https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Tulsa_skyline_picture.jpg

PGA Championship 2022, Southern Hills - Tulsa

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Esm3G76XMAEQPWX?format=jpg&name=small

Golf Digest: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pga-championship-2020-moved-from-trump-bedminster-to-southern-hills


The move to Southern Hills marks the fifth time the club will play host to the tournament, the most recent being in 2007 when Tiger Woods won by two strokes over Woody Austin.

I'm going on Saturday.

I haven't been on that course since the PGA in 1982.

I'm going on Saturday.

I haven't been on that course since the PGA in 1982.

I will be there this weekend as well the weather looks amazing for Sat and Sunday

I know where all the old wealthy white guys will be this weekend

I know where all the old wealthy white guys will be this weekend
Meh, I’m not that and I’ll be there.

Meh, I’m not that and I’ll be there.

Oh, I'm just kidding...my buddy will be there and he is 40

I was off yesterday and driving around a lot. The Animal talked a lot about the PGA Championship. But mostly about Mickelson not being here and $20 beer.

Still really great to see this in Tulsa. Golf is pretty big in Oklahoma and I'm sure this will be a great weekend for the city of Tulsa.

What are the chances that Oak Tree Nat'l could see a major again--hasn't hosted one since 1988, I think. Why? Having not been to either SH or Oak Tree, how do they compare?

What are the chances that Oak Tree Nat'l could see a major again--hasn't hosted one since 1988, I think. Why? Having not been to either SH or Oak Tree, how do they compare?

Oak Tree doesn’t have the space to hold a PGA major. It’s pretty much in the middle of a neighborhood and is too broken up and not a contiguous area of space to meet the demands.

I was at SH today and forgot how much land they have. There is an additional 9 hole course that they use for a lot of the equipment trailers, broadcast studios, storage, etc. There are no houses on the actual course, which is kind of necessary for all of the massive suits/champion pavilions.

Southern Hills looked fantastic and should make the state look good this week.

What are the chances that Oak Tree Nat'l could see a major again--hasn't hosted one since 1988, I think. Why? Having not been to either SH or Oak Tree, how do they compare?

Will most likely be the 2027 Senior Us Open as of right now.

I think a US Amateur or a playoff tourney are possible too.

I could maaaybe see them getting a PGA again with the new HQ in Frisco and moving the tourney to May, but not for a while. Once Tiger moves on I don't see the massive crowds like there are now moving forward. Although I do think Oak Tree screwed up and started letting people build on those big acre lots surrounding 5-8 so it limits their space. Granted, If Merion can host a major, any course can.

Oak Tree doesn’t have the space to hold a PGA major. It’s pretty much in the middle of a neighborhood and is too broken up and not a contiguous area of space to meet the demands.

I was at SH today and forgot how much land they have. There is an additional 9 hole course that they use for a lot of the equipment trailers, broadcast studios, storage, etc. There are no houses on the actual course, which is kind of necessary for all of the massive suits/champion pavilions.

Southern Hills looked fantastic and should make the state look good this week.

lol it has hosted a PGA major ... and it will again ..

When the 2001 U.S. Open was played in Tulsa, there was an impact of $65 million on the Tulsa economy.

When Tiger Woods prevailed in the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, there was a $70 million impact.

2022: Nearly every inch of Southern Hills’ 320-acre property will be used somehow. For each of the championship rounds (Thursday through Sunday), a crowd of 45,000 is expected.

Tulsa is about to benefit from an amazing, $143.5 million surprise. Southern Hills hadn’t been scheduled for another PGA Championship until 2030.

When the 2001 U.S. Open was played in Tulsa, there was an impact of $65 million on the Tulsa economy.

When Tiger Woods prevailed in the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, there was a $70 million impact.

2022: Nearly every inch of Southern Hills’ 320-acre property will be used somehow. For each of the championship rounds (Thursday through Sunday), a crowd of 45,000 is expected.

Tulsa is about to benefit from an amazing, $143.5 million surprise. Southern Hills hadn’t been scheduled for another PGA Championship until 2030.

I think with the move to 2022 this might be in the air. They have walked back on that as of right now but wouldn't be surprised if it still went back to SH due to the to the tourney being on both coasts a few year before and after 2030

lol it has hosted a PGA major ... and it will again ..

Why do you speak in such absolutes? It opens you up for criticism.

