Golf Oklahoma October - November (Vol. 1, Issue 4)

Golf Oklahoma www.golfoklahoma.org October - November 2011

DUFFY MARTIN

oklahoma treasure

Official publication of the Oklahoma Golf Association

•••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Alabama offers something for golfers of all abilities.

Namely, a big ol’ slice of humble pie.

When it comes to challenging public golf courses, Alabama has more than any other state. In fact, we’re the home of three of America’s 50 Toughest Courses as selected by Golf Digest. Testing your mettle is as easy as visiting Silver Lakes, The Shoals or the stunning new Ross Bridge near Birmingham. They’re part of the mighty Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – 24 demanding gems that are winning accolades from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Golf Magazine to name just a few.

If you’d like to combine time spent in the beach with a little time spent relaxing on the beach, there are a half-dozen more world-class public courses on Alabama’s gorgeous Gulf Coast featuring designs by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jerry Pate.

And more great golf finds are sprinkled throughout the entire state. Truly, if you’re looking for great golf and genuine hospitality on your next trip, you owe it to yourself to w w w. a l a b ba a m a .t .t ra ra av vel experience all Alabama has to offer. www.golfoklahoma.org ••••••

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Roman Nose

Grand Cherokee

Arrowhead

Lake Murray

Sequoyah

Cedar Creek

Just try and keep your head down with views like this.

Oklahoma State Park Golf Courses fuse sport and nature with forested fairways, challenging tracks, and the country’s most diverse terrain. For love of the game or the great outdoors, these seven courses are uniquely complex with deep canyons, abundant water features, dense pines and wooded roughs. Plus, rates are so

Fort Cobb

affordable you can stay for a weekend or escape for the day.

And even if you leave your game in the city, the view alone is worth the drive.

Book a tee time online at OklahomaParks.com or call 866.602.GOLF (4653).

•••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Contents

28 Duffy Martin Features

22

The Patriot and Stone Canyon, fine golf course living

32

Departments

22

The 1981 ORU golf team was one of the best in state history.

36

Indian Wells and LaQuinta, treasures in the valley

32

8 Oklahoma Course Spotlight 10 OGA 12 Chip Shots 14 The Goods 19 Course Renovations 44 Pro Profile: David Edwards 45 Amateur Profile: Tripp Davis 46 Celebrity Profile: Dean Blevins 48 Competition 53 Fitness 54 Equipment 55 WOGA 56 Instruction 58 Super’s Perspective 59 Results

Arizona bound, 38 this desert golf primer is for you

36

On the cover: Duffy Martin with his statue, photo by Rip Stell

38

Support junior golf by contributing to the OGA Foundation Call 405-848-0042 for more information www.golfoklahoma.org ••••••

Oklahoma Course Spotlight patricia island estates and golf club by ken macleod

Golf Oklahoma Volume 1, Number 4 Golf Oklahoma Golf Oklahoma Offices Southern Hills Plaza 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Ste. 200 Tulsa, OK 74136 918-280-0787 Oklahoma City Office 405-640-9996 Publisher Ken MacLeod ken@golfoklahoma.org COO/Marketing Director A.G. Meyers agm@golfoklahoma.org Art & Technology Director Derek Hillman derek@golfoklahoma.org

Aerial view of Patricia Island on Grand Lake.

Patricia Island Golf Club has matured into exactly what most golfers are looking for in a getaway or retirement course.

The course is maintained at a high standard, the holes provide enough visual and intellectual stimulation to present a constant challenge without being intimidating or unfair and the price is right.

“We want everybody that comes here to have the best round of their life and want to come back,” said Andy Stewart, general manager and director of sales and marketing for Patricia Island Estates and Golf Club. “And we want them to want to bring a friend.”

Located on the shores of Grand Lake near Grove, Patricia Island serves a variety of golf markets and real estate is certainly a huge component of its success. Stewart took Golf Oklahoma for a tour of the stately neighborhoods that have sprung up on the prime lakeshore property and around the golf course. Real estate sales are beginning to perk up again as the economy improves.

Yet the folks living around the course account for just a small percentage of the play.

Patricia Island is a destination course for golfers from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas looking for an easy two or three-day trip with their buddies that can mix in boating, fishing and other lake activities. Many come as part of stay-and-play packages with the Grand Lake Casino, owned and operated by the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe.

The course was the first stand-alone project for Norman-based golf architect Tripp Davis. Although it stretches out to nearly 7,000 yards, most golfers will enjoy a pleasant journey of about 6,300 from the second set of tees. Many holes are framed by native grasses, which combined with some of the swales Davis incorporated or built, •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

give it a bit of a links feel. There are options for ground approaches on most holes, with a notable exception behing the par-5 13th, which requires a well-placed drive and the green is guarded by a deep creek, with everything landing in front of the green trickling back in.

“We made a concerted effort, with the locaion and distance of tees, strategic options and open approaches to every green except 13, to make the course interesting and playable for all golfers,” Davis said.

The large greens have plenty of movement and the L-93 bent grass has been a winner in that environment, holding up to the stresses of the recent severe summers in tremendous condition.

“We believe that golfers want good conditions and a course that is enjoyable,” Stewart said. “They don’t want to get beat up when they’re on vacation or on a golf trip. They want a course that’s interesting and fun.”

The wildlife on the course is abundant, including all manner of birds of prey and waterfowl. “We’ll have 50 deer out here toward evening just roaming around,” Stewart said.

The course has a large clubhouse with room to seat several hundred for tournaments as well as a deck and veranda. Longtime area golf instructor Steve Pate has an indoor-outdoor teaching facility located next to the driving range.

Stewart is a former University of Kansas goller whose father Kent Stewart was one of three original founders of the project along with brothers Terry Werner and Mickey Werner.

For more information about Patricia Island and golf packages please go to www.patriciaisland. com or call 1-800-495-5253.

Subscriptions to Golf Oklahoma are $15 for one year (five issues) or $25 for two years (10 issues). Call 918-280-0787 or go to www.golfoklahoma.org.

Contributing photographers Rip Stell, Mike Klemme Golf Oklahoma PGA Instructional Staff Jim Woodward Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National jwoodwardgolf@sbcglobal.net, 405-348-2004 E.J. Pfister Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National ejgolf@me.com Pat McTigue Owner, GolfTec Tulsa and Oklahoma City pmctigue@golftec.com Steve Ball Owner, Ball Golf Center, Oklahoma City www.ballgolf.com, 405-842-2626 Pat Bates Director of Instruction, Gaillardia Country Club pbates@gaillardia.com, 405-509-3611 Tracy Phillips Director of Instruction, Buddy Phillips Learning Center at Cedar Ridge vt4u@yahoo.com, 918-352-1089 Jerry Cozby PGA Professional jerrycozby@aol.com, 918-914-1784 Oklahoma Golf Association 2800 Coltrane Place, Suite 2 Edmond, OK 73034 405-848-0042 Executive Director Mark Felder mfelder@okgolf.org Director of Handicapping and Course Rating Jay Doudican jdoudican@okgolf.org Director of Junior Golf Morri Rose morose@okgolf.org Copyright 2011 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.

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Oklahoma Golf Association

Streb wins second Open by ken macleod

After winning the event in 2009, the Edmond native and former Kansas State star took a slim lead into the final nine holes a year ago, but struggled home and was overtaken by Gibson.

This time Gibson’s sizzling front nine pulled him within two shots at the turn.

There was no falter this year.

Streb birdied the ninth hole to go 3-under on his own front nine, then birdied holes 11 and 12 to reach 17 under. Gibson fell back with a bogey at 10 and a double bogey at the par-3 14th. All other contenders fell away and Streb coasted home with his second state open title in the past three years, finishing at 15-under 295, five shots clear of Chase Cooper of Goodwell, Okla., who closed with a 66 to finish at 10-under 200.

Robert Streb blasts out of a bunker. Photos by Rip Stell.

Hunter Sparks of Oklahoma DMOND, Okla. - When defending City was low amateur and finished tied for champion Rhein Gibson put together third overall at 201. Sparks, the 2011 OGA a nifty 29 on the front side, including Stroke Play Champion and a junior at Wichan eagle on the par-4 third hole, it was up ita State, shot rounds of 71-63-67. He tied to Robert Streb to come up with a better former Wichita State golfer Ryan Spears of answer than he did a year ago in the Okla- Del City (66-65-70). Gibson finished another homa Open. shot back at 8-under, closing with a 69.

E

Rule 3-3 can save your round It has always been my contention that Golf is the most unique game. While there are many aspects to Golf which arguably prove my point, I will focus on Rule 3-3.

As a challenge, take out a pencil and piece of paper and, as you read on, list the other games which provide a similar election to the participants.

Rule 3-3 provides a player, in doubt as to how to proceed in a particular situation, the option to play two balls. Players could save countless strokes if they used Rule 3-3 every time a doubtful situation arises. One caveat; the Rule applies only in stroke play events as the opponents in a match can pretty much resolve problems in any manner in which they can agree, or make a claim.

Let me use the following predicament to demonstrate how to use the Rule to your benefit. Assume that at the hole you are playing there is a raised green. Leading from 10 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

that area to the next tee is a raised path which is covered by mulch.

Your ball comes to rest on that path. While you believe that a “path” is Gene Mortensen OGA Rules an obstruction and that Director you are entitled to free relief; your only experience is with the ones which are paved or made of concrete.

What to do? Invoke Rule 3-3 by first telling your marker or fellow competitor that you: (a) will finish the hole with two balls; and, (b) designate the ball you wish to use for your score. It is imperative that you make the announcement before you begin the procedure, or take further action. With that announcement having been made, play the original ball as it lies on the path. Then, play a second ball within one club length

“I tried to have a different demeanor going into the back nine this year,” said Streb, who has been playing the Oak Tree Country Club East Course since he was seven. “I wasn’t going to let anything bother me. I was just going to keep playing my game.

“I was real pleased with how I played the front nine, considering what Rhein was doing. The birdie on nine was big and so was the one on 11.

And then Rhein finally ran out of steam a bit with the bogey on 10 and the double on 14.”

Streb has had a successful summer on the Hooters Tour and has also played his way into a couple of Nationwide Tour events, making the cut in Kansas Hunter Sparks.

City. He will play in a few more events before taking a month off to hone his game in preparation for PGA Tour Q School.

Streb collected $10,000 for the win. Noting that his name would be bookended by Streb’s on the trophy, Gibson said “it looks like I’m part of a Streb sandwich.”

Gibson started the day birdie-par-eaglebirdie-birdie to go five-under through five holes. Streb responded with birdies on three

of the nearest point of relief under Rule 24 just as you would if the path were paved.

In order to complete the procedure it is also imperative that you inform the Committee before you return your score card so they can determine which ball to count, even if the score with both balls is the same. Failure to report results in disqualification.

There are numerous decisions to which the Committee may refer as they determine which ball to count and you will want to stay involved to assist in the deliberations.

A nice feature of this Rule is that all strokes, including penalty strokes, made with the ball which is determined not to count will not be included in your score.

In previous articles I stressed that the Rules are our friends and we should learn how to use them. Rule 3-3 is a classic example of that premise.

I challenged you to make a list of games in which a similar option to Rule 3-3 is available. I’ll wager that it is a short list.

and four and made a clutch birdie putt on the par-4 ninth to maintain a two-shot lead.

Streb and Gibson’s balls stopped within an inch of each other on the par-4 11th. After watching Gibson putt first from about 20 feet, Streb rolled his in and the lead was back to five shots. After Gibson failed to birdie the par-5 12th, the lead was six on the field and even a couple of closing bogeys mattered little.

“I’m really pleased to win the Open again,” Streb said. “It was a good strong field this year. There were a lot of really good mini-tour players here this week and a lot of strong players from Oklahoma.”

Driver nabs Mid-Am

Joel Driver of Lake Hefner Golf Course opened with a 67 and held on for a onestroke victory over Chris Lee despite a finalround 74 in the Oklahoma Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship at Rose Creek Golf Course.

Driver shot a total of 3-under 141 to edge Lee, who shot consecutive 1-under rounds of 71 to finish at 2-under. Brad Christianson of Jenks, Brad Kropp of Edmond and Jay Smith of Edmond tied for third at 1-under 143. Complete results on Page 59.

Foundation to promote golf by ken macleod

The Oklahoma Golf Association is about more than running tournaments and administering handicaps, rules and course ratings.

The OGA plans to take an increasing role in promoting the game from the beginning level up.

Ron Ripley, an OGA board member and attorney, said the desire to help promote and grow the game caused the OGA to form the Oklahoma Golf Association Foundation a year ago Now Ripley, as president of the foundation, said the group is studying the best ways to get involved.

“We’re still gathering information as to how what we do will have as much impact as possible,” Ripley said. “Although we will support other organizations, we are not going to be just a pass-through for money.

“Our focus will be to try to figure out a way to encourage people to try the game, as well as trying to identify those niches where there is a need. Scholarship programs for the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour events are an example. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to participate in the game.”

Building a strong, stable base of golfers to ensure the future of the game is the concern of all golf organizations. The OGA worked in conjunction with the PGA South Central Section this year to improve and broaden the competitive opportunities for juniors through the spring, summer and fall. Promoting golf within families and among players who won’t necessarily be tournament competitors is another vital function which the Foundation will analyze.

“Those are the people the game needs,” Ripley said. “Not everyone is going to be a competitive player. Oklahoma has an especially good public and private golf environment where there are not some of the barriers to entry here that exist in some areas.

There’s got to be a way to get the opportunity created and marry up the kids that would like to try it and the game.”

The foundation is currently raising funds for its initial effort to grow and support the game. Anyone who would like to contribute, please call the OGA office at 405-8480042.

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 11

Chip shots

News from around the state

Justice Golf Car a long-term success Dave and Dolpha Justice founded Justice Golf Car Company in 1959. He was the first golf pro at Hillcrest Country Club, now Willow Creek, in southwest Oklahoma City.

The company began selling Cushmans. The couple had a son, Ab, who was the first golf All American at OSU in 1958. He spent a short time on the PGA tour.

The company has been a family-owned business for 52 years now, and they are the exclusive Oklahoma distributor for Club Car. Company president Charles “Chip” Cutler joined the company part time in 1979, while attending the University of Oklahoma.

“The company started with Cushman,” Cutler said. “When Cushman got out of the golf car business in 1975, we sold Melex and Harley-Davidson. In 1977, we picked up Club Car.” Except for a three-year period in which the company also sold E-Z-Go from 19871989, they have focused on Club Car. Dave and Dolpha left the company in 1987, and their son Ab and wife Robbie followed in the late 1990s. Dave’s grandson, David Justice, is now the company vice president.

Cutler said the company distributes Club Car, because, although the Augusta, Ga., based manufacturer isn’t the “price leader” in the industry, they are the “value leader.”

“The City of Oklahoma City has about 500 Club Cars in their fleet for municipal courses,” Cutler said. “We have 85 percent of the market share in the Oklahoma City metro courses. We’re in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Enid, and Stillwater, and The Patriot chose us for their course. There is something these people know about Club Car.” More importantly, Cutler said, courses that choose Justice stay with Justice. “We have courses like Forest Ridge, Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, Oak Tree, and 12 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Justice has sales locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as a parts and service location in Oklahoma City. The company currently employs 35 Oklahoma residents.

Battery Station

Top, the show room at Justice Golf Car, and above, ready to roll at The Patriot.

The Oaks that bought their first Club Car in 1981, 1982, and 1989. They still have Club Car.” The Club Cars do tend to cost more than their main competitors, but Cutler attributes that to quality and technology.

“There was a time when a gas-powered car would do much better on hilly courses,” Cutler said, “but with Club Car’s models that feature regenerative braking, the speed on those courses is similar to or better than gas. Additionally, because we program each car to course standards, even downhill the cars will not accelerate beyond the maximum programmed speed.”

That is a very useful technology at courses with hilly terrain. The regenerative braking, similar to hybrid technology in cars, recharges the battery on downhill treks by transferring energy from the decelerating brakes to the battery.

Club Car has two well-known models, the DS and the Precedent. Cutler said the Precedent now dominates sales since its introduction in 2004.

“The golf car is a huge part of the game now,” Cutler said. “When was the last time you walked a course? The Precedent is lightweight carbon fiber bonded to an aluminum frame, making it light, strong, corrosion and rust proof, and incredibly durable.”

The flag is a sliver in the distance guarded by a deep inviting pond and a huge walled bunker. It’s all carry, so you check your favorite yardage device and, guess what, the battery is dead.

If you’re on the front nine, you may now be able to replenish your power at the turn and donate to the Folds of Honor at the same time, thanks to The Battery Station.

The countertop display sells the batteries that charge most of the popular yardage devices, including Bushnell. The company behind the display is headed by PGA professional Jim Kane, who was the head pro at Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence when Dan Rooney was attending the University of Kansas.

