KGC has new look with 2 new greens
SEVENTH HEAVEN – Standing on the new seventh green at Kingfisher Golf Course are, from left: Kingfisher Golf Association board member Reggie Redwine; City of Kingfisher Parks Department employees Joel Lowes, Brent Townsend and Ryan McAdam (Gary Kochenow
Kingfisher Golf Course just got a little bit longer.
Members of the Kingfisher Golf Association board of directors as well club manager Gary Wilson christened two brand new greens last Friday.
The greens are on the par-3 seventh and par-4 eighth and have been under construction since last fall.
Joining Wilson in playing the holes were board members Kent Weems, Reggie Redwine and Derrick Wolf.
“We’re proud of our course and the compliments we get on it,” Wilson said. “We think these new greens will just add to the experience of playing here.”
The seventh hole was a complete reconstruction of an existing green and a temporary green was used in its place.
The eighth hole, however, saw the construction of a completely new green.
The hole runs south to north between Bowman Avenue and State Highway 33 along the far eastern edge of the course.
The new green is now much closer to the highway, extending the hole anywhere from 50 to 60 yards, depending on the pin placement.
“Before, you just had to worry about not going out of bounds to the right. There was an entire course to the left that made it safe,” Wilson said.
“Now, you still have to worry about out of bounds, but going too far left also brings trees into play when you try to approach the green. It’s longer and you have to be able to play it smart.”
Both new greens were designed by Mike Chambers, who also designed the putting green near the clubhouse.
Some of the construction and materials for the greens were donated by members such as Bob Bollenbach, Shawn Scammahorn and Ron Townsend and their respective companies.
“That really helped us reduce the cost of this project,” Wilson noted.
Members of the City of Kingfisher’s Parks Department crew have also played big roles in getting the greens ready for use.
“We really appreciate the work they’ve done,” Wilson added.
He said the new seventh green may be periodically closed during the spring months to ensure it’s 100 percent ready for the heavy late-spring and summer use.
“It needs just a couple more weeks to be absolutely ready,” Wilson said. “It’s good enough to play on and it’s in better shape than a lot of other places, but we want to make sure it’s ready for our busy season.”