Earlywine Golf Club unveils new $12.7M clubhouse

OKLAHOMA CITY The long-awaited new clubhouse at Earlywine Golf Club, 11600 S. Portland Ave., will be celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The 8,000-square-foot clubhouse features a full-service restaurant and bar, patio seating with golf course views, a grab-and-go caf, a banquet room for 200 guests, an event lawn and a 12-seat conference room.

“It’s just a wow experience and it’s really what we were wanting to get,” said Dan Langford, Earlywine golf director. “Earlywine Golf Club is a destination that will be highly sought after.”

Langford expects the driving range, opening later this month, will be a favorite spot. It will offer 24 covered, shaded and heated individual bays with fans, patio furniture and lighting for nighttime use.

Mick Cornett, chair of the Oklahoma City Golf Commission called it “the finest practice facility in the state.”

Final adjustments on the $12.7 million project should be completed by the Sept. 12 grand opening, Langford said.

That includes a completed new parking lot. The staff has been operating out of trailers during construction and those trailers will be moved to make way for the north end of the new parking lot, he said. Limited parking has reduced the number of tee times and rounds that can be played.

Langford said operations will be different “in a good way” in the new clubhouse, including restaurant service and banquet facilities.

The Overlook Restaurant and Pub staff is trained to greet every guest upon arrival and to serve them at their tables. “It has been very well received by the customers that have come out, and we’re very happy with what’s going on there,” Langford said.

The restaurant service and extended driving range hours will require hiring some additional staff, he said. The current staff ranges from 50 to 75 depending on the time of year.

“My staff, every one of them, have been doing Herculean-type efforts to get this done,” Langford said. “It’s just been a lot on lots of different fronts.”

Banquet rooms are the new business model for golf clubs, Langford said. The facility can be rented in conjunction with golfing events or for wedding receptions, reunions or other gatherings.

“Being near the airport is another plus for us,” he said. Companies can fly in their representatives for a conference and golfing. Rental policies are still being developed.

The clubhouse construction took three years. “COVID shut things down right when this went out for bid and the prices of materials being very volatile during that time,” said Sean Simpson, golf trust specialist with Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation.

The next new clubhouse

The groundbreaking for a new $11.8 million clubhouse at Lake Herner Golf Club is expected to happen in late summer, said Brad Sliauter, Lake Hefner golf director.

The fiscal year ending June 30 was the best year for rounds of golf and revenue in the past 15 years, Silauter said.

A modern 18,000-square-foot, two-story building is planned to showcase panoramic views of the golf courses and the lake. It will include a pro shop, locker and shower rooms, a restaurant-bar, a banquet room and meeting space.

“This clubhouse will be different from traditional golf clubhouses as it will cater to golfers and the public,” Parks and Recreation Director Melinda McMillan-Miller said in a release. “The modern facility will provide a new place for residents to dine, shop, and experience Lake Hefner’s beautiful water views.”

Total rounds of golf played at Oklahoma City’s five municipal courses in FY24 were up about 5% over FY23, Simpson said.

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