Tulsa Country Clubs

[duckboat24]

> @pittstate6 said:

> I just moved here from Tennessee in early July. I drive past Meadowbrook everyday on my way home from work and finally decided to just pull the trigger after going to public courses and waiting behind 6somes that wouldn't let people play through.

>

> I haven't played it yet, and they starting green aeration tomorrow, but when I toured and drove the course it was in pristine condition. I will report back in a few weeks after I take my hacks. Hopefully it doesn't close at years end! I haven't heard anything other than the articles posted here. In my opinion a housing development even after buying land is something that could take years to complete, get approval, etc etc. Hopefully Meadowbrook has a few more years left in it for us to enjoy.

 

I'm assuming you're a Pitt State grad. Class of '05 here.

[ivygynonc]

I was an out of town member of the golf club of OK for about 4+ years. I found it to be a great place. the clubhouse is spectacular. the men's grill is great. food is ok. golf shop is very nice. range is large, indoor bays too. putting chipping green is huge. bent grass greens which in my opinion should be dropped in that region. too hot during summer and too cold during winter. you only get a few months of decent greens. in any event, it has plenty of tee times. worth the money for me. I would strongly consider this as an option given the lack of play/crowds, amenities, and overall a true CC experience. just FYI, I am no longer a member as I no longer live close to Tulsa.

 

[OK_Golf]

So I finally took the plunge and joined The Golf Club of OK. Excited to try out this private club experience: first time I've ever been a member of a private golf club. Staff has all been extremely friendly and hope to meet some new folks to play with. I really like the design of the golf course and the facilities are very nice. I'll try to come back here later in the year and post an update.

[Liquid_A_45]

Nice choice, I have played there a few time and really enjoyed the course. It seems like every year there is a discussion about them selling it to a developer for a neighborhood, hopefully that doesn't come to fruition.

[mission_scratch]

I’m thinking about take the plunge into a membership at a price course. Almost went with MeadowBrook but the price for a membership is too much if you ask me. Add in the factor that it will sooner or later be shut down.. it’s a no go. Am looking into The Golf Club of Oklahoma!

[pittstate6]

Got to play a lot of winter golf with the warm conditions. I really do like meadowbrook. Great course.... a little short, but narrow fairways and tough greens can get you. The greens are very well protected by bunkers. That being said.... I work at one of the news outlets in Tulsa and one of our workers has heard that Meadowbrook will be closing this October. I also am unsure of his source. Still unconfirmed as I haven't heard anything from Meadowbrook, but something I'll be keeping my eye on, and will update here when/if I know anything.

 

If this October is the end of Meadowbrook... I will probably be looking at Golf Club... Do you have to have a sponsor to join if that is the case??

[Liquid_A_45]

Well that would we unfortunate but not surprising. Thatd make 3 closures in the Tulsa area within the last 2 years.

 

No idea regarding golf club, that's out of my pay grade lol.

[scrody17]

Good for you! Such a great layout. A course you can play over and over again and never get bored of. Plus I really love the practice facility.

[Second2Nunn]

I just recently moved here due to a job change and have taken a tour already at GC of Oklahoma. I am playing it on Wednesday before I sign up for a membership. If I join I would be looking for a group to play with throughout the week. How is the vibe there?

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Second2Nunn

[philsRHman]

I’m doing some super preliminary research on Tulsa for a possible relocation from the northeast, where private golf is mostly out of my league. Most Low end clubs have $15k+ initiation and 8k+ annual dues. Given the difference in cost of living I have to imagine private golf is significantly less expensive. I’m not finding a ton of pricing online so thought I’d ask for some ballparks. I’m sure it’s a pipe dream but what does Southern Hills cost (and how difficult is it to sniff membership)? Hard from afar to know if it’s a super posh exclusive club or just a super respected course. 

I’m a single digit handicap, in my 40s so no youth discounts. I’d be looking for strong interesting golf course first, hopefully a place I can play a lot and not get bored. Also, a good welcoming group of guys with competitions, too. Im curious about the golf season, seems like weather should allow you to play year-round. 
 

My wife isn’t much of a country club type but if a place had a pool and other amenities it might be a Place to meet people. Early on, it seems much of the housing that catches our eye is in the south of Tulsa if geography matters a ton (im used to driving 30-40 minutes for golf now). 
 

We are probably a lot more comfortable in a quirky book store or at some kind of art show than a country club, so a snobatorium wouldn’t work.
 

