never know when you’re going to get somebody hot. That happened to me this year.

The thing is, you’re not getting any younger.

You never know when your last one’s going to be, so you’ve got to cherish each one that comes along. I’m very happy to be able to get another individual title.”

Jerry Nick of Oklmulgee shot rounds of 7371 for a four-shot victory over Tom Nielsen and Jim Wetzel, both of Edmond, in the Super Senior Division for those ages 60 and over.

Hasley edges Johnson for OGA Stroke Play title The title being sought was the Oklahoma Golf Association Stroke Play Championship, but over the final few holes it became a match play duel as Dustin Hasley of Yukon and Thomas Johnson of Norman came down the stretch run at Tulsa Country Club.

Johnson began the day four shots behind Hasley and slowly worked on erasing the deficit until finally pulling even with a spectacular flop shot from behind the par-3 17th green for birdie.

The momentum swung back just as rapidly. Johnson left his tee shot on the par-4 18th out to the right and had to pitch out from under of trees. He hit a nice pitch to about 6 feet, but the par putt broke just left of the hole. Hasley made a solid par after hitting his approach to about 15 feet above the hole and two-putted for the one stroke victory.

It was a sweet win for Hasley, a rising sophomore at Oral Roberts University who played 14 rounds as a freshman after winning the 2017 Class 5A state championship for Piedmont. He was one of five ORU golfers to make the cut, as Jack Howes of Dustin Hasley McKinney, Texas, finished third four strokes behind at 211, Grayson Jones tied for seventh at 216, Josh Montgomery tied for 11th at 217 and Mike Biata of Owasso tied for 27th at 226.

Adams claims classroom battle MUSKOGEE – Scott Adams 57, a school teacher from Spiro, defeated fellow teacher Phil Brumley, a Muskogee Country Club member who had never played in an OGA event and basically entered to represent his home course, 2 up to win the OGA Senior Amateur Championship.

Adams, who plays regularly at Ben Geren Golf Course in Fort Smith, had entered this tournament one time previously.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Towers is WOGA Junior champion BROKEN ARROW – Helped by a 40foot birdie putt on the two-tiered 11th green, Taylor Towers of Owasso won the OGA Junior Girls Championship at The Club at Indian Springs.

Towers, a senior-tobe at Rejoice Christian who has commitTaylor Towers ted to play collegiately Photo by Bill Powell at Missouri State, shot a second-round 75 after opening with a 79. She began the day with a three-stroke advantage on Meg Medders of Jenks and finished up by four after Medders shot 76.

Towers finished at 154, Medders at 158 and Brooklyn Benn of Edmond placed third at 165.

In other age groups, Beans Factor of Ada recorded the tournament’s best score of 1-under 71 (nine holes each day) to win the 10-11 age group. Kennedy Maybee of Jenks won the 16-17 group at 156 (79-77), Jordan Clayborn of Tahlequah won 14-15

at 155 (78-77), Mimi Hoang of Oklahoma ry 8 and 7.

City won ages 12-13 at 171 (89-82) and Son went on to finish tied for sixth at Natalie Purvis of Norman won ages 8-9 at the PGA Junior Girls Championship at 92 (45-47.)

13-under at Kearney Hill Golf Links in Lexington, Ky., then made it to the third Mikish rolls to victory in WOGA round of match play at U.S. Girls’ Junior Stroke Play Championship Championship at Poppy Hills GC in MonAnna Mikish of Choctaw shot 73 at Dor- terrey, Calif. nick Hills Country Club in Ardmore to pull away to a five-shot victory over former Oklahoma City University teammate Melissa Eldredge in the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Stroke Play Championship.

The long-hitting Mikish, who led the William McDonald Stars to the NAIA national championship of Oklahoma City shot as a senior in 2017, shot rounds of 76-73 for even-par for 54 holes at a 149 total while Eldredge, who will be a the Oaks Country Club to junior in the fall, shot 79-75 for 154. Brinn win the Gateway MortFariss of Edmond tied Lee Ann Fairlie of gage Tulsa Open as the Oklahoma City for third at 156.

AJGA Tour returned to Tulsa, thanks to a great efWilliam fort by Maggie Roller and Son repeats in OGA Girls Junior McDonald her committee.

The girls championship match was a Jillian Bourdage of Tamarac, Fla., won the near repeat of 2017, when Yujeong Son of Norman birdied 7 of the first 12 holes in girls division, also at even par.

The tournament is expected to return defeating ShaeBug Scarberry of Purcell 5 and 3. This time Son bogeyed the first hole to Tulsa for at least two more years, said to fall one down, then birdied six of the Roller, the director of instruction at Cedar other eight holes on the front nine then Ridge Country Club. It paid all expenses and quickly closed out a discouraged Scarber- raised more than $20,000 for charity.

