Oak Tree National, formerly called Oak Tree Golf Club, is a golf and

country club A country club is a privately-owned Club (organization), club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Ty ...

located in the

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

suburb of

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States. It is a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, located in Central Oklahoma. Its population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States census, a 16% increase from 2010. maki ...

. The course was designed by

Pete Dye Paul Dye Jr. (December 29, 1925 – January 9, 2020), commonly referred to as Pete Dye, was an American golf course designer and a member of a family of course designers. He was married to fellow designer and amateur champion Alice Dye. Earl ...

, and it opened in 1976. It plays to a par 71.

The Course

Like other courses in Oklahoma, Oak Tree is a very windy course and can often have winds of at least 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). It also is located on hilly terrain, and uneven lies are common from the fairway or rough. The greens are difficult to hit well, and are undulating enough to make any par tough. In its 2015–16 listing of the best golf courses by state, ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

'' ranked Oak Tree National #51 in their Americas 100 Greatest Golf Courses. Also, they ranked it second in the state of Oklahoma. The course was redesigned by Pete Dye in 2002. The course measures 7,410 yards from the tournament tees. However, for the 2006

Senior PGA Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...

, the course played to 7,102 yards. Oak Tree has

Bermuda grass ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, also known as couch grass in Australia and New Zealand, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Contra ...

for the greens and fairways. Water comes into play on 13 of the 18 holes. The course and slope rating is 79.5/155 from the tournament tees. Each hole has its own name, and some holes are named after famous courses or golf holes. The

signature hole A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". T ...

is the fifth hole (named Oak Tree), a 592-yard par five where players must avoid the oak tree that is used in the club's logo. Other notable holes include the eighth hole (named Harbor Town after Dye's Harbour Town Golf Links), par three with water down the entire left side. The twelfth hole (named after the

Prairie Dunes Country Club Prairie Dunes Country Club is a golf course located just outside Hutchinson, Kansas. Frequently ranked among the best golf courses in the United States, it has hosted several United States Golf Association national championship tournaments. The ...

) is a tight par four. The 13th hole is named due to its size, after a postage stamp. Golfers liken landing a ball on the green to landing a ball on a space the size of a postage stamp.

Notable Professionals

Oak Tree is the home course of several

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

Korn Ferry Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...

PGA Tour Champions PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

and

LIV Golf LIV Golf ( ) is a professional men's golf tour. The name "LIV" refers to the Roman numerals for 54, the number of holes played at LIV events. The first LIV Golf Invitational Series event started on 9 June 2022, at the Centurion Club near St Alba ...

players: David Edwards, Mark Hayes,

Gil Morgan Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD (born September 25, 1946) is an American professional golfer. Early life Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968. Professional career In 1972, ...

Doug Tewell Douglas Fred Tewell (born August 27, 1949) is an American professional golfer who has won several tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including two senior major championships. Early life and amateur career Tewell was ...

Bob Tway Robert Raymond Tway IV (born May 4, 1959) is an American professional golfer. He has won numerous tournaments including eight PGA Tour victories. He spent 25 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 1986–87. Early life Tway wa ...

Viktor Hovland Viktor Hovland (born 18 September 1997) is a Norwegian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and European Tour. He won the 2018 U.S. Amateur and reached number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2019. Hovland became the first Norw ...

, Max McGreevy, Taylor Moore,

Austin Eckroat Austin Eckroat (born January 12, 1999) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Early years Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Eckroat graduated from its North High School in 2017. He attended Oklahoma State Uni ...

, Josh Creel, Michael Gellerman, Jonathan Brightwell, Zach Bauchou, Logan McAllister, Eugenio Chacarra,

Talor Gooch Talor Keith Gooch (born November 14, 1991) is an American professional golfer. Early life and amateur career Gooch was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma. He played college golf at Oklahoma State University. He was already drawing notice for his ta ...

Matthew Wolff Matthew Brandyn Wolff (born April 14, 1999) is an American professional golfer. He was an NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State University, and won the 2019 NCAA Division I individual championship. Wolff picked up his first win on the PGA Tour at ...

Scott Verplank Scott Rachal Verplank (born July 9, 1964) is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. Early life Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Verplank was a leading member of the W.T. White High School g ...

Willie Wood William Vernell Wood Sr. (December 23, 1936February 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a safety with the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL). Wood was an eight-time Pro Bowler and ...

Kevin Tway --> , death_place = , height = , weight = , nationality = , residence = Edmond, Oklahoma , spouse = , partner = , children = , college = Oklahoma St ...

, and

Rhein Gibson Rhein Gibson ( ; born 1 February 1986) is an Australian professional golfer. Amateur career Born in Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical cen ...

. Female Professional Golfer: Kaitlin Milligan

Tournaments Held

Bolded years are major championships on the

. Oak Tree has hosted a major championship and a senior major championship in addition to numerous other

PGA of America The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish and elevate t ...

championships and one

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rule ...

-sanctioned championship. The first notable tournament to be held at Oak Tree was the 1984

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

which was won by

. In 1988, the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...

came to Oak Tree.

Jeff Sluman Jeffrey George Sluman (born September 11, 1957) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous professional golf tournaments including six PGA Tour victories. Early life and amateur career Sluman was born and reared in Rochester, New Yo ...

won with a score of twelve under par 272, clinched with a final round 65. In 2000, the

PGA Club Professional Championship The PGA Professional Championship is a golf tournament for golf club professionals and teachers who are members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been held by the PGA of America since 1968, when touring professionals spl ...

was held at Oak Tree;

Tim Thelen Tim Thelen (born June 14, 1961) is an American professional golfer. Early life Thelen was born in Albany, Minnesota. He played college golf at Foothills Junior College and then Houston Baptist University. At Houston, he was teammates with Coli ...

won it in a playoff. Most recently, in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, the

was held at Oak Tree. Over the four days, gusty winds kept scores barely under par.

Jay Haas Jay Dean Haas (born December 2, 1953) is an American professional golfer formerly of the PGA Tour who now plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Early life and amateur career Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Belleville, Illinois ...

defeated Brad Bryant in a playoff with a final score of 279, five under par. Oak Tree hosted the 2014 U.S. Senior Open, won by Colin Montgomerie. Oak Tree will host the 2027 U.S. Senior Open.

Controversy

Oak Tree has been criticized for having a

noose A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...

hang off of a tree to the left of the green on the par five sixteenth hole. A columnist from ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...

'' criticized it as a possible symbol of racism in an October 2004 column. It was removed soon after, well before the 2006 Senior PGA Championship. It was originally placed there by a golfer who had struggled on the hole. Oak Tree was also to have hosted the 1994 PGA Championship. However, it was moved to

Southern Hills Country Club Southern Hills Country Club is a private golf and country club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. History The club was established in 1935 from land donated by multimillionaire oilman Waite Phillips (Frank Phillips, Waite's brother, was the namesake and fou ...

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

originally because of the club's filing

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

in 1990. Later on, it was publicized that Oak Tree had few or no minority or women members in its membership. This further caused the PGA of America to move the tournament to Southern Hills.

References

{{reflist

External links

Oak Tree National
Sports venues completed in 1976 1976 establishments in Oklahoma Golf clubs and courses in Oklahoma Sports in Oklahoma City Golf clubs and courses designed by Pete Dye Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1990 Buildings and structures in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Edmond, Oklahoma