I also anticipate coming from the northeast we will need to adjust to life in MAGA land (Especially in this political climate), but also don’t really want to walk into a living breathing rally at all times if that makes sense. That said, we live in a red town now, it’s just not Oklahoma red. Would love any thoughts on that, too. 
 

Thanks in advance, for both golf and relocation tips. Been trying to gather enough info to make an informed decision. Especially when it comes to where to live with a school aged kid, keeping in mind part of the goal is to keep close enough to get a city vibe. 
 

 

[okie21]

Southern Hills is the highest. I hear around $100k initiation and not necessarily easy to be invited. 
 

The next tier is going to be $10-20k initiation and $700-1000 per month. Highest to lowest in my guesses would be Cedar Ridge, The Oaks, Tulsa Country Club, The Patriot, The Golf Club of OK, Indian Springs, Forest Ridge. 
 

CR, Oaks, TCC and the Patriot all have pool complexes of varying levels. I think Indian Springs and Forest Ridge do too but not totally sure. I know GC of OK does not. 

 

Speaking as a member of The Patriot, I think it would check all your boxes. It does appeal to a more conservative political following, but there are plenty of Democrats there as well. Just as long as you support the troops and the nation. There’s always a money game going and the men’s golf association puts on plenty of competition. It is consistently ranked #2 in Tulsa area behind Southern Hills if you put any stock in Golfweek and Golf Digest rankings. It is in Owasso which has excellent schools and is 20 min northeast of downtown. If you are set on south Tulsa, I’d look more at the other clubs. 

Feel free to PM me for more info about relocating or any other questions. 

 

[OK_Golf]

I'll add a few thoughts:

 

• Initiation fees (as of my last investigation about a year ago) are small to non-existent at Indian Springs and Meadowbrook, and with some incentives offered are less than the sticker price of $5,000 at Golf Club of Oklahoma
• Meadowbrook (new entrant on the list) is in the same ballbark cost as Indian Springs, and is now sort of semi-private as you can book tee times on Golf Now. Good location, decent golf course, but there are rumors it will be shutdown and redeveloped as housing.  (These rumors are now 2+ years on, so hard to tell what's really going to happen)
• Forest Ridge is not private, but it is a (much) better golf course (IMHO) than Indian Springs and Meadowbrook. Forest Ridge has developed a pool/workout facility/tennis courts amenity that you can join (basically everything a country club would have except the golf course).  I've not seen it or been in it, but if I lived out there it would be on my radar screen.
• Golf Club of Oklahoma is a great golf course in a great (secluded) setting.  They have a pool and tennis courts, but I would call them basically an afterthought.  It is really focused on golf. (full disclosure: I joined Golf Club late last year and have been pretty happy with it.  Its my first private club experience)

 

Where you live will influence this some.  I'm ~15 minutes from Golf Club in South Broken Arrow (Suburb of Tulsa); @okie21 probably lives 45 minutes away from me (if he's in Owasso and close to The Patriot).

 

If you are looking seriously, you've got to play Patriot at least once, its in great condition and has some amazing views and elevation changes.  If you don't live in Owasso (or at least in downtown Tulsa) I think it would be hard to join, though.

[okie21]

Agree with OK_Golf on all points above. Except I would also add that the Patriot is close to Broken Arrow as well. Didn’t even see the pool and tennis courts the two times I’ve been to the Golf Club though!

[soonernick]

First of all, should you decide to come this way, welcome to Tulsa! 

 

Before I get into the course choices, I wanted to address the other topic you brought up. I can tell you that I'm fairly liberal, so I fully respect the questions you might have. Oklahomans are generally good-hearted and friendly people, most will go out of their way to be helpful in many variety of ways. I've lived in Oklahoma most of my life, but I have also lived in London for a period and I spent a lot of time in Boston during college and in my 20's... based on that experience I can say there will be a couple of political things that may be shocking (education funding), but overall you're going to find Tulsa pretty similar to living in any other midsize city. I will say Tulsa, especially compared to the rural communities where I grew up, is pretty moderate overall, I think the best description would be a center-right Austin. 

 

On to the important stuff... I apologize in advance if I double up on some of the other guy's comments, they had a bunch of great info, hopefully I can add a nugget or two:

1. The last I was told (within the year) was that Southern had gone to $125k up front and they are currently tighter than normal with regard to their new member nominations. If you have the cash for the upfront at Southern, the monthly dues are not unreasonable for a club at that level, but the most common complaint I hear from their membership is the frequency and amounts of assessments. If the board votes for a sub-air system, you're on the hook for $20-50K depending on your membership level.

