Sidorakis, Heckenkemper named to operate City of Tulsa courses Page Belcher, Mohawk Park

Editor’s note: The author of the story, Golf Oklahoma publisher Ken MacLeod, has served since 2021 on a Golf Course Improvement Committee appointed by the city of Tulsa Parks Director Anna America that included Nick Sidorakis and Randy Heckenkemper along with former City of Tulsa budget director Pat Connelly.

By Ken MacLeod

The City of Tulsa Thursday approved a five-year contract with Sidorakis Golf, a firm headed by former Southern Hills General Manager Nick Sidorakis and Tulsa-based golf architect Randy Heckenkemper, to oversee its 36-hole municipal golf facilities Page Belcher in west Tulsa and Mohawk Park in north Tulsa.

The courses have been managed since 2008 by Billy Casper Golf, which was later purchased by Indigo Golf and subsequently by Troon in 2021.  The courses had previously been managed in a contract with PGA professional George Glenn, which ended Dec. 31, 2007.

Sidorakis, who retired from his fulltime role at Southern Hills at the end of 2023 except for helping with the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, said he formed the company and put in the bid with Heckenkemper out of a desire to see conditions and service improve at Tulsa’s city-owned facilities.

“We want to provide great service and great golf course conditions,” Sidorakis said. “I’ve been running private clubs throughout my career and want to take that mindset of service into the public sector through all aspects of the golf course operation, maintenance and food service.”

Sidorakis is one of the co-founders and long-time director of First Tee of Tulsa, which operates at Mohawk Park. He was aware of conditioning issues at that facility and became more aware of issues at Page Belcher after being named to the committee, through which he was the major fundraiser in securing a $1 million match to go with $1 million in Covid relief funds provided by the city. Those funds along with others provided by the city have resulted in extensive tree removal and trimming, sodding, new bunkers and other improvements at Page Belcher and a new pump station at Mohawk Park, although the irrigation system remains largely inoperable.

The city of Tulsa, in a process led by Anna America, Tulsa Parks Director, selected Sidorakis Golf over bids put in by eight out-of-state golf course management companies including current operator Troon.

“The local ownership and Nick and Randy’s experience was a huge factor,” America said. “Nick has shown in the past that he can operate courses and raise money to support the courses not only locally but with major golf organizations such as the PGA of America. There’s just nobody who could match that. What he’s done with First Tee, he cares about golf, he cares about developing these assets.

“I’ve never talked to anyone who doesn’t think well of Nick. He’s straightforward, honest, and considerate. We now have a team who can bring the kind of commitment and passion that can make a huge difference for the courses and public golf in Tulsa.”

“Nick and his partner Randy Heckenkemper have demonstrated a history of understanding and supporting City golf courses, and I can’t think of anyone with a more intimate knowledge of our courses than they have of them,” Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said. “Nick has been one of the biggest supporters of the First Tee Program at Mohawk Golf Course that is helping our youth in Tulsa, and he has also demonstrated a willingness and ability to raise private money to support the golf courses in the past. I am confident that together, we will continue to create the best municipal golf courses in the region.”

Following approval from the Standards Specifications & Awards Committee (SSA) this morning, the city will work with Sidorakis to get a finalized contract into place as soon as possible. Following those negotiations, Sidorakis will assume management likely in April. America was working to extend the contract with Troon, which was set to expire Dec. 31, through March in an effort to give the new firm time to get its plans and personnel in place.

Heckenkemper has done extensive work on the city courses including renovations at Page Belcher and Mohawk Park. He has been frustrated in the past to see how quickly improvements deteriorated due to lack of funding while similar renovations at public courses elsewhere throughout the state and particularly in Oklahoma City lasted due to more commitment from various municipalities to make certain that happened.

“Almost 80 percent of golfers start at public courses and many play there their entire lives,” Heckenkemper said. “It’s important to the overall community that municipal golf is strong and offers quality service and conditions. I think the reality is in Tulsa it’s going to take a huge public-private partnership to bring them back to as good as they can be again.

“The good news is with a local firm, we will be there at the courses, talking to golfers, identifying issues and working to solve them.”

America said restoring local control of the courses was a key for the city.

“We have someone who knows our city, the weather, knows the courses intimately, will be able to build community and private support. Nick values Mohawk Park as much as he does Page Belcher and that’s going to be really important to make both facilities what they can be.”

Sidorakis said it will take time, but golfers will notice a distinct change in culture at both facilities with the addition of PGA professionals on staff offering lessons, clinics, programming, merchandising and more.

“Our names are on this now and we’ll be operating it like it’s our own,” Sidorakis said. “We think we can make a huge difference in the operations, it’s just going to take some time.”

The new firm will oversee how $8 million toward golf course improvements in a recent city bond issue is spent. The funds are earmarked toward improving irrigation at both facilities, the foundation upon which any successful commitment to maintenance upgrades is built.