What are your favorite courses in and around Tulsa? As I am a recent grad (broke), feel free to throw out any cheap hidden gems that you enjoy.
Favorite Tulsa Golf Courses
- Thread starter ThisIsTulsa
- Start date
I'll have to check that out. I play at mowhawk park about once a month and feel like it's a decent course for the price.
I like 'em all since sitting at work kinda blows. Generally though, I can be found at Page Belcher. Either course is fine by me, when they aren't repairing one or the other.
Avid golfer here, but haven't been as crazed past couple of years as kid gets older and involved in more activities. Enjoy these young adult years as much as you can. Golf is a very time-consuming passion. It gets harder to find the time until the kids leave the nest. All that being said, I've played all the courses in and around Tulsa many times. Here are some of the notable courses:
SOUTHERN HILLS: Been lucky enough to play Southern Hills 5 times, but honestly, haven't really enjoyed myself any of the times for a couple of reasons: 1) Etiquette is a huge deal there. You can't even change into into your golf shoes in the parking lot; and 2) I've never played well there. It is a really, really hard course. Have to be able to work the ball both ways. 18th is the single most difficult hole I've every played. But the view from the 1st tee is outstanding and the men's locker room and grill have to be seen to be believed Go if you ever get the chance. Everyone should experience playing one of the greatest golf courses / golf clubs on the planet. Just be prepared for hyper-challenging golf in a somewhat snooty atmosphere.
GOLF CLUB OF OKLAHOMA: Outstanding private course in far east Broken Arrow. Very challenging but not as penal as Southern Hills and more relaxed environment. Be prepared to carry lots of water on some of the par 3's. Very, very nice clubhouse. Again, not as ritzy as SH, but better suited for my tastes. I've been seriously thinking of joining a club, and its come down to GC of Okla or Indian Springs. Go if get the chance and have a great time.
HERITAGE HILLS: Hidden gem mid-range public course in Claremore. Challenging but very fun layout. Several up / down holes. One driveable par 4. Couple of par 5's you can reach in 2 if you hit great shots. Well maintained for public. Very friendly staff. Make the short drive to Claremore and enjoy.
CANYONS AT BLACKJACK RIDGE (formerly Sand Springs Municipal): Fun, fun, fun low to mid-range public course. Also known affectionately as "Goat Hill." VERY up / down course. Not terribly well-maintained, and driving range pretty much sucks. But the layout is so much fun. The par 3 12th hole has the biggest single drop in elevation of any hole I've every played -- and I've been lucky to play all over the country. You are literally hitting off a cliff to a small green. Takes forever for your 8 or 9 iron shot to come down.
FOREST RIDGE: Semi-public in Broken Arrow. Probably 2nd hardest course behind Southern Hills. Some very long holes and long rough. Very well maintained with excellent practice facilities. This place is for the serious golfer who can't get into Southern Hills / GC of Okla or doesn't want to deal with the snootiness. Very pricey for a "public" course. This course will kick your ass if you are having a slightly off day.
BAILEY RANCH / WHITEHAWK: Bailey is in Owasso and Whitehawk in Bixby. Both would be considered upscale public but not nearly as pricey as Forest Ridge. These courses are very similar. Built about the same time. Similar type of layouts and golfing styles. Even the clubhouses are similar.
BATTLECREEK: Another upscale public course in Broken Arrow. Built in similar mode as Bailey Ranch and Whitehawk. A few years ago, I would have ranked Battlecreek above Bailey or Whitehawk, but recently some apartments were added on the far southwestern end of the course causing a change of layout. This change hurt the course IMO.
MOHAWK: Low end public course with two 18 hole layouts -- Pecan Valley and Woodbine. There was a time where Mohawk was all I could afford. It is where I learned to play golf. Both course are easy and beginner friendly. Many fond memories. I have recently "rediscovered" Mohawk as I have been taking my 10 yr old son who is learning golf. Do NOT like the changes they made to Pecan Valley. About 10 years ago, they added a driving range which dramatically changed the back 9 of Pecan Valley. Oh well ....
PAGE BELCHER: Low end public course with two 18 hole layouts -- Old Page and Stone Creek. These course are much harder than the Mohawk courses. Courses are generally better maintained than Mohawk. Played the best round of golf in my life on Stone Creek in 1999.
LAFORTUNE PARK: Low end public course with two 18 hole layouts. The par 3 course (which is lighted) is where I first started playing golf as an 8 yr old. Par 3 course is not well maintained at all. Greens are horrible. Really just a course for absolute beginners. The traditional course is not too bad of a layout, but again, not maintained too well. The par 4 2nd hole was the first hole that I ever drove the green. But also has some very long holes. I think Lafortune recently put in a new clubhouse, but I haven't actually played there in years.