2. Cedar Ridge is generally considered a clear No. 2, at least from a cost perspective. I haven't talked to anyone that's joined out there this last year, but the last numbers I was aware of were in the $15k range for initial fees. Cedar is a great track, good enough to host US Open qualifiers, and when it does it generally rates as one of the harder qualifying sites. But it can also be set up as very playable for members. I usually get on it 1-2 times a year and always enjoy it. 

3. The Oaks and Tulsa Country Club: I'm currently a member at the Oaks, so apologies in advance for any bias. Both will generally run you in the $4-10k range for initiation fees, but that varies greatly depending on membership levels, economy, etc. I know guys at the Oaks that paid $0 for initiation, but if I had to bet I'd assume oil prices were pretty low when that happened. Both are great tracks, both original Tillinghaust courses, TCC redesigned by Rees Jones. Both have lots of fun options for pools, food, etc. Both will consistently be in outstanding shape, with greens rolling between 9-13 depending on the season. 

4. Meadowbrook: I was a member here for about 4 years before joining the Oaks. I love the track at Meadowbrook, it's a super fun course to play and it's a great gambling course. It's a bit more blue collar than the above courses, but I liked that aspect of it because it made it easier to find people to play with... we had several big groups that were always welcoming to new members. 

It is almost 100% a golf club. They have a restaurant and will put on some fun events (their member-guest is awesome), but it's golf first and foremost. One of the reasons we went from there to the Oaks was that my daughter was getting older and we wanted her to have more access to some of the social activities in the summer, like the pool community. At Meadowbrook, they have a pool, but it wasn't abnormal for my wife and daughter to be the only ones there in the summer. At TCC and the Oaks, it's a much more social scene for that stuff, legit couple hundred people at the pool all day on the weekends.

As previously mentioned, there are long term questions with Meadowbrook. It was put up for sale a few years ago by the national company that owned it. I was a part of the membership group that was attempting to buy it, as the concern at the time was that it would be tilled up for a housing subdivision. The ultimate buyer is a home builder, but based on the information I have, they have run into 4-5 hurdles in developing the property. Amongst the legal community I was told that if they had only run into 2 problems it would already be closed with houses popping up, but there have been just enough small issues that the current plan is to continue as a golf course and begin making sure the course is financially backed as necessary. I was just out there for their member-guest in October and I can tell you it seems as though all intent is to make a long term commitment to the club.

Either way, I don't think a person would have anything to lose by joining there, as there is no initiation fee and I don't believe there is a long term contract.

5. Forest Ridge: I love Forest Ridge, I personally disagree with the above poster that it is a better course than Meadowbrook, but that's subjective and I can certainly see that argument. Forest Ridge is more of a location thing for me, as it's located fairly far East of town.

6. Golf Club and Patriot: Love them both, I'll let you rely on the above posters for info on these courses as they may have more personal experience. I play each maybe once or twice a year, and I would be happy to be a member at either, but from a location perspective neither are really prospects for me.

 

Which brings me to my final point. We are spoiled rotten with good golf in this area. You're gonna be shocked at the quality of golf you'll have access to at 30-40% of what you would pay in some areas of the Northeast. And it is nearly year round. We never really know what month (or two) we are going to lose, it's usually a run from like mid-December to mid-February, but it's also not abnormal for you to look up on January 15th to see Saturday-Sunday have sunny skies and highs in the upper 60's. If you just played every Saturday it wouldn't be crazy for you to play 45 rounds in a year without ever playing in bad weather. (Assuming you don't consider 100* or 25MPH winds 'bad')

Either way, I point this out only to tell you that you won't make a bad choice, lots of good golf here. For me, location is honestly the biggest issue. I hate traffic or commuting... and I appreciate that I'm the worst person ever to talk to about this because Tulsa has little to no traffic or commute, but I absolutely hate the thought of commuting. I work downtown and live 3 minutes south of downtown, so one of the factors that made me leave Meadowbrook for the Oaks was that I reduced my country club commute from 16 minutes to 9 minutes. I'm spoiled rotten on that topic and refuse to apologize.

 

Love that you're looking at Tulsa, if you visit, please DM me and ship your clubs to my course, I'll host you at the Oaks and/or we can go out and play any of the other clubs so you can check it all out.

And on top of the golf courses, one really random thing we have for a city this size is world class restaurants, legit big time chefs and a shocking quantity of restaurants that can hold their own with the best in bigger cities all over the country. So if you come visit we'll try and spoil you with some great food as well. 

 

Hope this and the other comments helps.. please feel free to DM with any questions. 