It hasn't hosted a regular PGA tour event in 34 years. (1988 PGA Championship) And it very likely won't for another 34 years. It is too small to handle tournaments like that in 2022. OKC doesn't have a course with enough land to hold 50,000 people a day. Tulsa only has 1.

Senior PGA events? Sure. Only because they get 25% or so of the traffic that a regular PGA event gets.

Why do you speak in such absolutes? It opens you up for criticism.

It hasn't hosted a regular PGA tour event in 34 years. (1988 PGA Championship) And it very likely won't for another 34 years. It is too small to handle tournaments like that in 2022. OKC doesn't have a course with enough land to hold 50,000 people a day. Tulsa only has 1.

Senior PGA events? Sure. Only because they get 25% or so of the traffic that a regular PGA event gets.

the lack of hotels in the direct area is a much bigger issue then the land

Why do you speak in such absolutes? It opens you up for criticism.

It hasn't hosted a regular PGA tour event in 34 years. (1988 PGA Championship) And it very likely won't for another 34 years. It is too small to handle tournaments like that in 2022. OKC doesn't have a course with enough land to hold 50,000 people a day. Tulsa only has 1.

Senior PGA events? Sure. Only because they get 25% or so of the traffic that a regular PGA event gets.

There has been tons of chatter about SH being in a regular (once a decade) rotation for the PGA. They've talked about rotating it between 6ish regulars and 2-3 randoms.

lol it has hosted a PGA major ... and it will again ..

No sh*t Sherlock! It held the PGA in 1988 (I went). Twin Hills also held the PGA in 1935...maybe that will happen again your logic! Lol

Have you been to a major championship in the last decade? If you have, you would know that the scale of the event has escalated a huge amount since 1988. You need multiple hundreds of thousands of square feet to hold the 1916 champions pavilion (at least 100,000 sf), merchandise pavilion (I am guessing 80,000 sf), club suites, tv studios, production crew staging areas, concession areas, massive stands, etc. Maybe if there were no houses on the actual golf course, it would be possible, but that is not the case with Oak Tree.

The max for Oak Tree is probably a Sr. major or if a regular PGA event moves to Oklahoma (similar to the Byron Nelson in Dallas).

I've heard nothing but great things about the course and the people of Oklahoma from outsiders. The club & PGA have put on a great show so far.

Why do you speak in such absolutes? It opens you up for criticism.

It hasn't hosted a regular PGA tour event in 34 years. (1988 PGA Championship) And it very likely won't for another 34 years. It is too small to handle tournaments like that in 2022. OKC doesn't have a course with enough land to hold 50,000 people a day. Tulsa only has 1.

Senior PGA events? Sure. Only because they get 25% or so of the traffic that a regular PGA event gets.

It was scheduled to host another PGA Championship in 1994 but it was moved to southern hills after Oaktree started suffering from some major financial issues. It’s hosted senior PGA events and there’s plenty of space around there to host another PGA event if someone wants it to happen badly enough (it’s not like there’s been that much more additional development out there since 2006) it’s just tough to compete with the hundreds of other courses around the country that host these things when many of them probably have an easier time hosting it, especially when southern hills (which has hosted the PGA Championship more than any other course) is under two hours away and always more than willing to host them.

I think with the move to 2022 this might be in the air. They have walked back on that as of right now but wouldn't be surprised if it still went back to SH due to the to the tourney being on both coasts a few year before and after 2030

According to some of the members I know out there, this is currently being treated as a last minute change and the original tournament they guaranteed before 2030 (or maybe it was 2035) is still in play. They’re also going after another US Open but nothing has come of that yet.

No sh*t Sherlock! It held the PGA in 1988 (I went). Twin Hills also held the PGA in 1935...maybe that will happen again your logic! Lol

Have you been to a major championship in the last decade? If you have, you would know that the scale of the event has escalated a huge amount since 1988. You need multiple hundreds of thousands of square feet to hold the 1916 champions pavilion (at least 100,000 sf), merchandise pavilion (I am guessing 80,000 sf), club suites, tv studios, production crew staging areas, concession areas, massive stands, etc. Maybe if there were no houses on the actual golf course, it would be possible, but that is not the case with Oak Tree.