McDonald finds his kind of place

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

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W H ER E W E PL AY

The finishing hole at Kiva Dunes.

Full speed ahead on Alabama's Gulf Coast by tom bedell

They sure know how to do sunsets in southern Alabama.

With backdrops overlooking Mobile Bay or the Gulf of Mexico, the key ingredients of sun, sand and water make the early evening views literal showstoppers, as visitors and residents alike halt activities to soak it all in, often with camera in hand.

So it was with a group of golf writers who had converged on Mobile in early June, dazzled in mid-appetizer by a sunset streaming into Dauphin’s, a heady restaurant with a 34-story view of the city, its famous bay and skyline. Fittingly, as we were due to play some courses on the Robert Trent Jones Trail, Dauphin’s aerie is in a building owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the same entity behind the Trail’s 26 courses.

Dauphin’s also looked out on the RSA Battle House Tower, the largest building in the state, named after the 1852 Battle House Hotel that was spectacularly revived in 2007.

The hotel is one of eight hostelries that are part of the RTJ Trail Resort Collection, an aggregation that only makes the entire Trail enterprise even more alluring.

But if red sky at night is supposed to be the next day’s sailor’s delight, something 36

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went askew, and we were rained out of our appointed rounds at the Magnolia Grove outpost of the Trail in Mobile. No problem — after spending a lot of time playing cards in the sumptuous clubhouse we pulled up stakes and headed for the Marriott Grand Hotel in Point Clear, some say the grandest of the Resort Collection.

Dating back to 1847, the hotel is now undergoing its own $32-million renovation, and when all is said and done by the end of this summer the hotel will join Marriott’s Autograph Collection and be re-branded as the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa. The renovations extend to the two courses at the Lakewood Club, the Azalea and the Dogwood. The only private club on the RTJ Trail, Lakewood normally alternates the two 18s daily, setting one aside for members. That’s been altered somewhat as the Dogwood has been undergoing renovation prior to this summer’s reopening, while the Azalea will undergo its changes next year.

To hear tales about the construction of the RTJ Trail it helps to sit next to the gregarious Niall Fraser at dinner, which I was lucky enough to do one evening at Sunset Point in Fairhope, where there was another great sunset to be sure, and good craft beers from

the Fairhope Brewing Co. Fraser was on the ground with designer Roger Rulewich when what seemed like the fantastic dream of the RTJ Trail actually began to take shape. He knows where the bodies are buried.

But the dynamic Fraser is now the director of golf at Lakewood. “Making golf fun is the key,” he said. To that end, the next day he showed us the Experience, an expansive practice facility with its own well-stocked open-air range house, a relaxed dress code, and about every aspect of practice one could hope for, from greens, bunkers, sidehill lies, targets to practice low shots and so on.

The target practice came in handy, as the Azalea course is aptly named with countless Azalea bushes to fire around while staying under the hanging branches of 200-year-old live oaks that frame the routing. The high point is the 14th hole, a par-5 playing to an island green surrounded by a four-acre lake.

DAYS AT THE BEACH Forty-five minutes south is Gulf Shores, Alabama’s pure beach country, part of the 36-mile peninsula separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway. We put up for two nights at the family-friendly Spectrum Resorts Beach Club, four high-rise Gulf-front condominium towers and a smattering of lakeside cottages spread over 86 acres, helping to house some of the 6.5 million visitors who descend on the area each summer.

So, on a smaller scale, does the Kiva Beach Club, with the considerable amenity of the GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Kiva Dunes golf course. I played here in 2002 and met 1976 U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate, who discussed his 1995 design.

Pate also admitted that he had played nine that day and then took out his fishing pole to throw a line in a few of the many lakes scattered around the course.

Then and now, Kiva Dunes is a real beauty with its seaside links feel, from the huge bunkers and sandy waste areas, to the heaving fairway mounding, gnarled oaks from constant winds, expansive fairways and huge greens with a lot of movement — the 18th green is 14,000 square feet.

Kiva is poised on a spit of land injected between the Gulf and Mobile Bay, along the Fort Morgan Road. Fort Morgan is where Admiral Farragut was fired upon during the Battle of Mobile Bay on Aug. 5, 1864, uttering his subsequently-famous comment, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”

While a similar attitude was sensible in approaching the course during my last visit, subsequent renovations to the course have softened it a bit over the years. According to director of golf and general manager Mark Stillings, a good 20-to-30 minutes were also shaved off the average playing time.

Earl Stone was a Mobile resident, and a regional golf architectural legend. He passed

away two years ago, but left ample testaments to his skills behind. One is the Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club in Gulf Shores, where his attributes are on display for 27 holes — numerous elevation changes, rolling fairways and wetlands, but with some player-friendly funneling fashioned into the contouring.