Edited November 24, 2020 by soonernick

[philsRHman]

Wow I’m blown away by the thoughtful responses, thanks guys. More than I can even digest this early on the process. But one thing I’m CERTAIN of: lack of golf is NOT a reason to cross Tulsa off the list. In fact, I’m even more intrigued now (especially since my scheme to get closer to Bandon isn’t working out too well). 
 

As I’ve dug deeper into the Trulia searches, I will admit I’m blown away by how many million and multi-million dollar homes there are. It’s obvious that there’s no shortage in wealth, which I guess explains why Southern Hills as the top of the top would warrant NJ premier club initiation. Yet, I’m also finding examples of 5 bedroom, 3 bath homes that would go for 600-800k here listed anywhere from 200-950. So my guess is that much like the golf, the top line places will be out of reach but hopefully in the 5000-8000 range for annual dues I could get more Golf quality than I could here for that amount. Here, for 5000-8000 it’s basically morning access at very average semi-private or golf with zero amenities and conditions on par with the munis. 
 

As a side note, I thought the price discrepancy between what look like similar homes was probably location Based, but many are relatively close (funny enough, right around Southern Hills). It’s such a weird feeling trying to get a sense of neighborhoods and regions from halfway across the country. My wife misses the chance to find and connect with quirky, weird moms like her, so my guess is we’d want to be close to downtown. That’s another suprise since we have almost an acre in NJ and I’m not finding that much of a yard in many of the neighborhoods. If anyone has some suggestions for areas to start looking (or to avoid) I’d appreciate it. Since we have my mother with us, we’d need at least 4-5 bedrooms which automatically likely rules out many options in the city itself I assume. Guess I need to consider schools too, since we have our third grader too lol. 

[pittstate6]

As a member of Meadowbrook I definitely got a feel of it being a very nice public course more than a CC. The golf is great, absolutely love the course. It's difficult... and has made me a much better golfer in my time there as well. The golf events are always a blast and it's fairly laid back. Although there's a pandemic going on I never got the sense much attention/effort was put into the social aspect of helping new members meet people. The biggest draw back golfing wise to me was the offering of public tee times, but then not enforcing tee times as a whole or pairing people up to play. This could be viewed as a positive to some, but I play as a single mostly and never got paired up with any group/other solo/etc one time... even on days when the course was quite busy. With the 7/8 minutes between tee times this led to some very long delays on the course if you got behind the wrong people/went at the wrong time of day. There were also a few instances of me booking a solo tee time strategically the morning of going knowing that nobody was booked for the hour or so ahead of me only to show up and have huge groups of guys on the tee box who hadn't made any tee time which was a slight annoyance. I'm aware this can happen at any of the courses listed above, but this did happen quite a bit in my time there. If you have no problem setting up matches and inviting yourself into peoples groups I definitely recommend Meadowbrook for the money. If you usually play solo, like to play solo, etc. It might be worth the extra money to go somewhere that doesn't offer on Golf Now and has a little bit less traffic.  

 

The staff is great and the food is also pretty good. 

Edited December 1, 2020 by pittstate6

[gbut]

On 12/1/2020 at 10:54 AM, pittstate6 said:

As a member of Meadowbrook I definitely got a feel of it being a very nice public course more than a CC. The golf is great, absolutely love the course. It's difficult... and has made me a much better golfer in my time there as well. The golf events are always a blast and it's fairly laid back. Although there's a pandemic going on I never got the sense much attention/effort was put into the social aspect of helping new members meet people. The biggest draw back golfing wise to me was the offering of public tee times, but then not enforcing tee times as a whole or pairing people up to play. This could be viewed as a positive to some, but I play as a single mostly and never got paired up with any group/other solo/etc one time... even on days when the course was quite busy. With the 7/8 minutes between tee times this led to some very long delays on the course if you got behind the wrong people/went at the wrong time of day. There were also a few instances of me booking a solo tee time strategically the morning of going knowing that nobody was booked for the hour or so ahead of me only to show up and have huge groups of guys on the tee box who hadn't made any tee time which was a slight annoyance. I'm aware this can happen at any of the courses listed above, but this did happen quite a bit in my time there. If you have no problem setting up matches and inviting yourself into peoples groups I definitely recommend Meadowbrook for the money. If you usually play solo, like to play solo, etc. It might be worth the extra money to go somewhere that doesn't offer on Golf Now and has a little bit less traffic.  

 

The staff is great and the food is also pretty good. 

