Lake Hefner Golf Course

[Bill Robertson]

I can't even count how many rounds of golf I played there in the late 60s and 70s both N & S courses it is so many. It's where I started Jr Golf. We only lived a mile from there so it was our go to course. My father and I would go out and play 9 after he would get off work for their twilight rates.

Might have just missed you. I started playing with a couple guys from high school in the mid 70s. Played with them into the 80s then added a couple guys thatI worked with.

[Urbanized]

I am truly surprised any one still plays at Hefner with the shape it’s in when you can just go to Lincoln. OKC golf should be embarrassed at the state it’s in

Yeah I played South a few months ago for the first time in a few years. Back in the nineties and early aughts it was essentially my home course; I even played it basically daily (walking) for a number of months when I was between jobs in ‘99. My dad lived across the road from Hefner throughout the nineties. I was there with him often. I’m pretty sentimental about it, and it hurt to see the condition it was in. OTOH this summer I visited the driving range at Lincoln almost every evening and kept kicking myself for not carving out time to play a round there. All of the parts I could see around the clubhouse and range looked pretty great.

[Pete]

I have so many memories of the old clubhouse...

It was built in the mid-60s and my family bought a home in 1963 just to the south across NW Expressway after moving down from Wisconsin.

My dad was an avid golfer and I'd sometimes tag along when he played with his buddies on Sunday morning. I remember getting milk (with ice for some reason) at the snack bar. It still looks today like it did then.

This whole series of events played into my inexplicable love for OKC. The move had been for a job and with it we had a new house with a pool and my dad could afford the luxury of playing a lot of golf. I would hear him on the phone with his 3 brothers, trying to get them to move down. Ultimately, one of my grandmothers did. So, seeing the world through my father's eyes, I saw OKC as this great place of unlimited opportunity -- I loved it because he loved it.

When I got a little older, my dad would take me out to Hefner on summer evenings and would play a hole with me, using only a putter. He would still beat me as by this time he was a really good amateur golfer; I remember him being in the paper for a couple of holes-in-one. His group ultimately migrated to Cedar Valley for some reason but would still play at Hefner once in a while.

My father passed away my senior year in college and being the only son, I inherited his Ping golf clubs. I started playing at Hefner a bit, and also Cedar Valley.

42 years later, I still have those clubs and always think of my dad (and those days at Hefner) when I use them.

[Oski]

^^^ Thank you for sharing your story with us; such beautiful memories!

[barrettd]

I haven't played golf in over 25 years but I would have said the same things then. So not much has changed apparently.

Yes it seems they've always packed the tee times pretty tight, but it wasn't that long ago I thought the course was in pretty good shape. Maybe ten years? Maybe that is a long time, dang.

[barrettd]

I have so many memories of the old clubhouse...

It was built in the mid-60s and my family bought a home in 1963 just to the south across NW Expressway after moving down from Wisconsin.

My dad was an avid golfer and I'd sometimes tag along when he played with his buddies on Sunday morning. I remember getting milk (with ice for some reason) at the snack bar. It still looks today like it did then.

This whole series of events played into my inexplicable love for OKC. The move had been for a job and with it we had a new house with a pool and my dad could afford the luxury of playing a lot of golf. I would hear him on the phone with his 3 brothers, trying to get them to move down. Ultimately, one of my grandmothers did. So, seeing the world through my father's eyes, I saw OKC as this great place of unlimited opportunity -- I loved it because he loved it.

When I got a little older, my dad would take me out to Hefner on summer evenings and would play a hole with me, using only a putter. He would still beat me as by this time he was a really good amateur golfer; I remember him being in the paper for a couple of holes-in-one. His group ultimately migrated to Cedar Valley for some reason but would still play at Hefner once in a while.

My father passed away my senior year in college and being the only son, I inherited his Ping golf clubs. I started playing at Hefner a bit, and also Cedar Valley.

42 years later, I still have those clubs and always think of my dad (and those days at Hefner) when I use them.

My dad taught me to play with his Ping Eye 2 clubs. Years after I had moved away and bought my own clubs, etc. I came home and played with him. He was still playing those Pings, and even had the original persimmon woods (still hit them very well, too). I never could quite hit anything like I'd hit those, so I had to go find a vintage set on eBay for myself. Found I preferred them over my much newer Callaways. I haven't played golf in years, but am finally in a position where it's a possibility again!

Looking very much forward to the new clubhouse. I don't remember anything about that place changing in the last 40 years.

[Urbanized]

There was a remodel in either the late nineties or early 2000s. It wasn’t a huge remodel; moved the sales counter, updated locker room, some updates to the lunch counter/area, outdoor area and such. Pretty light touch. Mostly finishes. But yeah, it’s been pretty static for a long time. This will be a MUCH needed update to the overall experience there.