The three separate nines spread over 800 acres adjacent to the Bon Secour Wildlife Preserve, so don’t be surprised if you run into bobcats, gators or loggerhead turtles during the round. There are also 30 lakes on the property, and indeed the Lakes nine confronts water on every hole. We eschewed the somewhat tougher Marsh nine The Peninsula is one of the great options at Gulf Shores. batch brew and serve it till it runs out. That in favor of the Cypress/Lakes combo, which was handful enough, and un- particular evening it was a rich and creamy 8.2 percent ABV Imperial Milk Stout called endingly scenic.

As luck would have it, our group also Bushwacker and we stayed until it did, inmade a stop at the Big Beach Brewing Co. in deed, run out, at just about sundown.

Gulf Shores, the state’s southernmost brewTom Bedell hits the trail, or Trail, from his ery. With further luck it turned out to be Firkin Day, meaning they tap a special small home in Vermont.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

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37

DEST I NAT ION

Fountainhead reopens on Lake Eufaula Parrotheads have new perch at Lake of the Ozarks

Hidden Lakes at Lake of the Ozarks will now offer a Margaritaville resort. tively assist the course with its improvement plans.

“Our goal first and foremost is to get the ountainhead Creek Golf Course on Lake Eufaula will be reopen- golf course to where it needs to be,” Saenz ing Sept. 15 with new Cham- said. “It’s a gorgeous course and has a good pion Bermuda greens and other layout. We have a young, eager superintenimprovements, according to new profes- dent (Larry Patterson) who is very eager and excited to make those improvements. sional Jimmy Saenz.

The course was formerly part of the Oklahoma State Park golf course system and more recently owned by the Muscogee Creek Nation, which also purchased and razed the defunct Fountainhead Resort. Plans still call for a new casino resort to be built in its stead and for the golf course improvements to continue to match resort quality.

One thing Fountainhead has over most courses is stunning lakeside scenery and that hasn’t Cove hole 4 changed. Saenz, who came to Foun“I am looking forward to doing some tainhead after completing a renovate and sell project at Creek View Golf Course in clinics and golf schools. Teaching has alCrandall, Texas, said that he has purchased ways been a big part of my background new maintenance equipment that will ac- and I have worked with several national

golf schools.”

Fountainhead will again be the home of three or more high school programs and will offer green fees in the $30 range for daily fee customers. Call the course at 918689-3209 or go to www.fountainheadgolf. com for more information.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

by ken macleod

F

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Lake of the Ozarks One course came and one course went, but the biggest news at nearby golf destination Lake of the Ozarks this summer is the invasion of Parrotheads.

A new Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville is currently under construction at a cost of about $25 million at Tan-Tar-A Resort, which includes the resort courses The Oaks and Hidden Lakes.

Paul Leahy, who manages the two golf courses for Tan-Tar-A, said the transition is going well and includes popular features such as the 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar, a Tiki Bar, Frank Lola’ Pizzeria and the J.B. Boathouse, formerly the Black Bear Lodge.

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Fountainhead Creek Golf Course on Lake Eufaula.

The new name of the resort will be TanTar-A, A Margaritaville Resort. The ownership has not changed but rather joined forces with the Margaritaville folks.

Leahy said the renovations, additions and changes should be complete prior to the summer of 2019.

Visitors to Lake of the Ozarks will soon also be able to visit Marty Bird’s Bar & Grill, which, if you’ve watched the Netflix series “Ozark,” you’ll have to make that a must stop. Season two comes out in August.

The new addition to the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail is Redfield, a course located about 20 miles outside of Jefferson

City on Highway 54. It replaces Sycamore Creek, which shut its doors in 2017.

Also, The Lodge of Four Seasons and its two renowned golf courses, The Cove and The Ridge, are now managed by Troon Golf, one of the national leaders in destination golf management.

For more information on Lake of the Ozarks golf and how to put a great golf package together with accommodations, go to www.golfmissouri.com. Note: The world’s largest elevated indoor go-cart track is currently under construction at the Lake, part of Miner Mike’s game emporium and will be called Buster’s Garage.

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GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

GOLF FITNESS

Could fat-filled muscles be the real cause of low back pain and loss of distance off the tee?

Article 2 of a special threepart, intramuscular fat series Dear Golf Oklahoma Reader, Clint Howard In the previGolf Fitness Systems ous issue of Golf Oklahoma, I introduced to you the groundbreaking discovery of how when fat invades muscle (called intramuscular fat), it can make you weak, sick, and almost certainly rob you of distance off the tee.

In this article, I’m going to offer you more proof as to how it relates both to your golf game, and to the health of your low back. What you’re about to discover is quite eye-opening.