The two became friends and Kane followed Rooney’s career, watching with interest as he founded the Folds of Honor Foundation. Kane brought in a friend, Austin real estate developer Robert McDonald III, to play in the 2010 Patriot Cup at The Patriot in Owasso.

“He was just blown away by the Folds of Honor, what it stands for and its purpose,” Kane said. “About a week after, he called me and said we need to come up with a business that raises some money for the Folds of Honor.”

The two put together a business plan and hope to make a big splash at the 2012 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. Kane said that if the majority of the 5,000 courses that participated in Patriot Day would also carry the batteries, the new company will be a success.

Time to teach

Since learning the game as a kid from big

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brother Danny and later teaching pro Art Proctor, David Edwards has known how to win on the golf course. Through the 1978 NCAA Championship to four PGA Tour victories, a win on the Champions Tour and two Oklahoma Open titles, Edwards has always had a dependable, repetitive swing that he could rely on without constant visits to a swing guru.

That self-reliance doesn’t mean Edwards was not a student of the game. He did most of his tinkering on the range, having long discussions with other players about the swing -- what worked, what didn’t work and why some things that looked like they should work were not right for him.

Edwards will put all the knowledge of 33 years of professional golf to use in his new role as Director of Instruction at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater.

“I was thinking about doing it a little and I talked to (OSU coach) Mike McGraw about it and he suggested I do a little more,” Edwards said. “I’m getting up to speed with

all the state of the art equipment they have here at Karsten Creek.”

Edwards admitted to having some trepidation about whether the membership or others would prefer taking lessons from a long-time tour player compared to someone who has spent his career teaching. But he’s confident he’ll be able to offer something unique to his students.

“Many people take swing lessons, but there are other elements to the game that I can help with,” he said. “Ultimately, you want lower scores and that means you’ll have some interest in working on the short game and on course management.”

Edwards was one of the most accurate drivers in professional golf, once hitting 41 of 42 fairways. He went 263 consecutive holes without a three-putt in 2006. He doesn’t expect similar results from his students, but does expect everyone to improve.

In order to take lessons from Edwards, go to www.karstencreek.com or call 405-7431658.

Pros on the move

Like baseball managers, golf professionals can be a nomadic lot. The old saying about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence can be literally true.

This summer has seen several notable comings and goings in Oklahoma.

Tomas Hnizdo moved from an assistant position at LaFortune Park in Tulsa to the head professional job at Clary Fields in Sapulpa. He is charged with helping Greenway Golf bring championship conditions and service back to one of the area’s most enjoyable courses.

The native of Scotland grew up in South Africa, both golf wonderlands, but he’ll now tell you Clary Fields is the place to be.

“I think we’ve got the best public layout in town,” Hnizdo said. “We’re kind of a hidden gem. The greens are in good shape and getting better and it’s our goal to get the conditions here to the best they’ve ever been.”

See CHIP SHOTS page 20

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 13

The goods

Some things we like to do before and after the round

Taking down Tiger

Riveting account of 1995 NCAA by tom bedell

Part of my admiration for the late Herbert Warren Wind’s writings for The New Yorker was the way he could report on a golf tournament that had been over for months with the outcome well known, and still manage to keep me on the edge of my seat.

A similar tip of the golf cap goes out to sportswriters Neil Hayes and Brian Murphy, who collaborated on The Last Putt: Two Teams, One Dream, and a Freshman Named Tiger (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010, $26), about the 1995 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.

There may be a Sooner who doesn’t know that Oklahoma State won the title that year, besting Stanford in the first playoff in the tournament’s then 98-year history. But I doubt it. (Oklahoma State prevailed again in the only other playoff, in 2000, over Georgia Tech.)

The authors set up the narrative with the final showdown in sight, and then take a leap back for the long buildup over the season to the final payoff. One would think any sense of momentum would be derailed by constant backing up for more back story – profiles of coaches, the players, even the players’ parents and grandparents.

Yet all those back stories are so thoroughly researched, fleshed out with detail and compellingly alive, that one just keeps marching through the pages.

One does tend to glaze over the endless list of tournaments and individual scores that fly by, but secure in the knowledge that Hayes and Murphy will soon be serving up more intriguing anecdotes.

And what a cast of characters and con14 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

trasts! – the intense, critical, yet always supportive coach Mike Holder of Oklahoma State (shepherding such players as Alan Bratton, Chris Tidland, Trip Kuehne and Kris Cox), versus the laid-back and easygoing Wally Goodwin of Stanford, defending its 1994 title.

Stanford’s formidable 1995 squad included seniors Notah Begay and Casey Martin, as well as that already famous freshman named Tiger Woods. Considering all that has befallen Woods since, for good and ill, the book certainly looks back to a more innocent time in his life, although he was one of the few participants who did not cooperate in the authors’ exhaustive research.

No matter, the authors nonetheless make a strong and riveting case for what they call “the greatest NCAA Championship in the history of the sport,” one that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Let There be Pebble I’ve drawn up a rap sheet against Zachary Michael Jack’s Let There Be Pebble: A MiddleHandicapper’s Year in America’s Garden of Golf (University of Nebraska Press, 2011, $24.95), beginning with the fact that he spent a year living near Pebble Beach and I didn’t.

It was an inspired idea, no question, Jack’s year in Carmelby-the-Sea, covering a variety of tournaments leading up to the 2010 U.S. Open, turning into an investigation of what makes playing Pebble Beach the nearly mystical experience that many believe it to be.

When not on deep research sabbaticals Jack teaches literary sports writing and

seminars in sports sciences at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, but I would have handed this one back to him heavily marked. His attempt to commit art here is frequently strained, repetitive and too long, although he unaccountably refers to only one round of his own play at Pebble.

The publisher’s proofreaders and fact checkers were guilty, too; there are a raft of typos and careless errors – Stuart Cink instead of Stewart, Pat Moriatory instead of Morita, Jean Harlot instead of Harlow, although perhaps this one is more understandable.

Still, these are mostly misdemeanors, irritants, in what is otherwise a fairly rollicking account of Jack’s time in the sun, which brings him cheek-by-jowl with a parade of pros enraptured by the course (including Tom Watson, Johnny Miller and Notah Begay), with actor Bill Murray, with Golf in the Kingdom author Michael Murphy, with billionaire Charles Schwab and former Carmel mayor Clint Eastwood.

Jack’s woeful love life is an appealing background running joke, while his relationship (golfing and otherwise) with his ailing father injects a poignant note into this mid-life crisis odyssey to what Robert Louis Stevenson termed, “the most felicitous meeting of land and sea in creation.”

Brassies, Mashies, & Bootleg Scotch The University of Nebraska Press proofreaders were apparently more alert in going over Bill Kilpatrick’s Brassies, Mashies, & Bootleg Scotch (2011, $16.95), perhaps because the manuscript was smaller, its 164 pages feeling lightweight next to Pebble’s 331.

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Yet compared to Jack’s fervid prose, the pace is languid in this genial memoir by a former general features writer, columnist and golf writer for the Fort Myers NewsPress in Florida.

Kilpatrick’s father, Bill Sr., was a native Scotsman reared in St. Andrews who turned to greenkeeping and made his way to the United States in 1908 to practice the trade at private New York clubs.

So the young Kilpatrick passed his youth at the Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, the Maidstone Club in East Hampton, and particularly at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton up to World War II, hence the book’s subtitle, “Growing Up on America’s First Heroic Golf Course.”

The book should certainly appeal to fans of Charles Blair Macdonald’s 1911 masterwork, and I count myself among them. I’ve played National but once, yet it remains firmly ensconced in my top five all-time favorites. (Naturally, I was playing well that day.)

There’s not really a firm narrative drive at work here as much as an amiably anecdotal approach in describing the members Kilpatrick sometimes caddied for, workers he occasionally assisted, pros and chums that passed through his boyhood days.

I grew up right next to a golf course, and was more than once chased off the grounds by the superintendent and his dog who, unfounded rumor had it (probably started by the super), liked to bite children.

But I also saw some of the vanishing old methods, lovingly documented here, once used to care for golf course turf. This included the lugging of fire engine-sized hoses to power the fairway sprinklers, an endeavor that turns Kilpatrick into the lyric bard of greenskeeping: “The sprinklers covered a circle as much as a hundred yards in diameter. Their spray majestic, launched into the air at a high angle and spewing out in a graceful arc, they were all power, and under a bright full moon the spray seemed almost ethereal.”

Speak, memory!

Rocky Patel Cigars When Rocky Patel took over Indian Tabac in 1996, the competition said he wouldn’t last a year, much less five. In 2006 he celebrated the naysayer’s miscalculation of his resolve and commitment to success by releasing the Decade, a robust cigar that debuted with ratings through the roof. On July 30 of this year, he decided to do it again.

From the dark, oily, Ecuadorian Habano wrapper to the perfectly executed cap, the Fifteenth is one gorgeous, box pressed vitola. Crafted in his new boutique factory in the heart of Nicaragua, this cigar comes in four different sizes: robusto (5X50), toro (6 ½ X 52), torpedo (6 1/8 X 52), and a corona gordo (6 X 46). A gentle sniff of the perfectly cut foot, leads to a pre-light aroma that is reminiscent of the musty bookshop smell often

associated with single region, high cacao content chocolate.

The cigar lights easily and has a razor sharp burn, in no small part due to the high quality Jalapa binder being used.

This combined with all Nicaraguan filler also leads to an easy, straight combustion, with zero touch-ups or re-lights needed. The first third is a complex mélange of cocoa, cedar, and an initial sweetness that gives way to bursts of spice along the entire smoke.

This spiciness comes and goes at will during the entire length of the stick. The complexity gives way to a pleasurable richness sometime during the second 1/3rd with heavy oak on the front of the palate, and a tartness on the back. The finish is long and extremely oaky, very similar to Italian espresso.

The dark chocolate flavors of this cigar pair well with a good Port or Lindeman’s Framboise Raspberry Lambic (I know, I know, fruity beer, but, think Godiva dark chocolate raspberry truffles!).

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www.ztcigars.com 2726 W Britton Rd (800) 340-3007 Oklahoma City, OK 73120 www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 15

The goods Arnold Palmer Wine

Beginning in 2003, golf legend Arnold Palmer teamed up with Napa Valley’s Luna Vineyards to produce affordable California wines. George Vare and Mike Moone, a long-time friend of Palmer’s, purchased the property that would become Luna in 1995.

Over the next 10 years, Luna established a reputation for making solid wines that over-delivered on quality. The Silverado Trail winery produces several red wines, including a blend, a reserve Cabernet, and a Sangiovese. Luna got into the Cal-Ital wine game early, producing a Pinot Grigio as well as the Sangiovese.

Palmer had been a wine fan for many years before deciding to get into the business. He told Wine Spectator: “I can remember many times in my life when wine has made a day or the night more enjoyable.” The partnership with Luna continues into the present with the 2009 Cabernet and Chardonnay being the current releases.

The wines are made by Mike Drash, a winemaker with experience at Luna, and the iconic Far Niente, a Napa winery owned

by Oklahoma natives the Nickel family.

16 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

The wines have scored well with critics, including the San Francisco Chronicle, which called the Arnold Palmer Cabernet “a terrific value that’s as good as many $50 Napa Cabernet Sauvignons.”

Palmer said he got into the business because he loves wine. He told Wine Spectator: “Since I hooked up with Luna, I’ve had a reason to be more involved with wine ... it’s fun to think that you are a part of something you enjoy so much. Mike is a good friend and he’s going to produce a good product, because that’s what he does.”

The wines, which are sourced from a variety of vineyards, are widely available in Oklahoma, and priced incredibly well. The Cabernet should retail around $15, and the Chardonnay only slightly more at $16-17.

Wine shops in Oklahoma can usually get delivery within 24 hours, except on weekends.

The Cabernet is typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and other varietals. The 2009 is blended with Merlot and Petit Sirah.

It’s rich and intense with a mocha and cherry kick. The Merlot softens the tannins, so the wine is very approachable, even young.

– Greg Horton

My Escalade Adventure Classy ride, inside and out by stephen hillman

T

he 2011 Cadillac Escalade is as classy behind the wheel as it is from the outside pulling up to the country club.

No matter which model you consider, the Escalade is designed and engineered to make a statement. With its flashy styling and visual presence, there’s no mistaking an Escalade for anything else. It’s an SUV for buyers who like to be noticed, but who also need the capabilities of a full-sized truck-based SUV. And we don’t know of any other vehicle that is so complemented by a set of 22-inch chromed aluminum wheels.

The Escalade comes in four models: the Escalade, Escalade ESV (an extended wheelbase version), the Escalade EXT (which trades the third row seat and enclosed cargo area for a short truck bed) and the Escalade Hybrid. Each model is available in base, luxury, premium and platinum editions.

Thanks to Tom Bloomfield, general manager at Don Thornton Cadillac, 3939 S. Memorial Dr., Tulsa, we test drove the Escalade AWD Premium.

With MSRP starting at about $63,000 and ranging up into the high $80s for a deckedout, top-end model, our test vehicle listed at $74,215 with a long list of standard features, including Magnetic Ride Control (an active

suspension control system to improve ride performance), automatic rear leveling control, four-wheel disc antilock brakes, navigation system, rear view camera, Bluetooth for phone, 14-way power front seats with heated and cooled cushions and backrests, remote start and locks, power lift gate with lift glass, tri-zone auto climate control and a blind-spot warning system.

The luxurious interior with leather seats and details is loaded with classic Cadillac style. The instrument gauge cluster is a sharp example of minimalist beauty, with electric blue needle gauges for the tachometer, temperature, fuel and speedometer. A digital display provides readings for odometer, trip, fuel efficiency, oil life and more.

The dashboard and center console, with leather and simulated wood grain accents, features controls that are easily understood, including the color screen giving you access to the Bose 5.1 Surround audio system, navigational support and rear-view proximity camera.

Starting the Escalade, you are greeted by a pleasant exhaust rumble from the Vortec 6.2L, 403-HP V8 that reassures you even before you get to the entrance ramp that you will quickly attain highway speed with plenty of oomph to spare.

Driven by a six-speed heavy-duty automatic transmission, acceleration is strong and the ride is smooth with road manners comparable to a luxury sedan.

Though fuel economy isn’t a high point, with an estimate EPA consumption of 13 city to 18 highway and an average of 15 mpg economy, if you are in the market for an Escalade you can probably afford to keep it gassed up.

The Escalade we drove was equipped with Flex-Fuel capability and Active Fuel Management that transparently shifts the engine to four-cylinder mode when cruising.

Although the model we drove had seats for six, the third-row seats lacked leg room. If you were headed to the course with three of your pals, you would fold down the third row to make room for your clubs. or groceries.

Side curtain airbags come standard for all three rows as do, dual-stage driver and front passenger front airbags, and an automatic passenger sensing system. The Escalade ranks high in federal government crash tests, earning top scores of five stars for occupant protection in front crash tests and a five-star side crash test rating.

While, for the money, you get a strong list of standard features and performance capabilities, the Escalade is a great choice for people who want comfort, style and power, but there is also a market for people who want to buy one just because it looks so good. www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 17

a great round of golf deserves a great glass of wine

18 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org Item #216 ©2011 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Napa, CA 94558

Heim, who came to Hillcrest in 2009 from Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver. “We wanted to go with someone local who wanted the job and had experience in these type of renovations.”

The new greens will be a mixture of A1 and 007 bent grasses and each green will have a large fan nearby to help with air flow.

Heim said the new greens are larger, adding an average of 1,000 square feet per green.

Will Hillcrest be easier or more difficult once the renovation is complete?

“It’s going to put more emphasis on your putter, no doubt,” Heim said.

Hillcrest has also undertaken an extensive update of its dining room and clubhouse under the direction of architect Tom Hoch of Oklahoma City.

Working on the new greens at Hillcrest CC are Kyle Downs (Tripp Davis & Associates), Bryan Heim (Head Professional), Tripp Davis, Jim Curd, (HCC Board Member), Matt Wilson (Superintendant) and Wadsworth Construction Representative

Maxwell uncovered

Davis works on Hillcrest CC renovation by ken macleod

Hillcrest Country Club is rightfully proud of its heritage as one of Perry Maxwell’s finest designs. Despite a total length of just 6,516 yards, the clever layout on rolling terrain in Bartlesville has withstood the tests of time and technology and rarely yields low numbers despite the many high profile events it has hosted.

When Maxwell designed the course in 1926, it had sand greens, reflecting Maxwell’s belief that the area was too hot for cold season grasses and too cold for Bermuda. There may still be a germ of truth in that observation, but the club added bent grass in 1930 and has been making it work ever since.

Ed Seay, who went on to a lengthy career with Arnold Palmer, redid the greens in 1982, softening many of Maxwell’s original green contours and introducing a different bunker style. Now the club is making an effort to return to its roots, hiring Tripp Davis to do a master plan for restoration. Work began on the back nine greens this summer and tentative plans call for the front nine to be restored beginning next fall.

