Golfing in OKC - History

[ChaseDweller]

My understanding was that Duffy was involved in the park up on May that became Wedgewood when it moved out to NW Expressway. That park had some golf elements to it - I seem to remember reading about it in the Wedgewood thread. Then he opened Brookside at 89th and Shields. The next course he built was Braodmoor south of Moore. Then Cedar Valley opened as a 27 hole layout later expanded to 36 and later to 72 when the two courses east and north were opened.

[Prunepicker]

My understanding was that Duffy was involved in the park up on May that
became Wedgewood when it moved out to NW Expressway. That park had
some golf elements to it - I seem to remember reading about it in the
Wedgewood thread. Then he opened Brookside at 89th and Shields. The next
course he built was Braodmoor south of Moore. Then Cedar Valley opened as
a 27 hole layout later expanded to 36 and later to 72 when the two courses
east and north were opened.

Duffy is going to turn 96 in May. I haven't seen him for a few months but
when I do I'll ask him about Wedgewood.

I played Brookside almost every Saturday morning in the 60's and we
were members of the Hillcrest Country Club.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
Why play Brookside when you had Hillcrest available to you? Also, I might have caddied for your parents. I picked a few bucks as a caddy and also, I mowed one of my golfers lawn on a riding mower and they actually paid me! I would have done it for free, a rider was quite a luxury back then. He was a doctor getting older (I think he was at least 50, probably near death).
C. T.

Duffy is going to turn 96 in May. I haven't seen him for a few months but
when I do I'll ask him about Wedgewood.

I played Brookside almost every Saturday morning in the 60's and we
were members of the Hillcrest Country Club.

[Prunepicker]

Prunepicker,
Why play Brookside when you had Hillcrest available to you?

It was a different place to play. Hey, it only cost $3 at the most and we'd
play more than 18 holes. I just liked Duffy's.

Also, I might have caddied for your parents. I picked a few bucks as a caddy
and also, I mowed one of my golfers lawn on a riding mower and they
actually paid me! I would have done it for free, a rider was quite a luxury
back then. He was a doctor getting older (I think he was at least 50, probably
near death).
C. T.

I don't know if you did. When we played Hillcrest we didn't have a caddy.
Dad may have had one when he hired Buster to play and provide instruction
with him. Buster was the pro and wasn't cheap at the time. Hey, it may have
cost $20 to have him play with you.

My friends and I would collect the balls on the driving range and get about
12 cents per tray. Each tray had 16 balls. We'd go to the 7/11 on SW 59th
and Villa and blow our $$$ on snacks.

[Prunepicker]

Here's an article about Duffy Martin's driving range on S Shield and
County Line road.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
Where in the heck is South Shields and County Line road? Actually, this is a rhetorical question, I have never heard SW/SE 89th referred to as "County Line road", but that apparently is what the article is referring to.
C. T.

Here's an article about Duffy Martin's driving range on S Shield and
County Line road.

[gjl]

Any one know the history of the par 3 course that was across the street from Downtown Airport on Western? I knew the guy that owned it in the 80's and would occasionally work on his lawn mowers that he used to mow it. There were batting cages there too.

[Prunepicker]

Prunepicker,
Where in the heck is South Shields and County Line road? Actually, this is a
rhetorical question, I have never heard SW/SE 89th referred to as "County
Line road", but that apparently is what the article is referring to.
C. T.

Maybe it was called that as a reference point or something.

[Prunepicker]

Here's an ad from November 15, 1921.

I believe golfing may have been a bigger casual sport than it is today. I say
that because prior to 1950 there were many, many more coursed in the city
area. I wonder how big it would have been if there had been cable TV and a
golfing station in the 20's?

[Prunepicker]

Here is some information from Wikipedia. I haven't golfed in decades but
I still enjoy the history.

From Wikipedia
Early golf clubs were all made of wood. They were hand-crafted, often by
the players themselves, and had no standard shape or form. As the sport of
golf developed, a standard set of clubs began to take shape, with different
clubs being fashioned to perform different tasks and hit various types of shot.
Later, as more malleable iron became widely used for shorter range clubs, an
even wider variety of clubs became available.

The woods were:

Play Club: Driver Brassie:
2-Wood Spoon:
Higher-Lofted Wood
Baffing Spoon: Approach Wood

These were made of wood and were used until being replaced by the
numbered system used today.

The irons were:

Driving Iron: 1 Iron
Cleek: 2 Iron
Mid Mashie: 3 Iron
Mashie Iron: 4 Iron
Mashie: 5 Iron
Spade Mashie: 6 Iron
Mashie Niblick: 7
Iron Pitching Niblick: 8 Iron
Niblick: 9 Iron
Jigger: Very low lofted iron, shortened shaft

The Mashie Niblick was not a wedge.

The traditional set of irons was invented by Archibald Barrie and were used
from 1903 up until about the 1940s. The introduction of the standardized
numbered iron set produced by the Spalding Sporting Goods Company
in the early 1930s caused the traditional set of irons to gradually give
way to numbered convention.

The traditional irons varied greatly in loft (+/- 5 degrees). The shape of the
head determined some of the playing characteristics of the club; most
traditional heads were roughly egg-shaped. Sabbath sticks

Sunday or Sabbath sticks were the golf enthusiasts' answer to the Church of
Scotland's discouraging golfing on Sundays.