Taking a look at the images above, you’ll see a major stabilizer muscle of your spine.

It’s called the multifidus, and it’s probably the most important muscle you’ve never heard of. There are several layers of muscles in your low back, but the two we will focus on today is the mu lt i f idu s (pictured above), and the erector spinae (pictured below).

Together, these two sets of back muscles are known as the paraspinal muscles — and as you’ll see in just a moment when fat invades these two muscle groups, the stability and strength of your spine go with it.

MULTIFIDUS ERECTOR SPINAE As you can see in the images above, as fat invades the stabilizing muscles of the spine, the ability of the muscle to contract and produce force evaporates. And what causes fat infiltration of muscle? There are several things, such as age, injury, and disuse. Of those three, you have 100 percent control over disuse. In other words, if you’ll get on a supervised strength training program, you’ll go a long way in helping prevent age-associated muscle wasting, as well as injury prevention.

Take a second look at the MRI images above and keep this in mind: The No. 1 inGOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

jury among both male and female golfers is back pain (53 and 45 percent, respectively). The most common injuries among professional golfers on tour are low back pain. About 60 percent of those who have been injured playing golf are still troubled by their injuries.

Have you considered the reason more and more professional golfers are on strength-training programs than ever in the history of the sport?

It’s because biomechanical analysis of the golf swing reveals that the forces generated in the spine are high enough to fracture vertebra and damage lumbar disks. And if the muscles around the spine that are responsible for st abi l i zing and rotation are weak and filled with fat, is it any wonder why?

How much power can a golfer safely generate if their spine muscles are weak and fat-filled?

He or she may still generate up to 90 percent of their effort during a tee shot … but as the muscle shrinks and is replaced by fat, protecting their spine becomes a crapshoot. But with a proper strength-training program, the key musculature surrounding the spine becomes strong enough to protect the spine, and reduce negative forces away from vital bony and neurological structures.

Fat is for steaks, not for your spine. My very best advice is to get started on a golfspecific, strength-training program, and seek out help from an expert if needed.

MULTIFIDUS ERECTOR SPINAE MILD GRADE FAT INVASION 10 PERCENT MODERATE GRADE FAT INVASION 1050 PERCENT SEVERE GRADE FAT INVASION ABOVE 50 PERCENT

Clint Howard is the Owner/Director of Golf Fitness Systems and is recognized as one of the Top-50 Golf Fitness Professionals in the country by Golf Digest. PGA Tour Pros, Oklahoma State Men’s and Women’s golf, University of Tulsa golf, and many other collegiate and high school golfers, world long drive champions, and golfers of all levels go to Clint and Golf Fitness Systems to improve their body, and their game.

Call 918-296-7418 or go to www.GolfFitnessSystems.com to learn more.

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41

I NST RUC T ION

Practice like you play No surprise, but one of the most common comments in every pro shop across the country is “Pro, I hit it great on the practice range but terrible on the course. I don’t underCary Cozby stand it!”

Another common sight is golfers hitting the same club, from the same lie, to the same target over and over again. This is called exercise, not practice.

Obviously, a lot of dynamics change from the practice tee to the first tee -- the fairway becomes narrow, there is only one ball and you now have a scorecard and pencil in your pocket. To give yourself the best chance to play like you practice, you must first, practice like you play.

We will assume at this point you are taking consistent instruction from a PGA professional and understand the mechanics specific to your game and what you are trying to improve. Whether you are

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working on your full swing, pitching, chipping or putting stroke, you should have certain mechanics to improve or manage. If not, jump off the hamster wheel of never-getting-better and hire an instructor that can help you achieve your goals. This is probably a good time to acknowledge, the best players in the world also take the most instruction.

The next time you head out to the course, spend your first few minutes, not more than 10 percent of your time, working on your mechanics without a target.

This is where you need to concentrate on your swing, what you are trying to accomplish with your motion, and really grind on your action. Once you have completed your work, it is time to start learning how to take your game to the course.

The bulk of your session, say 70 percent of your allotted time, should be random in nature. This could look a few different ways. A couple of my favorites; * Hit anywhere from 3-to-6 balls with each club in your bag, changing targets with every shot. I might start with a 7-iron

and hit five balls at five different targets using my full pre-shot routine. Then, I might hit five shots with my 3-wood, five with a wedge and five with a 4-iron until I have randomly worked my way through the entire bag. * Play your favorite course (or maybe the next course you are playing) on the practice tee. Start on No. 1 and play the course mentally, hitting the clubs required for each shot. I would also recommend basing your next shot on how you struck the previous. If you hit a great drive, what club would you use on your approach shot? If you didn’t hit it as solid or hooked the tee ball into the trees, hit the club required based on the drive. If you would have missed the green, play a short-game shot onto the imaginary green.