Davis, the Norman-based architect, has had plenty of experience restoring Maxwell’s handiwork, having previously worked on Maxwell courses at Muskogee Country Club, Lawton Country Club and Cherokee Hills Golf Course. He also is working on a master plan for the Jimmie Austin Univer-

sity of Oklahoma Golf Course which was a Perry Maxwell course with a redesign by Bob Cupp.

At Hillcrest, Davis was fortunate that head professional Bryan Heim was able to locate many old photographs showing the greens before the Seay renovation.

“They were radically different,” Davis said. “The bunker style and locations, the contours in the greens, all different. What we were able to do with the pictures that Bryan found was recreate what you could see in the pictures. The bunker styling will go back to long, linear bunkers with grass faces and simple shapes.”

The greens will regain some of the famous “Maxwell Rolls,” but with a nod to modern green speeds.

“Back in Maxwell’s day, you could get the speeds up to 8 or 9 on the Stimpmeter max and you could put a pin on a 4.5 percent slope. Now we plan everything on speeds up to 11 and we look at our pinnable areas having 3.5 percent slope or less. That’s still a lot of movement. You could have some sixfoot putts with five or six inches of break.”

“This is just a great golf course. We’re just putting the greens back to where they were and removing a few trees to get the fairway width and angles back. We’ve added a few tees to gain a few yards and renovated some others.”

“It’s been good working with Tripp,” said

New bent grass growing at The Trails.

The Trails rebuilds greens

The Trails Golf Club in Norman is rebuilding the greens on its front nine with a planned reopening in the spring of 2012.

The greens were seeded with a blend of the new Tyee and 007 bent grasses, the same combination used in the recent renovation of Tulsa Country Club.

The front nine greens had previously had a layer of soil several inches thick added to them in the 1990s and a barrier had formed between the old and new surfaces which the roots could not penetrate. The greens were subject to wilting in the heat, particularly when it rained and the moisture essentially boiled the roots.

This time the greens were cored out and restored. The greens on the back nine were interseeded with the new grasses, a process that will occur in the fall and spring of 2012 as well, before the new grasses will become the dominant playing surface and lend consistency to both nines.

“Our members have been very supportive,” said head professional Alan Hager.

“They understand that a project like this is never easy, but it is essential. They expect championship conditions and we expect to provide them.” www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 19

Coffee Creek reopens

After being closed for less than seven weeks, Coffee Creek in Edmond reopened in early September with all new Champion ultradwarf Bermuda greens. Owner Andy McCormick could not be more pleased with the outcome.

“They are not fast yet but they are beautiful,” McCormick said. “You can tell that after a

Chip Shots, continued from 13 • Oklahoma native Rob Land was named the head professional at Karsten Creek in Stillwater. Land has been a PGA professional for 14 years and has worked the last 11 years at The Stock Farm Club in Hamilton, Montana.

“I have known (OSU head coach) McGraw for 27 years and played golf for him at Edmond Memorial High School,” Land said.

“I have been wanting to get back to this part of the country for a while now and have always thought that Karsten Creek would be my ultimate job.”

“My family is still in Edmond and Tulsa and to bring my wife, Traci, and 4-year-old daughter, Reagan, to Stillwater is a dream come true.”

A 1995 graduate of New Mexico State

full season, they are going to be awesome.”

McCormick will be intently watching how the greens handle the winter and come out in the spring, as intense cold is to Bermuda what intense heat is to bent grass. Coffee Creek has purchased covers for the greens and will be putting them on when temperatures are expected to be below 30 degrees for a sustained time frame.

Coffee Creek made the switch after experiencing consistent problems with its bent grass greens the past few summers.

“Every year, it takes about 10 or 12 days over 100 degrees in July and then all of a sudden you can see everything going south,” he said. ‘The roots shrink up, there’s no firmness to the soil. Then you just have to wait for the fall to get them back.”

University, Land served as an assistant professional at Adios Golf Club in Coconut Creek, Fla., before returning to New Mexico to work at The Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe. In March of 2000, Land joined the staff at The Stock Farm Club in the capacity of first assistant professional.

• Cimarron Grubb, formerly head professional at Belmar Country Club in Norman, is now general manager at Willow Creek Golf & Country Club. Grubb stepped into a club in the midst of renovations to the course, clubhouse and tennis center under the leadership of owner Pat Downes. A move of the clubhouse to a new location is being contemplated.

Replacing Grubb at Belmar is Charles Candler, 30, who was previously the head professional at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor,

Fla. Candler was also previously the tournament supervisor at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando. He said the opportunity to run a memberoriented club rather than a resort was a huge factor in bringing him to Oklahoma.

“The setting at Belmar is exactly what I was looking for,” Candler said. “I’m looking forward to all the aspects of the job that come with the regularity of having a membership. This is a course that has some stability and where I can get to know the members and their families.”

• Donovan Grahn, a former assistant at The Territory in Duncan, is the new head professional at Shawnee Country Club.

And Jeremy Lamp, former assistant at Forest Ridge Golf Club in Broken Arrow, is the new head pro at Battle Creek Golf Course in Broken Arrow.

Tripp Davis and Associates Golf Architecture

Tripp Davis American Society of Golf Course Architects

Old American Golf Club Dallas, Texas Recognized by Golf Magazine, Golfweek, Links Magazine, and Golf Digest as one of the Best New Courses in the United States for 2010 20 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Norman, Oklahoma Peoria, Arizona (405) 447-5259 www.tdagolf.net

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 21

THE PATRIOT AND STONE CANYON

Wild and wonderful

Chance meeting led to astounding course, community by greg horton

Above, the par-4 14th canyon hole at The Patriot.

T

he first tee shot at The Patriot drops approximately 160 feet from tee to fairway. The hole, a 565-yard par 5, begins with one of the most unique vistas in Oklahoma: a view of downtown Tulsa from the vantage point of a bluff overlooking the architectural artwork of Robert Trent Jones, Jr. The canyon walls on each side of the first fairway direct the golfer’s gaze toward the first green at a position that would be a natural vanishing point in a painting.

The art metaphor is apt, as Jones describes The Patriot with allusions to Michelangelo, Picasso, the Beatles, and contemporary rock bands. The course, just 20 minutes from downtown Tulsa on the edge of Owasso, is Jones’s only project in Oklahoma. The legendary course architect, who has worked on more than 250 courses, including 33 in Golf Digest’s Best Courses, got involved with The Patriot at the request of Maj. Dan Rooney, a retired F-16 pilot, and his father, Dr. John Rooney.

The meeting was serendipitous, as the principals only met by chance, and the tract of land on which The Patriot was built might never have seen a golf course. The 3,00022 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

acre tract was jointly owned by the Oxley Family Trust, the Owasso Land Trust, and private developers, including David Charney, owner of Capital Homes.

“We had this beautiful tract of land lying untouched on the edge of Owasso,” Charney said. “It’s rare to get 3,000 acres of blank canvas on which to dream, and rarer still to have it on the edge of a rapidly growing municipality. The goal was to combine a subdivision with the best amenities to go with it.”

Charney met Dan Rooney at a charity event. He told Rooney about the land. At the time, the team was still uncertain whether the remarkable terrain would be converted to walking and hiking trails, a golf course, or other common areas.

“Dan agreed to ask his dad to have Robert Trent Jones, Jr., come look at it,” Charney said. “When he saw it, he loved the land and the abrupt nature of the terrain changes.”

Jones said the terrain, four distinct topographies, including limestone canyons, provided serious challenges.

“We don’t mind challenges, though,”

Jones said. “Obviously. We built Princeville in Hawaii, and we built the Moscow Country Club course, and no one goes to Russia to golf.”

Jones came up with the idea of utilizing the topographical differences to create a unique experience, particularly unique for Oklahoma.

“The elevations, the limestone canyons, large rock outcroppings, and water all created significant obstacles,” Jones said. “With elevations, what goes up, must come down, or more importantly in golf, what goes down, must come back up.”

Jones called in a team of architects, designers, and shapers, and much of the credit for The Patriots dramatic look goes to shaper Ed Taano.

“He just gets on a bulldozer and makes us

Oklahoma City (405) 634-0571 Tulsa (918) 663-0571 Toll Free (800) 276-0571

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 23

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Nice backdoor view from a home overlooking The Patriot. look good,” Jones said. “He does his measurements like a structural architect, but then he shapes the course in an artful way.

That’s the difference between structural architecture that follows the Bauhaus (form follows function) school, and landscape architecture. You’re dealing with a natural landscape where natural formations must be reorganized and rearranged into a golf course.”

By utilizing the natural topography, the team of course designers with the help of Landscapes Unlimited, has created a course unlike anything anyone would expect in Oklahoma.

Jay Blasi, one of the project architects, said, “There is a nationwide perception of Oklahoma as a flat dustbowl. That perception could not be farther from the truth at The Patriot. The whole setting is dramatic.

The course moves from low meadow to canyon to upland prairie to dense woodland, and then back through the cycle ending with the long climb out of the canyons on 17 and 18.”

Blasi and Jones both give much of the credit to the developers who were attempting to offer The Patriot as one of the amenities to complement the new subdivision they were creating: Stone Canyon.

“To their credit, we explained things to them, and they had to make a choice between more homesites or more dramatic homesites,” Blasi said, “and they chose to strike a balance between course and homesites.”

Stone Canyon is a planned community on the edge of Owasso. The development

in its initial few phases. Charney said the community offers remarkable amenities in addition to The Patriot and Stone Canyon Elementary.

“This is one of the fastest growing communities in Oklahoma, and it’s just minutes from Tulsa,” Charney said. “We have large areas of land committed to common, open spaces, a 110 acre recreational lake, a 20 plus acre park with a sandy beach, amphitheater and natural playscapes, and the lots are large so residents don’t feel like they’re living on top of each other.”

Homes are designed and built by Premier Builders, and all of the neighborhoods are walkable to the amenities. Stone Canyon is billed as a luxury “green” community, and steps to preserve the environment and use reclaimed water for irrigation were included in the original plans. The development is a striking blend of nature and homesite.

Stone Canyon is part of Owasso proper.

According to Chamber of Commerce President Gary Akin, Owasso has had the fastest rate of growth by percentage in the state in the past 20 years. The high school is Class 6A, and is the fourth largest in the state.

A golf junket could include a night or two at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, less than 15 minutes from The Patriot.

Tulsa International Airport is less than 20 minutes away, and Gundy’s Airport, just about a mile north of Stone Canyon, can handle light twins for golfers who want to fly directly into Owasso. Owner Roger Wieden said there is no overnight fee.

Stone Canyon and The Patriot both share a vision that was brought to life by Dan Rooney, thanks in part to his years in the U.S. Air Force. Rooney wanted to start an organization that would not just honor veterans who were killed or wounded in battle, but one that would provide care and education for their children and spouses. The organization is called Folds of Honor, and every Memorial Day, The Patriot will host The

already has five distinct neighborhoods, the brand new Stone Canyon Elementary School, more than 600 acres of common area, including walking trails and lake, and a master plan that will include a town center with shopping and dining.

Charney, part of the Stone Canyon development team that also includes Greg Simmons and Pete Kourtis, said intelligent planning on the front end of the project has made it possible to offer world class amenities like The Patriot to residents of Stone Canyon. Charney said the master plan includes more multi-phase housing additions like those already in existence.

“We’ll develop all the facets of the plan as the economy makes it possible,” Charney said. “It’s really a matter of how many rooftops we have. The town center’s completion is strictly a function of the economic climate. So far, thanks to good planning, we’ve had significant investments from the city of Owasso, the public schools, and the Oxley Family Trust.”

The Oxley family gifted the land on which Stone Canyon Elementary sits as a way of encouraging Owasso Public Schools to build a new, world-class school in the development. Charney calls it “the most beatiful elementary school I’ve ever seen.”

Stone Canyon is zoned to handle just over 2,000 units, and the subdivision is just The par-3 sixth green is an oasis in the wilderness.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 25

Reconnect

with life‌ in a community with purpose.

Think what it would mean to connect to family and to friends in an environment that links you to natural surroundings. Stone Canyon offers people of all ages a richer quality of life, based on respect and appreciation for the native landscape. It’s Oklahoma’s newest and largest master planned community, just 20 minutes from downtown Tulsa and worlds away from the expected.

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Stone Canyon Information Center Open 7 days a week 918.376.6764 26 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org www.stonecanyonliving.com

The view from the first tee at The Patriot.

Patriot Cup as part of the community’s Patriot Day celebration.

The event pairs professional golfers with veterans and active duty military in a day of golf that raises awareness and funds. The Patriot Cup combines with the Labor Day activities around Patriot Golf Day, in which golfers donate $1 or more per round nationwide.

Rooney said he won’t know the tally from 2011 Patriot Day activities until mid November, but is expecting a great number to add to the $8.9 million raised previously for aid to families of fallen or wounded soldiers. “Our values here are God, country, and game, in that order,�

Rooney said. “Anything we do in this community has to fall within the realm of those values.�

Two of those values are patriotism and compassion. Rooney said the Veterans Administration cannot provide all that is needed for families of fallen soldiers. Folds of Honor helps with post-secondary educational scholarships.

Beginning in 2012, the Golf Channel will broadcast the Patriot Cup, and Rooney said Budweiser has signed on as title sponsor.

The partnership likely means Folds of Honor will raise even more money for the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

The course is a perfect venue for such an event. The striking vistas, abrupt changes in terrain, and steep climbs are part of a course that Director of Golf David Bryan calls “very playable.� “That was always Mr. Jones’s intention,� Bryan said. “We have generous fairways, so high handicap golfers can enjoy themselves. At the same time, we can set it up so that it can be very challenging.�

Jones thinks of the design of The Patriot as a symphony. “The course is laid out like a musical composition,� he said. “There are all these movements and transitions, like in a symphony, and the course builds to a crescendo near the end. You come up out of the valley at 17, and you see the huge American flag. It’s like a bugle call, a reveille saying, ‘Let’s play.’ It concludes with 18, which is like a great military march. It’s a very strong finish.�

We want the course to be one that everyone can enjoy and learn, but we want the single-digit handicap players to say, ‘I had to think,’ and, “There are no weak holes.’�

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 27

Duffy Martin relaxes on the patio at Cedar Valley, part of his Guthrie golf empire.

An Oklahoma Original At 95, irrepressible Duffy Martin still going strong by john rohde

Claude “Duffy” Martin lives near No. 11 tee on the Augusta course at Cedar Valley Golf Club, one of seven courses he helped construct with his own hands. His house has a hot tub, swimming pool and also a family cemetery, where Martin has reserved his own plot.

“Not that I’m in a hurry to get there,” said the Oklahoma golf treasure, who has taken his sweet time loving life and is in no hurry to stop.

Martin is 95 years old now, looks about 65 and acts about 35. His golf mecca, located a few miles west of Guthrie along both sides of Highway 33, comprises 90 holes and roughly 1,500 acres.

Martin was born May 21, 1916, in Faxon (pop. 127), just southwest of Lawton. The son of a deputy sheriff, he was the sixth of 10 children (six boys, four girls).

The Martin family moved near Blanchard 28 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

to raise cotton and hogs. From there, it was on to Oklahoma City, where Duffy shined shoes and sold newspapers in the late 1920s.

Martin attended Capitol Hill High School with local sports legends Wayne Speegle and Allie Reynolds.

“It was a good life for me,” he said. “If I had anything to get, I had to go buy it. Otherwise, it was hand-me-downs.”

When he was 17, Martin suffered a severe spinal injury while playing football for coach Jim Lookabaugh. For nine months, Martin lay on a hospital bed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “They stretched me from head to toe so it could heal,” he said. “Felt like I was 7 feet long, but I beat the rap. I’ll tell you what, it was a jump ball whether I’d walk or not.”

Unable to bend over and touch the ground, Martin failed the Armed Forces physical, returned to Oklahoma, and drove a taxi cab

for five years.

It was as a cabbie when Martin spotted his future bride Juanita Edwards. Martin described the setting as follows: “Here come these two young dollies. I thought, ‘That brunette is American-made, but she’s got Swiss movements and the backfield’s in motion.’ “ How could Juanita resist?

Martin’s golf empire started in 1948 when he leased some property at NW 58th and May Avenue in Oklahoma City, built a little par-3/driving range and dubbed it Duffy’s Golf Land.

His driving range shack was an old corn dog stand he stole from the fairgrounds.

“It was there, and once the fair left, it was gone,” Martin said unapologetically. “There was a time when people lined up to give me money to hit balls – three and four deep around the shack. I had the only range in

With great grandsons Tripp Martin, left, and Garrett Martin. town. My kids would pick up every ball at night, get done about 11 o’clock.”

Four years later, Martin left $20,000 richer and decided to give the PGA Tour a try. After seven or eight months, the money was almost all gone and he returned home. With winter approaching, Martin sold DeSotos on weekends. Wanting a crash course in golf course construction, Martin worked with greens superintendent Bob Ervine at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club for six months – without pay.

