Oak Tree National to host 2014 US Senior Open

[Richard at Remax]

Just a heads up that Oak Tree National will host the 2014 US Senior Open on July 31-Aug 3

There will be a press release and conference on Thursday.

I don't have any links because the owners just told members yesterday (Monday)

This is good news. Hopefully we can impress and get a regular US Open or PGA Championship back

[metro]

Great news, but I doubt Oak Tree will get a regular stop, considering the owners openly and specifically said they don't want a regular tour stop because of all the planning and down time it creates for regular members.

[Richard at Remax]

sorry what I meant to say what the REAL US Open or PGA. Not a senior event. Cause it has been over 20 years since the PGA Champtionship was held at Oak Tree.

[OKCisOK4me]

You know, I'm not really excited that the Senior Open is coming. Wow, boring. The "Anything Senior" won't be exciting until players like Tiger are eligible. Yeah, I went to the Senior PGA Championship back in 2006 but I had a lot more fun driving to Tulsa for the US Open in 2007. Bring something better to Oak Tree Whatever. That's all I gotta say.

[onthestrip]

I agree, senior events dont get me excited very much. Im a golfer and a golf fan but I doubt I would even go to one round of the Senior US open.

[Richard at Remax]

Well take in consideration that this is 5 years away and the older popular pros now will be playing in it. YOu have to start somewhere and this is a good step

Oak Tree National to host 2014 US Senior Open

By Murray Evans, Associated Press Writer

EDMOND, Okla. — Oak Tree National will host the 2014 U.S. Senior Open, officials said Thursday, weeks after the completion of a $6 million renovation to restore and improve aspects of the golf course.

The par-71, 7,410-yard course, designed by Pete Dye, opened in 1976 under the name Oak Tree Golf Club and has hosted the 1984 U.S. Amateur, the 1988 PGA Championship and the 2006 Senior PGA Championship.

It went 18 years between hosting top-level events, partly because a previous owner declared bankruptcy and there were problems with the course. So a group of investors who bought the course last year poured money into renovating it in the hopes of bringing back a major championship.

"We look for the best courses and there's no doubt in my mind that Oak Tree falls into that category," U.S. Golf Association executive director David Fay said.

"For a golf course that is relatively young, it has already built up quite a resume of significant events," he said.

Ed Evans, the chief executive of Oklahoma City-based Stelera Wireless and leader of the Oak Tree ownership group, said hosting another successful Champions Tour major would be a big step toward turning the course into a regular stop for major events.

"I think we were given the chance to get back on the national map," Evans said. "What we've been given by the USGA is an opportunity and it's incumbent upon us to go execute on that opportunity.

Jeff Sluman won the 1988 PGA title at Oak Tree, and the course was set to host the 1994 PGA Championship when its owner, Landmark Land Co. Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 1991. A group of Oak Tree members bought the course in 1994 and it was later sold to Evans.

The 1994 PGA eventually was moved to Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, about 90 miles to the northeast. Southern Hills has continued to host major events -- including the 2001 U.S. Open, the 2007 PGA Championship and, this week, the U.S. Amateur -- while Oak Tree struggled to return to national prominence.

During the course renovation, every fairway and bunker was redone, with the goal being to return the course to its original condition, but with modern updates. A strain of U-3 Bermuda turf that's common now was put in on the fairways, 22 bunkers were added, the tee boxes were laser-leveled and the greens were modified to play more like they did when the course opened. Dye was brought in to provide guidance on the makeover.

The course also changed its name to "Oak Tree National" in an effort to better distinguish the course from neighboring Oak Tree Country Club.

"All the owners ... wanted to get Oak Tree back to the status that they felt it should be," said PGA Tour pro Bob Tway, who lives at Oak Tree. "With the renovations that they did, it was still a great golf course before, but I think it just got a little bit better. Their goal is to have major championships and this is a start."

Tway is one of a group of touring pros based out of Oak Tree. That group includes Scott Verplank, David Edwards, Doug Tewell, Gil Morgan, Willie Wood and Mark Hayes. All will be 50 or older in time for the 2014 event.

"It would be wonderful if everybody could still play," Tway said.

[Richard at Remax]

Link: Oak Tree National to host 2014 US Senior Open - USATODAY.com

[Laramie]

We are well on our way to getting a better menu of golf returned to Central Oklahoma.

This should be an entray of things to come.

[OKCisOK4me]

They said on the news last night that the local area economy saw an extra $30 million when the last senior event was at Oak Tree in 2006. Anybody have reflective numbers for Tulsa when Tiger & CO. showed up at Southern Hills for the US Open in 2007? I guarantee you it was a lot more than $30 mil. I do hope Mr. Evans and his staff are continuing to work on bringing more popular tournaments to the International golf club.

[venture]

The US Senior Open is nice to have, but its one of those signs like "sorry we aren't giving you a PGA event for awhile". Granted Oak Tree is pretty young to the major events. US Am Championship in 84, PGA Champ in 88, and Senior PGA in 2006. Senior Open in 2014 seems to be their typical pacing of events for cities.