Hopefully this will get you started. There are many other courses farther outside of Tulsa that I did not mention. I also purposely left off the Hard Rock Casino course in Catoosa. That course was orginally designed by Perry Maxwell who also designed Southern Hills. It was outstanding. But the damn casino came in and changed it. I have boycotted it ever since. I also did not mention Tulsa Country Club. That course was designed by Tillinghast and was gem but had really fallen off the past few years. I haven't played it since the renovations so I really can't comment on it. I hope TCC makes a comeback given its history. Also didn't mention Indian Springs CC in Broken Arrow. It recently sold and is in limbo.
SOUTHERN HILLS: Been lucky enough to play Southern Hills 5 times, but honestly, haven't really enjoyed myself any of the times for a couple of reasons: 1) Etiquette is a huge deal there. You can't even change into into your golf shoes in the parking lot; and 2) I've never played well there. It is a really, really hard course. Have to be able to work the ball both ways. 18th is the single most difficult hole I've every played. But the view from the 1st tee is outstanding and the men's locker room and grill have to be seen to be believed Go if you ever get the chance. Everyone should experience playing one of the greatest golf courses / golf clubs on the planet. Just be prepared for hyper-challenging golf in a somewhat snooty atmosphere.
GOLF CLUB OF OKLAHOMA: Outstanding private course in far east Broken Arrow. Very challenging but not as penal as Southern Hills and more relaxed environment. Be prepared to carry lots of water on some of the par 3's. Very, very nice clubhouse. Again, not as ritzy as SH, but better suited for my tastes. I've been seriously thinking of joining a club, and its come down to GC of Okla or Indian Springs. Go if get the chance and have a great time.
HERITAGE HILLS: Hidden gem mid-range public course in Claremore. Challenging but very fun layout. Several up / down holes. One driveable par 4. Couple of par 5's you can reach in 2 if you hit great shots. Well maintained for public. Very friendly staff. Make the short drive to Claremore and enjoy.
CANYONS AT BLACKJACK RIDGE (formerly Sand Springs Municipal): Fun, fun, fun low to mid-range public course. Also known affectionately as "Goat Hill." VERY up / down course. Not terribly well-maintained, and driving range pretty much sucks. But the layout is so much fun. The par 3 12th hole has the biggest single drop in elevation of any hole I've every played -- and I've been lucky to play all over the country. You are literally hitting off a cliff to a small green. Takes forever for your 8 or 9 iron shot to come down.
FOREST RIDGE: Semi-public in Broken Arrow. Probably 2nd hardest course behind Southern Hills. Some very long holes and long rough. Very well maintained with excellent practice facilities. This place is for the serious golfer who can't get into Southern Hills / GC of Okla or doesn't want to deal with the snootiness. Very pricey for a "public" course. This course will kick your ass if you are having a slightly off day.
BAILEY RANCH / WHITEHAWK: Bailey is in Owasso and Whitehawk in Bixby. Both would be considered upscale public but not nearly as pricey as Forest Ridge. These courses are very similar. Built about the same time. Similar type of layouts and golfing styles. Even the clubhouses are similar.
BATTLECREEK: Another upscale public course in Broken Arrow. Built in similar mode as Bailey Ranch and Whitehawk. A few years ago, I would have ranked Battlecreek above Bailey or Whitehawk, but recently some apartments were added on the far southwestern end of the course causing a change of layout. This change hurt the course IMO.
MOHAWK: Low end public course with two 18 hole layouts -- Pecan Valley and Woodbine. There was a time where Mohawk was all I could afford. It is where I learned to play golf. Both course are easy and beginner friendly. Many fond memories. I have recently "rediscovered" Mohawk as I have been taking my 10 yr old son who is learning golf. Do NOT like the changes they made to Pecan Valley. About 10 years ago, they added a driving range which dramatically changed the back 9 of Pecan Valley. Oh well ....
PAGE BELCHER: Low end public course with two 18 hole layouts -- Old Page and Stone Creek. These course are much harder than the Mohawk courses. Courses are generally better maintained than Mohawk. Played the best round of golf in my life on Stone Creek in 1999.
