By Sam Johnson
For those of you expecting D.A. Weibring's weekly report from the Champions Tour, I offer my apologies. As regular readers of this column you know that, in addition to being a full-time golf professional, D.A. is also one of the country's most successful golf course designers, which brings us to why I'm writing his column this week. D.A. invited me, and a couple hundred of his friends, to preview his latest creation, the WinStar Golf Course in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
If by some small chance you are not familiar with Thackerville, Oklahoma, it is halfway between Pinehurst and Pebble Beach, about an hour's drive north of Dallas, Texas and a big nine iron away from WinStar Casino and the Red River. The golf course, with four sets of tees from 7,341 down to 6,071, has accomplished something extremely difficult; it challenges the single digit handicappers, yet remains a blast for those of us who work for a living. Forgive me if you are the kind of player who enjoys having a golf course beat the daylights out of you, but for me, golf is all about fun.
Please don't misunderstand; WinStar is not some kind of wimpy place. Its bentgrass greens are as fast and smooth as a dance floor. The Tifsport fairways are wide but require accurate driving if you want to position yourself for the best approach shots. Architect Steve Wolford, D.A., and the entire team at the Golf Resources Group have used a subtle touch to carve out these 225 acres of the Red River basin. It's as natural as Oklahoma itself with its native prairie grasses and sandy soil, but most importantly it works, and it works on many different levels.
For example, yesterday I played the course with D.A. and two single digit handicappers (remember I work for a living and I am not a single digit guy). Hole by hole, D.A. guided us around the course pointing out the subtleties designed into each hole. For the guys who could work the ball right and left, D.A. has designed each hole with a sweet-spot, and just as importantly, I was able to play the same holes successfully even without a 300 yard drive, and that's pure genius.
But as much fun as the golf course was, playing it with D.A. was even more fun. Not only is D.A. a great guy, he is a great teacher and a great motivator. By the end of the round I was considering giving up the typewriter and taking up golf for a living. Granted, it would not have been much of a living, and it may not have lasted long, but I felt pretty good about my game. And, who wouldn't, when after a thirty-second lesson from D.A., I holed out a bunker shot on 18 for a birdie. Okay, it was for a six, but this is my story and when you get your own column you can tell the truth.
WinStar Golf Course was great, but if you ever get the chance to play a round with D.A., be sure to take it; the PGA slogan says, "These guys are good," they are also nice guys, as well.