“I had to learn, and learn fast,” said Martin, who in 1954 headed south and built Brookside Golf Club in south Oklahoma City. Shortly after he arrived, construction on Interstate 35 passed alongside his property line. “You talk about a letter from home,” Martin said. “Then things started happening for ole Duffy.”

Martin sold Brookside, purchased the old Bruce January Farm in Moore at an auction in 1966 and constructed Broadmoore Golf Course. When Martin sold the place, he had become a millionaire. “I was shuckin’ and jivin’ and getting some breaks,” Martin explained. “I bought land by the acre and sold it by the foot.”

In 1972, Martin arrived in Cedar Valley,

where eventually he would construct Augusta, International, Cimarron National, Aqua Canyon and The Executive Par-3, an 18-hole layout built around an RV park. “I just ran a horseshoe (design) around the (RV) park,” Martin said. “They said I couldn’t do it. Hell, I know what I can do.”

Many of Martin’s courses were co-created by prominent golf architect Floyd Farley, a long-time friend who designed or remodeled more than 100 courses in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and New Mexico.

“An honorable man,” Martin said of Farley, who died in 2005. “I always checked with him first.”

Having fun and a good pace of play have long topped Martin’s priority list when it comes to golf. This is why there are no sand traps on Martin’s acreage. Not a single one.

Never has been. No rough, either.

Martin’s layouts aren’t big on degree of difficulty. Those looking for a torture test can go play Southern Hills, Karsten Creek and Oak Tree National.

“I know my golf courses haven’t been all that good,” Martin has said. “I’ve tried to make them better, but the weather can be tough sometimes. There’s some hard luck involved.”

Martin’s creations have never been about course and slope ratings. Nothing pleases him more than seeing young and old paired in the same group. Equipment purchased from Martin’s pro shops has been handed down through generations.

Though he refers to long-time friends as “old cell-mates,” Martin rarely forgets a face or a name. “I’m not smart. I just try to be on the alert,” Martin said.

The clubhouse walls at Cedar Valley and Cimarron National are adorned with photos. Martin has been a few places, met a few people. You will see him alongside the likes of Arnold Palmer. Friends in the entertainment field include the late Leslie Nielsen, who died last November, plus Norman native James Garner.

Martin initially purchased 320 acres and built 27 holes at Cedar Valley. His original intent was to have 18 holes for the men and nine for the women, but he nixed the idea because of Ladies Day. “Hey, they’re entitled to it,” said Martin, who purchased another 160 acres, added nine more holes and built the Augusta and International courses.

Martin eventually headed east about five miles on Highway 33 and bought another 640 acres for Cimarron National, Aqua www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 29

Canyon and The Executive Par-3.

Though some of that property had been used as a dumping ground for old cars, refrigerators, stoves, barrels, and other refuse, Martin saw potential in its natural setting. “If you’ve got big trees you’ve got good soil, because nobody planted them,” he said. “If you’ve got a bunch of big, deep creeks, then water’s been running through there a good long time.”

Martin doesn’t just reside in Cedar Valley. He is Cedar Valley.

Former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh set it up so Martin could serve as “mayor” of the township for 20 years, starting in 1976. “It’s just one big family out here. They’re all one of us,” Martin said. “Nobody has any say-so about running the place, except members of the (Cedar ValDuffy Martin surveys his golf kindgon in Guthrie. ley) family and there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” are already plum dry, so that ain’t good.”

For as long as Martin has been in the golf Because of his courses’ superb drainage, business, he said he has never experienced Martin thinks it would only take “two setanything quite like the hot, dry conditions tings in the 4- to 5-inch range” for his ponds of 2011. “This is the worst summer I’ve ever to replenish. “We will survive, but you’ve been in,” Martin said. “I’ve dug 16 (water) got to suck it up, and a lot of good things wells over here and there, and some of them have happened to ole Duffy,” Martin said.

30 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Every golf course he built, every acre he purchased, Martin did so with his family in mind.

His entire life has been about family – Juanita, his wife of 59 years who died in 2005, son Jeff and daughters Claudia, Darla and Susie. “It’s theirs to do with what they want,” said Martin, who also has eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Martin said he has no idea what his empire is worth. “Haven’t put the pencil to it,” Martin once said.

“I do know this: What costs some people $3 to do, I can do it for $1. I make everything count. Like dirt. I don’t move it here, then here, then here. I move it one time. That’s it. Don’t skid that rig till you’re through.”

Every inch of Martin’s property is there for his family whenever he passes, which might happen sometime in the next quarter century or so.

“I’m not volunteering for that, you know,” a smiling Martin said. “Jim Lookabaugh over there at Capitol Hill taught me to never mess with drinkin’ or smokin’. Try to exercise and keep a good frame of mind. I’m no saint. I’ve

done a lot of things, but at the time they all seemed right.”

Martin said old-fashioned common sense has guided him through his successes.

“Guess I learned it in the streets,” Martin explained, “but people who use good ole common sense seem to live longer that way.”

A 9-foot bronze statue of Martin now towers in front of the Cedar Valley Golf Club clubhouse. It took one year to build and was unveiled in a July 31 ceremony, to which Martin’s invitation read: “To see a grown man unveil his ownself is not something you will be invited to often, so please join me.”

Martin marvels at the quality of work, which was done by students of sculptor Fred Olds. “Hell, I don’t look like that now,” Martin said. “Usually, they wait for an ole boy to die before they do something like that, but they managed to put one up for ole Duffy.”

Martin finally has climbed down from all those tractors, scrapers and backhoes he owns. You’ll now find him driving a stretch Cadillac with an imposing police-car bumper in front and bearing the license plate “PGA-ONE.” “I’m not on them tractors now, but I worked hard until I was 85,” Martin said.

Martin still gets up before the roosters.

No telling how many bowls of oatmeal (sprinkled with a few raisins) Martin has consumed in his lifetime. He’ll go through a 45-minute workout at home in the morn-

“Here come these two young dollies. I thought, ‘That brunette is American-made, but she’s got Swiss movements and the backfield’s in motion.’ ”

heart.’ “ Martin first shot his age at 66 and is the national PGA champion in the 90-and-older age group. “One old boy from South Carolina, I don’t remember his name, but he was tough to beat,” Martin said.

Yogi Berra has his “Yogi-isms,” and Duffy Martin has his own way of stating things:

- “When life gets a little hard, it’s all uphill and into the wind, you know.”

- “It seems like I’ve been a hustlin’ and a scufflin’ all my life, and I like that.”

- “People would rather hit ‘em than hunt ‘em. Life’s too short to hunt for golf balls.”

- “Though I’ve never been overly endowed with intelligence, I’ve been pretty fortunate.”

- “Seems like these ole dollies are after all the boys with money, and those ole dollies already done caught Tiger (Woods.)”

- “Anybody can get married. Staying maring and do another workout when he re- ried, that’s the hard part.” turns that night. He’ll do his best to get eight - “You don’t stop playing when you grow hours sleep and get to bed by 9 p.m., and old, you grow old when you stop playing … then repeat the process tomorrow.

Golf, of course.”

Martin recently battled shingles on his left arm, which he quickly treated and conJohn Rohde is a sportswriter withe The Oklaquered. “The doc told me, ‘You’ve got the homan in Oklahoma City and can be found at shingles, but you’ve got a young man’s www.newsok.com

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When Titans Ruled by ken macleod Bryan Norton were the Fab Four for ORU, lifting the program from obscurity to a consistent contender for the NCAA Championship.

The fact that they did not win the title in 1981 when three of the four were seniors, falling two shots shy of Brigham Young at Stanford, remains a bitter disappointment to this day.

Yet when they look back, it is with pride at how hard they worked and how far they came to make ORU perhaps the most potent team in college golf for a brief time.

It all began when Oral Roberts himself decided that ORU should become nationally competitive in golf. He hired Jess Haddock, who had coached Wake Forest – led

by Curtis Strange – to consecutive national championships in 1974 and 1975. Haddock quickly realized ORU was not the place for him, but before he left he did two things of great import. He recruited Mark Tinder from California and he recommended to Oral Roberts that he go after a young coach at LSU named Bill Brogden.

Tinder was one of the nation’s top recruits and though he stayed for just two seasons, he lasted long enough to help Brogden recruit another Californian prep star named Joey Rassett, a standout junior from Turlock in the San Joaquin Valley. Rassett in turn convinced his friend Kane to come to ORU. Norton, a Salina, Kan., native, was ready to head to Kansas until running into Brodgen in Stillwater. Brogden had come over to see how LaBron Harris ran his OSU golf camp in which Norton was participating.

“I instantly thought, here was a guy I would enjoy playing for,” Norton said. “But I was an unfinished product and those other From left, Jim Kane, Joe Rassett, Bill Glasson, Bryan Norton stand in front of the guys were so good right from the get-go. I ORU Praying Hands.

Photo Courtesy Jim Moriarty and Golf World Magazine. worked hard and about two years later, I suddenly got real good as a junior. I finished fourth in the NCAA that year and won the Kansas Amateur.”

Another diamond that needed polishing arrived in 1978 when Brogden signed a physical specimen with a raw golf game from Fresno named Bill Glasson.

Buoyed by his success with Kane and Rassett, Brogden first brought in Bobby Clam pett for a visit, but he wound up going to BYU. He then went after the next two Caliike a Fourth of July rocket, the Oral Rob- NCAA title in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1983. fornia prospects, Keith Clearwater, who also erts University golf program took off, Yet there were a group of four young men went to BYU, and Glasson. burst into brilliance and faded to obscurity. and a determined coach who collectively “Joey was the best college player I’d been Thirty years ago Oklahoma State, much had the audacity to think, why not, we can around,” Brogden said. “He and Bob Tway as it is today, was the dominant program in be the next OSU. were co-players of the year as seniors and men’s collegiate golf. The Cowboys won the Joey Rassett, Bill Glasson, Jim Kane and we all thought Joey was a can’t miss profes-

Thirty years ago, four fast friends took the ORU golf program to heights unimagined. They thought it was the beginning of a dynasty. Turns out, it was fun while it lasted.

L

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sional. But Billy was the toughest competitor I’ve ever been around. He competed every day and that’s why he made it. He didn’t quit. Whatever it took, he was going to do.

He stood out there in his short shorts with no shirt and no shoes and worked at it.

“Bill didn’t have a lot of opportunity coming up. His mom and dad were separated and that was tough for him. He had less and did the most with it. Not physically, he was a great athlete who could do anything. But he had never had any lessons. Once he got to the tour, he got his swing under control and away he went.”

While Glasson was working his way toward becoming the player who would go on to win seven PGA Tour events, Rassett was just as dedicated during his college years, constantly driving his teammates and convincing them they could not only win the national championship but be the genesis of a program that would consistently contend.

“Every day, Joey challenged Bill and every day he beat him,” Brogden said. “It’s just part of what made Billy work harder.”

“Glasson came in that second year and said let’s just beat the hell out of whoever,” Kane said. “He was a team player and a hard worker. He worked hard on his game and got the most out of it.”

Prodded constantly by Brogden, none of the four shrank from working hard to get better.

“What we always knew was that nobody was going to out-tough us,” Norton said. “We were not going to shrink from the battle. Everybody was just mentally tough.

Everybody knew the other guy was going to be digging deep.

“Bill was quiet, almost brooding, while Joey was gregarious and a natural leader.

But everybody in their own way was pretty tough when it mattered.”

All four were good athletes and had played high school basketball, but ran into more than their match when they challenged their coach, who was a standout collegian at East Carolina.

“He would get some of his buddies and they would just school us,” Kane said. “Man, could Brogden shoot!”

After finishing sixth in the NCAA Tournament as freshmen and sophomore, the quartet, despite a revolving fifth man, set their sights on the top prize. They were barely denied, finishing third in 1980 as OSU won.

Then came the 1981 season they all remember with mixed emotions.

“We were ranked No. 1 all year,” Brogden said. “I think we won all five tournaments in the fall and Rassett won four of them. His scoring average was about 67.”

The Titans, as they were known then,

From left, Oral Roberts, Coach Bill Brogden, Jim Wilson, Bryan Norton, Bill Glasson, Jim Kane, and Joey Rassett. had a great spring as well and went into the NCAA Championship at Stanford as the favorite. BYU, however, was also loaded with four players who would go on to have notable PGA Tour careers, and the Cougars prevailed by two shots.

Looking past the regret, the Titans remember how much fun they had and what they did accomplish.

“My favorite memory is how much you can accomplish when you have high expectations,” Norton said. “The kids at OSU are used to that. For us to be at a school that had never done anything . . . Coach Brogden and Joey were always hammering it home to us every day that we could win it all. Just making that transformation to believing that first is the only thing worth playing for, and doing it at a place where there was no history, that was a great accomplishment.”

“We were five brothers of different mothers,” Rassett said. “What we commonly shared was the fact that rather than going to a big school and getting lost in the shuffle, we wanted to create our own legacy. If Oral Roberts could have carried it on, what we were creating is what OSU is today. You have to start from somewhere and that was our mentality. What’s it going to take to be No. 1?”

Rassett, who is now the general manager at Waterlefe Golf & River Club in Bradenton, Fla., never lived up to his own or others expectations during a seven-year career on the PGA Tour.

“I look back and say my biggest goal was trying to grab the brass ring,” Rassett said. “I just didn’t know what to do with it when I got it.”

Norton and Kane both eventually battled their way onto the PGA Tour for a brief time as well. Norton regained his amateur status and won the Kansas Amateur for a second

time in 2002 and the Kansas Senior Open in 2010 and 2011. He is now in the insurance business in Mission Hills, Kan. Kane, a member at Oak Tree National, recently started a new business selling replacement batteries in pro shops for all yardage devices.

Glasson lives in Stillwater and is on the Champions Tour, where he has finished in the top 10 twice since July. His career was spectacular at times but he also battled an amazing number of injuries.

ORU could not gain a consistent fifth starter during the time frame of the other four. Mike Hughtett, who has gone on to become the most decorated player in Oklahoma Golf Association history with 14 titles, was on the team early but transferred to Nebraska. Jim Wilson, who also eventually reached the PGA Tour briefly, was the fifth starter on the 1981 team.

Ironically, Kane won the Oklahoma Open in 1991 and Norton won it in 1992, his final event as a pro.

To a man, the players all credit Brogden with making them tougher competitors than they were coming in.

“He’s the real competitor,” Norton said.

“He loved to be the underdog. He loved to tell us nobody believes in us but ourselves.

He did a good job keeping us on point and pushing us to work as hard as we did to try to win it all.”

“For me, it was an honor to coach those guys,: said Brogden, now a fixture at the University of Tulsa where he has coached the past 26 years since ORU abruptly dropped college golf in 1985. “What I really appreciate is that they stay in touch and they tell me I was a positive influence in their lives.

Just to have been a minute part of a guy’s life is special and these guys are special.” www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 35

DESTINATIONS

Coachella Valley Gems Stunning beauty at Indian Wells, LaQuinta by matt mckay The 17th hole at The Players Course at Indian Wells Resort.

When your mind drifts to images of golf in the Southern California desert, you’re really imagining Indian Wells Golf Resort and La Quinta Resort, whether you know it or not.

The two iconic resorts, contained within the boundaries of the towns from which they draw their names, are among the mostrecognizable and patronized resorts in the country, if not the world. As both have developed their reputations down through the years, their standard of excellence in terms of accommodations are matched only by their golf offerings. The result is two distinct resorts with distinctly different golf courses within five miles of each other.

Both resorts – and both towns, La Quinta and Indian Wells – are primary attractions in the area known as the Coachella Valley, which shares its name with the smaller town east of La Quinta. Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Desert are the other four towns in the valley.

The valley’s proximity to Los Angeles and Hollywood helped create the reality, and the mystique, of the area as a getaway for the elite of Southern California. The entire region lies 100 miles east of downtown L.A., and slightly further to the northeast from 36 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

San Diego. Coachella Valley residents often say it’s two hours to everywhere, including the beach and the ski resorts at Big Bear Mountain.

But it’s L.A. and San Diego residents that say it’s two hours to some of the best golf resorts in the country, and often times they’re referring to IWGR and La Quinta. And, excluding the summer months, the desert weather is as close to “perfect” as it gets. So close, in fact, that aforementioned coastal residents use the desert to get away from the areas Frank Sinatra referred to when The Lady who was a Tramp said she didn’t like California because it’s cold and damp.

