Tag: Jimmie Austin Golf Club

Golfweek’s Best 2022: Top public and private courses in Oklahoma

The top two public-access golf courses in Oklahoma ignite a college rivalry, while the state’s best private layout is a major veteran.

The top two public-access golf courses in Oklahoma bring out a college rivalry, Cowboys versus Sooners.

No. 1 on Golfweek’s Best list of public-access layouts in Oklahoma is Karsten Creek in Stillwater, a Tom Fazio-designed layout that serves as the home course for the Oklahoma State golf teams. Opened in 1994, Karsten Creek was named for Ping Golf founder Karsten Solheim, and the course plays around Lake Louise, named for Solheim’s wife.

No. 2 on that list is Jimmie Austin Golf Club at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The club originally was laid out by Perry Maxwell and opened in 1951, and it was reworked by Bob Cupp in 1996 and again by Tripp Davis in 2017.

On the private side, Southern Hills in Tulsa takes the top spot. Designed by Perry Maxwell in 1936 and restored by Gil Hanse in 2019, Southern Hills has been host to a slate of top tournaments including three U.S. Opens (1958, ’77 and ’01) as well as five PGA Championships (1970, ’82, ’94, ’07 and ’22).

Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.

Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and that list for Oklahoma’s private offerings is likewise included below.

MORE: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort | Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play

(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960

Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses. 

* New to or returning to list

Korn Ferry Tour announces new Compliance Solutions Championship at Jimmie Austin Golf Club in Oklahoma

“This is a market we’ve been targeting for some time.”

The Korn Ferry Tour is heading to Norman, Oklahoma.

Compliance Solutions and the Korn Ferry Tour announced Wednesday a new five-year partnership to host a professional golf tournament, the Compliance Solutions Championship, beginning in June 2023. The inaugural event will be played June 22-25, 2023, at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma. Jimmie Austin is the home of the University of Oklahoma’s men’s and women’s golf teams.

“We are thrilled to partner with Compliance Solutions to bring Korn Ferry Tour golf to The Sooner State,” said Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin. “Oklahoma is home to incredibly passionate golf fans, and this is a market we’ve been targeting for some time. Our membership is excited about the opportunity to compete at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club at The University of Oklahoma.”

The Compliance Solutions Championship will be a 72-hole tournament featuring 156 players.

The course has previously hosted the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links, the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, and NCAA regionals in 2012, 2018, 2022 (men’s) and 2013, 2019 (women’s) and is already scheduled to host NCAA regionals in 2023 and 2025.

Max McGreevy, a PGA Tour pro who earned his card on the Korn Ferry Tour, said he and others associated with the OU golf program are excited because this is something they’ve wanted for a long time.

“I’ve talked to some of the grounds crew, and they’re super thrilled,” McGreevy, an Oklahoma native and former OU golfer, said. “It’s a golf state; I think you saw that at Southern Hills a little bit, and I think you’ll see it at Jimmie Austin, as well.

“It’s tricky, but you can get after it if you get it going.”

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