The max for Oak Tree is probably a Sr. major or if a regular PGA event moves to Oklahoma (similar to the Byron Nelson in Dallas).

for the record, the merchandise pavilion is 50k square feet and I’m not sure the 1916 pavilion is quite 100k but haven’t seen the official number on that anywhere yet. As a reference, in the scheme of things, even 100k square feet doesn’t take up that much space that’s under 3 acres as a conversion but probably between 4 & 5 when it comes to actual footprint.

it’s always possible if someone wants to do it badly enough. There’s a massive amount of open land (for now) on that quarter section, on the east side of oak tree (they have two additional full 18 hole golf courses between the east and west sides as well as an extra driving range that could be used for event space if they really wanted to) and empty land on the tracts nearby, but there are so many other courses that are much more convenient that I have trouble seeing how it could get ahead of those for a major (though still think it could). A regular PGA event would almost be better due to it using less space and it would happen more often than every 5-30 years. It’s an extremely nice and difficult Pete Dye course that has hosted a major before (and is in much better condition now than it was then) so I have trouble believing it will be completely shut out forever.

To your point about Twin Hills, I think it’s just too short to host a modern PGA or USGA event, which a much bigger issue than lack of easily accessible open space. Though the club special was supposedly created there so they’ll always have that lol. Length isn’t an issue for Oak Tree.

A bunch of the older membership at Oak Tree National (OTN) is still bitter at the city of Edmond for not stepping up and taking much of the financial burden left behind when Landmark went bankrupt, which led to 1994 PGA going to Southern Hills. Big mistake that took a long time to get back in their good graces. Although lately OTN has been in bed with USGA. As I said above the 2027 US Senior Open is looking more likely for OTN. Would be cool for the Amateur to come back too.

The greens weren't mowed this morning because of high winds. Inter testing to see how the greens play today.

^^^^^^
According to the leaderboard the vast majority of players who have completed today's round improved vs yesterday's, some by a significant number of strokes. Seems like the stimpmeter is their friend today.

Was hoping for some pics or maybe you can't take pics during a tournament?

The greens weren't mowed this morning because of high winds. Inter testing to see how the greens play today.

Why would winds affect mowing the greens?

If they mowed them the balls would have not held still this morning with those gusts.

If they mowed them the balls would have not held still this morning with those gusts.Ok. But everyone would still have played the same greens. More difficult, more interesting but the same for everyone. This level of golf shouldn't be easy.

I’m not sure whether I’d agree that watching tour pros blow greens is more interesting. Also would have magnified the advantage high winds already give to golfers from places like Oklahoma and Texas. Ask Lee Trevino about that one. The PGA might’ve felt that was too close to home cooking for their taste.

They have signs up saying "no photos or videos within 100 feet of course" but 0% of folks are paying attention to that. I've been lucky enough to marshal a hole, and that was never even mentioned as something to try and look out for.

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They have signs up saying "no photos or videos within 100 feet of course" but 0% of folks are paying attention to that. I've been lucky enough to marshal a hole, and that was never even mentioned as something to try and look out for.

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I never saw a sign about that. Every person there was taking pics/videos.

I’m not sure whether I’d agree that watching tour pros blow greens is more interesting. Also would have magnified the advantage high winds already give to golfers from places like Oklahoma and Texas. Ask Lee Trevino about that one. The PGA might’ve felt that was too close to home cooking for their taste.
Ok. I can see the "home course advantage" thing.

I have friends in from out of state for the PGA as their club pro made the field. The overall group is about 25 strong, and they could not be more complimentary of their experience in Oklahoma which includes the people, Southern Hills, and just the overall trip to Okla (they flew in to OKC). Most of them had never been to Oklahoma. I was up there the last couple of days and it was nice to hear their very positive comments.

In true Oklahoma fashion, it goes from 95 degrees on Friday to 55 on Saturday.

Ok. But everyone would still have played the same greens. More difficult, more interesting but the same for everyone. This level of golf shouldn't be easy.

the thing is if the balls are rolling off the green from the wind (after they have come to a rest) that is reason enough to cause a weather delay ..

nothing to do with easy / hard ..... just general fairness ..

I was there all day today and it was freezing arse cold. The cool temps, very strong winds and cloudy skies all added up to really unpleasant spectating and a very challenging course.

They did a great job running the dozens of big, luxurious shuttle buses from Oral Roberts.

But there were just massive food and drink lines all day. I was there for over 8 hours and never had anything to eat or drink.

That’s unfortunate - we didn’t have issues with food or drink at all on Thursday. It was busier on Friday but not impossible to get things. Must be the weekend crowds.

I was there all day today and it was freezing arse cold. The cool temps, very strong winds and cloudy skies all added up to really unpleasant spectating and a very challenging course.