The Indian Wells Golf Resort, which originally opened in 1957, is one of the City of Indian Wells’ crown jewels and was the home of what so far has been the last version of the Skins Game (2007-2008). Most recently, it was the home of Golf Channel’s “Big Break Indian Wells” which filmed on the two resort courses. The resort offers four hotels: the Indian Wells Resort Hotel, the Hyatt Grand Champions, the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and the Miramonte Resort and Spa. The hotels are augmented by the Celebrity and Players golf courses, both of

Photo by Lonna Tucker.

which were originally designed by Ted Robinson and opened in 1986. At the center of it all is the Indian Wells Club, less than two years old and featuring “desert modern” architecture. The structure features two levels of amenities including several meeting spaces, the club restaurant, the pro shop, and expansive veranda areas on both levels.

The golf courses, formerly the East and West, both underwent extensive renovations in the last five years. In 2006, Englishman and former touring professional-turnedarchitect Clive Clark essentially created the Celebrity Course (7,050 yards, Cabarnet tee) from scratch, rerouting 13 holes and designing five new holes on what was once 30 open acres owned by the resort, and the “old” West course. Once the East Course, the Players Course (7,376 yards, Cabernet tee) was redesigned by John Fought in 2007 and presents players with plenty of Fought’s foundation principals, including penal bunker complexes and relatively accommodating fairways.

The sleek surfaces and vast plate-glass windows of the IWC create a feeling of midcentury modern desert sophistication that’s unmatched in the Coachella Valley. And it’s

in this setting where players will check in at the pro shop, and perhaps even pay a visit to the ultra-high tech Callaway Performance Center. After the round, drinks on the veranda may be followed by dinner at the IWC, and perhaps a putting contest on the lighted nine-hole putting course.

Guests can expect the same uncompromising customer services and amenities at La Quinta, but the atmosphere – while upscale and world-class – is very different from Indian Wells. Where Indian Wells boasts angles, vistas, and stainless steel, La Quinta offers adobe, tile roofs, and wrought-iron lamps.

Since mid-century modern and Spanish/ Mexican influences are considered traditional valley-wide, each scream Southern California style in pleasingly different ways.

Before Highway 111 was built in the 1930s to connect all the Coachella Valley, La Quinta was the getaway for stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age; when it was time to escape the media and the adoring public, Hollywood insiders would sneak off to the desert and ask that they not be disturbed.

To this day, despite expansion and the rise of the modern world around it, the resort maintains its feeling of exclusive seclusion.

The hotel’s accommodations come in the form of bungalows spread across a wide area, with each cluster surrounding its own unique, Mexican-tiled pool and spa. A short stroll from any bungalow lies The Spa at La Quinta, which offers every form of human pampering. The flagship restaurant is Morgan’s in the Desert, which is a primary component of the main building.

La Quinta opened up a new stream of visitors when it climbed into the golf game full force in the 1980’s. In the late 1970s, the resort developed an association with Landmark Land Company, formerly Unique Golf Concepts, and operated by Oak Tree Golf Club founders Ernie Vossler, Joe Walser and Johnny Pott. Through the construction of Oak Tree, Landmark worked closely with then controversial architect and that relationship created a legacy at PGA West and La Quinta that remains today.

La Quinta offers five championship golf courses to its’ guests: PGA West Stadium, PGA West Greg Norman, the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament, and the two resort courses, the Mountain and Dunes. Both resort courses were designed by Dye, who also famously or infamously - laid out the Stadium Course, still well-known as one of his masterpieces despite its extreme difficulty. All three were created via the synergy between Landmark, Dye and the resort visionaries. The hotel courses are a short shuttle ride from the main building, while the Stadium, Nicklaus, and

The Mountain Course at LaQuinta.

Norman courses require a short drive.

While Dye designed three of the courses, they vary dramatically in personality. The Dunes course is cleverly routed through the available landscape, and is a handful despite measuring only 6,712 yards from the Black (back) tee. A good example of what the Dunes is all about is the 191-yard par-3 No. 6, often referred to as the “easiest par 5 in the valley.” The Mountain Course (6,732 yards, Black tee) remains one of the valley’s must-play courses, with holes playing up to, down from, and around mountains close enough to touch.

The Norman Course (7,156 yards, Black tee), which will host The Prestige at PGA West NCAA tournament in October, is the course where you’re most likely to spot couples or juniors because of its minimal use of forced carries. Wayward shots that find the desert aren’t necessarily an automatic penalty, as “desert gold” is just as likely to let the ball run back into the grass. The Nicklaus Resort Course has all the Nicklaus tricks, including deep, dramatic bunkers and skinny greens, but the distance (7,204, Black tee) and resort-width fairways make it more manageable than some Nicklaus layouts.

And then there’s the Stadium Course (7,300 yards, Black tee), one of the courses that makes golfers worldwide giddy with anticipation while shaking in their shoes.

The original Stadium Course turned out by Landmark and Dye has been softened con-

siderably over the years (like many of Dye’s most-difficult courses). But the insidious landforms, uneven fairways and devilishly deep bunkers still ensure the sternest test of examinations.

There are 18 signature holes, but it’s the finish that typically leaves golfers beaten but satisfied. The 600-yard par-5 No. 16, called “San Andreas” features a bunker guarding the right side of the approach that falls off some 20 feet from fairway level.

If using your imagination to picture yourself soaking up the Southern California desert has made you weary, give it and yourself a break. There are no better places to do it than Indian Wells and La Quinta.

Matt McKay is a Palm Springs-based freelance writer and host of “The Elevated Tee” radio program. He can be reached at areagolf@ gmail.com.

Planning a trip?

Golf Courses Indian Wells Golf Resort www.indianwellsgolfresort.com 760-346-4653

LaQuinta Golf Resort www.laquintaresort.com 760-565-4111

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 37

DESTINATIONS

Desert primer

A guide to the best golf values in Phoenix - Scottsdale by bill huffman SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – In the land of the long, tall cacti, where golf courses once sprouted like stately saguaros, sensibility has settled over the game in the High Sonoran Desert.

Oh, sure, you can still spend $200 or more if you want to play the very best of Arizona’s best. But the deals are everywhere if you want to take the time to look around and check out tee times.

Just as cool, the average green fee in the Grand Canyon State is less than it was 10 years ago. Andrew Magee, the former Oklahoma standout who moved to the Valley of the Sun 25 years ago has heard the buzz.

“It’s so true. Most high-end courses have lowered their fees while the medium- to lower-end courses are a better deal than ever,’’ Magee explained. “Basically, it’s a win-win for the guys and gals who come here to play golf.’’

Arizona, once rated as the No. 3 most expensive golf destination in the West behind Hawaii and Las Vegas, has fallen to No. 5, according to National Golf Foundation.

And the misperception that Arizona doesn’t have reasonably priced golf “is a thing of the past,’’ Magee added.

“What’s really neat about Arizona golf is 38 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

The third hole at Gold Canyon Resort near Scottsdale.

that while the best courses are really, really good, the medium-priced, and even moderate-priced munis, are pretty dang good, too.’’

Want to play the very best? Then according to most national golf publications on that subject, Troon North’s Monument and Pinnacle courses along with We-Ko-Pa’s Cholla and Saguaro take top billing. Perhaps that’s because such noted architects as Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish built Troon North while Scott Miller and the dynamic duo of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore did the WeKo-Pa gems.

Then again, as Magee is quick to point out, Gold Canyon Resort’s Dinosaur Course was ranked No. 8 in a Sports Illustrated poll on “The Most Underrated Courses in America.’’

Gold Canyon was in there with some pretty lofty company, like Spyglass Hill, Bethpage, Circling Raven and Dancing Rabbit, to name a few.

“Normally, you’ve got to be in Scottsdale to get the ‘ink,’ ‘’ Magee said. “But the reality is that you can drive to a lot of great courses in other parts of the Valley and find that high-end stuff that’s almost like a private club.’’

Scottsdale does have a rather stunning portfolio, courses like Grayhawk’s Talon and

Raptor, where Tom Fazio created a dazzling diamond that has hosted such PGA Tour stops as the Andersen Consulting World Match Play and the Frys.com Open. Other Scottsdale notables include The Boulders Resort, a Morrish-inspired masterpiece built among the plethora of prehistoric boulders; Talking Stick Golf Club, where Crenshaw and Coore carved out the desert-like North Course and the tree-lined South Course; Kierland Golf Club, where Miller came up with three distinctive nines in the Acacia, Ironwood and Mesquite; The Phoenician, where Ted Robinson built 27 holes of golf in an oasis-like arena; and the TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, designed by Weiskopf and Morrish and the home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

But within a 30-mile radius there’s also Eagle Mountain Golf Club in Fountain Hills, the Raven at Verrado in Buckeye and the historic Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, which recently underwent a $10 million renovation to the resort and its Gold, Patriot and Heritage courses.

Two things all these Arizona courses share are impeccable conditioning and an average of 330 days of sunshine a year. In fact, those were the clinchers for Magee when he de-

Above, Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield Park, and at right Southern Dunes Golf Course in Maricopa. cided to make the big jump from the plains to the desert back in 1986.

The former Sooner All-American said he vividly remembers trying to work on his game in November of that year at Oak Tree along with his good friend, Willie Wood. But the cold and rain and wind were in his face, and he had just come off his second season on the PGA Tour ranked no better than No. 120 on the money list.

“It was a desperate time in my life. I realized that if I planned to stay on Tour, I was going to have to make a move,’’ said Magee, who played golf for Oklahoma from 198084 while Wood played for Oklahoma State from 1979-83.

“So I went home and told my good-looking girlfriend, Susan, who would soon become my wife, that we were going to move, and she could either choose Phoenix, Palm Spring or Florida. We discussed it, decided that Palm Springs wasn’t really to our liking if we planned to raise kids, and that Florida was too muggy and buggy. And here we are, 25 years later in Phoenix and loving every minute of it.’’

The first course Magee played in Arizona?

“That would be the TPC, which had just opened. But then I started to branch out and play a little more in North Scottsdale, and after a year or so I figured out that all of the courses in that particular neighborhood had PGA Tour-like conditioning.’’

But like Magee said earlier, the medium and lower-tiered courses are pretty dead-sol-

id perfect, too. Like the TPC Stadium’s twin sister – the TPC Champions, which technically is a municipal but you’d never know it. Yes, Oklahoma architect Randy Heckenkemper did a wonderful job on this remake of the original Weiskopf-Morrish design and with good reason. Heckenkemper was an associate of Weiskopf’s and Morrish’s when they did the original.

Another course that falls into that mediumpriced category is McDowell Mountain Golf Club, a Heckenkemper design with a Scottsdale address. The course is located in the McDowell foothills and is a pleasant surprise as well as an ecological effort that earned Audubon Society status. And if you don’t mind the drive, Heckenkemper’s third Arizona layout called StoneRidge –- a true roller-coaster ride through the high country -- is about a 90minute drive north to Prescott Valley.

Contrary to what some might think, there is an abundance of outstanding mediumpriced golf in Arizona, including such courses as Longbow, a Ken Kavanaugh design that has Scottsdale-like conditioning and service; ASU Karsten, home to the Sun Devils golf teams; Orange Tree, a wall-to-wall grass tract that has been around for 50 years; and the newly renovated Raven Golf Club at Phoenix (formerly South Mountain).

For those who want to spend less, Phoenix has five “old school’’ municipals that are wonderful, including Papago, a rare “traditional desert’’ 18 holes designed by William Bell, the same architect who created Torrey Pines.

Dobson Ranch in Mesa, Mountain Brook in Gold Canyon and Apache Creek in Apache Junction are also fun at a fraction of the cost.

Magee agreed, it’s the beauty of Arizona golf that sets it apart. www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 39

Troon North Golf Club located in Scottsdale.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played a ‘badly’ conditioned golf course since I came to Arizona, and I don’t care if that’s Flagstaff, Tucson, Page, Tubac, wherever,’’ said Magee, who this fall will receive an award for being the designated OU golf alum who has given the most back to the Sooners program.

As Magee pointed out, you can take an easy drive to places like Tucson and play high-end courses like Ventana Canyon or the Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain, home to the WGC-Accenture Match Play Cham-

40 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

pionship, as well as magnificent munis like Randolph Park North, former home to the LPGA. Other great road trips are Prescott, where Antelope Hills’ fabulous North and South courses are a tremendous value, or even venture up north to Sedona, where year-round golf is a Kodak moment at Sedona Golf Resort.

Why should we take Magee’s word?

That’s “a gimme,’’ said the only player to ever make a hole-in-one on a par 4 (No. 17, TPC Stadium) in PGA Tour history.

“I’m a Sooner, and we always shoot straight,’’ he said with a big smile. “Once a Sooner, always a Sooner.’’

“I love Oklahoma,’’ he said. “In fact, I still call Willie all the time, and usually he’ll be playing and practicing at Oak Tree.

“It’s kind of funny, because I’ll kid him about moving back, and then he’ll hold his cell phone up in the air and I can hear the wind whistling into his phone. You know, when you live in Arizona, you don’t miss that wind.’’

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The renovated Lakes at Castle Hills Golf Club in Lewisville, Texas.

Haney moves headquarters Lakes at Castle Hills is new site by art stricklin

LEWISVILLE, Texas -- Former University of Tulsa golfer and top-ranked teacher Hank Haney is expanding his golf-teaching empire once again at a North Texas course which is doing some expanding of its own, The Lakes at Castle Hills.

Haney recently announced he was moving his world headquarters for the Hank Haney Golf Schools to the newly renamed and totally renovated course, which opened Sept. 24.

Haney has been working with Lakes of Castle Hills Director of Instruction Peter Krause to totally modernize the state-of-art teaching facility adjacent to the par 72 semiprivate course, located northwest of Dallas.

An official grand opening was held Sunday, Oct. 9, for Haney and his staff. In addition, portions of the highly-rated television show The Haney Project may be filmed here as well in the future.

“With the great support of (owner) Bright Realty in creating a truly world class golf facility, coupled with the latest golf teaching technologies we have a chance to make learning golf a great experience here at The Lakes at Castle Hills,” Haney said.

The addition of the Haney teaching facilities is only the latest upgrade to this former public golf facility, which had fallen on

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rough times, but is now being reborn in upscale golf grandeur.

The Texas State Open, the state’s premier annual tournament for rising professional golfers, top amateurs and club professionals, also recently announced a three-year contract to move to The Lakes at Castle Hills starting in 2012.

Castle Hills originally opened in 1999 as one of the area’s premier daily fees Hank Haney facilities, but after struggling with a succession of management groups, decided to renew its image as a fantastic layout by Flower Mound architect Jay Morrish, with an equally high service upgrade.

The owners hired Director of Golf and General Manager Chris Martinez and head professional Dan Parker, both of whom previously worked at Vaquero Golf Club, the area’s premier private club, to bring the

same level of service, course conditions and teaching to The Lakes at Castle Hills.

That’s what attracted Haney, who has other smaller teaching locations in the Dallas area, to Castle Hills.

His new facilities will include an indoor swing lab offering Online Skills Coach video and motion analysis. There is a Cool Clubs Custom Club fitting center and separate teaching center dedicated to the study and improvement of putting.

The Lakes at Castle Hills is currently selling memberships, but also offers some public play. There is no membership needed to experience the Haney teaching facility which will be open to members and visitors from anywhere, looking to book a lesson or a clinic with one of the most renowned teaching systems in golf.

Haney and his associates have given more than 50,000 lessons, including Haney’s per-

sonal work with Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods.

While the Haney facility at Castle Hills includes a huge swath of grass tees on either end of the 510-yard range, along with three full-length practice holes, he will also use the new course for playing and teaching lessons.

“It’s incredible what they have been able to accomplish in such a short period of time,” Haney said. “These are already the best greens in Dallas. They only planted them 90 days ago and they will only continue to get better.

“Once the word gets out on this course being available, with our facilities, wow.”

While the course routing was not changed, the course was cleaned of the overgrowth and brush, which contributed to its formerly rundown nature. Brilliant new sand and some water were added as well.

Each of the fairways has a cleanly defined look and, befitting the new name, water comes into play on more than half of the holes, especially on the back nine with plenty of watery trouble on holes 15, 17 and 18.

“We’ve made some good progress here, but we have a lot more to come,” Bright Realty CEO Chris Bright said at the September grand opening.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 43

MAHOGANY’S PRO PROFILE

David Edwards After a long, successful playing career that included four wins on the PGA Tour and one on the Champions Tour, David Edwards recently became the Director of Instruction at Karsten Creek Golf Course in Stillwater. He retired from competitive golf due to a wrist injury and for the future intends to spend part of the year teaching and the other part traveling with his wife Jonnie.

When you get your RV and first pull onto the highway, what’s going to be playing. Born to be Wild? Who are your favorite musicians or bands?

Probably classic country if it’s the radio. I have only 62 songs on ITunes and I don’t think there are more than two songs by any one artist. It’s quite a variety and almost all of the songs would be one of the top 2 or 3 songs by that artist. I don’t tend to like the “artist.” I like particular songs.

Besides family and friends, where are some areas you would like to visit?

