Southern Hills Country Club, Oklahoma

My approach shot to the renowned finishing hole at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

If you were to ask a golfer to identify premier championship golf courses in America, there are only a few they might mention before Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma. That’s because the club has built that sort of pedigree; to this day, the five PGA Championships the Tulsa club has hosted are the most in history. Speaking of golf’s second major of the year, how exciting was this past weekend at Oak Hill? Michael Block, a club pro, captured the hearts of millions with his dunked hole-in-one on the 15th and clutch up-and-down on the final hole to secure his spot in next year’s PGA. Remember in last week’s post when I talked about “the magic of golf”? Michael Block is the magic of golf. Brooks Koepka, the tournament’s winner, is experiencing a career rejuvenation after a few injury and controversial LIV-riddled seasons. Last year’s PGA Championship, contested at Southern Hills, featured a final hole meltdown and a three-hole playoff between two top-tier players—Justin Thomas, the winner, and Will Zalatoris—making it one for the history books. The world’s best golf courses often feature the greatest players at the forefront of the drama, and Southern Hills delivered. Tiger Woods, Raymond Floyd, Nick Price, Retief Goosen, and Thomas have all won majors there. That is a spectacular list.

In the fall of 2019, I packed my bags and moved from Minnesota to Texas. Earlier that year, my fiancé—now wife—had moved to Dallas for a job. After an appropriate amount of time long-distance dating—eight months or so—I decided it was time to join her in the Lone Star State. Making the 900-plus mile journey south with me in my blue Chevy Equinox was my dad, a man who passed down his love of road trips especially to his third son. It does not hurt that Dad is an avid golfer as well, though oftentimes the sport is overshadowed by father/son bonding time.

On the trek down, we stayed the night in Joplin, Missouri, infamous for a 2011 tornado that ripped through the city and killed 158 of its citizens. Dad and I stopped at the memorial in Cunningham Park—a must-see if you’re passing through—to pay tribute to the victims. We hopped back in the Chevy and headed southwest to Tulsa. As the two of us pulled into Southern Hills’ welcoming entrance off East 61st Street, I couldn’t help but notice the feeling that history lay before me. When you drive up the first of many hills on the aptly named property, you will see the famous clock tower to the left and the renowned clubhouse to the right. Cue the chills. At that moment, I’m wondering why Don Williams ever wanted to leave Oklahoma in his Pontiac for Hollywood.

Onto the course. I would argue the view from the first tee is one of the best in American golf; in the distance above the trees that dot the property, you can make out the Tulsa skyline. Take a deep breath once you’re here—you’ve made it! Smack your driver up the right side to get a good look at the green. Architect Gil Hanse’s latest restoration created a classic look to the bunker hazards, a significant upgrade especially when comparing before and after photos. I thought the front nine was great, but not world-class like Southern Hills’ rankings suggest. The sixth hole, a par three played over a creek, was my favorite offering on the front nine, and not just on account of the birdie I made. Where it all changed for me was the par four 10th. Beginning there, the three-hole stretch culminating on the famous 12th green complex is one of the best I have ever played. 10 is a strategic, dogleg right hole with trouble everywhere due to a creek, some hanging trees on the right, and an uphill brute of a second shot. The 11th is a surprisingly devilish short par three with trouble everywhere not on the putting surface; like the rest of Southern Hills, bunkers and slopes line the green’s routing. 12 is, as Arnold Palmer once said, one of the finest par fours in America. Four bunkers, a creek, and a bridge guard the sloping green, and you’re offered once more a view of the clubhouse. It is a worthy signature hole of Perry Maxwell’s design. Other great holes on the back nine include the closing two: number 17, a short par four guarded by a creek that Justin Thomas famously drove in the playoff of last year’s PGA Championship; and the diabolical finisher, a treacherous uphill par four where bogey no doubt feels like an acceptable punishment. Mito Pereira is not the only one who carded a six here. To be fair to the Chilean, I had but three spectators, my dad and our two caddies; he had millions watching and would humble me Tiger Woods-Stephen Ames style in a match play setting.

A memorable exchange sparked on the second hole between my caddie and I: 

“So do you golf?” I asked.

“Yes,” my caddie answered sheepishly.

“That’s great,” I responded, “Did you play in high school?”

“And college,” he replied.

“Wow!” I yelped, “Where at?”

“Well, uh, Tulsa.”

Our small sample size showed that Southern Hills’ caddies are humble and can flat out play. Our pair informed us that to go low here you must hit your irons accurately. That’s a fitting description of a place where ball strikers typically win the biggest events; Woods, Goosen, and Thomas come to mind in recent history.

It’s as simple as this: under no circumstance ever should an invitation to Southern Hills be denied. My score that day ended up among my worst in 2019, but I didn’t care. I am at the point in my life where scoring well is not at the top of my priority list; rather, I enjoyed the quality time spent with my father at the world-famous track. When all is said and done, I don’t recall how many shots I took on the difficult, lengthy par four second (for the record, I think it was seven). What I do remember fondly is stepping up to that first tee box, soaking in the aura of Southern Hills, turning to my dad, and uttering: “Wow, this is awesome.”