[Mark Saltzman]

Oakwood CC, located in the small town of Enid, OK, 90 minutes north of Oklahoma City, was one of the final works of Perry Maxwell.  The course is a microcosm of what Perry did so well -- a very clever routing on a tiny property, maximum use of undulating terrain where available, creative use of blind shots, very good choice of par-3 green sites, and perhaps most notably, a great set of varied greens, ranging dramatically in size, shape and contour, from inverted punchbowl to tiered to tilted to wildly contoured.

Oakwood CC will likely never receive national acclaim.  It may never be ranked among the top courses in the state.  There may be a few too many trees, poorly placed cart paths and it is not conditioned to the same standards as many top-100 courses.  But, I was overwhelmed with Oakwood's quality.  If only every course you've never heard of could be this good.  A true hidden gem.


The Routing



Holes and Features to Note

The second hole gives a good taste of what is to come.  Perry uses some clever forced perspective architecture to make the hole appear much shorter than it appears.  Upon reaching the fairway the golfer sees the gently rolling terrain he will be treated to on much of the back-nine.  The 2nd green is raised and tilting from back-to-front -- if there is a theme to the greens at Oakwood, this is it.








The third hole is one of my favourite par-3s anywhere.  Playing a little over 200 yards this par-3s fits as perfectly on the terrain as any hole I've ever seen.  This hole was certainly found, not built.








The Maxwell templates are in full force at Oakwood.  Blind tee shots over the crest of a hill are found at three consecutive holes at the 4th, 5th and 6th...








The 6th green again tilts from back-to-front, but to add to the variety this one sits at-grade...




While the 7th green is of the inverted saucer variety...




The mid-length par-3 8th is another of Maxwell's templates, citing the par-3 green just over a natural drop off.  Another excellent, intimidating and difficult golf hole.




The second shot at the 9th returns the golfer to the more interesting terrain that will be played over for the back-9.  The green is tiered (three of em) and false-front(ed)...








The 400 yard par-4 10th is another very strong hole and the start of a very strong set of holes.  The tee shot narrows the longer the shot until it reaches a natural 'funnel' in the fairway, rewarding well-struck shots and severely penalizing offline shots.




The par-3s on the back nine are not of the same quality as those on the front, but the par-3 12th with its severely sloping green is clearly the better of the two...




The two par-5s on the back-nine are quite short by today's standards, but on both, par is guarded at the green.  The greens at 13 and 15 have as much contour as any small green I have ever seen.

The 13th green:














And the 15th green:






The 18th tee gives an idea of the misplaced trees and cart paths that plague Oakwood...

[Chris Clouser]

Mark,

Oakwood ranks among the best of Maxwell's post WWII layouts.  The typical fan routing from the clubhouse is a hallmark of his career.  I agree with your summation about most of the course.  I felt holes 16 and 17 were lacking somewhat and I wonder if the greens on several holes could be expanded as they have probably shrunk over the years.  The club professional that I talked with at the time did not believe the course had ever been altered, but I wonder...

[Craig Van Egmond]

Mark,

    Nice photos of one of the Maxwell's little known gems that very few stop to see.

Thanks.

[Ed Oden]

I am totally on board with Mark’s assessment of Oakwood as a hidden gem.  No doubt tree growth and cart path placement have taken a toll on the course over the years.  But the bigger impact is likely from shrinkage of greens and bunkers.  While Oakwood opened in 1948, the course really made its debut on the Oklahoma golf scene when the club hosted the 1950 state championship.  A couple of days before the tournament, the Daily Oklahoman newspaper ran a piece on the course and described its most distinctive traits as the size of the greens and the size and depth of the bunkers:

“The course has the largest greens in the state and the traps are such mammoth stretches of sand that some of the entrants are having nightmares even before the pro-amateur event takes place Sunday.

There are less than a dozen traps on the course, but each of them has been placed by the careful hand of Perry Maxwell, who designed the course, to play havoc with misplaced shots.

The bunkers are almost as large as the huge greens in many instances and several of them are eight or 10 feet deep.  Sides next to the green are steep and only a well-played explosion shot is of any use if the ball happens to dig into the sand.”

I seriously doubt that anyone playing Oakwood today would leave with an impression of grandiose greens and bunkers.  While, as Mark notes, the greens have some amazing contours, they are generally smallish.  And the bunkers are not large and mostly shallow. 

The article includes some detailed examples and a couple of photos that I will use to contrast against what the course looks like now.  The nines were switched at some point, so I have noted the current hole numbers to avoid confusion.

“The two most notorious traps are the big ones at No. 2 and No. 10.  At two the sand stretches out in front and to the right of the green a distance of 58 feet.  It is 28 feet wide and some 10 feet deep.”

Here is an image included with the article of the bunker on the 2nd (current 11th)…



…and now a recent picture of the approach on #11 (originally the 2nd)…



The right greenside bunker is hardly a monster today.  However, you can see the outline of the original bunker extending around it.  I’m guessing it was once 4 times as large as the current edition.

“The trap on No. 10 is not quite so large but its location to the right of the green and its sheer side [sic?] and depth make it one of the toughest hazards to be found on any course.”

This is what the approach to the 1st hole (original 10th) looks like today…



Again, the right greenside bunker doesn’t exactly strike fear into anyone.

On the greens putts of “up to 150 or 160 feet are possibilities on several of the huge carpets.  No. 5, for instance, measures almost 200 feet long and almost 100 feet wide.”

Here is a photo included with the article attempting to show the size of the 5th green (current 14th), although it is skewed because of the angle looking down from above behind the green…



…and now the 14th green (original 5th) today…



Like many at Oakwood, the 14th is a fabulous green.  However, if the distances noted in the article are correct, I’m guessing it is roughly half its original size.

As Mark points out, a terrific Maxwell routing and his fabulous use of some really nice natural features make Oakwood a true hidden gem and well worth the visit.  But imagine how good it would be with the expansive greens and imposing bunkers that originally gave the course its character?

[Sean_A]

Gosh, this place looks like a lot of the wee Colt courses which have been neglected over the years.  Greens shrunk, bland bunkers, some screwy trees - all adding up to the course aesthetically not doing the design justice.  Mark & Ed, what are your thoughts?

Thanks for the tour.

Ciao

[Ed Oden]

Correct Sean, at least as far as I'm concerned.  Maxwell used the natural terrain so well that the quality of the routing is apparent notwithstanding the tree growth, loss of green space and bunker deterioration.  Those things are very obvious and, in my opinion, hold the course back from reflecting its original character and reaching its full potential.  The 1950 article really drove home to me just how dramatic the changes have been.  Too bad there isn't an "Extreme Makeover Golf Course Edition" reality TV show.

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