Els get OTN preview, Bridgesong review, foundation support in 24 hours
Above: Ernie Els at Oak Tree National Monday
By Ken MacLeod
Scott and Kim Verplank are heroes to the many young people with diabetes they have helped over the years through the Kim and Scott Verplank Foundation. The primary fundraiser each year is a benefit tournament at Oak Tree National and many of Verplank’s contemporaries from the PGA Tour and Champions Tour support him by playing in the pro-am.
It’s not every year, however, that you get a four-time major champion and 80-time overall professional winner from South Africa coming to Edmond to support the cause.
The Big Easy himself, Ernie Els, was at Oak Tree Monday to help the foundation. It was a triple play of good for Els. Supporting Scott, Kim and the Foundation. Getting a look at Oak Tree National, which will be the site of the 2027 U.S. Senior Open Championship next July 1-4. And allowing him to spend the following day, Tuesday, touring one of his latest course designs, the enigmatic Bridgesong course in Blanchard, scheduled to open in June or July of 2027.
Few golfers or designers have traveled the world as extensively or seen a wider variety of course design than Els. A devotee of the Golden Age architects with a particular affinity for the Sand Belt courses in Australia, Els has become a highly-respected architect with 21 projects completed and opened world wide and another 12 in development. Bridgesong wil be his second course in the continental United States and third overall including one in Hawaii.
Bridgesong is on property just off U.S. 62 that was previously the site of a partly finished courses known as Indian Ridge, although that was completely eliminated and this is a brand new design. The property is quite attractive for golf with mature trees, rolling terrain, streams and lakes.
Els and his lead architect Greg Letsche worked together on Bridgesong. Els said he knew he wanted it to be a signature design after first seeing the property.. He has been on site four times now and said he would be returning several more times as it progresses. It is being built by premier golf course construction firm Landscapes Unlimited. The ownership includes businessmen and women from Louisville, Ky., including Renee Mardis, Richard Rigney and James French, among others.
“When I saw the property I said ‘wow, I have to get involved,’ “ Els said. “It’s a beautiful piece of land. We’re about halfway through. The range is complete and Landscapes is doing a great job.
“What I like to do depends on the topography of the site. There’s a lot of movement there. I try to put angles on the bunkering and greens and keep it as natural as I can so it goes with the flow of the landscape.”
The course is expected to be the centerpiece of a residential development and community although ownership has not released much information publicly about its plans for membership or home sales.
As for Oak Tree, celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer, Els was looking forward to playing as we chatted just prior to his round, but said his history of playing Pete Dye courses was not great.
“I haven’t had much luck with Pete,” he said. Els actually did have four top-10 finishes in 25 starts at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass but also missed the cut seven times. He said he hoped his new Oklahoma courses would be regarded with the same respect over time as an Oak Tree National or the state’s other classic courses.