'This was Christmas for me' On what may be remembered as Great Friday, Tulsa golf courses reopen for business

Why? Because the 70-year-old Tulsan was able to play on his favorite course — the 18-hole championship course at LaFortune Park.

By order of Mayor G.T. Bynum, in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus, all courses within the city of Tulsa had been shut down for a month. Friday was a grand-reopening day as the ban on golf was lifted.

The Tulsa County-owned courses — LaFortune Park in midtown Tulsa and South Lakes in Jenks — were open for business. So were city-owned courses at Page Belcher in west Tulsa and Mohawk Park in north Tulsa, and also the private courses at Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa Country Club and Meadowbrook Country Club.

While still adhering to guidelines regarding distancing and hygiene — and while allowing only one occupant in each motorized cart — every course teemed with activity.

Every available tee time was claimed for play on Southern Hills’ 18-hole championship course.

“We’ve got a whole list of protocol for every area we’re reopening,” Southern Hills general manager Nick Sidorakis said. “It all applies to the golf course, the driving range, the tennis facility (and) the fitness facility.

“My whole goal is to keep it safe for our members and employees. We don’t want anyone to come down with this virus. Employees will wear masks. (For members and employees), we’ll have temperature checks and a (health-related) questionnaire. That’s for the whole club until we get past this thing.”

During the noon hour at LaFortune Park, there were multiple groups on every hole. On the driving range, nearly every station was occupied. There was heavy traffic also on LaFortune’s par-3 course.

“This is Christmas for me. I’m just so excited that I can’t stand it,” said Lowery, resplendent in green knickers and a matching flat cap. “LaFortune is in such good shape. We’re lucky in this city to have a course like this.”

While most Tulsa-area suburban courses remained open in April, those in Tulsa were shut down during one of the more typically lucrative months of the year.

At LaFortune Park, restrooms were cleaned on an hourly basis. Carts were sanitized after every use. On-course water coolers had been removed. In the grill, food was available only on a takeout basis.

“It’s important to do this right,” said Pat McCrate, the director of golf at LaFortune Park and South Lakes.

Good Friday traditionally is the busiest day of the year for the LaFortune Park 18-hole course. But not this past Good Friday.

“No wind. The sun was shining. The weather was perfect,” McCrate recalls. “I looked out on the course and there was no one. Literally no one. That day was tough.”

Lowery retired three years ago from a career in the oil-and-gas industry. On average, he plays the LaFortune 18-hole course four days a week. While LaFortune’s operations were suspended, Lowery played at Battle Creek in Broken Arrow and Heritage Hills in Claremore.

He was excited to play at LaFortune again on Friday — which may be remembered as having been “Great Friday” for Tulsa golf proprietors — and plans to be there again on Saturday.

“If my grandkids weren’t coming over,” Lowery said, “I’d be playing on Sunday, too.”

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