The Oak Tree challenge
2014 U.S. SENIOR OPEN
| OPINIONS VARY ON THE PETE DYE-DESIGNED EDMOND COURSE Dye’s layout at Whistling Straits will host its fourth major championship with the 2015 PGA Championship.
Dye also constructed the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, home of The Players Championship, which some label as the fifth major.
The Oak Tree Golf Club project started in 1974 when Ernie Vossler and Joe Walser, Jr. asked Dye to build a course in Edmond that would test elite golfers.
“And he did that,” said Oak Tree PGA Tour pro Scott Verplank. “At times, it’s probably looked at as being too hard and severe. But it wasn’t that crazy. He built a great golf course in the Oklahoma prairies. He did a masterful job.”
Most tour members rave about Dye’s courses. Difficult? No doubt. Elite players, though, embrace the challenge of playing in a major where posting an under-par round is considered a really good day.
Tom Lehman, the only golfer in history to be awarded the Player of the Year on all three men’s tours — the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour — is a big fan of Pete Dye courses. But Lehman has never played Oak Tree.
“Everybody I know looks at that course as a major championship venue,” Lehman said. “It must be quite a place. It has a lot of history. It requires a lot of skill. But almost all the Pete Dye courses do. Some courses are made for majors, some aren’t. This one is a majors course.” sed the 1988 PGA cut by two strokes.
“I’m not a big Pete Dye fan,” Simpson said. “You can hit a good shot and still make a double-bogey. The margin is small of hitting a good shot to ending up in the water or some other trouble. It’s only a foot or two difference.
“I feel Southern Hills in Tulsa (designed by Perry Maxwell) is a little more fair. But Oak Tree is a really good golf course. You have to play really well. It’s tough.”
Dye has built several major-worthy courses, which is why some of his nicknames include: Monster Maker; Dye-abolical Designer; and the Man Golfers Love to Hate.
“Pete Dye golf courses, you better drive it well,” said Oak Tree National teaching pro Jim Woodward. “You don’t drive it well, you’re not going to have any fun. If you drive the ball in the fairway, it’s not that hard. The Champions Tour doesn’t have many long-ball hitters, so the accuracy factor is big.”
Corey Pavin spent over 150 weeks in the top 10 of the official World Golf rankings between 1986 and 1997, a time period that included a major at Oak Tree 25 years ago.
Pavin, 53, won 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1995 U.S. Open. He was the tour’s leading money winner in 1991. He played on three Ryder Cup teams.
As for his Oak Tree experience, Pavin shot evenpar over four days to finish 17th at the 1988 PGA. He was still on the regular tour when the Senior PGA was in Edmond seven years ago.
“This is an area that’s a little golf starved,” Pavin said. “When we go to places like that, where there hasn’t been a golf tournament in a while, there’s usually a lot of excitement. That always makes it fun for us.”
Dye: ‘It’s not hard’
Pete Dye is 87. He lives in Delray in South Florida. He’s still building golf courses.
Dye estimates he’s built between 80 and 90 courses. The actual total is 101 in 27 different states.
Many Dye courses in recent years, some public, are geared toward retirees. They’re designed to give the older generation an opportunity to shoot lower. They’re the antithesis of Oak Tree, Whistling Straits, The Ocean Course and TPC Sawgrass.
“Things have changed in the golf course business,” Dye said. “I don’t agree with all of it. But if you don’t go with the changes, you’re out of date.”
Dye loves to talk golf. He tells stories from the 1930s to portray the evolution of a sport where equipment improvements have forced courses to play longer. He can still talk Stimpmeter ratings when asked about Oak Tree’s reputation for diabolically fast greens.
“It was one of Pete’s earlier ventures into the golf world,” Woodward said. “He made it extremely difficult. Greens in that day and age were overly severe. But nowadays they’re not that bad.”
Brad Faxon, who has eight career PGA Tour wins, two Champions Tour wins and has played on two Ryder Cup teams, said Dye is one of the most revered designers in the industry.
“Pete is a pioneer in the business,” Faxon said. “He’s built golf courses all over the world. He’s brought a lot of architecture to golf. His courses have a distinct look. I have nothing but respect for the guy.”
There are reasons why Oak Tree’s par-71 jewel in north Edmond routinely has been ranked among the top courses in the country.
And don’t try to convince Dye he made Oak Tree too hard.
“Too hard?” Dye said. “It’s not too hard. I’ve played it before and I’ve done OK. Jeff Sluman shot 8-under par at the PGA.”
Dye’s Edmond creation is polarizing. Everyone agrees Oak Tree National is difficult. As caddie Romeo (Cheech Marin) told Roy “Tip Cup” McAvoy (Kevin Costner) in the movie: “Sometimes par is good.”
Oak Tree National is a course where par is good.
“Since I’m one of the four guys that plays here (along with Wood, Gil Morgan and Bob Tway), I hope everyone comes in and complains about Pete Dye,” Verplank said. “It’s fun to play but it will challenge you. You can score if you play well. But if you don’t play well it can come up and grab you.
“To me it’s one of the two or three best courses he’s ever built, a top 10 or 20 golf course in the world. It’s as good a golf course as you’re going to find.”
Pete Dye-built courses, specifically Oak Tree National, drew a wide array of comments from Champions Tour players:
Craig Stadler: “I can’t really give you my true thoughts. When you shoot an 84 to match the worst score of your career, it’s not real pleasant memories.”
Corey Pavin: “I played there in ’88. I did OK that year. It’s a really nice golf course. I’m looking forward to coming back. The people there really support it a lot. That’s always a great thing.”
Wood: “Pete Dye is a terrific architect. There are a lot of courses I love that he’s done. And there are some, of course, I really don’t like. But I’ve played golf with him a number of times, including once at Oak Tree. He’s a great guy. I love being around him.”
Scott Simpson: “I played there in ’88 and the Senior PGA in ’06. Oak Tree is a really good course. You have to play well. To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of Pete Dye courses. ”
Scott Verplank: “Most courses Pete Dye built early, starting with Oak Tree, are among some of my favorite courses. When he started moving a bunch of dirt, doing things that weren’t really natural, I didn’t care for those courses as much. But Oak Tree is a tremendous design. He did a tremendous job.”
Tom Lehman: “Personally I’ve never played there before. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve always heard great things about it.”
Brad Faxon: “I played Oak Tree in ’88. It’s a very difficult golf course, especially with the wind. Courses for majors are set up so difficult. It’s certainly worthy of a major. It’s a great golf course.”
Ken Duke: “I’ve never played Oak Tree. (At the Patriot Cup) I was asking Mickey Tettleton and E.J. Pfister about it. Being from Arkansas, I’ve heard so many good things. I’m looking forward to it.”