COU R SE ROUN DU P
Aerial shot of the green on the par-4 17th hole shows a newly exposed creek. Two bunkers on the front right were removed and a new bunker on right side added. This opens up the front entry to the green when the tees are moved up. Creek on the right will tie into the creek right of 18. The big/little pairing of the two left bunkers is a nod to Perry Maxwell who often placed bunkers this way.
Southern Hills renovation hits full stride by ken macleod
Anyone stopping by Southern Hills Country Club on a late September morning would see a beehive of activity. On the 15th green is architect Gil Hanse and associate Ryan Farrow, carefully scraping sand and checking degrees of slope to make certain there is ample room for a pin in the back right of one of the more fiercely sloping greens on the course. Elsewhere, more than 20 workers for main golf contractor Heritage Links of Houston are busy at various stages of green rebuilding, laying irrigation lines or multiple other chores. Bunkers are being designed and built, creeks exposed, trees trimmed or removed, sod laid by local subcontractor Jones Plan -- and all that’s just on the golf course. Also, workers are busy moving the cart and bag storage underground, building a new mem22
W W W.GOLFOKL AHOMA.ORG
ber and guest entry and guardhouse, preparing the site for the indoor teaching center, working on renovations to the tennis courts and building a new tennis patio and more. It’s all part of Southern Hills Country Club’s $19-million facelift that will prepare the club for years of service to the membership and future major championships. Most of the projects are expected to be completed when the club reopens in June 2019. It is scheduled to host the PGA Senior Championship in 2021 and the PGA Championship sometime between 2025 and 2030. Superintendent Russ Myers is the man responsible for keeping track of all the on-course activity and he said it’s been very rewarding to see Hanse restore Perry Maxwell-design features that had been lost over time and to earlier renovations. Gil Hanse, right, and associate Ryan Farrow check “What’s great about Gil and his the slope on the 15th green. guys is they create it on the ground,” GOLF OKL AHOMA • OCTOBER /NOVEMBER 2018