Story of Golf in Oklahoma

By Del Lemon

For a century, Oklahoma has been at the crossroads of American golf: Bolt, Moody, Jameson, Morgan, Tway, and Coe were born there; Hagen, Hogan, Nicklaus, Woods, Lopez, and Sarazen competed there; Nelson, Zaharias, Palmer, Wright, Floyd, and Snead won there. It is hardly surprising that the U.S. Open returns to Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the year 2001, or that Golf Digest ranked Oklahoma City the fifth-friendliest golf city in the country.

The Story of Golf in Oklahoma chronicles the links history of the Sooner state, from championships to courses to personalities. Previously unpublished material includes numerous color and black-and-white photographs, layouts of Oklahoma courses, and detailed appendices documenting the dates, locations, champions, and winning scores of every Oklahoma Open as well as of other prominent golf championships played in Oklahoma. The book also includes lists of winners of the Oklahoma Golf Association, the Women's Oklahoma Golf Association, the South Central PGA section, and a comprehensive player register, including biographical data, about native Oklahoman golf champions and other champions who have lived in the state. Oklahoma's golf legacy has been one of the best-kept secrets in American sports--until now.

"Del Lemon's Story of Golf in Oklahoma is a timely narrative that depicts our state's distinguished first century of golf, a story I believe the rest of the golf world will find interesting as well. The book is not just about Oklahomans. It also includes accounts of numerous players from other states who have won championships there. At one time or another, almost all the great American golf champions--from Walter Hagan, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, and Gene Sarazen to Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Nancy Lopez, and Tiger Woods--have been part of the tapestry that is Oklahoma golf."--Susie Maxwell Berning, winner of eleven LPGA championships, including three U.S. Opens

Oklahoma Boasts:

- The first player to shoot 63 in the British Open (Mark Hayes)

- The first NCAA champion from west of the Mississippi (Walter Emery)

- The dominant amateur player in Masters Tournament history (Charles Coe)

- Some of the finest golf courses in the country, due to Oklahoma's rolling terrains and ideal turfgrass

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806133007
• ISBN13: 9780806133003
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.3" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

A hole-in-one

The University of Oklahoma Press hit a hole-in-one with this book. Amazingly, given Oklahoma's national prominence in golfing circles, until now there has not been a comprehensive history of golf in Oklahoma and the people and courses that have made the state a key player amoung amateurs and professionals in this royal and ancient game. This book corrects that oversight. The author combines a readable style with meticulous research and an obvious love for the game to chronicle the history of golf in Oklahoma from the pre-statehood (1900) course in Guthrie to the world championship courses in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Norman, Edmond, Stillwater and Broken Arrow. In addition, there are ample stories on the highly touted courses in Bartlesville, Ada, Ardmore and a host of other towns. Lemon devotes an entire chapter to the history and significance of Burneyville, located in Love County "about halfway between Oklahoma City and Dallas." I'll venture a guess that few golfers or Oklahomans know the significance of this Oklahoma hamlet to the golfing world. I won't give away the secret but it is an amazing story, sure to delight readers. The chapters on Southern Hills in Tulsa and Quail Creek in Oklahoma City are replete with the history of the courses and the personalities who helped establish them, as well as the many, if not all, great American golf champions who have graced local links. I was interested to read that Southern Hills was built by WPA labor at a cost of $100,000 and that W.K. Warren and Otis McClintok were instrumental in persuading oilman Waite Phillips to donate 300 acres of south Tulsa land for the project. In addition to the attention given to the history of the courses, there are chapters on varsity programs and players; women and their outstanding contributions to the game, including Susie Maxwell Berning; and, and up-to-date review of the modern era. Complete information is included on the 16 USGA championships played in Oklahoma, along with that of some 56 PGA, LPGA and USGA professional championships played here. Combine that with wonderful accounts of such players as Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Arnold Palmer, Walter Hagen, Sam Snead, Nancy Lopez and Tiger Woods and the result is a book that will be a benchmark for others that follow. The book contains some 400 pages with bibliography, appendices that include details about the players and events in Oklahoma golf; 15 color and 49 black and white photographs and illustrations; and the course layouts for Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Norman and Stillwater. The author is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and a correspondent and golf columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. He is a three-time award winner from the Texas Golf Writers Association. He has managed to combine a history of golf in Oklahoma with an engaging account of the many colorful personalities that contributed so much to its success in a state that now boasts 220 courses and an estimated 300,000 people who claim to play gol

Great Book!

If you love golf, and golf courses, you will love this new book. Being an Oklahoman is not a necessity to enjoy this...just a golf fan. I especially liked this because of the detail behind Perry Maxwell, and the background of his courses. While this year's U.S. Open brought Southern Hills (Tulsa) into the spotlight again, Maxwell also designed (or redesigned) great courses such as Augusta National (redesign of several holes), Dornick Hills (Ardmore), Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, and several others nationwide.