THE PATRIOT

Home of The Folds of Honor Foundation / Site of The Patriot Cup

 

Location: Owasso, OK

Client: Owasso Land Trust

Opened: May 2010

Budget: $11 million

www.patriotgolfclub.com

Designers: Robert Trent Jones II (Jay Blasi)

Contractor: Landscapes Unlimited

 

Summary: 18-hole private club located just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Patriot is home to the Folds of Honor Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for military families affected by war. The Folds of Honor Foundation, and its major fundraising event, Patriot Golf Day, were the idea of Lt Col Dan Rooney, one of the developers of The Patriot. The golf course occupies 200 acres at the south end of Stone Canyon, a 3,500 acre master planned community. The routing takes golfers on a journey through four distinct landscapes: limestone canyons, lowland meadows, upland prairies, and hardwood forests. The layout follows the natural contours of the land, which limited earthmoving to four of the nineteen holes. Wide fairways provide players with room to navigate the numerous natural creeks and rock outcroppings that highlight the site.

MY EXPERIENCE

When I landed in Tulsa for the first time on assignment for RTJII, my confidence in the project yielding a great golf course was quite low. The parcel in question featured a busy highway, a floodplain, power lines and a water tank.

After one day walking all around the property and the adjacent land, I was convinced that there was a course worthy of the story on that site. After an hour long meeting with Dan Rooney, the most inspiring call to action speaker in the land, I was convinced we were going to build it!

Like any good project, the people made the difference. David Charney and his partners made all of the tough decisions that allowed the course to be its best. They facilitated us shifting the course into the canyons and bluffs and that made the course exponentially better.

While the golf design part of the project was fun, getting to be a part of a cause bigger than golf was more rewarding. One of the highlights of my life has been spending time with some of our nations great Patriots and some truly deserving scholarship recipients.

BEFORE & AFTERS

Hole 7
Hole 18 approach
Aerial of course layout

COURSE PROFILES & AWARDS

  • Site of the Patriot Cup
  • #1 Best New Private Course (2011)                        Golfweek Magazine
  • #27 Best Residential Course in the U.S.                 Golfweek Magazine
  • #95 Best Modern Courses                                        Golfweek Magazine

MY ROLE

Tasks performed as Project Architect for RTJII

  • Served as a key designer & day-to-day manager of the project
  • Conducted initial site visit and client meeting
  • Identified location for the golf course with the owners
  • Participated in all consultant meetings throughout project
  • Established the clubhouse location and golf course routing
  • Developed the strategy for each hole and each green complex
  • Conceptualized and implemented the look of the course features
  • Created the golf course grading plan
  • Prepared all construction drawings
  • Coordinated and prepared specifications
  • Served as key designer in the field throughout construction
  • Painted every bunker line
  • Flagged all grassing lines
  • Helped organize golf media outings to showcase the facility