For me it’s more about doing things and I would rather do them in 80-degree weather rather than 105 or 25 degrees like it is around here in the summer and winter. My wife is interested in Civil War type things, including plantations and battlefields. I’d like to be around some motorsports events of various kinds and I could probably spend a month in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian and at the monuments.

like Sam Snead started doing had they not outlawed that, but not because it’s an easier stroke to make. The reason straddling is clearly a better method is because you can line up the putter more accurately, there is no arc to the path of your putter and because you can tell where you started the putt more precisely.

Who’s the best golfer you’ve ever seen and why?

Jack Nicklaus would be my pick. Hogan, Nelson, Snead and Jones were all before my time especially because I didn’t grow up around the game at all. Tiger is no doubt phenomenal but in a different way. Jack didn’t have to pull off the miracles that Tiger does because he controlled the golf ball so well. I played with Jack at the World Series of Golf at Firestone CC in the third round one year. The first hole the pin was in the back left corner of the green. He must have pulled it a little and missed the green to the left and left himself short sided. The rough was deep and he didn’t get the ball on the green. His next shot went 10 feet past the hole and he twoputted for a double-bogey. The crowd was stunned. Walking off the green I noticed that the look on his face seemed to say to the course, “I’ll show you”. For the next 17 holes he never missed a fairway, never missed a green and proceeded to shoot 66. If he needed to be on the left side of

What is your take on belly putters?

I’m not sure. If it’s better or easier then it’s not by much or everyone would change pretty quickly. You still have to return the putter to square at impact no matter how you choose to hold it. I would be willing to bet that almost everyone would have putted straddling the line See EDWARDS page 51 44 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

CHARLESTON’S AMATEUR PROFILE

Tripp Davis Tripp Davis is not only a successful golf course architect, he is also one of the state’s best players on the national amateur stage. Unfortunately, Davis’ work schedule and following daughters Mary and Maggie on their soccer careers constrains him from participating in many OGA events.

Davis did win the 2000 OGA State Amateur and was a member of the 1989 University of Oklahoma national championship squad.

What were the highlights of your summer schedule?

I played with Tony Romo in the Azalea in Charleston and that was fun. Then at the Porter cup, I really just went up there to support the event and the effort they are making to get the greens rebuilt. I shot 71-66-69-69 and finished 25th I was the low Mid-Am and got a little crystal ball for that. But these high school and college kids are just amazing. It’s pretty disheartening to play as well as I can for four days and finish 25th.

ple in business. All of my renovation work in the northeast is a result of relationships I’ve developed at these amateur events.

You’ve worked on a lot of Perry Maxwell courses in Oklahoma.

Who are some of the other classic architects whose courses you have renovated?

We’ve done work on Seth Raynor and A.W. Tillinghast courses. The renovation work exposes us to a lot of different types of old classic architecture.

It helps us with renovation work elsewhere and with gaining a How much time do you work on new perspective. your game?

Not enough. I’m learning the Any hope for new course condifference between being able struction to pick up in the U.S.? to play consistently well and beFrom what I’ve heard, I’m ing able to play well once in a not optimistic at all about any while. If I get a chance to pre- new course construction here in pare for a week ahead of time, the foreseeable future. Nobody I’m okay. And Cameron Doan, I know can say there is a light the head pro at Preston Trail in at the end of the tunnel. That’s Dallas, has been able to help me why we’ve pursued work in with my swing.

China, but China now has a It’s hard when you’re trav- moratorium on golf course coneling as much as I am. But the struction. other thing I’ve learned is not to expect so much of myself. Last So what’s a golf course archiyear I got really frustrated and tect to do? it became hard to have the right If you’ve developed a reputaframe of mind. The real key is to tion for doing restoration work, simplify things, go out and not that helps. The problem is a expect as much and learn to play lot of the competition has also within yourself.” jumped into restoration work. A lot of guys have second jobs right Are you able to mix business now or are designing outside the and competition in the national golf field. You’ve got to be willamateur events? ing to travel and get your foot in The best thing about it is it the door in Thailand, Singapore, gives me a chance to meet peo- Vietnam, India and China. www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 45

LOOK WHO’S PLAYING Sports Director of News 9 in Oklahoma City since 2001, Blevins has been a broadcaster in Oklahoma for 30 years. An avid golfer with a 3 handicap, Blevins has hosted numerous charity events and has competed in OGA championships.

Dean, you’ve been a member at Oak Tree for a long time. Is Oak Tree that hard or are people just psyched out before they start?

Oak Tree National deserves its (former) rating as the second hardest course in America. You’ve gotta hit fairways to have a chance to hit greens. Uneven fairway lies are the norm, getting up and down is extraordinarily difficult at Pete Dye courses—and he considers this one his baby.

Take Oak Tree out of the mix and list your top 10 courses in the state.

Rather not do that without data in front of me. I can tell you it would start with Southern Hills and Oak Tree National. I don’t need to play another course in America if you’d let me on those every day—although getting on Cypress was spectacular. Karsten Creek is awesome and Twin Hills underrated, but without a lot of info in front of me I’d rather

46 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Dean Blevins

You’ve admired Tiger and what he’s accomplished. How much has your opinion of him changed?

My opinion has drastically changed. How he played golf at that level with those latenight extracurricular gymnastics going on is one of the most remarkable – in a sad and sick sense – things we’ve had to witness. No wonder his cardiovascular conditioning was so good. Seriously, his bizarre sickness could short-circuit the most amazing run of continued success we’ve seen in any sport, and Left, as club champion at The Oaks in 1985. in the meantime cost you and me a chance to be entertained on a regular basis. My DVR Right, at Oak Tree National in 2011. is getting a rest – unfortunately. stick to the top two.

Tell us the story about Barry Switzer cadDid Fred Couples make the right choice in dying for you during your recruitment. naming Tiger to the President’s Cup team I was lucky enough to be recruited by or was that premature?

Dean Smith, Bear Bryant, Frank Broyles I see both sides. As sick as I am with Tiger’s and Eddie Sutton, Ted Owens at KU, and screw-ups, I’d say it was right. Tiger’s biggest of course Barry Switzer, to play football and problem is not hitting enough balls to be com- basketball in college. Like any 18 year-old, I petitive. And he’ll be able to do that before the changed my mind several times. But what competition. Of course, the clutter that must sealed the deal was probably when Coach be going through his head has to be over- Switzer would join my pals and myself on whelming – so much that unless he addresses the last few holes at Westwood, and tote that I don’t see him breaking Jack’s record. my bag. I figured anyone who would do that

would be someone I could relate to the next Who are you dominating in the Total Domfour years. Unfortunately, his promise to let inance Hour? me throw it 20 times a game was about as It’s hard to dominate Jim and Al because accurate as my two-iron. they talk over you more than Bill O’Reilly.

I’ve worked with Al for almost 25 years.

If we teamed up Nate Hybl and Brandon Maybe that explains my problems. Jim Weeden against Sam Bradford and Dean loves golf, has been there and leans hard Blevins in an all QB four-ball match, who right politically. Not a bad combination. would win and why?

Plus I always have the upper hand since I Depends on who kept score. Those guys dominated him in our highly anticipated can really play. I’m going to plead the fifth on golf matches: I believe the final record was that one. I’ve played with Brandon some and 5-1 before his gout took him into links rehe swings it like a pro…just hasn’t played tirement. enough to score. Sam’s “The Natural” and would be hard to beat. Haven’t played with Are you a technology geek when it comes to Nate but I know he can hit it. The other guy golf or do you stick with the same stuff? is past his prime. If he ever had one.

I’ll do anything to save a shot or two.

But it doesn’t matter the ball, the clubs, You recently put together a group of Oak the lessons, the stretching, the score seems Tree members to visit The Patriot in aO- the same. 95 percent of golf is in the head. wasso. Did you get some good feedback That’s my problem. on what they thought of the course and the cause?

What is the best round of golf you’ve witThe guys absolutely loved it -- the course, nessed and what was your favorite round the hospitality, the cause. The Patriot is an that you’ve played?

Oklahoma treasure and Dan Rooney has be- I walked inside the ropes when Tiger shot come a good friend and is as impressive a 63 at the PGA in Southern Hills. That was guy as I may have ever met. as impressive a performance I’ve ever seen

in sports.

I’d say my favorite round of golf was when I made 18 pars on a windy day at Karsten Creek to take the first round lead in the OGA Stroke Play Championship in the early nineties. It was windy and (Mike) Holder had them set it up hard. Imagine Mike doing that. I don’t remember the other rounds. Ha-ha.

Our condolences on your father recently passing away at the age of 91 and we know he was an enthusiastic and talented golfer who often shot better than his age. Did he get you started in the game and what did he mean to your enjoyment of golf?

My dad was my hero and best friend.

We were raised on Arnold Palmer, Arkansas football and mayonnaise sandwiches.

I started hitting golf balls with him when I was six in Hot Springs, Ark. Used to caddy for him and be so competitive just praying he’d beat the deacons he’d be playing with at the University Course in Norman.

He and my brothers, Bill and Paul, probably played 300 rounds together. That bonding is what golf is all about.

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COMPETITION

One from the heart

Phillips wins for ailing father Tracy Phillips, playing his heart out for his ailing father, made three miraculous saves on the final three holes to preserve a one-shot victory over Pat McTigue and Kurt Gibson in the PGA South Central Section Championship at Cedar Ridge Country Club.

It was an especially poignant moment for Phillips. His father, Buddy Phillips, is on leave from Cedar Ridge after nearly 40 years as the head professional while recuperating from recent open heart surgery. Tracy Phillips is the director of the Buddy Phillips Learning Center at Cedar Ridge and this is the course where he learned all the wizardry that gave him one of the most renowned short games in the region.

“I really started the tournament thinking of him and wanting to win this for him,” Tracy said before pausing to gather his emotions. “He wasn’t out here, but nonetheless, it was good.”

After opening with rounds of 72-69, the diminutive Phillips had to call on all his

48 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

short-game prowess in a final round when the driver deserted him.

On the par-4 16th hole, he pulled his drive right into the trees, but managed to cut a shot out of rough to 20 feet and made the birdie putt for what would prove to be the winning margin. On 17, he whacked his drive in the trees again, punched out to 60 yards short of the green, then hit a wedge to 5 feet and converted the putt for par.

On the par-4 18th, Phillips was right of the green and 50 feet away in two, but chipped to within five feet and again holed the putt.

McTigue closed with a 1-under 70 highlighted by birdies on holes 10 and 12 and an eagle on 14. A bogey on 17 kept him from a playoff. Gibson shot a final-round 75 after opening with rounds of 70-71 to share the lead with Phillips.

Phillips shot rounds of 72-69-74 to finish at 2-over 215.

“It was good to be in the hunt but I’m really happy for Tracy,” McTigue said.

Spears wins Buffalo Run Classic at Peoria Ridge It’s often said that you have to lose an event before you win one. Evidently, the old axiom doesn’t pertain to Ryan Spears.

Playing in his first final group on the NGA/ Hooters Tour, Spears ousted Ryan Blaum, a three-time NGA/ Hooters Tour winner, on the third playoff hole to win the NGA/ Hooters Tour’s Buffalo Run Casino Classic at the Peoria Ridge Golf Club.

“It feels great,” said Spears, who earned $28,000. “This is one of the greatest accomplishments of my career, especially with me not winning over the last few years.”

Accustomed to racking up victories at Wichita State, Spears had yet to record a top-five finish in 30 NGA/Hooters Tour starts before his breakout win. In addition to the win, the 2008 MVC Player of the Year

ONLINE: Get local, national, equipment, and travel stories online at golfoklahoma.org earned an unrestricted exemption into the Nationwide Tour’s Children’s Hospital Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Oct. 6-9.

“This couldn’t have happened at a better time of the year,” said Spears, who played in the 2009 U.S. Open. “To get my first win in my home state and get a Nationwide Tour exemption right before PGA Q-School, it doesn’t get any better. I don’t think it’s set in yet.”

Spears, who received a redemption for his PGA Tour Q School entry fee, appeared to be on cruise control late in the round, holding a comfortable lead over Blaum and Andrew Landry.

“I thought it was going to come down to me making a putt, because I had good looks on the first two playoff holes,” said Spears.

“But he had trouble on the third playoff hole and missed an 18-footer for par. I had a short putt for par and made it. I would’ve loved to have made a birdie to end it, but I’ll take it.

It was worth the wait.”

Oklahoma native Martin Maritz (Broken Arrow) fired the low round of the tournament on Saturday, recording a 10-under 62 and moving into a tie for 12th.

Edwards, continued from 46 the fairway, he was. Every shot was at the pin and he made birdie on eight of the seventeen holes.

Who should have won 10 more tournaments than he did and why?

Greg Norman comes to mind. He shot himself in the foot a few times, but he also was the victim of some incredible hole-outs: Bob Tway at the PGA Championship, Larry Mize at the Masters and Robert Gamez at Arnold Palmer’s tournament, The Bay Hill Classic. Two of the three were majors, no less. I can’t think of anyone who even comes close to having to endure that kind of disappointment. If those had gone his way, who knows how many more he might have won with the additional confidence those would have given him.

Looking back, youi’ve had a very successful career, winning the 1978 NCAA individual championship, four PGA Tour wins and a Champions Tour victory on top.

When you look back, what are a few things

you recall most fondly?

The individual NCAA Championship was special because it’s like the only major in college golf, but being a First Team All-American really meant more because it reflects your performance over the whole year. My first win on the PGA Tour was the Walt Disney Team Championship with my brother Danny. He had a lot to do with me becoming a player at the professional level and to be able to win a tournament at the Tour level with him truly was special. I’m extremely fortunate that the other wins on the PGA Tour came at three of my favorite courses. The Los Angeles Open at Riviera, my first individual win on the Tour, The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, Jack Nicklaus’ tournament (my favorite golfer) and the MCI Heritage Classic at Harbor Town on my 37th birthday. The crowd sang Happy Birthday as I walked up the 18th hole. The 3M Championship was great because I was old and it’s my last.

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 49

LPGA tournament a success. It had the best field in the tournament’s history, including all 12 of the then-current LPGA money leaders and the entire 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team. It also featured 18-year-old Danielle Kang, who made her professional debut in Rogers after winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship two straight years.

Tournament officials also donated $500,000 worth of cash and food through the “Birdies For Hunger” program to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, which serves more than 130 pantries in the fourcounty region. The donation was the single largest the Food Bank has ever received, said Marge Wolf, who’s been the Food Bank’s President and Chief Operating Officer for three years.

This year was also the first with Walmart as the title sponsor of the tournament. In the previous four years, the tournament’s title sponsor was Proctor & Gamble, and Walmart was the presenting sponsor.

“Walmart and P&G have formed an inYani Tseng enjoys second victory in Northwest Arkansas Championship. credible partnership since the beginning of this event,” said Mike Whan, LPGA commissioner. “With Walmart taking the lead position as title sponsor this year, we saw heightened interest coming from sponsors looking to enhance their relationship with Walmart. From the LPGA’s standpoint, beby nate allen ing associated with the No. 1 company in ROGERS, Ark. — Yani Tseng walked off we were very lucky. I’m really happy, just the world is a huge benefit to us and is a the 18th green at Pinnacle Country Club really happy to be back here.” great lift for our brand.” on Sept. 11 with a large gallery frantically In the tournament’s five-year history, this cheering her name. year was especially successful because of Tournament Roundup It wasn’t anything new for the world’s the surrounding support, the exceptional The three-day, 54-hole tournament top-ranked player, who won the LPGA’s weather and the fans that showed up on the couldn’t have had a better first-round finish NW Arkansas Championship for a second weekend, said Jay Allen, tournament chair- when both Tseng and hometown favorite straight year. Tseng defended her title by man.

Stacy Lewis gave the fans a reason to cheer. sinking a birdie on the first hole of a suddenActual attendance numbers weren’t reBoth Tseng and Lewis — she’s a former death playoff against Amy Yang. corded by tournament officials, but Allen All-American at Arkansas — shot 5-under Unlike last year’s tournament, when said this year’s event had more fans than 66s and were tied for the lead after both Tseng was still one of the sport’s emerging ever before. players finished in a flurry. Tseng eagled players, she’s since become dominant. She’s It was also the first time the tournament the par-5 18th hole with a downhill 6-foot the youngest player in the history of golf to was uninterrupted by rain the entire week, putt to cap her round before Lewis, playing win five major championships by 22. This including Pro-Am play and practice rounds. one group behind, birdied the 18th with a season, she’s won two majors, including “We were really pleased with how every- 5-footer to tie for the lead. defending her title at the Women’s British thing happened, and the feeling still hasn’t After Lewis’ putt dropped in the hole, the Open in July. worn off,” Allen said. “The crowds were up Arkansas fans responded with “Woo Pig After winning the latest NW Arkansas dramatically than in previous years, and you Sooie!” a chant usually heard at Razorback Championship, Tseng said competing in could tell they were all enjoying the event football and basketball games.

Rogers is one of the highlights of her season. and having a great time.

