Rees Jones, ASGCA, is working on a cost-effective renovation of Tulsa Country Club, Oklahoma, reports Golf Course Industry. The course was originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast, and Jones has tried to instill Tillinghast’s design imperatives back into the golf course through his renovation.
With limited historical documentation available, Jones said it was a challenge to imagine what TIllinghast had intended for the site, as he did not have a signature “style” and rarely repeated himself. The design team referenced two Tillinghast classic courses in New York and created a sculpted bunker style that fits the scale of the compact site.
The club’s $4.7 million construction budget had to cover the installation of a new irrigation system and pump house, which together was a third of the budget. The remainder was judiciously spent on creating 18 new greens; rebuilding all greenside complexes, bunker surrounds, and tees; replacing most cart paths and all bridges; and much more.
Jones said, “We proved that with the right team and a good contractor in place, we can do a lot of quality work on a limited budget.” Bryce Swanson, ASGCA, Vice President and Senior Designer at Rees Jones, Inc., reported:” We’ve added some length—the revised course will stretch to just over 7,000 yards, par 70—and greatly varied the yardages on the par fours.”
Jason Fiscus, the club’s general manager, commented, “Rees Jones is doing a masterful job of enhancing every hole on the golf course and bringing back the Tillinghast characteristics that had been lost in a previous renovation.” A June 2011 reopening is scheduled.
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