Donations, DeHart’s drive result in new Moody Learning Center in Chickasha

by Ken MacLeod

Cary DeHart has seen it all at Chickasha’s only golf course. He’s persevered through name changes, ownership changes, course closings, reopenings, good times and bad.

The bad culminated in yet another ownership change, the loss of most of the turf grass and the course closing for most of 2025. The good is thanks to DeHart, the city of Chickasha and a group of determined donors, Drover Hills is back this spring with good greens, solid Bermuda turf coverage in the fairways and a wonderful new practice facility.

Drover Hills is the latest name for what was for years Chickasha Golf & Country Club before a change to Cottonwood Hills and later Bushwood. The historic links opened in 1915 and the annual Washita Valley Golf Tournament has been played continuously since 1928, the state’s oldest running tournament.

DeHart, who played two years of collegiate golf for Labron Harris Sr. at Oklahoma State before deciding wisely to concentrate on his engineering degree, is the just-retired CEO of Willowbrook, a construction firm he began in 1974, that now has offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Chickasha with hundreds of successful commercial projects around the state.

When the latest ownership group was ready to get out, the city agreed to purchase, but not manage the course. Crucially, it said it would provide water.

Led by DeHart, a group of close to 120 formed the Chickasha Golf Foundation, a 501 C3 non-profit, and raised $450,000 to restore the course to playable conditions. Included in that was $100,000 for a practice facility to be named after Orville Moody, the Chickasha native and Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame inductee who grew up playing there and went on to win the 1969 U.S. Open.

Josh Wilson, who is the owner of Living Water Irrigation and the licensed Oklahoma dealer for Celebrity Greens, had recently been hired to install one of his company’s greens at DeHart’s residence near the course. The two began discussions of the feasibility of doing artificial greens at the course. Wilson’s company reduced its normal fees and went above and beyond to make it possible to create what is now called the Orville Moody Youth Practice Facility.

The area consists of a 3,500-square foot practice green, a 1,500-square foot practice green and bunker with tees set at 30, 50, 70 and 90 yards to practice all manner of pitch shots. Then across the parking lot in what was a vacant field they have constructed a driving range with small artificial greens where golfers can fine tune their short games.

DeHart said a functioning golf course is a crucial amenity for a town the size of Chickasha (population somewhere in the range of 16,500). He grew up playing and caddying at the course. A privately owned public course called Riverbend is no longer in business.

Not only do the town’s youngsters play there, but local high schools from the area and at times the collegians from the University of Science and Arts in Chickasha, (the Drovers, hence the new name) although they also practice at Winter Creek in Blanchard.

With the city providing water and DeHart serving as de facto general manager (unpaid of course), the foundation has been able to hire a maintenance staff of four and a clubhouse manager.  The nine-hole course is public and open to member and outside play. And the course has an interesting, testing layout with tees from different angles to make the holes play considerably different on a second voyage.

Former Oral Roberts University and for-a-time touring professional Cody Burrows is one of the best golfers to come out of Chickasha since Moody. He said what DeHart is doing is wonderful for the course and town.

“When Cary DeHart puts his mind to something, it’s going to happen,” Burrows said. “I’m so glad he’s doing it. The community needs a golf course.”

“It’s really, really neat what Cary is doing,” Wilson said. “He’s a huge part of why this is happening. All of our suppliers were happy to help any way they could.”

Wilson said the practice green goes in running about 10 on a stimpmeter but can be adjusted. The greens should last 13-to-17 years before needing to be replaced if maintained annually.

While DeHart and his group are willing to continue to invest (subsidize) operations, a long-term key will be the city continuing to provide water. Most past issues included spells of heat and drought when the course could not afford to water adequately, and fairways and greens dried up. 

That won’t be an issue on the new putting and practice greens, however. A dedication is planned with members of the Moody family, perhaps at this year’s Washita Valley Tournament.