In the second round, South Korean Amy She loves the course at Pinnacle and the hos“Last year, we had a few marquee groups Yang shot a 7-under 64 to tie Tseng at 9-unpitality offered in Northwest Arkansas. that had big galleries, but everywhere else, der for the lead. Yang, who’s never won on “This was great,” Tseng said. “I mean, the crowds were thin. This year, the mar- the LPGA Tour in four seasons, birdied three they always have a good crowd here and quee groups had huge crowds, but if you of her first five holes before getting a double the people are really nice. The volunteers looked around the course, there were fans eagle on the par-5 7th. and so many great people, they’re all really all over the place.”

On the 7th, Yang hit her approach shot into nice. This year, the weather was perfect, so Allen said other factors made this year’s a green-side bunker and then holed out.

Tseng is best again

Growing tourney has new 2012 dates

50 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

The final-round leaderboard featured a marquee group of successful players who’ve won several major championships and were ranked high in the Rolex Rankings. Some of those players included world No. 7 Ai Miyazato, No. 3 Cristie Kerr, No. 9 Paula Creamer, Lewis and Morgan Pressell.

In the final round, Tseng trailed Yang the entire round until she birdied the par-4 16th with an 8-foot putt to tie Yang at 12 under.

Yang parred the final 11 holes of regulation, holing a 4-foot putt on the 18th to force a playoff.

Both players replayed the 18th and landed near the green in two shots. Yang missed a 6-foot birdie try before Tseng holed the winning putt to defend her championship and win $300,000 out of a purse worth $2 million.

The Future

Allen said tournament officials are already working furiously toward next year’s event, which he expects to be bigger and better.

The tournament dates will be moved earlier in the summer to June 25 through July 1 so it won’t conflict with the London Summer Olympics (July 27-August 12) or the

Women’s British Open (Sept. 13-16).

David Shoemaker, tournament director, said in August that moving the tournament to late June was the best option it had in the LPGA’s tournament schedule. The tournament was held the first week of July in 2008 before it was moved to September in 2009, where it’s remained since.

Although LPGA tournament dates haven’t been released for 2013, Shoemaker said tournament officials are hoping to move the tournament back to September.

Allen said one positive aspect about the new dates is that they’ll coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Walmart on July 2.

“The future of this event is in great hands, and we expect it to stay that way for a long time,” Allen said. “It’s the expectation of our sponsors, and that’s the bottom line. We’ve got a great partnership with Walmart and P&G, and we couldn’t be happier with the direction we’re headed.

“The feedback from players has been terrific and we’re always looking at ways to make this event better each year. We just want people to know we’re doing our best to make this one of the premier stops on the LPGA Tour.”

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GOLF FITNESS

The king of the golf swing Get your glutes in gear In our clients’ quest for more distance off the tee, we are often asked, “What muscle is most important for a powerful golf swing?”

The undeniable king of the golf swing is the glutes. Their job is to maintain a golfer’s posture during the swing and to generate power from the ground up. The glute muscles make up the cushion in our rear and hips and unfortunately in today’s world of cars, computers, and commuting, we sit on these muscles more than we use them. This leads to a slow fade in their strength and ability to stabilize our core in daily life and certainly during the golf swing.

When we talk about the glutes, we are interested in the two primary components of this muscle group: the gluteus maximus and the glutes medius. Their function is to keep the body erect when we are in a stooped position, like the golf swing. If your glutes are weak, then you will see a loss of posture during the golf swing, leading to a variety of swing compensations and ultimately inconsistency in your shot making.

To test if you glutes and core are working properly, perform a simple screen we do at SwingFit with our clients called The Bridge with Leg Extension (see image): • Start by lying on your back, knees bent, feet flat, knees and feet together, and arms crossed over your chest.

• From here, lift your rear up off the ground.

• Now keep your belt line parallel to the floor and try to straighten your right leg from the knee.

• Hold this position for ten seconds.

• If your pelvis on the right side drops or the left leg shakes this indicates a weakness in the glutes on the left side. If you start to cramp, stop the test immediately!

This indicates inhibition of your glutes and recruitment of other muscles in the area, usually the hamstring or low back muscles.

• Repeat the test on the other side.

This test will highlight any inhibition or weakness in your glute muscles due to overrecruitment of the synergistic muscles, like the hamstrings and lower back. Weakness in the right glute can cause you to lose lower body stability in your backswing and may limit your power on the downswing. Weakness in your left glute can cause instability in the left leg through impact (slide) or forward

golf-specific physical testing, fitness instruction, and performance training. To schedule Sean Riley Ryan Smith your SwingFit Functional Assessment and SwingFit SwingFit receive a comprehensive physical training movement towards the golf ball during the program designed to unlock your full podownswing (early extension). tential, contact SwingFit at (918)743-3737 If this screen indicates you have weakness or visit them on the web at www.swingfitor inhibition in your glutes, we recommend tulsa.com. you schedule a consult with your local Titleist Performance Institute Certified Golf FitRyan and Sean are Founders of SwingFit ness Instructor and invest in your body to Golf Fitness and Performance Training in Tulsa, get more out of your game. and are certified by the Titleist Performance InstiRyan and Sean are Founders of SwingFit tute. They specialize in golf-specific physical testGolf Fitness and Performance Training in ing, fitness instruction, and performance training.

Tulsa, OK and are certified by the Titleist Theyy can be contacted at SwingFit at (918)743Performance Institute. They specialize in 3737 or at www.swingfittulsa.com.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 53

EQUIPMENT

Should you belly up?

Long putter success feeds frenzy by ed travis

There’s been a certain frenzy to the media coverage after six players so far this year have won on the PGA Tour putting with non-traditional length putters – either “bellying up” or “brushing it in” with a broomstick.

The big news was Keegan Bradley becoming the first to win a major championship using a non-traditional length putter. His win at the PGA Championship put him and his Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth belly putter (46.75 inches long) squarely in the spotlight. He also won the HP Byron Nelson Classic in May with the same flat stick.

Excitement was heightened at the Deutsche Bank Championship, second of

the FedEx Cup playoff events, when Webb Simpson prevailed in extra holes over Chez Reavie putting with a Ping G5i Craz-E Belly. Also a two time winner in 2011, he used the same putter to win the Wyndham Championship.

Other winners this season who employed either a belly-length or under-the-chin length include eight-time Tour winner Adam Scott (a Scotty Cameron Kombi Long) at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; Martin Laird, the Arnold Palmer Invitational (a TaylorMade Rossa Daytona Ghost midsize) and Brendan Steele, the Valero Texas Open using a TaylorMade Rossa Monza Corza Long.

The list of established players who have experimented or converted to non-traditional length putters includes Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Charles Howell III,

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Stuart Appleby, Matt Kuchar, Vijay Singh and the one drawing lots of press, Phil Mickelson.

Until about three years ago no one paid much attention to non-traditional length putters. They were labeled a crutch for toursters who had lost their touch or come down with a case of the yips and older players on the Champions Tour. But now young players like Bradley are coming on Tour with the experience of having used them for a large part of their competitive careers, amateur and pro, and they are winning.

This has only added fuel to the raging controversy over whether non-traditional length putters should be banned because they require three points of contact with the body. It is also true some feel putting woes, like the yips, are simply another part of the game to be mastered and that long putters may not be within the “spirit of the game,” though at times that has an elusive definition.

However, at present, there is no compelling statistical case to show non-traditional length putters are a magic wand for shaving strokes and the USGA has not proposed any regulations limiting their use.

They however, do require putters be less than 48 inches long.

Amateurs are intrigued, though.

One long time club pro likened it to the flood of inquiries he saw back in 1986 for the MacGregor Response ZT putter (that’s the one with the immense head) used by then 46-year old Jack Nicklaus to win that year’s Masters Tournament.

Most of the putter manufacturers have non-traditional length putters in their product lineups and below is a run down of the recent winning wands: Callaway Golf’s Odyssey White Ice Sabertooth has a radical ‘Dual Fang’ head shape to get weight to the outside edges and produces a higher MOI level than other 2Ball putters plus the White Ice multi-layer face insert. Street price $150.

Ping Golf has had success with the CrazE Belly like Webb Simpson’s, part of the iN series with nano-nickel insert. It sells for $169.

TaylorMade Golf’s Ghost putter line are, in TMaG nomenclature, “golf ball white.”

The Corza Ghost has the distinctive circular hole in the head and the Daytona Ghost is a more traditional shape. Both retail for $159.

The Titleist Scotty Cameron Kombi Long mallet putter carries a $299.99 price for either the 43-inch or 50-inch length.

WOGA News and Notes

Senior Championship a hit by becky masoner

The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association ended its 2011 tournament year hosting the 35th annual Senior Championship at Belmar Country Club in Norman. Teresa DeLarzelere of Indian Springs Country Club won her fourth consecutive WOGA Senior Championship. Kay Graves of Lakeside Memorial Golf Course was the Overall Net Champion with Becky Masoner of Page Belcher Golf Course earning the Lois Stuart Putting trophy for Low Putts over the field.

Sixty-seven women seniors from across the state participated in the event. The WOGA Senior Championship is flighted by age classes: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, super senior and masters. The masters class includes ladies who are 75-plus years. Six ladies participated and Thelma Horrall of Oakwood Country Club of Enid won the honor of masters champion. They are long time supporters of WOGA and have played many events over the years. When Ruth Brittian of Brent Bruehl Golf Course in Purcell was asked how she came to know

Women’s Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame

The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Hall of the game of golf, she said she learned the Fame will continue its mission to honor game upon retirement at age 58. She stat- those individuals who have distinguished ed, “When I played for the first time, I fell in themselves in women’s golf in Oklahoma by selecting the 2012 induction class of individuals in early October. The Hall of Fame banquet will be held at the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City on April 29, 2012.

The following criteria will be considered when selecting an individual for the Hall of Fame. This honor will be given to those whose services and talents are demonstrated by: (1) exemplary character and integrity; (2) participation in Oklahoma women’s golf for a minimum of 6 years; and (3) significant Masters Class: Thelma Horrall, Ruth Brittian, contribution of time, talent or resources Shirley Cooper, Nora Birdshead, Lorene West, and/or an outstanding playing record (local, Von Meyers state, national). love with the game. My only wish is that I The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame started playing younger and could have had exhibits may be viewed at the following loall those years to enjoy the game.” Visit the cations: Lake Hefner Golf Club, Oklahoma WOGA website, www.woga.us for all infor- City, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Musemation about the Women’s Oklahoma Golf um, Guthrie, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Association events and upcoming news. & Jim Thorpe Museum, Oklahoma City.

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ONLINE: Get local, national, equipment, and travel stories online at golfoklahoma.org

INSTRUCTION

Bob Tway demonstrates the Pfister method for improving your putting.

The Three Ps

Practice Putting Properly by ej pfister

I think its very important to understand or validate what you are doing. Proper practhat when you practice anything, in any tice can also build confidence and definitely sport, you need feedback so you can improve help lower scores. Putting was never my strength. Now that I’m older I have a better under standing of why ... because I never practiced properly. I would just throw down my 3 balls and go around hitting putts, never understanding why I missed. The following information will give you a method to Golf Course Construction practice that will improve your touch, read greens and start the ball on line.

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will know because the ball will strike one of the tees. If the club face is closed the left tee will be hit, and the right tee will be hit if the face is open (opposite for left-handed players). Set a goal based on your ability and once you have achieved it, move to the next phase of the drill.

After reaching your goal for the straight putt, repeat the process for a left to right and a right to left putt. Now you have three different putts from four feet: straight, left to right and right to left with tees on the intended line. Place a ball down at each spot and try to make 12 putts in a row. You only get one attempt at each station. No mulligans permitted.

Here are the possible outcomes for each putt: Perfect putt – went through the tees at the proper speed and into the cup.

Hit tees – putter face was open or closed at impact, which you will know depending on which tee you hit.

Went though the tees with good speed and missed – bad green reading.

Went through the tees with good read and missed – bad speed.

This is the most effective practice drill for putting. It allows you to work on the most important aspects of putting: starting the ball on line, green-reading and speed. This drill helps with all three and, most importantly, gives you feedback on what the fault was so you can learn from it and make adjustments accordingly.

Materials required: credit card, six tees, putter, and threre golf balls.

1, Find a hole location that has some slope and place a ball four feet away where you think the putt is straight. Hit the putt to confirm it’s a straight 4-foot putt. Return the ball to the starting point four feet away.

2, Place the credit card on the ground length-wise 12 to 15 inches in front of the ball on the intended line you believe the putt is going to roll on.

3, Place one tee on each side of the credit card and push them down into the ground forming a goal post type look when finished.

After tees are in place, remove the credit card. At this point you have a straight putt from four feet with two tees the width of a credit card 12 inches in front of the ball.

You may now start hitting putts, trying to roll them through the tees. At this point you are working on starting the ball on the E.J. Pfister is a teaching professional at Oak proper line with the proper speed. If there Tree National in Edmond. You can reach him is a problem with club face at impact you at ejgolf@me.com

Fig. 3

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Release for success

Let it go to add distance, control by pat mctigue

What is the biggest difference between a tour pro’s swing and that of the average amateur? Certainly a tour pro’s swing is more consistent, more efficient and has fewer flaws, but what about the myriad of different swing styles amongst the best players in the world? The common element between such diverse swings exhibited by pros such as Jim Furyk, Nancy Lopez, Webb Simpson and KJ Choi is how they release the club with their hands and arms.

A proper release is the missing element in most avid golfers’ swings that will provide consistently solid contact. The truth is that a golfer can achieve a relatively high level of competence while releasing the club less than ideally, as long as the shaft is leaning toward the target at impact.

The amount the shaft is leaning toward the target is not the same with all clubs. A golfer can learn to hit a driver well with the clubhead passing the hands early. However, when it comes to scoring irons and short game they will never be able to achieve consistency until the release is corrected, at least enough to have the hands leading the club through. The difficulty in correcting the release lies in the instinct of the trailing hand to push the club through impact.

The first requirement to achieve a proper release is to get the trailing elbow to fall to the trailing hip and move both toward the

target at the start of the downswing, not unlike the motion of skipping a rock on a pond (Fig 1). If the elbow stays out away from the body in the downswing (Fig.2) a player will release the club early. Once the trailing elbow is in place, we can work further into the downswing.

When the trailing elbow is in the proper position, it is important to distinguish between releasing the club with the hands with releasing the club with forearm rotation. You want to feel your forearms rotate through impact, letting the forearms ‘kiss” in the follow through (fig3). Here’s the hard part: as you approach impact, to release the club properly you must get the trailing palm to face DOWN, not UP (Fig. 4). This may well be the hardest part of the entire swing, as it completely goes against instinct. In a nutshell, I see this as the biggest difference between top level players and average golfers.

To improve your release, start with short wedge shots, say 40-50 yards focusing on getting your trailing hand to face down, rotate your body through impact, and allow the forearms, not the hands, to rotate to release the club. A good drill to is to hit short wedge shots with only the trailing hand on the club, keeping the hinge in the wrist and letting the forearm rotate with your body turn. It will likely be very hard at first, but

Fig. 4

with a bit of practice it should get easier.

This is the same motion you want in full swing, and will be very good for your short game.

Are you certain that you’re releasing the club correctly? If not, find out and commit to making that the focus of your improvement efforts. You might be rewarded with a game changing breakthrough.

Pat McTigue, PGA GolfTEC Oklahoma Director of Instruction

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SUPERINTENDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

PRESENTED BY

Let it rain, rain, rain by brad babek

gcsaa, the territory golf club in duncan

What a summer. Record setting heat and drought has scorched the landscape of much of Oklahoma. Pastures and rangeland that should be plush and green look more like January. Landscapes and lawns are crisp.

Tress that should be beginning to show beautiful fall colors lost their leaves in July.

Golf courses have endured much of the same. With Oklahoma setting the record for the hottest July on record, superintendents and their staffs have spent timeless hours trying to keep turf alive in the most difficult times. Year to date, Western Oklahoma rain totals are in the single digits. The rest of the state is not much better. Water reservoirs are low and golf courses have had to restrict water. Players should understand that maintenance staffs are doing what is necessary to protect what turf has survived this severe summer for next spring. Whether is it raised mowing heights or cart restrictions, golfers should accept these conditions as necessary

58 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

The Territory in Duncan. to ensure as much turf survives through the winter as possible.

Unfortunately, the long-range forecasts are for more dry weather. Hopefully, these experts are wrong but for courses that received damage due to this past summer’s ex-

tremes, expectations for next spring must be reasonable. One thing is certain, whatever condition the Bermuda grass is in when it enters dormancy this winter is the best you can hope for next spring.

Although with the beginning of fall and cooler temperatures as well as a few rain showers, superintendents and their staffs have received a much needed break from the grind of this past summer. Bermuda grass has begun to recover somewhat and temperatures are allowing people to get out and enjoy the game again.

