Oklahoma’s tremendous diversity celebrated in new Golf Trail

By Ken MacLeod

Oklahoma is a golf-mad state boasting unique and interesting courses in a variety of micro-climates ranging from the foothills of the Ozarks to weathered mountains and sand dunes.

With that in mind, former state House member Sheila Dills and Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, chairman of the Oklahoma Tourism Commission, spearheaded the formation and now announcement of an Oklahoma Golf Trail designed to encourage golfers from outside and inside the state to experience golf and all the unique attractions the state has to offer from an authentic American experience perspective.

The Oklahoma Golf Trail, with 18 initial courses ranging from Shangri-La Resort in the northeast corner to Boiling Springs  in Woodward, Chickasaw Pointe on the southern border and The Territory in southwestern Oklahoma, was revealed to the public at a press conference Wednesday at KickingBird Golf Courses in Edmond.

“This is a dream come true for me,” said Dills, a former state champion golfer and executive director of the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association who now runs a French bakery in Jenks.  “This is such a great state and the people are the No. 1 reason why. To be able to take a game I love and help people experience the state through that is wonderful. I’m glad we took our time to make this a good product and we’re blessed to have a Lieutenant Governor who got us to the finish line and helped us secure the funding.”

KickingBird, which two years ago completed a $22 million renovation, is one of the featured municipal courses on The Trail. (Full disclosure, this writer is one of nine Oklahoma Golf Trail commissioners who spent time over the past few years working on Trail formation).

Whether it’s golfers from Iowa and Nebraska escaping winter’s clutches in the spring or Texans enjoying Oklahoma’s unmatched fall, the idea will be to promote Oklahoma’s courses and experiences throughout the region and eventually the country. The website introducing the courses and fun things to see and do near each is www.oklahoma.golf. An app allowing travelers to book their own tee times and plan their own trips will be added within a few weeks.

There are 18 courses initially but the legislation creating the Trail authored by Dills allows up to 25 and both Dills and Pinnell expect to see a few changes.

“This is only the beginning,” Pinnell said. “Each and every step we take will add more marketing muscle, and I hope, more courses to help us spread the word that Oklahoma is a golf destination. But I’m really pleased and excited to see this launch, it’s going to be great for tourism and for the state.”

Pinnell, an enthusiastic golf traveler himself, remains committed to working with State Representative Anthony Moore of Clinton on a project that could turn the Trail into a destination that would attract golfers world wide if they are successful, and that is a potential collaboration with Dream Golf (builders of Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley among other world class destinations) to build several rolling sand dunes based courses in far western Oklahoma.

“That would be the game changer of all game changers and probably the biggest golf story in the country if it happens,” Pinnell said.

More details on that to come, but Wednesday was a day to celebrate the courses who are participating, from the state’s original Perry Maxwell design in Dornick Hills in Ardmore to another that celebrated its 100^thanniversary in 2024 in Cherokee Hills by the Hard Rock Hotel in Catoosa.

Many of the professionals and course directors were on hand for the announcement and even those whose courses are currently jammed with golf’s popularity were excited to contribute and help bring visitors to the state and their communities.

“For me, we don’t really need more rounds of golf,” said Brian Soerensen, director of golf at KickingBird. “But we do want to bring clients  to Edmond, stay in Edmond, spend their sales tax dollars in Edmond. That’s why the city built this place.”

“There are fantastic courses on this trail that you want to be associated with,” said Corey Burd, general manager of Bailey Ranch in Owasso. “We did 42,000 rounds last year and don’t really need extra rounds, but we want to showcase the city and contribute to the tourism effort. If it helps Owasso and the state it helps us.”

Initial Oklahoma Golf Trail Courses are:

• Bailey Ranch in Owasso
• Boiling Springs in Woodward
• Canyons at Blackjack Ridge in Sand Springs
• Cherokee Hills in Catoosa
• Chickasaw Pointe on Lake Texoma
• Dornick Hills in Ardmore
• KickingBird in Edmond
• LaFortune Park in Tulsa
• Lincoln Park in Oklahoma City
• Oakwood CC in Enid
• Patricia Island in Grove
• Peoria Ridge in Miami
• Riverside in Clinton
• Shangri-La in Afton
• The Coves at Bird Island
• The Territory in Duncan
• WinStar Golf Resort in Thackerville (2026)
• Winter Creek in Blanchard

Helping to celebrate the launch was an Oklahoma golf treasure in Gil Morgan, who won seven PGA Tour events and 25 PGA Tour Champions events, as well as the 1981 Oklahoma Open when it was held at KickingBird. The Edmond resident and long-time Oak Tree National member said it made him eager to see more of the state’s courses himself.

“We have such great diversity in the state from the lakes and woods to western Oklahoma and the great Perry Maxwell courses,” Morgan said. “I was looking at the website and I haven’t played as many of these as I should have. Of course, I was playing in tournaments a lot of those years, but that would be great to play some of them now.”