They did a great job running the dozens of big, luxurious shuttle buses from Oral Roberts.

But there were just massive food and drink lines all day. I was there for over 8 hours and never had anything to eat or drink.

was the same story at the OU spring game, and I'd imagine we'll see it at the Thunder games, too. Tough to staff the concessions these days for big events. Venues might need to start paying folks some real money.

Bathroom lines were almost an hour on Saturday.

That’s unfortunate - we didn’t have issues with food or drink at all on Thursday. It was busier on Friday but not impossible to get things. Must be the weekend crowds.

It was so bad, I had a wristband for totally free food and drink and I never ate or drank anything all day.

We actually left earlier than I would have liked because we had been out there for nearly 8 hours and I couldn't take it anymore.

It was so bad, I had a wristband for totally free food and drink and I never ate or drank anything all day.

We actually left earlier than I would have liked because we had been out there for nearly 8 hours and I couldn't take it anymore.

the concession stands (and bathrooms) on the outside edges of the course .. had some manageable lines (or no lines at times) Friday and Saturday (by 15/12/ 6/ practice range) the others had crazy lines even on friday ..

I'm absolutely exhausted after spending a full Sunday - Sunday out there volunteering and then spectating almost all day every day of the tournament. What an incredible finish! Tried to not have my phone constantly out, but did get a few photos/videos.

Sunday afternoon, the calm before the storm:
https://vimeo.com/712904310

Stumbled on Tiger's Sunday practice round. Started with about 3 other people watching, only about 20 by the end of his round. Will definitely never have that opportunity in my life again. (Unsurprisingly) the best he looked all week.

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https://vimeo.com/712898917

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Thursday morning, 6:21 AM - just before the madness!
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Patrick Reed having to drop after hitting into the creek on 17 on Sunday. Love to see it.
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View of the playoff hole on 13. Got to watch the playoff on 17 standing right next to Justin's dad, which was neat, and then watch the finish from the first fairway before heading out.

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Assorted photos of the course:
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Top row of the grandstand at 12 - great view of 18 behind. Solid spot on the course:

https://vimeo.com/712906756

If they mowed them the balls would have not held still this morning with those gusts.

Oh, of course. Wasnt thinking of that when you said it, but more of why the wind would physically prevent them mowing in the morning lol.

The concessions were a joke. Free food and drink with ticket but you could hardly find any hot food like burgers and hot dogs without waiting forever. Huge fail on the PGA's part for inadequate concessions. But they had fully stocked fridges and quick lines for the $18 beers!

Saw on the news Tiger quit

I don't follow golf and I'm sure all of you know this

I suppose the concession issues will be at most sporting and music events for the foreseeable future. It must be tough for them to get temporary workers.

Otherwise, it was a great event for Tulsa and the state. The shuttle buses were really easy and efficient and there were huge crowds on Saturday and from reports, every day.

And all this without the star power of Tiger on Sunday (and really, never in contention) and defending champ Michelson still in hiding after his PR and gambling debacles.

Lots of the golf writers I follow on Twitter said the course was outstanding and they expect SH to join PGA Frisco as an "anchor course" for the PGA Championship.

I was there all day Sunday. Concessions were a nightmare after 11am. Just couldn't keep up with the demand for food. I have a feeling if they didn't have the "free food" and drink options that it might have been better. Or dedicated tents for those people with certain wristbands.

They need to have cell phone booster towers or exanded wifi around the course as well. Our group had terrible reception all day. Bathroom lines seemed to go pretty quick.

Course was in great shape and crowds were awesome though. Good exposure for Tulsa and SH

^

Yes, meant to mention the cell phone reception which was pretty much non-existent.

I didn't care about phone calls or texts, was just trying to navigate the course and follow what was happening and that was virtually impossible.

In this day and age where there is fantastic free TV coverage, you really need to get these things right.

Yeah thats what I meant to explain. We had no idea what was really going on trying to follow on the app. I wish there were more live TVs set up so you could see what was going on around the course

We left a little early and went to a friend's house where the TV coverage had comprehensive stats, graphics and real-time coverage of every hole.

I loved going to the event but ended up wishing we had left sooner because I missed so much of what I was there to see.

All that can be provided through their app or just internet access, but that was virtually impossible.

^

Yes, meant to mention the cell phone reception which was pretty much non-existent.

I didn't care about phone calls or texts, was just trying to navigate the course and follow what was happening and that was virtually impossible.