[barrettd]

There was a remodel in either the late nineties or early 2000s. It wasn’t a huge remodel; moved the sales counter, updated locker room, some updates to the lunch counter/area, outdoor area and such. Pretty light touch. Mostly finishes. But yeah, it’s been pretty static for a long time. This will be a MUCH needed update to the overall experience there.

Ah, ok. I was living in California from 96-06, so it must not have made much of an impression on me. I need to get down to Lincoln and check that place out.

[ditm4567]

One more thing...the driving range. You don't need ProV1s to have a "nice" driving range. However, they use glorified putt putt balls they bought from the Perfect Swing Family Fun Center in Norman when it closed a decade ago.

[Bill Robertson]

One more thing...the driving range. You don't need ProV1s to have a "nice" driving range. However, they use glorified putt putt balls they bought from the Perfect Swing Family Fun Center in Norman when it closed a decade ago.

Those are probably better than what we were hitting in the 80s and 90s.

[jn1780]

One more thing...the driving range. You don't need ProV1s to have a "nice" driving range. However, they use glorified putt putt balls they bought from the Perfect Swing Family Fun Center in Norman when it closed a decade ago.

I remember Perfect Swing having a fairly decent driving range. But that's a long time to be reusing golf balls.

[oktxatty]

I have so many memories of the old clubhouse...

It was built in the mid-60s and my family bought a home in 1963 just to the south across NW Expressway after moving down from Wisconsin.

My dad was an avid golfer and I'd sometimes tag along when he played with his buddies on Sunday morning. I remember getting milk (with ice for some reason) at the snack bar. It still looks today like it did then.

This whole series of events played into my inexplicable love for OKC. The move had been for a job and with it we had a new house with a pool and my dad could afford the luxury of playing a lot of golf. I would hear him on the phone with his 3 brothers, trying to get them to move down. Ultimately, one of my grandmothers did. So, seeing the world through my father's eyes, I saw OKC as this great place of unlimited opportunity -- I loved it because he loved it.

When I got a little older, my dad would take me out to Hefner on summer evenings and would play a hole with me, using only a putter. He would still beat me as by this time he was a really good amateur golfer; I remember him being in the paper for a couple of holes-in-one. His group ultimately migrated to Cedar Valley for some reason but would still play at Hefner once in a while.

My father passed away my senior year in college and being the only son, I inherited his Ping golf clubs. I started playing at Hefner a bit, and also Cedar Valley.

42 years later, I still have those clubs and always think of my dad (and those days at Hefner) when I use them.

I can relate.

My dad was transferred to OKC from St. Louis in '65, and my parents built a house in Edgewater. Our first new house, first pool, my mom's first built-in dishwasher. Lots of wide-open land for a kid to roam -for a metro, that is.

He was the Zone Manager for Buick, and always taking local honchos golfing, and Hefner was a top spot.

I rode my bike along the south lake road from Edgewater to the Club House, exploring all the creeks along the way and back, dozens of times.

It's where I took my first lessons and played my first 18 holes with my dad.

In '75, when I was a Junior in HS, he was transferred to Los Angeles. There was a minor debate on whether I would stay with a friend's family for my senior year. But, what 17-year old who lived most of his life in Oklahoma, wouldn't want to move to L.A. !

So I graduated HS there, went to UCLA, then came back to OKC for Law School @OCU in '82, the absolute worst year to choose to move to in Oklahoma! Petroleum Geologists were bagging groceries.

And I've stayed.

In my work, I've flown about 2 million miles globally from OKC, but have never tempted to leave. There's some thing about this place that both excites and haunts me. It's home.

[Pete]

I can relate.

My dad was transferred to OKC from St. Louis in '65, and my parents built a house in Edgewater. Our first new house, first pool, my mom's first built-in dishwasher. Lots of wide-open land for a kid to roam -for a metro, that is.

He was the Zone Manager for Buick, and always taking local honchos golfing, and Hefner was a top spot.

I rode my bike along the south lake road from Edgewater to the Club House, exploring all the creeks along the way and back, dozens of times.

It's where I took my first lessons and played my first 18 holes with my dad.

In '75, when I was a Junior in HS, he was transferred to Los Angeles. There was a minor debate on whether I would stay with a friend's family for my senior year. But, what 17-year old who lived most of his life in Oklahoma, wouldn't want to move to L.A. !

So I graduated HS there, went to UCLA, then came back to OKC for Law School @OCU in '82, the absolute worst year to choose to move to in Oklahoma! Petroleum Geologists were bagging groceries.

And I've stayed.

In my work, I've flown about 2 million miles globally from OKC, but have never tempted to leave. There's some thing about this place that both excites and haunts me. It's home.

You must have been a year or two ahead of me in the PC schools.

Amazingly similar experiences; I moved to L.A. in 1990, lived there for 25 years, then came back.