Buddy of mine from years back plays at a course near where his family lives now and they have done a similar mix of events. Granted they were around a lot longer than Oak Tree. They had the US Open in 1920, 31, 57, and 79...US Am in 73, PGA Champ in 86 and 93, and the Senior Open (that we'll get) in 03 and again in 2011.

I guess the point. The even is great for the economy and it'll give us some needed publicity since MAPS3 should be well in progress and the new Devon Tower will be done. However, don't get tooooo excited that all of a sudden the US Open and everything else will be showing up.

[Richard at Remax]

Thought I would revive this thread with the website for the US Senior Open. Limited weekly tickets (singles haven't gone on sale yet) and volunteer positions are available

Home | 2014 U.S. Senior Open

A side note we had a very candid convo with the club owner a few weeks ago and he said we are on the short list in the 2020's to land either the PGA or US open and that our direct competition is Southern Hills. Going to be tough though. One big obstacle was widening Waterloo Rd to 4 lanes to I-35 and that the governor was on board to fast track the project.

Also in another convo with head pro that OTN was going to be ranked in the top 100 again, prob top 50, in Golf Digest best courses, but fell short of the 45 required official rankings for this year. Should have enough for next year. In golfweek OTN has moved up charts to #10 in best Residential and up to #40 in Best Modern.

[OKCisOK4me]

Why would you widen Waterloo to four lanes? Everyone coming from Guthrie? Last I checked, Kelly Avenue from Broadway Extension all the way to Covell is 4 lanes right now and construction has started to widen Kelly to 4 lanes another mile north to Coffee Creek. Guess what? Kelly is already 4 lanes with a center left turn lane from Sorghum Mill (south side of Oak Tree boundaries) to a half mile south. Technically, it would be more cost effective to fill that in than build out all of Waterloo (4.5 miles) to I-35.

[SoonerTW]

I'm sure it is because spectators or volunteers might park in the field north of the club. The entrance for tournaments there is on the north side the golf course.

[Richard at Remax]

Kelly would be long finished by the time another tourney would be out there. That will make it easy for folks in metro driving there. They would be pushing for people driving from outside metro to use Waterloo exit on I-35 so drones of people wouldn't clog up Edmond. It wouldn't be a boulevard type like covell is becominning, just a simple 4 lane thru way

[OKCisOK4me]

I grew up in Edmond, particularly the west side of Oak Tree so I'm quite familiar with the area, lol. In all cases, it seems quite a lot of money to just build Waterloo as 4 lanes from only Kelly to I-35. Might as well 4 lane it all the way to Hwy 74 to tie in with the widening of that highway. I just don't see loads of traffic tying up Waterloo for an every once in a while golf tournament like the closing scene from 'Field of Dreams'.

[Richard at Remax]

Or maybe a better alternative would to forget about the four lanes for Waterloo and just build on/off ramps for Coffee Creek and Sorghum Mill on I-35

[OKCisOK4me]

Yeah, they really do need to do that. Probably upgrade the bridges too lol.

[Plutonic Panda]

Thought I would revive this thread with the website for the US Senior Open. Limited weekly tickets (singles haven't gone on sale yet) and volunteer positions are available

Home | 2014 U.S. Senior Open

A side note we had a very candid convo with the club owner a few weeks ago and he said we are on the short list in the 2020's to land either the PGA or US open and that our direct competition is Southern Hills. Going to be tough though. One big obstacle was widening Waterloo Rd to 4 lanes to I-35 and that the governor was on board to fast track the project.

Also in another convo with head pro that OTN was going to be ranked in the top 100 again, prob top 50, in Golf Digest best courses, but fell short of the 45 required official rankings for this year. Should have enough for next year. In golfweek OTN has moved up charts to #10 in best Residential and up to #40 in Best Modern.

Hopefully if they do that, they do it nice with cement and landscaping, I doubt that will be the case though.

[OKCisOK4me]

Hopefully if they do that, they do it nice with cement and landscaping, I doubt that will be the case though.

The problem is that Waterloo is a county line road. Then again...the cost should technically be cut in half. Be funny if Logan County said 'we want asphalt' and 'Ok' County said 'we want concrete'!

[ljbab728]

The problem is that Waterloo is a county line road. Then again...the cost should technically be cut in half. Be funny if Logan County said 'we want asphalt' and 'Ok' County said 'we want concrete'!

You're correct about that. I know that County Line Road in the Mustang area suffered for years for that reason.

[daddycaddy]

I really wish we could get an LPGA tournament in OK. Knock the LPGA all you want. I like to follow the LPGA mainly because my daughter plays golf.

[OKCisOK4me]

I really wish we could get an LPGA tournament in OK. Knock the LPGA all you want. I like to follow the LPGA mainly because my daughter plays golf.

Judging from your screen name, you'd be in the tourney so there'd be no need ;-)