Golf
Golf History
The trademark of Hillcrest Country Club is its 18-hole, Perry Maxwell designed golf course. After underbidding A. W. Tillinghast and Walter Travis for the job, Maxwell completed one of his finest solo-designs in the spring of 1927. The 6,516 yard layout is not long by today’s standards, but still requires precision off the tee and superior shot making around the greens.
The Club’s reputation as a challenging and premier golf course has been maintained by hosting numerous championships and qualifiers over the years:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
|
1931 |
Oklahoma State Amateur (Henry Robertson def. Walter Emery) |
|
1933 |
Oklahoma State Open (Jimmy Gullane) |
|
1935 |
Oklahoma Women’s Amateur (Mrs. R.E. Drennan) |
|
1936 |
Oklahoma State Amateur (Walter Emery def. Billy Simpson) |
|
1939 |
Oklahoma Women’s Amateur (Pat Grant) |
|
1940 |
Oklahoma State Open (Billy Simpson) |
|
1949 |
Oklahoma State Amateur (Dee Replogle def. Lawrence Glosser) |
|
1953 |
Oklahoma Women’s Amateur (Mrs. Margaret Hack Williford) |
|
1956 |
Oklahoma Open (Jimmy Gauntt) |
|
1957 |
Oklahoma State Amateur (Bobby Goetz) |
|
1961 |
Oklahoma Women’s Amateur (Betsey Cullen) |
|
1968 |
Oklahoma State Amateur (Mike Holder) |
|
1970 |
Oklahoma Women’s Amateur (Teresa Weinschelbaum) |
|
1970 |
U.S. Amateur Qualifying –Sectional |
|
1976 |
Oklahoma Women’s Amateur (Teresa Weinschelbaum) |
|
1984 |
Oklahoma Mid-Amateur Championship |
|
1991 |
NCAA Regional Qualifying |
|
1999 |
U.S. Open Qualifier –Local |
|
2004 |
U.S.G.A. Women’s Mid-Amateur Qualifying |
|
2005 |
U.S.G.A. Mid-Amateur Qualifying |
|
2006 |
Oklahoma Women’s Amateur (Amanda Johnson) |
Floyd Farley, a disciple of Maxwell, redesigned the front nine to help accommodate for the new clubhouse in 1962. However, the entire back side and a majority of the front side still remain intact to the original Maxwell design. Because of poor drainage and new technology, Ed Seay, who would later work for Arnold Palmer Design, was asked to replace the greens in 1982.
Four Head Professionals have been attached to the Club since its inception in 1926. Jimmy Gullane, a native of North Berwick, Scotland served from 1926-1954. Gullane was the former Head Professional of The Broadmoor, and he would later win the Oklahoma Open in 1932 and in 1933. The latter was played at Hillcrest where he defeated Ben Hogan by one stroke. The Tulsa World reported “Hogan was in fine shape until the last hole, where five is par for the 585 yards. Trying to play safe, he (Hogan) got away from the tee, found a bad lie, topped and went into the deep rough. He wound up with a seven, for 33-39—72.” Hogan would later be quoted as saying, “Hole 18 is a helluva hole!”
Dwight Travis, a Newkirk, Oklahoma native and former Assistant Professional from Wichita Country Club, held the position from 1954-1968. Travis was known as a trendy dresser and remembered for giving President Dwight D. Eisenhower a lesson. He was succeeded by Jerry Cozby from 1969-2009, the longest tenured professional to date…41 years! A Texas native and former Assistant Professional of Oak Hill Country Club, Cozby earned the highest honor from the P.G.A. in 1985 as Golf Professional of the Year–National. Cozby mentored over 14 professionals to Head Professional positions in his career and would later be inducted into the National P.G.A. Hall of Fame in 2005.
In January of 2010, Bryan Heim became Hillcrest’s newest Head Professional. A Wisconsin native and former assistant of Cherry Hills Country Club, Heim brings a strong passion for teaching as a Manuel de la Torre disciple. Heim is a multiple National Club Professional Qualifier, and is also a certified Titleist Performance Institute fitness instructor. To learn more about the TPI program, visit MYTPI.com.