I tend to agree with this post. I was a member at Meadowbrook for 2-3 years, recently. The first 1.5 years were rough. Zero interest in getting you plugged in with like minded people/groups. I am outgoing and it took me over a year to find 'my group.' They were awesome once I got in the circle but I had to do it all on my own. Biggest turn off about MB. I enjoyed the course quite a bit and as stated the events are fun. I ended up quitting because of a young family and just not getting to play enough golf, but I was surprised at the lack of effort by the Pros and community to welcome new people. In a couple of years I will likely look at Golf Club (my friend who was at MB with is now there and he says everyone has been great at welcoming him in) or Indian Springs.

[uncle rico]

 I need to bring this topic up to date. I am most likely going to be moving to Tulsa in the Spring, from SWMO.  My wife, my son and myself all play. My son who is 9 plays US Kids tour in Tulsa now. I am familiar with some of the semi private and few private clubs. He has played ISCC, Battle Creek, Bailey Ranch, Broken Arrow Golf and Athletic club, and most of the city courses. 

We would be looking for more of country club than what I have listed. ISCC is ok, but seems really crowed. I was looking at Cedar Ridge, TCC, The Golf Club, Forest Ridge, and The Patriot. A strong junior golf program is a definite priority. I would like to find a club that has juniors for my son to play with. 
 

Any updated information on the above course as far as initiation fees, dues, ect. would be appreciated.  

 

[soonernick]

I'll try and ask around this week and get an update on pricing, I don't think things have changed a ton from my November 2020 post, but I've heard some talk of most places being at/near membership capacity so there could have been some increases.

 

One thing that will likely be a factor on the courses you listed is where you end up living. It's probably a bigger deal to me than others, but I live around Utica Square so Golf Club or Forest Ridge aren't really options. If you end up in Bixby The Patriot will probably be trek, but if you live in Owasso it would be hard to justify joining at most others. 

 

And make sure to add The Oaks to your potential list! We're in a bit of a transition as our long time pro and GM just retired, but we've hired the head pro from The Patriot and a new GM so we're all pretty excited about the future. And we just opened an indoor/outdoor hitting bays on our driving range that include Trackman and other teaching tech. When you're in town and start looking for a club to join let me know, I'd be happy to host you and your son for a round.

[OK_Golf]

I joined Golf Club of Oklahoma about two years ago.  Its the first time I've ever been a member of a private club.  I've enjoyed it very much.  It is really just golf, though.  They have two tennis courts, but no real 'active' tennis program.  There is a pool that I've never seen.  The clubhouse looks great and the men's locker room is fantastic.  I've been told the women's is very nice, too, after a recent renovation.  The food is mediocre.

 

I really love the golf course for a variety of reasons: (1) the setting / seclusion is great (2) no tee times is cool (though Saturday morning in the summers can get busy) (3) conditioning is pretty darn good, I'd probably give it an 8 out of 10 (we have some bunker problems that could stand to be addressed and greens can get a little soft by the end of the summer) (5) I really like the golf course, lots of elevation change, mix of holes and the different tees really change up the challenge (its also nice that they have two different "in between" tees with slope/rating so there are 5 separate sets of tees, but 7 different set-ups you could play).  The whole region had a terrible winter '20/'21 so there was lots of winter kill coming into spring '21.  I think they did a good job of addressing it so I expect there to be little or not evidence once things green up this year. (4) people I've met have bee great, easy to find my way into a group and not really any pretentiousness that I have run into.

 

I debate the "value" every month when I see the bill, but for now I'm willing to swallow it and just call it a luxury.  I'm the only player in my family, so its hard for me to say I'm getting my money's worth, but i love it when I'm out there.

 

By the way, depending on where you live it can be a hike.  It's 15 minutes from my house, but a solid 35 minutes from downtown Tulsa.  Even at 15 minutes, I rarely if ever go out just to hit balls or practice (I know I'm spoiled resident of a mid-size city when it comes to my tolerance for traffic and commuting).  If you live west of town you should look at the Oaks, if you are in mid-town or north of town look at Tulsa Country Club or Owasso look at The Patriot.  If you are south or southeast then Cedar Ridge, Golf Club, Indian Springs and Meadowbrook (probably in that order) should be on your radar screen.  If you can afford Southern Hills, you probably know and are making inquiries there already 🙂.

 

You mentioned Forest Ridge.  It's not private, but is the reason I took ~5 years to finally join somewhere.  I think its the best public access course in the area, by a pretty wide margin and paying by the round there always made more sense financially than joining somewhere for me.  I haven't played there in two years, but it was recently taken over by Troon management.

 

Shoot me an IM if you have specific questions.  A quick phone call up there can give you the lay of the land on pricing, I'm sure.