In this day and age where there is fantastic free TV coverage, you really need to get these things right.

i lean the other way .. i wish more events took their cue from The Masters and had no cell phones on the property ..

i lean the other way .. i wish more events took their cue from The Masters and had no cell phones on the property ..

It needs to be one way or another.

This event was in the middle which was the worst of both worlds.

It needs to be one way or another.

This event was in the middle which was the worst of both worlds.

i agree with that ..

Not to say the on-the-ground product couldn't drastically improve across the board in this regard but I've never been to a golf tournament (haven't been to 100s, but have been to more than the average person) in which it was easy to follow what was going on in the larger tournament unless sitting in the grandstands on 18, etc. where they're showing the broadcast (and even then you still rarely get the full context of the situation), so I don't think this weekend was any worse than average. TV will always be better at that. That said, I was surprised they didn't have signal boosters to ease the cell data burden a bit. Funnily enough, I had much better luck sending/receiving voice calls than using data but was still able to send/receive texts from most spots on the course. Getting an app or a website to update was very rough though.

The on course app would have been awesome if it had been able to regularly update (and obviously worked much better earlier in the week than the weekend).

It’s weird. I just got back from grabbing some half priced merchandise at the PGA shop and reception was still terrible out there even today (and I’m on AT&T). Not sure why it’s such a dead zone over there.

On some of the lines and logistics issues, a friend of mine who’s a member at southern and volunteered out there for the last two weeks told me to expect some issues when we grabbed lunch a few weeks ago and the issues played out exactly like he thought they would. This was the first PGA Championship since 2019 without any fan quantity restrictions and with a full complement of volunteers and there was apparently a ton of turnover at the PGA (especially in the groups dealing specifically with volunteers and fans) so things were pretty discombobulated early on and sounds like that carried over through the rest of the tournament. I figured it wouldn’t be that different from other PGA events since they started allowing crowds again but I guess the volume of fans at the championship was so much higher than at other tour events that it made preparing more difficult. I was only out there Sunday afternoon and the line issues weren’t near as bad while I was there but heard from everyone that it was rough during the week.

Overall Southern Hills and Tulsa did a great job of hosting though. Haven’t heard anything but positive feedback about the city, state and golf course. The Ironman triathlon was also going on up here Saturday along with a BMX event and a Brooks and Dunn concert so it was a pretty massive weekend up here.

Didn't they completely sell out well in advance?

I believe that was the case and if so, they would have known exactly the number of people to expect.

They were very lucky it was so cool over the weekend because the lines trying to get something to drink would have been exponentially higher and there could have even been some health issues as a result. Given how hot it had been in the run-up, it's a miracle it was so chilly (bordering on cold on Saturday).


Also, due to the constant, huge lines, I wonder if we'll start to see a bit of a spike in Covid in the next couple of weeks. There was absolutely no social distancing nor was it possible.

In fact, I waited for my friends while they went into the merchandise tent because it was just wall-to-wall people. I know many were huddling in there just trying to get warm, and it was absolutely packed.

^On Thursday people were packed in there trying to cool down!:)

I don't know what a sell out would be. I still don't think the crowds were as big as the 2001 US Open. But that's a whole different org.

Fri-Sunday was sold out. Thursday was almost sold out (and was sold out of the all you can eat tickets).

Thursday, I saw a fair number of tents had lines with people waiting for specific food items (hamburgers having the most shortages). Could get other food items, but they didn’t really have a good way of communicating to people in line but outside the tents that you could get something if you didn’t want a hamburger. I did see a few checkout folks on Thursday going down the line to tell people but not much after that. Gotta imagine it was expected on some level, but was definitely the worst part of the experience/weekend. Sunday was the only day I couldn’t find a line short enough to get in (there were some tents in more out of the way places that had more reasonable lines at off times through Saturday) so just loaded up on granola bars, bananas, and chips from the volunteer HQ and then scarfed some food on the way home.

The all you can eat seems like a good idea, and with a few more tweaks/logistical improvements and better communication it probably could be, but definitely some things to iron out. It was interesting that the PGA was very nervous about the wristband procedure at the main gate slowing things down too much. That was where I volunteered, though Thursday was the only tournament morning I worked it seemed to go very smoothly. Even the morning rush seemed reasonable from where I was standing but curious if anyone who showed up first thing fri-Sun disagrees.

That said, I wonder if there would ever be enough grill space to feasibly keep up with that crowd at the busiest parts of the day.