In either scenario, you are simulating your practice to how you would play. You will find this way of practice much more interesting and notice a heightened sense of how you are striking the ball. Success in this part of your session is defined by how well you went through your process and how committed you were to the shot, not necessarily the result of the shot.

The last portion of your practice needs

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

to be a competition. For example, on most courses you will have the opportunity to hit 14 drivers so you will determine three different fairways on the practice range.

One fairway could be between a couple of trees, a flag pole, a building in the distance, etc. Cull out 14 balls and rotate hitting a shot into each fairway.

Set a goal based on your ability, something you can achieve but one that will test you. An example would be to set the goal of hitting seven fairways and the other seven shots are “in play.” Once you have achieved that goal, make the next one slightly more difficult and so on.

Maybe it is 10 bunker shots and you just want to get all 10 shots out and on the green. Any sort of competition will certainly improve your game.

Understandably, there are days you just want to go beat balls on the range. However, if you want to shoot lower scores, and I don’t know a soul who doesn’t, you should try practicing like you play.

Cary Cozby PGA Director of Golf Southern Hills Country Club

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

Repeat after me . . . quickly!

As we enter the time of the year for club championships, city championships, amateur qualifiers and the like, short putting seems like a timely topic.

Almost every Jim Young round has a critical short putt or two that makes the difference, particularly in tournament play.

Here are a few things that you can do that can help without changing your equipment or your stroke (in no particular order): Follow a routine Short putting is like shooting free throws. Doing things the same way every time regardless of the circumstances can defuse the pressure of the moment.

Routine occupies our mind, which make no mistake is extremely important to solid performance. Make your routine simple and brief. Don’t be the six prac-

tice-stroke person. More than two or three are wasting your time and everyone else’s. Tiger Woods’ routine doesn’t change by more than a second or two,

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I NST RUC T ION no matter the situation. A good way to develop your routine in practice is to put a little pressure on yourself by trying to make 10 in a row from the length of a driver. Set your car keys down next to the ball and don’t leave until you can do it.

Use one ball, careful to start your routine over after each made putt. By the time you complete the drill, you will know which elements of your routine are useful and which can be eliminated.

Set the putter to the target line, then set your body Inconsistent putters tend to shuffle into the ball already in their full setup, looking over their lead shoulder toward the hole. If your front shoulder is lined up at your target line, then the putter head is certainly pointed to the right for a righthanded golfer. Point the putter down the target line first, then set your body. This will give you the best chance for good alignment. I’d recommend making this a part of your routine if you don’t already.

Remember that the target line is where you want the ball to start, not necessarily straight at the hole unless the putt is a straight putt.

Breathe Take a deep breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth before you step in to putt. It will help calm and focus you and is an excellent way to set the routine in motion.

Look at the back center of the hole Before you draw the putter back, take one last look at the hole, being careful to concentrate on the back center. This is where you are trying to make the ball go and if this is the last thing your eyes see before your stroke, your brain will try to put it there. Think of throwing a wadded up piece of paper in the trash from a few feet away. You don’t try to steer it in there. You look at the wastebasket and throw. I cannot tell you how much this simple trigger has helped me in tournament play over the last several years. Give it a shot.

Jim Young PGA Teaching Professional River Oaks Golf Club Edmond, OK 405-630-8183 jpygolf12@gmail.com Watch the putter head strike the ball www.jimyounggolf.com If you’ve seen or watched any tips on Instagram: @jpygolf short putting then you’ve heard this one: Twitter: @jpygolf Listen for the ball to drop. The idea is that Facebook: Jim Young Golf

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you’ll keep your head steadier and won’t “peek,” thus keeping the putter more square at impact. I’ve always had trouble with this one. If you can do it and it works for you, by all means keep it up. If however you’re like me and this is a challenge, try just making sure you watch the putter head strike the ball before you allow your head to swivel (not lift) to the target.

Solidifying a routine and working on these little focus exercises can make a big difference in your ability to hole more short putts under pressure. If you are having trouble putting these pieces together on your own, as always I recommend seeing a Teaching Professional in your area.

Best of luck with your tournament season and please let me know if I can help.

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SCH E DU L E S & R E SU LTS : More at w w w.gol fok la homa.org OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION STATE AMATEUR AT THE PATRIOT GC, OWASSO JULY 16-18 QUARTERFINALS Austin Eckroat def. Trae Elias 5 and 4; Brady Richardson def. McCain Schellhardt 1-up; Cody Burrows def. Hudson Hoover 3 and 2; Hayden Wood def. Mike Hughett 2-up.

