Tripp Davis and Associates will restore the Maxwell/MacKenzie-designed course to its original layout, including reshaped tees and contoured greens. A completely new irrigation and pumping system is also being planned. The course will close for construction this winter, with plans for a limited reopening in December 2019 and full play in the spring of 2020.
Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club (OCG&CC) in Nichols Hills, Okla.has retained Tripp Davis and Associates (TDA) to direct an extensive renovation and restoration of its Perry Maxwell and Alister MacKenzie- designed course, which originally opened in 1929.
The club will close its golf course for construction this winter, and there are plans for a limited reopening in December 2019, with full play scheduled to resume in the spring of 2020.
The OCG&CC course was one of only a few that Maxwell and MacKenzie collaborated on; Crystal Downs in Michigan and the Ohio State University Scarlett Course are two other high-profile courses that they did together.
The project at OCG&CC will renovate drainage, cart paths, the structure of tees, greens and bunkers, and re-grass most of the course, to include using Latitude 36 Bermuda for tees and fairways, and 007 Bent Grass for the greens.
Work will include restoring the original rounded/irregular shape of the tees, returning strategic widths in fairways and removing many introduced trees, plus restoring the strategic intent and style of the bunkers and the size of the original greens.
The work to the greens will also include preserving the existing contours, mostly original, while making minor changes to enhance them for modern play. All greens had the existing contours scanned and each layer of the rebuilding of the greens will be carefully monitored with GPS equipment to make sure the important contours are artfully preserved.
TDA is also working with EC Design of West Des Moines, Iowa, to plan a completely new irrigation and pumping system.
TDA shaper Jason Gold will be on site to shape the course, while Davis will oversee the shaping of the surfaces of the greens to preserve the existing character.
“Jason and I will be working to make sure every detail is right and that every strategic element is pure to how Mr. Maxwell and Mr. MacKenzie wanted the course to play,” Davis said. “They were extraordinary at making everything they did look like a natural part of the land, and using that to create beautiful strategic variety and interest, highlighted by the angles they created and the importance of precision when playing into the greens.”