I'm back in the States on a 12 day vacation from a job in Korea. I thought I would head over to Tulsa to play a round at the Patriot GC. The course is maturing very nice. It has officially been open for 2 months now. Superintendent Jeremy Dobsonn has the course looking great. The greens are putting great and they were around 10 to 10.5. The myers zoyzia fairways have come a long way since I saw them last. Tulsa had the coldest winter on record and then to follow that up with the hottest June on record.
The course is a blast to play. The course played very wide and is geared for fast and firm play. A lot of options off the tee and even more options into the green. Lots of places to use ground game and they have lots of side/back boards. With all the canyon and tree holes there are places to lose balls but you have to be pretty inacturate (which I am more than I would like to admitt). The wife and I had the course all to ourselves as we were the first to tee off on Sunday morning. Most of the photos I am posting were taken late afternoon on Sat as I took a cart out and toured the course and just took some photos.
If you are new, the course is designed by RTJ II with Jay Blasi being the lead architect.
Hole 1 - 566 par 5 - great view of downtown Tulsa that is over 20 miles to the SW
Hole 1 - They added two target bunkers earlier this year left of the 1st IP.
The bunker is some 50 to 60 yards short of the green with all kinds of room to the right of the bunker and green. Everything 20 yards right of the green funnels balls toward green complex
A look back up the hole towards tees and clubhouse. I believe there is 10 acres of sod on hole 1. lots of room
Hole 2 426 par 4 - Lots of room on this dogleg right par 4. The fairway is split by a creek with the safe play on the left and the more agressive play is to the right of the creek. There is a massive oak tree that gaurds the direct route to the green.
Again the bunker is placed about 20 yrds in front of green.
The green is has good movement and has the entire right side is a side board which can be used to direct balls onto green.
All the approaches and surrounds are cavalier zoysia which is mowed very tight.
Hole 3 - 494 par 4 - slight dogleft left that works up hill and is a tough hole. good drive is needed here.
The green sits up high and just fits in great. lots of movement on the green and it is guarded by 3 bunkers short and left of surface. Another side board right of green.
Hole 4 - 500 par 5 - A very short par 5. FW is wide but is split by a creek which winds it way up the hole in front of the green. The left side of the fw offers a more direct shot onto green but he right side offers an angle to a large back board which can be used to funnel balls onto green.
a view from the start of the right side of fairway.
view from right side of fw
Hole 5 - 315 par 4 - Short par 4 which makes you think. Again the hole is split by the creek with the safe play on the left and the more aggressive play is to bite off more creek and go for a narrower right side. The reward is a better angle to the green which is small in size and guarded by a coffin bunker right.
The green is platau like, the front half of the green is false with 4 "outs" to the green. going to be a tricky green complex.
A look back down the hole from 6A tee box
Hole 6A - 132 par 3 - there are 2 6 holes. this is the first. Green that sits out on a peninsula. This is a do or die hole that is creek left, front and right. The green sits in front of a 30 foot high rock out cropping.
Hole 6B - 119 par 3 - The 2nd of the 2 6's is a green that sits inside a 30 plus foot deep canyon with a creek running down the left and front of the green.
Hole 7 - 387 par 4 - Blind tee shot to the one of the widest fw on the course.
The green is good size with a huge side board to the left. The back is guarded by an old dam that was built for cattle back in the early 1900's. There is a creek which guards the right side of green.
A look back up the fw from behind the green.
Hole 8 - 499 par 4 - This is a dogleg right hole that plays up hill and into the prevailing wind. A tough hole for sure. There is a tee which can make this hole pay as a par 5 as well. Hole plays a lot longer than the listed yardage. There is a creek that runs down the right side of landing area. the closer you are to the creek the shorter the approach. the fiarway is 2 tiered.
The approach is a tough one with a cross bunker 30 yds short of green. The green is well bunkered and has some movement to it.
Hole 9 - 240 par 3 - A long par 3 rounds out the front 9. Plays down hill into a prevailing wind. They added a bunker short and left of green that makes you think. The entire front and left side of green will funnel balls onto surface so the best play here is to run the balll onto green. to be long here is death as it dops off some 150 feet to a canyon floor (or hole 1 FW). There is a deep saving bunker back right as well as the bunker front right.
Hole 10 - 603 Par 5 - A long par 5 which is deceptive do to all the fw bunkering. The bunkering makes the hole look vern narrow but there is plenty of room on the hoel which plays slightly up hill.
I think 1/4 of all the bunkers on the course are on hhole 10.
The green complex falls away from the hole and is well guarded to the front left. The place to miss is right and back as there is some 30 yards of chipping area all the way around this green.
Hole 11 - 172 par 3 - A redan like green with a well bunkered front left. There is a huge recovery area right and back of this green.
Hole 12 - 433 par 4 - Hole plays slightly left to right and down hill.
The green is guarded by two bunkers left and right and has a recovery area behind it. The front half of the green is sloped to the front and the back half fall away.
Hole 13 - 190 par 3 - This hole has lots of options starting with the tee boxes. 2 different tee angles are possible. The hole sits right on the edge of ravine. One tee angle is across the ravine and the other is parallel to the ravine. The green is the largest on the course at over 10,000 sq feet. Green floor runs right to left away from the tees. Lots of contour on this green as well. Misses can cost you dearly here. There is a 40plus foot side board here to help the player.
Hole 14 - 474 par 4 - Big time tee shot to a canyon floor below which is decpetively harder to hit than it looks. Hole bends from left to right. Very mellow green floor is guarded by bunker left and a creek behind.
Hole 15 - 567 par 5 - 1st of back to back par 5's. Elevated tee shot to a hard right to left dogleg. The dogleg is guarded by a creek so the paly to miss this tee shot is right as holes 15 and 16 fw are connected here.
The creek splits the first landing area and the 2nd landing area in two and daylights to a native wetland area to the right of the hole.
The green is guarded by 2 deep bunkers right. Green is very small in size and has a big sideboard to the left to help players.
Hole 16 - 559 par 5 - this hole can be played as either a par 5 or 4 depending how course is set up. from teh back sets of tees it is a r/r type tee shot over the wetland area and a grouping of bunkers. The more you bite off the shorter the green is.
The 2nd land area is guarded by a centerline pot bunker that makes you think.
The approach shot is an interesting one. The entire slope back and above the green can be used to funnel balls back onto green. The green slope is devided down the center by a huge hog-back some 5 foot high. There is a ton a options when chipping around this green complex.
Here is a look at holes 15, 16, and 2 from behind 17 tee.
Hole 17 - 171 par 3 - A very narrow green that is guarded by along bunker short and left of the green. Anything left of the bunker is history as it is some 150 feet down to the the bottom of the canyon. Right of the green can be used to funnel a ball onto the green.
Hole 18 - 430 par 4 - A great finishing hole in my opinion. The hole runs a long the top of a canyon that on the your 2nd shot you must cross to get to the green. R/R on your first shot as the fairway is two tiered and the idea place to be is on the bottom tier but you run the risk of cutting it to close and having your tee shot go into canyon. Much shorter shot across to green from the bottom tier.