SEMIFINALS Eckroat def. Richardson 2 and 1; Wood def. Burrows 2 and 1.

FINAL Wood def. Eckroat 3 and 2.

SENIOR STROKE PLAY AT OAK TREE CC (WEST), EDMOND (PAR-70) JULY 11-12 SENIOR 1, Michael Hughett 69-68 – 137 (won playoff); 2, Blake Gibson 70-67 – 137; 3 (tie), Ricky Lutz 73-67 – 140 and Jon Valuck 69-71 – 140; 5, Todd Raffensperger 73-71 – 144; 6, Don Clark 75-72 – 147; 7, Kirk Wright 76-72 – 148; 8 (tie), Lawrence Field 78-71 – 149 and Jeff Richter 73-76 – 149; 10 (tie), Jeff Smith 77-73 – 150 and Robert Strother 75-75 – 150.

SUPER SENIOR 1, Jerry Nick 73-71 – 144; 2 (tie), Tom Nielsen 73-75 – 148 and Jim Wetzel 76-72 – 148; 4 (tie), Patrick Duggan 79-71 – 150 and Neil Oxford 75-75 – 150.

SENIOR STATE AMATEUR AT MUSKOGEE CC JUNE 18-21 QUARTERFINALS Scott Adams def. Kirk Wright 2 and 1; Shawn Barker def. Don Clark 2 and 1; Phil Brumley def.

Mike Hughett 4 and 3; Terry Collier def. Brent Taylor 3 and 2.

SEMIFINALS Adams def. Barker 4 and 3; Brumley def. Collier

3 and 2.

FINAL Adams def. Brumley 2 and 1.

STROKE PLAY AT TULSA CC (PAR-70) JUNE 11-13 1, Dustin Hasley 64-72-71 – 207; 2, Thomas Johnson 69-71-68 – 208; 3, Jack Howes 70-72-69 – 211; 4 (tie), Rhett Bechtel 72-71-69 – 212 and Joseph Lemieux 73-71-68 – 212; 6, Carson Griggs 71-7371 – 215; 7 (tie), Sam Humphreys 71-73-72 – 216, JR Hurley 75-71-70 – 216, Heath Myers 76-70-70 – 216 and Grayson Jones 75-69-72 – 216; 11 (tie), Josh Montgomery 76-73-68 – 217 and Jacob Prentice 70-76-71 – 217.

JUNIOR AT KICKINGBIRD GC, EDMOND JUNE 5-7 BOYS 16-18 QUARTERFINALS Carsoon Griggs def. Charlie Jackson 2 and 1; Shayne Patel def. Grayson Wallace 2 and 1; Connor Wilson def. Christian McAllister 4 and 3; Jaxon Dowell def. Luke Morgan 4 and 3.

SEMIFINALS Griggs def. Patel 2 and 1; Wilson def. Dowell 4 and 3.

FINAL Wilson def. Griggs 6 and 5.

14-15 QUARTERFINALS Wiiaam Sides def. Buddy Wehrli 2 and 1; Jake Hopper def. Jack Hope 1-up (19); Tres Hill def.

Grant Proctor 1-up (20); Austin Dolan def. Ben Stoller 3 and 2.

SEMIFINALS Hopper def. Sides 3 and 2; Dolan def. Hill 2 and 1.

FINAL Dolan def. Hopper 7 and 5.

GIRLS Round of 16 Yujeong Son def. Maisie Liddell 8 and 7; Jenni Roller by default over Chloe Black; Maddi Kamas def. Nina Lee 5 and 4; Adeline Norton def. Brooklyn Benn 2-up; ShaeBug Scarberry def. Reagan Chaney 8 and 7; Hayden Meiser def. Blayne Barker 1-up; Sydney Hermann def. Alyssa Wilson 1-up; Faith Stewart def. Olivia Schmidt 3 and 2.

QUARTERFINALS Son def. Roller 7 and 5; Kamas def. Norton 2 and 1; Scarberry def. Meiser 3 and 1; Hermann def.

Stewart 1-up (19).

Semifinals Son def. Kamas 2 and 1; Scarberry def. Hermann 1-up.

FINAL Son def. Scarberry 8 and 7.

WOMEN’S OKLA. GOLF ASSOCIATION STATE AMATEUR AT MEADOWBROOK CC, TULSA JULY 23-26 CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT QUARTERFINALS Kaitlin Milligan def. Anna Mikish 1-up; Michaela Dierinzo def. Faith Hopkins 5 and 4; Kate Goodwin def. Collier 5 and 4; Sydney Youngblood def.

Tannehill 6 and 5.

SEMIFINALS Milligan def. Dierinzo 2 and 1; Youngblood def.

Goodwin 1-up.

FINAL Milligan def. Youngblood 4 and 2.