LAFORTUNE PARK: Low end public course with two 18 hole layouts. The par 3 course (which is lighted) is where I first started playing golf as an 8 yr old. Par 3 course is not well maintained at all. Greens are horrible. Really just a course for absolute beginners. The traditional course is not too bad of a layout, but again, not maintained too well. The par 4 2nd hole was the first hole that I ever drove the green. But also has some very long holes. I think Lafortune recently put in a new clubhouse, but I haven't actually played there in years.
Hopefully this will get you started. There are many other courses farther outside of Tulsa that I did not mention. I also purposely left off the Hard Rock Casino course in Catoosa. That course was orginally designed by Perry Maxwell who also designed Southern Hills. It was outstanding. But the damn casino came in and changed it. I have boycotted it ever since. I also did not mention Tulsa Country Club. That course was designed by Tillinghast and was gem but had really fallen off the past few years. I haven't played it since the renovations so I really can't comment on it. I hope TCC makes a comeback given its history. Also didn't mention Indian Springs CC in Broken Arrow. It recently sold and is in limbo.
At Golf Club of OK, bring a 
load of golf balls unless you enjoy being tied to a tree by a rattlesnake. Me and a buddy played 27 holes out there one day (on his junior membership so I still spend $100 easy that day) and on the 27th hole we completely ran out of balls. No range balls, nothin'. And the beer cart girl didn't have any either. Rude!
load of golf balls unless you enjoy being tied to a tree by a rattlesnake. Me and a buddy played 27 holes out there one day (on his junior membership so I still spend $100 easy that day) and on the 27th hole we completely ran out of balls. No range balls, nothin'. And the beer cart girl didn't have any either. Rude!Thanks barrister, really appreciate the time it took for that write-up. I played Mowhawk again today, this heat is killing me. I'll be leaving for a month long clinical rotation but am looking forward to playing Canyons at Blackjack Ridge when I get back.
When you approach the 12th tee box at Goat Hill, please, please make sure you slow down if you're driving. I've been witness to a cart accident and was lucky no one was seriously hurt.
Correct ... it used to be called Spunky Creek. Now it is the Hard Rock Casino Course or something similar.
No, the course does not "suck" but I consider it to be blasphemous to substantially change a Perry Maxwell design.
In all honesty, the course had already been changed substantially by mother nature when the tornado took out 100's of trees in the 90's. Spunky Creek was never the same after that.
I had not played it since it had changed from Spunky Creek either, but I was in a tournament there back in April. I found it challenging, but then again, I seem to find ways to make all courses challenging. I thought it was a good course. Worth a visit.
I agree ion canyons. the goat trail is a fun course for what it is...cheap.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
Posted from Rivals Mobile
Not sure you can call LaFortune Low-end anymore.
My favorite courses are (no particular order):
LaFortune
the Canyons @ Black Jack Ridge
Stone Creek
White Hawk
Battle Creek
Mohawk (Woodbine only)
South Lakes
Clary Fields
Cotton Creek
Private courses- TCC & Southern Hills are hard to beat. Barrister is right about the atmosphere - it is a little snooty. Still a lot of fun if you hit the course with the right people in your group. TCC was redone, I haven't had a chance to play it yet.
I hear great things about Emerald Falls, need to play that. Along wtih the Patriot. I've also heard that Heritage Hills is really nice (is that in Claremore?).
I also need to try Golf Club of OK. Those are all great courses from what I hear. Patriot is private but for someting like $150 you can play it once without a membership (only once though).
My favorite courses are (no particular order):
LaFortune
the Canyons @ Black Jack Ridge
Stone Creek
White Hawk
Battle Creek
Mohawk (Woodbine only)
South Lakes
Clary Fields
Cotton Creek
Private courses- TCC & Southern Hills are hard to beat. Barrister is right about the atmosphere - it is a little snooty. Still a lot of fun if you hit the course with the right people in your group. TCC was redone, I haven't had a chance to play it yet.
I hear great things about Emerald Falls, need to play that. Along wtih the Patriot. I've also heard that Heritage Hills is really nice (is that in Claremore?).
I also need to try Golf Club of OK. Those are all great courses from what I hear. Patriot is private but for someting like $150 you can play it once without a membership (only once though).
Beer cart girl didn't have any balls? That sounds like a good thing.Originally posted by Li'l Eric Coley:
At Golf Club of OK, bring a
Disagree. Cedar Ridge is certainly challenging but I find Southern Hills, Golf Club of OK and Forest Ridge to be more difficult.
I do LOVE that short par 4 dogleg left on the front nine. Great golf hole.
I do LOVE that short par 4 dogleg left on the front nine. Great golf hole.
Golf Club may has about the same width landing areas, but the rough is much more severe. Much harder to advance. GC of Okla is a Tom Fazio design. He is not known for laying out "easy driving courses."