Again, hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate with us and bring rain. Until then, maintenance staffs need your support more than ever through these difficult times.

RESULTS PRO PGA SOUTH CENTRAL CHAMPIONSHIP At Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow (par-71) Sept. 26-27 1, Tracy Phillips 72-69-74 – 215; 2 (tie), Pat McTigue 72-74-70 – 216 and Kurtis Gibson 70-71-75 – 216; 4 (tie), Tim Graves 71-75-72 – 218, Mark Fuller 72-73-73 – 218 and Lee Johnson 73-72-73 – 218; 7 (tie), Tim Fleming 71-78-70 – 219 and Greg Bray 75-73-71 – 219; 9 (tie), Adam Carney 73-74-73 – 220 and Jeremy Dear 73-73-74 – 220; 11 (tie), Peter Vitali 72-73-76 – 221, Shannon Friday 80-72-69 – 221 and Kylie Tetley 71-7278 – 221; 14, Mike Hammond 77-76-69 – 222; 15, Bruce Baxley 76-75-73 – 224.

Senior: 1, Jim Woodward 72-64 – 136; 2, Mike Stewart 73-69 – 1142; 3, Rod Nuckolls 80-66 – 146; 4 (tie), George Glenn 73-75 – 148 and Michael Gowens 75-73 – 148; 6, Vince Bizik 76-75 – 151; 7, Patrick Tubach 77-80 – 157.

HOOTERS TOUR BUFFALO RUN CASINO CLASSIC At Peoria Ridge GC, Miami, Okla. (par-72) Sept. 18-24 1, Ryan Spears 65-67-68-66 – 266 ($28,000, won playoff); 2, Ryan Blaum 69-66-66-65 – 266 ($13,981); 3, Andrew Landry 65-69-67-67 – 268 ($8,981); 4 (tie), Lee Williams 70-65-67-67 – 269 and David Skinns 69-68-65-67 – 269 ($7,481); 6, Michael Whitehead 68-65-69-68 – 270 ($5,981); 7 (tie), Jack Newman 71-68-68-64 – 271, Kyle Morris 65-65-74-67 – 271 and Roberto Diaz 7165-68-67 – 271 ($5,481); 10 (tie), Garrett Osborn 67-68-69-68 – 272 and Patrick Wilkes-Krier 6771-69-65 – 272; 12 (tie), Martin Maritz 70-70-7162 – 273, Michael O’Neal 70-66-66-71 – 273 and Travis Woolf 67-71-67-68 – 273 ($4,085).

OKLAHOMA OPEN At Oak Tree (East), Edmond (par-70) Aug 26-28 1, Robert Streb 65-63-67 – 195; 2, Chase Cooper 65-68-66 – 200; 3 (tie), Ryan Spears 66-65-70 – 201 and a-Hunter Sparks 71-63-67 – 201; 5, Rhein Gibson 68-65-69 – 202; 6, Blake Trimble 69-67-68 – 204; 7 (tie), Jim Kane 66-70-69 – 205, Willie Wood 69-66-70 – 205, Martin Maritz 66-71-68 – 205 and Ryan Hybl 69-67-69 – 205; 11 (tie), Trent Leon 65-70-72 – 207 and Mitchell Gregson 67-67-73 – 207; 13 (tie), Kevin Tway 69-68-71 – 208 and Will Osborne 69-69-70 – 208; 15 (tie), Charlie Holland 67-69-73 – 209, Johnathan Burpo 70-67-72 – 209 and a-Michael Gellerman 72-68-69 – 209.

OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION MID-AMATEUR At Rose Creek GC, Edmond (par-72) Sept. 26-27 1, Joel Driver 67-74 – 141; 2, Chris Lee 71-71 – 142; 3 (tie), Brad Christianson 73-70 – 143, Brad Kropp 72-71 – 143 and Jay Smith 72-71 – 143; 6, William J. Lavender 70-75 – 145; 7 (tie), Michael Alsup 76-72 – 148 and Jason Gulley 74-74 – 148; 9, Brent Taylor 74-75 – 149; 10, Bob Mase 74-77 – 151; 11, Blake Smart 78-73 – 151; 12 (tie), Clint Stewart 79-74 – 153 and James Reid 79-74 – 153; 14 (tie), Don Clark 78-76 – 154 and Jeff Richter 76-78 – 154.

STATE STROKE PLAY At Muskogee CC (par-71) Aug. 8-10 1, Hunter Sparks 69-67-66 – 202; 2, Colton Staggs 73-66-67 – 206; 3, Clark Collier 68-71-69 – 208; 4, Jeff Weisheit 70-69-70 – 209; 5 (tie), Drew Dorsey 67-71-72 – 210, Preston Wilkins 6769-74 – 210, Nathan Hughes 70-72-68 – 210 and Brad Hager 69-70-71 – 210; 9, Cameron Meyers 69-72-70 – 211; 10, Jack Kasting 71-69-73 – 213; 11 (tie), Austin Bowman 72-71-71 – 214 and Josh Creel 69-71-74 – 214; 13 (tie), Daniel Funk 71-7272 – 215 and Jordan Perceful 72-74-69 – 215.

WOMEN’S OKLA. GOLF ASSOCIATION SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP At Belmar GC, Norman (par-70) Sept. 19-20

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Freshman: 1, Teresa DeLarzalere 75-75 – 150; 2, Elaine Davis 76-82 – 158; 3, Lorie Harned 78-81 – 159.

Sophomore: 1, Ann Cowan 77-74 – 151; 2, Darlene Crawford 82-76 – 158; 3, Linda Ballard 83-88 – 171.

Junior: 1 (tie), Ann Watkins 79-86 – 165 and Lynette Hyde 81-84 – 165; 3 (tie), Marti Johnson 81-88 – 169 and Melanie Robson 83-86 – 169.

Senior: 1, Patty Monroe 85-83 – 168; 2, Kathy Parrott 87-90 – 177; 3 (tie), Gerda Campbell 91-92 – 183 and Nita Williams 86-97 – 183.

Super Senior: 1, Ann Turner 76-84 – 160; 2, Betty Dixon 82-86 – 168.

Masters: 1, Thelma Horall 93-92 – 185; 2, Lorene West 100-97 – 197.

PARTNERSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP At Dornick Hills CC, Ardmore Aug. 22-23 Gross: champions: Teresa DeLarzelere/LeeAnn Fairlie 69-72 --141. Net champions: Susan Holt/ Pat McKamey 121.

Championship flight -- Gross champions: Sherri Buster/Rose Cassidy 142. Net champions: Cherie Rich/Lorie Harned 62-66 --128.

FORE STATE TEAM At Hardscrabble CC, Fort Smith, Ark. Aug. 2-4 Team scores: 1, Oklahoma 12; 2, Missouri 10.5; 3, Kansas 9.5; 4, Arkansas 8.

TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION TWO-MAN CHALLENGE II At LaFortune Park GC (par-72) Sept. 17-18 A flight: 1, Tim Hoagland/Ken Kee 60-65 – 125; 2, Kenny Barth/Marvin Braunsteiner 65-62 – 127; 3 (tie), Richard Townley/Terry Trimble 64-65 – 129, Mike Alsup/Chris Haggard 65-64 – 129 and

Bill Dobbs/Dave Wing 65-64 – 129; 6, Richard Hunt/Tyler Hunt 67-65 – 132.

OKLAHOMA JUNIOR GOLF TOUR Best of the West Classic (Lincoln West) October 1-2, 2011 Boys 12-14 Griffin Pierce, Edmond, Okla. - 68-69--137; Mason Overstreet, Laverne, Okla. - 70-67--137; Tyson Reeder, Edmond, Okla. - 73-72--145; Thomas Johnson, Norman, Okla. - 72-74--146; Freddie Wilson, Owasso, Okla. - 82-70--152; Chandler Graham, Edmond, Oklahoma - 79-75--154; Ryan Trousdale, Norman, Okla. - 76-79--155; Ethan Smith, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - 81-79--160; Cody Burrows, Chickasha, Okla. - 78-83--161; Josh Paliotta, Nichols Hills, Okla. - 94-94--188 Boys 15-18 Taylor Moore, Edmond, Okla. - 67-68--135; Hayden Wood, Edmond, Okla. - 65-73--138; Nick Heinen, Edmond, Okla. - 71-67--138; Rustin Purser, Edmond, Okla. - 71-69--140; Jacob Oaks, Ardmore, Okla. - 71-70--141; Alexander Hall, Edmond, Okla. - 73-69--142; Tyler Hargus, Shawnee, Okla. - 71-71--142; Eli Armstrong, Edmond, Okla.

- 69-74--143; Jackson Hess, Okmulgee, Okla.

- 73-71--144; Ty Tamura, Edmond, Okla. - 73-71-144; Zachary Oliver, Checotah, Okla. - 72-72--144 Eric Kline, Ponca City, Okla. - 74-72--146 Quade Cummins, Weatherford, Okla. - 73-73-146; Eli Russell, Owasso, Oklahoma - 73-74--147 Matt Krutz, Norman, Okla. - 75-72--147; Dillon Wilkins, Ardmore, Okla. - 72-76--148; Jackson Stuteville, Durant, Okla. - 74-74--148; Logan Gray, El Reno, Okla. - 73-75--148; Gavin Mastell, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - 72-77--149; Sam Humphreys, Edmond, Okla. - 73-76--149; John Eischen Jr., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - 78-72-150; Blade Knox, Wewoka, Oklahoma - 72-79--151 Griffin Grubb, Norman, Okla. - 77-74--151; Joby Gray, Elk City, Okla. - 76-75--151; Ryan Evans, Ed-

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SCHEDULES & RESULTS mond, Okla. - 76-75--151; Tate Williamson, Tulsa, Okla. - 76-75--151; Girls 12-18 Taylor Dobson, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma - 76-71-147; Kailey Campbell, Checotah, Okla. - 74-74-148; June Tigert, Mustang, Okla. - 74-76--150; McCandren Lewis, Guthrie, Okla. - 75-78--153; Allison Sell, Edmond, Okla. - 78-76--154; Maddie Luitwieler, Edmond, Okla. - 83-71--154; Caroline Goodin, Oklahoma City, Okla. - 80-76--156; Hannah Ward, Poteau, oklahoma - 77-80--157; Anna Mikish, Choctaw , Oklahoma - 77-82-159; Maci Arrington, Hinton, Okla. - 81-78--159; Ashton Gores, Ardmore, Okla. - 79-82--161; KatieLee Wilson, Owasso, Okla. - 84-79--163; Emily Folsom, Okla City, Okla. - 83-83--166; Sydney Youngblood, Durant, Okla. - 85-81--166; Abby Thompson, Edmond, Okla. - 82-87--169; Katelyn Snipes, Ardmore, Oklahoma - 84-87--171; Kina Boone, Choctaw, Oklahoma - 83-88--171; Mikayla Rosser, Broken Arrow, Okla. - 86-85--171; Pauline Nguyen, Edmond, Ok. - 86-89--175; 2011 OJGT Mohawk Junior Open (Woodbine) Final Results Boys 15-18 Blade Knox, Wewoka, Oklahoma - 69-74-143; Jacob Fair, Monett, Mo. - 71-74--145; Sam Humphreys, Edmond, Okla. - 72-74--146; Taylor Lansford, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma - 75-71--146; Sam Greenleaf, Broken Arrow, Okla. - 76-72--148; Ryan Evans, Edmond, Okla. - 74-75--149; Logan Gray, El Reno, Okla. - 76-75--151; Miles Aduddell, Nixa, Mo. - 75-76--151; Stephen Allen, Muskogee, Oklahoma - 74-77--151; Zach Enzbrenner, Owasso, Okla. - 75-77--152; Aaron Davis, Tulsa, Okla. - 77-76--153; Tate Williamson, Tulsa, Okla.

- 76-77--153; Alexander Hughes, Tulsa, Okla. - 7777--154; Chris Karlovich, Broken Arrow, Okla.

- 77-77--154; Eric Moore, Tulsa, ok. - 76-78--154; Justin Strathe, Owasso, Okla. - 78-76--154; Tyler

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Hargus, Shawnee, Okla. - 74-81--155 Boys 12-14 Brandon Strathe, Owasso, Okla. - 75-76--151 (won playoff); Preston Fleenor, Mission Hills, Kan. - 73-78--151; Arjun Reddy, Tulsa, Okla. - 7875--153; Brian Dick, Shawnee, Okla. - 82-80--162 Nick Pierce, Sallisaw, Okla. - 80-82--162; Navid Majidi, Tulsa, Oklahoma - 84-81--165; Marc Kepka, Owasso, Okla. - 79-87--166 Girls 15-18 Charter Lawson, Yukon, Okla. - 74-74--148 (won playoff); Kailey Campbell, Checotah, Okla. - 7573--148; Anna Kim, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma - 74-79--153; Erica - Marie Carangalan, Broken Arrow, Okla. - 75-80--155; Taylor Dobson, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma - 76-79--155; Alexis Sadeghy, Edmond, Okla. - 79-78--157; Nadia Majidi, Tulsa, Okla. - 74-84--158; Allison Sell, Edmond, Okla.

- 78-81--159; Katie-Lee Wilson, Owasso, Okla.

- 76-84--160; Hannah Ward, Poteau, oklahoma - 82-79--161; Maddie Luitwieler, Edmond, Okla.

- 84-77--161; Ashton Gores, Ardmore, Okla. - 8285--167; Catrina Pearson, Muskogee, Oklahoma - 82-85--167; Kina Boone, Choctaw, Oklahoma - 83-84--167; Mikayla Rosser, Broken Arrow, Okla. - 82-89--171; Jordan Humphrey, Shawnee, Okla. - 85-90--175; Taylor Chase, Guymon, Okla.

- 83-94--177; Cerra Linn, Mounds, Okla. - 91-88-179; Pauline Nguyen, Edmond, Ok. - 98-84--182; Shahida Robinson, Tulsa, Okla. - 90-95--185 College DALE MCNAMARA INVITATIONAL At The Patriot GC (par-72), Owasso Sept. 12-14 Team scores: 1, Oklahoma State 294-299-275 – 868; 2, Arizona State 280-292-301 – 873; 3, Northwestern 303-291-289 – 883; 4, Iowa State 300-298-290 – 888; 5, Tulsa 300-302-299 – 901; 6, Oral Roberts 304-296-305 – 905; 7, Kansas State 311-298-301 – 910; 8, Longwood 302-300-

309 – 911; 9, Middle Tennessee State 298-306309 – 913; 10, Central Florida 308-295-313 – 916; 11 (tie), Kansas 313-304-310 – 927 and Arkansas-Little Rock 309-307-311 –- 927; 13, Missouri 320-306-306 – 932; 14, Arkansas State 315-300323 – 938; 15, Southern Mississippi 314-316-320 --- 950.

Individual leaders: 1, Giulia Molinaro (Arizona St.) 67-69-74 – 210; 2, Jayde Panos (OSU) 78-72-64 – 214; 3, Kristina Merkle (TU) 77-70-68 – 215; 4, Devon Brown (Northwestern) 75-70-74 – 219 and Justine Lee (Arizona St.) 70-74-75 – 219; 6 (tie), Josephine Janson (OSU) 73-79-68 – 220, Hana Lee (Northwestern) 73-73-74 -- 220 and Daniela Ordonez (Arizona St.) 70-74-76 – 220; 9, Alheli Moreno (ORU) 74-70-77 – 221, Joceyln Alford (OSU) 72-75-74 – 221, Kelsey Vines (OSU) 71-78-72 – 221, Marita Engzelius (TU) 74-75-72 – 221 and Chonlada Chayanun (ISU) 75-73-73 – 221.

Other scores: Crystal Reeves (ORU) 76-73-74 – 223, Hillary Wood (OSU) 79-74-71 – 224, Eve Santillan (ORU) 79-73-79 – 231, Kylie Bollenbach (ORU) 77-80-75 – 232, Kayla Riede (TU) 76-8176 – 233, Anna Young (TU) 73-79-83 – 235, Shu Yin Liu (TU) 80-78-84 – 242, Tiffany Robbins (ORU) 77-84-86 – 247.

OBU FALL INVITATIONAL At Shawnee CC (par-71) Sept. 19-20 Team scores: 1, Okla. Baptist 295-290 – 585; 2, Bethany 312-311 – 623; 3, Mid-America Christian 324-311 – 625; 4, Seminole State 328-311 – 639; 5, John Brown 326-328 – 654; 6, Okla. Wesleyan 342-342 – 684.

Individual leaders: 1, Chase Lindsey (OBU) 74-71 – 145 and Todd Balkin (OBU) 72-73 – 145; 3, Tyler Carlson (Sem. St.) 72-75 – 147; 4 (tie), Ethan Fine 74-74 – 148, Jed Williams (OBU) 76-72 – 148 and James Wiginton (Mid-Am) 74-74 – 148.

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how you do it, is.

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