JUNIOR AT THE CLUB AT INDIAN SPRINGS, BROKEN ARROW (PAR-72) JUNE 26-27 CHAMPIONSHIP 1, Taylor Towers 79-75 – 154; 2, Meg Medders 8276 – 158; 3, Brooklyn Benn 80-85 – 165; 4, Emily

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SCH E DU L E S & R E SU LTS : More at w w w.gol fok la homa.org Miller 83-86 – 169; 5, Grace Griggs 88-85 – 173.

16-17 1, Kennedy Maybee 79-77 – 156; 2, Sara Armstrong 84-82 – 166; 3, Ashlyn Acosta 85-84 – 169; 4 (tie), Campbell Payne 83-88 – 171 and Jade Kuykendall 86-85 – 171.

14-15 1, Jordan Clayborn 78-77 – 155; 2, Sarah Sherrard 87-78 – 165; 3, Jenna Triplett 91-85 – 176.

12-13 1, Mimi Hoang 89-82 – 171; 2, Adrian Piles 88-88 – 176.

10-11 1, Beans Factor 34-37 – 71; 2, Ava Kight 41-38 – 79.

8-9 1, Natalie Purvis 45-47 – 92; 2, Neely Kight 50-46 – 96.

MID-AMATEUR/SENIOR AT DORNICK HILLS G&CC, ARDMORE JUNE 11-12 STROKE PLAY 1, Anna Miklish 149; 2, Melissa Eldredge 154; 3 (tie), LeeAnn Fairlie and Brinn Fariss 156; 5, Adeline Norton 161; 6, Lexi Armon 168.

Mid-Amateur Championship Gross 1, Janet Miller 154; 2, LeeAnn Fairlie 156; 3, Laurie Makes Cry 162.

Championship Net 1, Janet Miller 148; 2 (tie), LeeAnn Fairlie and Laurie Makes Cry 150.

TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION FOUR-BALL STROKE PLAY AT BATTLE GC, OWASSO (PAR-72) JULY 21-22 CHAMPIONSHIP 1, Lynn Rowland/Joel Smith 67-68 – 135; 2, Cole Goeleker/Garrett Jelley 66-69 – 135; 3, Todd Raffensperger/Nick Sidorakis 72-68 – 140; 4, Bryan Lunger/Terry Trimble 72-71 – 143.

STROKE PLAY AT LAFORTUNE PARK GC (PAR-72) JUNE 30-JULY 1 CHAMPIONSHIP 1, John Ryan Bonaobra 67-70 – 137; 2, Luke Phillips 66-72 – 138; 3, Jeffrey Cox 73-68 – 141; 4, Garrett Jelley 71-71 – 142; 5, Mike Gotcher 71-74 – 145; 6, Patrick West 78-70 – 148; 7, Jacob Baird 730-77 – 150; 8, Zac Matson 760-75 – 151; 9, Jack Brown 79-73 – 152; 10, Chris Karlovioch 78-76 – 154.

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP 1, Todd Raffensperger 70-70 – 140; 2, Rick Cavener 70-74 – 144; 3, Ron Kise 71-74 – 145; 4, Terry Trimble 72-74 – 146; 5, Scott Whittaker 7573 – 148; 6, Danny Mosier 71-78 – 149; 7, Michael Koljack 75-74 – 149; 8, Jay Mayfield 77-72 – 149.

AJGA TOUR GATEWAY MORTGGE GROUP TULSA OPEN AT OAKS CC, TULSA (PAR-71) JULY 24-26 BOYS 1, William McDonald 68-73-72 – 213; 2, Terrin Anderson 72-72-71 – 215; 3 (tie), Jordan Wilson 74-70-72 – 216 and Davis Woodliff 73-68-75 – 216; 5 (tie), Jaxon Dowell 71-72-74 – 217 and Zane Heusel 74-71-72 – 217; 7 (tie), James Roller 72-72-74—218, Jared Strathe 71-77-70 -- 218 and Cole Grossi 74-72-72 – 218; 10 (tie), Max Roberts 77-68-74 – 219, Jake Marler 76-70-74 – 220, Jackson Davenport 74-74-71 – 219 and Brian Stark 73-76-70 – 219.

GIRLS 1, Jillian Bourdage 74-72-67 – 213; 2, Yu Wen Lu 6972-74 – 215; 3, Jennie Park 71-71-76 – 218; 4, Yingzhi Zhu 72-69-81 – 222; 5, Jing Wen Lu 78-72-73 – 223; 6, Sara Caarena 74-75-75 – 224; 7, Jenni Roller 7175-79 – 225; 8, Hailey Jones 76-75-75 – 226; 9 (tie), Angelina Chan 75-76-78 – 229 and Ashley Lu 81-7375 – 229; 11, Denise Pan 76-76-78 – 230.

