Golfweek’s Best 2022: Top public and private courses in Oklahoma
The top two public-access golf courses in Oklahoma bring out a college rivalry, Cowboys versus Sooners.
No. 1 on Golfweek’s Best list of public-access layouts in Oklahoma is Karsten Creek in Stillwater, a Tom Fazio-designed layout that serves as the home course for the Oklahoma State golf teams. Opened in 1994, Karsten Creek was named for Ping Golf founder Karsten Solheim, and the course plays around Lake Louise, named for Solheim’s wife.
No. 2 on that list is Jimmie Austin Golf Club at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The club originally was laid out by Perry Maxwell and opened in 1951, and it was reworked by Bob Cupp in 1996 and again by Tripp Davis in 2017.
On the private side, Southern Hills in Tulsa takes the top spot. Designed by Perry Maxwell in 1936 and restored by Gil Hanse in 2019, Southern Hills has been host to a slate of top tournaments including three U.S. Opens (1958, ’77 and ’01) as well as five PGA Championships (1970, ’82, ’94, ’07 and ’22).
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.
Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and that list for Oklahoma’s private offerings is likewise included below.
MORE: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort | Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
* New to or returning to list
Best public-access courses in Oklahoma in 2022
Jimmie Austin Golf Club at the University of Oklahoma (Courtesy of Tripp Davis/Branden Hart)
1. Karsten Creek
Stillwater (T81m)
2. Jimmie Austin GC at the University of Oklahoma
Norman (T185c)
3. Shangri-La Resort
Afton (m)
4. Chickasaw Pointe
Kingston (m)
5. Cherokee Hills
Catoosa (c)
Best private courses in Oklahoma in 2022
Southern Hills in Oklahoma (Gabe Gudgel/Golfweek)
1. Southern Hills
Tulsa (41c)
2. Oak Tree National
Edmond (T43m)
3. The Patriot
Owasso (T114m)
4. Oklahoma City G&CC*
Nichols Hills (c)
5. Oak Tree (East)*
Edmond (m)
