By: Stepper Toth
Oak Tree Country Club, host of the AJGA Junior at Oak Tree, was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1982 in Edmond, Oklahoma. Club Corp owns Oak Tree along with more than 200 other golf courses across the country.
The Head Professional at Oak Tree since 2009, Devin Davenport, is also the Tournament Chairman for the AJGA Junior at Oak Tree this week.
“I think being both [professional and tournament chairman] is definitely an advantage. We have seen some challenges and some ways that we can make the event even better going forward into the future.”
This is the first year since 2008 that Oak Tree Country Club has hosted an AJGA event.
“We would like to make it a yearly event. We only ended in 2008 because we did renovations on the East golf course in 2009, and then 2011 through 2013 the West, so that’s what caused the gap,” Davenport said.
There are two 18-hole championship courses that are available for members to play at the Oak Tree Country Club, the East and the West.
“We have two different styles of golf courses. The East golf course has many more water hazards, water features and everything on it. We always tell people it is easier to make birdies, but it’s also easier to make doubles. The West golf course is more of a target golf course, more tree lined with tougher green complexes as far as making birdies.”
Throughout the years, Oak Tree Country Club has developed the Oak Tree Junior Golf Academy, which involves hosting classes, clinics and camps for their junior golfers.
“It’s great for our juniors and members,” Davenport said. “Just to see such a large group and the best amateur golf events that there are.”
Other PGA professionals who are members at the Oak Tree Country Club include Bob Tway, who also used to live on the course, Scott Verplank, Willie Wood, Gil Morgan, David Edwards, Doug Tewell, and Mark Hayes.