Heritage Links, Gil Hanse team up for Southern Hills Country Club restoration

he Heritage Links staff performs fine grading prior to grassing the 13th hole at Southern Hills Country Club (Photo: Heritage Links)

Heritage Links is assisting architect Gil Hanse with construction services for the restoration of historic Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. The project entails work on all 18 holes of the Perry Maxwell course that opened in 1936. The extensive restoration plans include new USGA greens, bunkers, tees, cart paths, drainage, a new irrigation system, and grassing.

Among Heritage Links’s comprehensive project services will be the implementation of a new bunker style that will be very natural in appearance. The change represents a contrast to the existing ordinary appearance that evolved over the years. Additionally, the bunkers will include Better Billy Bunker liners to improve drainage.

All of the greens will be rebuilt to USGA specifications utilizing GreenScan technology to replace the contours to their exact current elevations. The new greens will feature PrecisionAire and hydronic heating/cooling systems in the subgrade.

Heritage Links also is working on the creation of a new short game area and event lawn, driving range reconstruction, plus colored concrete cart paths.

Photo: Heritage Links

The renovation is on track for a mid-December completion, and the course expects to reopen in June 2019. The construction work is being managed for Heritage Links by Agustin Sanchez.

Southern Hills has hosted three U.S. Opens and four PGA Championships, as well as the U.S. Amateur Championship, a U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. Future tournaments to be hosted by the club are the 2021 PGA Senior Championship and another PGA Championship scheduled between 2025 and 2030.

Golf Digest ranked Southern Hills as the No. 1 course in Oklahoma in its 2017-2018 Best in State list. Southern Hills also is No. 35 on Golf Digest’s prestigious America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.