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OJGT KICKOFF CLASSIC AT LINCOLN PARK GC (EAST), OKLA. CITY (PAR-70) JULY 12-13 BOYS 15-18 1, William McDonald 65-65 – 130; 2, Jordan Wilson 67-64 – 131; 3, Benjamin Stoller 65-68-- 133; 4 (tie), Max Roberts 65-71 – 136 and Ransen Turner 69-67 – 136; 6, Jack Glenn 69-68 – 137; 7, Zane Heusel 67-71 – 138; 8, Austin Dolan 72-67 – 139; 9, Peyton Burns 72-68 – 140.

BOYS 12-14 1, Ryder Cowan 68-75 – 143; 2, Jack Hope 76-75 – 151; 3 (tie), Jace Black 79-77 – 256 and Kolby Legg 82-74 – 156; 5, Kolby Matthews 76-81 – 157.

GIRLS 1, Sydney Herrmann 73-66 – 139; 2, ShaeBug Scarberry 73-68 – 141; 3, Alysa Wilson 72-70 – 142; 4, Jordan Clayborn 73-71 – 144; 5 (tie), Adeline Norton 74-71 – 145 and Taylor Towers 71-74 – 145; 7 (tie), Natalie Gough 74-73 – 147 and Madison Smith 73-74 – 147; 9, Grace Griggs 77-71 – 148.

HIGH SCHOOLS ALL-STATE AT CHEROKEE HILLS GC, CATOOSA (PAR-72) JULY 23 BOYS West 15, East 9 Austin Enzbrenner and Jared Strathe, Owasso (E) def. Trent Lutze and Luke Eischeid, Edmond Memorial 4-0, 63-76; Kevin Farmer, Lawton Ike/ Kolton Baber, Big Pasture (W) def. Clay Venable, Sapulpa/Colin Broerman, Holland Hall 3-1, 69-73; Saxon Ross and Tylr Neher, Plainview (W) def.

Jayden Jackson, Idabel/Ryan Ward, Poteau 3-1, 65-68; Logan Meehan, Coweta/Jax Johnson, Tahlequah (E) def. Grayson Wallace, Guymon/ Nick O’Donnell, McGuinness 2.5-1.5, 71-72; Charles Reynolds, McGuinness/Zander Tway. Tuttle (W) def. Bryson Terry, Poteau/Parker Sloan, Pryor 3.50.5, 74-81; Joshua Grounds, Luther/Carson Tewell, Okla. Christian School (W) def. Bryson Cottrell, Fairland/Jace Weatherly, Wewoka 4-0, 67-76.

GIRLS West 23, East 1 Kirstin Westlake, Carl Albert/Hayden Meiser, Norman (W) def. Nina Lee, Collinsville/Ashlynn Phipps, Broken Arrow 4-0, 68-79; ShaeBug Scarberry, Purcell/Chloe Black, Newcastle (W) def. Allison Cunningham, Hilldale/Josie Patterson, Chandler 4-0, 68-74; Madison Smith, Southmoore/Olivia Schmidt, McGuinness (W) def.

Rachel Eckert, Bixby/Lauren Behnken, Jenks 4-0, 66-77; Emilie Jackson, Edmond North/Elizabeth Lette, Lone Grove (W) def. Alexis Matlock, Olive/ Libby Christian, Verdigris 4-0, 74-85; Brooke Orr, Frederick/Mikaela Rinderman, Mt. St. Mary (W) def. Hannah Sullivan, Eufaula/Abbi Green, Henryetta 4-0, 74-86; Katie Finley, Plainview/Delana Holden, Fletcher (W) def. Kiersten Riggs, Grove/ Bailee Barnes, Tishomingo 3-1, 73-79.

USGA U.S. AMATEUR QUALIFYING AT OAK TREE NATIONAL GC, EDMOND (PAR-71) JULY 9-10 1, Hayden Wood 69-68 – 137; 2, Scott Purvis 72-69 – 141; 3, Austin Eckroat 73-69 – 142 (first alternate); 4, Jacob Bishop 77-68 – 145 (second alternate).

SOUTH CENTRAL PGA YAMAHA MATCH PLAY AT BELMAR GC, NORMAN, JULY 16-18 QUARTERFINALS Cary Cozby def. Brent Wilcoxen 2 and 1; Makr Fuller def. Malchi Murphy 6 and 5; Jim Young def.

Jon Burton 5 and 3; Kyle Emerson def. Greg Bray 2-up SEMIFINALS Cozby def. Fuller 2 and 1; Young def. Emerson 4 and 3.

FINAL Young def. Cozby 1-up.

GOLF OKL AHOMA • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

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