Not sure what you mean about Forest Ridge. I do not consider it to be tricked up. Just hard to make a score.
I like Cedar Ridge. Great option. I know some diehards who love it. My former boss (Chris Harmon's former bro-in-law) was a member there for many years. But even he believes GC is tougher.
Dude I've been a member at Golf Club and am currently a member of Cedar Ridge. In the 90's they took all the Fazio out of Golf Club with a redo to make it easier. The course is now IMHO much easier then Cedar. I agree when it first opened it was a gem, now, not so much. Forest Ridge has been redone in the last two years and is now "tricked up". When it first opened Forest Ridge was outstanding. But just like Golf Club, the demand for revenue leads to way to many rounds played and the course over time wears out and is redone. Both courses are no where near what they originally were. The proof that Cedar Ridge has stood the test of time? Only thing redone on it was new greens in @95.
Dude just because a course is or is not "redone" has nothing to do as to whether it stands the test of time. Often times storms, maintenance (or lack thereof) or hosting majors cause renovations. Southern Hills goes through major green rebuilds and minor tweaks on tee box layouts every 10 years or so. I think we can both agree Southern Hills has stood the test of time -- other than being made longer. It is still the same basic Perry Maxwell layout, but has still undergone renovations.
What I can say with absolute certainty is that for me (primarily a low ball draw / accurancy over distance) that GC of Okla is a harder course for me to score.
What I can say with absolute certainty is that for me (primarily a low ball draw / accurancy over distance) that GC of Okla is a harder course for me to score.
DreDogg- Im with you about golf club. Ive been out there for 15 years and it used to play MUCH MUCH tougher. The only thing Fazzio about it now is the false fronts on the greens. If people want to feel the pain of old golf club of OK, whenever it was in its prime, you need to play Branson Creek or Karsten Creek. As for toughness it just depends on the tee ball. It is fairly wide open as far as fairways go, just dont go left or right
As far as private courses around town go my list would be 1. Golf Club of OK 2.) Cedar 3.) Southern Hills 4.) Tulsa Country Club 5.) The Patriot..........I am obviously biased to the Golf Club of OK b/c I have been there so long
For public 1.) Forest Ridge 2.) Cherokee Hills 3.)Battle Creek 4.)Stone Creek 5.) White Hawk 6.)Clary Fields
Get on Golfnow.com and see if you can't get a "hot time" or something like that
This post was edited on 10/4 10:00 AM by Chazz Reinhold48
Chazz / Dre:
Looking to join a club in BA. I live near Indian Springs which is also close to Golf Club. Indian Springs is in ownership flux but appears to offer more family things to do. Indian Springs clubhouse SUCKS though, Also, Indian Springs' 2 golf courses cannot compare to Golf Club's IMO. Any thoughts?
Looking to join a club in BA. I live near Indian Springs which is also close to Golf Club. Indian Springs is in ownership flux but appears to offer more family things to do. Indian Springs clubhouse SUCKS though, Also, Indian Springs' 2 golf courses cannot compare to Golf Club's IMO. Any thoughts?
If you are looking to join for a family atmosphere, golf club is NOT the place. The clubhouse is great and they have stepped it up on the food/dining room but it is pretty much strictly golf. They have a pool and tennis courts but I never see anyone using them. Indian Springs is a good place for families but what scares me is the new ownership and what will come of the club. It is all speculation at this point. I was out there before the Golf Club of OK and they had a double membership for Golf/Tennis with a lot of JR programs. Pool was a bonus and the grill had good food too. Agree that the golf is not as good but for families it is a great place to start. I heard through the rumor mill that they were talking about shutting down the windmill course and sinking that money into the River course which could make it a really nice course to play. Windmill is a great course for Juniors and Senior Citizens so it'll be interesting if they keep it. Just Curious did you look at Meadowbrook? You could be there in 10-15 minutes since your close to the highway. It has a good pool, decent grill, and solid course. Have some friends that are there and they love it. Plus, the membership is not too harsh on the wallet. I do know a bunch of that club came to the golf club though. I do not know if that helps but if you're selfishly wanting it for the golf and have a place to occasionally take your family for a meal I would go Golf club over ISCC for sure. Luckily there is a lot of options for clubs around these parts
thanks Chazz. My family had a membership at ISCC when I was growing up. Many fond memories. Seemed much nicer back then. Of course that was years ago before GC of Okla and others came around. Hate to see Windmill close down. Fun little course. My parents still live on one of its holes.
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