Oakwood Country Club

A Maxwell masterpiece in the heartland. While Perry Maxwell may be known for Oakwood’s much more famous neighbours—Southern Pines to the east, Prairie Dunes to the North and Colonial Country Club to the South—his creation in small-town Enid, Oklahoma, exhibits many of the same qualities that made Maxwell courses in the American heartland such gems.

Driving into Enid, all one sees is flat land that wouldn’t appear to lend itself very well to interesting golf. But stepping onto the course at Oakwood Country Club, you can see Maxwell’s genius, as he uses all of the small ridges and slopes that the land gives to make for a challenge anyone can enjoy. Higher handicap players will enjoy the relatively open parkland layout in which they’re unlikely to lose many (if any) golf balls; however, Oakwood provides a great challenge to even the most skilled golfers, as positioning is paramount—especially on approach shots into the sloped greens.

Oakwood opens with a welcoming par-5 that can be easily reached in 2 if your tee shot makes it past the bunker guarding the dogleg at 280 yards. But the test starts immediately thereafter with a long par 4 that plays directly into the prevailing Oklahoma wind, which can add up to 80 yards to the hole on any given day.

The scorecard will show a few holes that on paper look like they will provide scoring opportunities, but as with other Maxwell courses, the subtle turns and ridges on the course require perfectly placed shots in order to take advantage of those opportunities. And even with a well-played shot off the tee, one must always be aware of pin placements on the greens. On several greens, most players would much rather be 20 feet below the pin than 5 feet past it, as putts coming downhill are lightning fast and break considerably.

The 4 par 3s on the course each require something different of the player. #3, for example, requires distance, as it’ll take about 205 yards downhill to reach the center of the green. While #8 is much shorter, accuracy is essential, as any shot above the hole will leave you with an extremely challenging putt in which you might find yourself putting further coming back up the hill than when you putted down. #12 is another example that requires accuracy, as the green is one of the smallest on the course.

The most scorable hole is #17, providing an excellent birdie opportunity if you can hit a straight tee shot. The hole measures only 285 yards. However, an elevated reservoir sits to the short and right of the green, ready to penalize any errant tee shot.

Overall, the course is remarkably similar to its original 1947 design. Maxwell’s genius has definitely withstood the test of time, providing even the every day player with a test of every shot in the player’s bag. If you’re a walker, the course couldn’t be designed better, with tee boxes and greens right next to each other on nearly every hole. While the course likely will never achieve the acclaim of Maxwell’s much more famous neighbors, Oakwood is an absolute delight to play and one that consistently rewards a solid approach game.