Clubs were disguised as walking sticks, the club head comfortably fitting in
the palm of the golfer's hand, until feeling unobserved, the stick was reversed
and a few strokes were played.

[Prunepicker]

I attended several Quail Creek Opens in the 60's. Some of the participants
were Arnold Palmer, Jack Nichlaus, Chi Chi Rodriguez. Miller Barber and
many others. I believe Sam Snead may have attended.

I'd follow Chi Chi because he was so much fun. Miller Barber was just too
much common sense and not very interesting. He was a great golfer.

My brother was almost hit by a bad fairway shot by Jack Nicklaus. Lil Bro
was standing against a tree and Jack's ball hit about 2 inches above his head.
The ball rebounded onto the fairway. I think it was 1966.

[okatty]

I was told yesterday that the Greens CC may lose three of its golf holes to Mercy Hospital. Anyone else heard that or know anything about it?

[hfry]

Someone may know better details but Mercy bought some land from them near holes 8-9 and the small par 3. But I believe it was all for future planning and they can't use it for like 5 years or something like that. The course has a plan for how it would change a few holes. Also I think the sale was from over a year or two ago( around when they changed the greens type of grass)

[T. Jamison]

This is roughly the tract that The Greens sold to Mercy in January of 2017.

[Timshel]

Someone may know better details but Mercy bought some land from them near holes 8-9 and the small par 3. But I believe it was all for future planning and they can't use it for like 5 years or something like that. The course has a plan for how it would change a few holes. Also I think the sale was from over a year or two ago( around when they changed the greens type of grass)

This is all generally true. Mercy has also said that they have no immediate plans to develop the land (for additional parking) even after the 5 year restriction elapses, but you know how that goes....Still sad as those two holes, especially 8, are pretty fun. My understanding is that they have had an architect come out and draft plans to restructure the course for two holes where there is excess land on the latter part of the back nine. IIRC near 12/13 and 16/17. I'm no longer a member so it doesn't really matter any more but I joined not long after this happened and they didn't mention it at all as I was looking into the club. Was pretty peeved about that.

[Timshel]

Those that are into Oklahoma golf history will probably find the following an interesting resource. Ed Oden has created the "Perry Maxwell Archive" which, to the best of my knowledge, is the most complete resource on Perry Maxwell's body of work to date. Tons of great information regarding Maxwell and the Oklahoma courses he built. The Golf Club Atlas interview, also linked below, is also worth a read as it summarizes the project and provides some great quotes regarding some OKC courses, notably Twin Hills. The interview contains a quote from Alister MacKenzie in the 1926 Daily Oklahoman, in which Mr. MacKenzie stated he was "favorably impressed with the Twin Hills course" and says it "would rank with those on Long Island which were built by Charles MacDonald." Mackenzie declared Twin Hills is "Better than the three American courses I have been hearing about all my life, The Links, The Lido and Garden City." Also, "Mr. Maxwell speaks of my ability to make a good fairway or develop a worthy green, but I wish to tell you that in laying out a golf course and to give it everything that the science and art of golf demand, Mr. Maxwell is not second to anyone I know."

It does not get any better than that, given the source of the quote and the courses Twin Hills was being compared to.

Perry Maxwell has historically been one of the more underrated golden age architects, but that seems to be changing over the last few years in golf architecture circles (see some of Gil Hanse's discussions during the Southern Hills renovation, for example). Hopefully we as a state can remember/realize what a treasure we have and continue to give his courses the care, respect, and ideally the restorative work they deserve.

https://golfclubatlas.com/feature-in...-with-ed-oden/

https://www.perrymaxwellarchive.com/

[BoulderSooner]

Those that are into Oklahoma golf history will probably find the following an interesting resource. Ed Oden has created the "Perry Maxwell Archive" which, to the best of my knowledge, is the most complete resource on Perry Maxwell's body of work to date. Tons of great information regarding Maxwell and the Oklahoma courses he built. The Golf Club Atlas interview, also linked below, is also worth a read as it summarizes the project and provides some great quotes regarding some OKC courses, notably Twin Hills. The interview contains a quote from Alister MacKenzie in the 1926 Daily Oklahoman, in which Mr. MacKenzie stated he was "favorably impressed with the Twin Hills course" and says it "would rank with those on Long Island which were built by Charles MacDonald." Mackenzie declared Twin Hills is "Better than the three American courses I have been hearing about all my life, The Links, The Lido and Garden City." Also, "Mr. Maxwell speaks of my ability to make a good fairway or develop a worthy green, but I wish to tell you that in laying out a golf course and to give it everything that the science and art of golf demand, Mr. Maxwell is not second to anyone I know."

It does not get any better than that, given the source of the quote and the courses Twin Hills was being compared to.

Perry Maxwell has historically been one of the more underrated golden age architects, but that seems to be changing over the last few years in golf architecture circles (see some of Gil Hanse's discussions during the Southern Hills renovation, for example). Hopefully we as a state can remember/realize what a treasure we have and continue to give his courses the care, respect, and ideally the restorative work they deserve.

https://golfclubatlas.com/feature-in...-with-ed-oden/

https://www.perrymaxwellarchive.com/

thanks for the links really great stuff

[turnpup]

I'm not a golfer, but this history makes me smile thinking of my late father. He lived and breathed golf, and while living in Ardmore he delighted in playing at Dornick Hills.