Oklahoma's epic drive: New golf trail aims to boost state tourism

The state of Oklahoma has an ambitious new strategy to make the state a destination for golfers.

It's called the Oklahoma Golf Trail and was established by the state legislature as a way to promote the state's courses and golf history.

This golf trail is something that's been years in the making. One of the driving forces behind it has been Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, a golfer himself and outspoken advocate for state tourism.

Jonathan Cooper grabbed his clubs and hit the course to learn more in this Oklahoma's Own Original.

As lieutenant governor, Matt Pinnell doesn't get much free time.

"I don't have a handicap," he said.

But when he does...

"If I have a few hours, that's what I want to do—is go play some golf."

You may find him on the golf course, like when he joined Coop recently to play at the Canyons at Blackjack Ridge in Sand Springs.

These days, golf is heavy on his mind, as he's helping with the rollout of the Oklahoma Golf Trail—a legislatively backed plan to highlight courses in the state.

"We have some amazing golf courses, but we did not do a great job of promoting golf in Oklahoma," Pinnell said.

So, to fix that and to try and boost tourism, Pinnell and lawmakers came up with a plan a few years ago. House Bill 3764 created the Golf Trail Commission, a group with a mission to come up with a list of courses that people—both in and out of the state—could visit as part of a road trip.

Their motto: "Eighteen stops, one epic drive."

Over the past three years, the committee has been building a website and app where people can book tee times, work with courses, and raise funds.

“We have to put advertising dollars behind this,” Pinnell said. “We have to tell people that this trail exists."

The committee chose courses in all parts of the state, from courses with water along Grand Lake to hills in Tulsa and prairie courses out west. Some private clubs are even opening up a few tee times for those who take the trail.

"Within an hour or two, from every one of these courses, you can kind of get a different environment, a different landscape, and that's huge, and that's something we're really leaning into," Pinnell said.

He says you don't have to look far to see why this could be so successful. It's modeled after something Alabama tried more than 30 years ago.

"I talked with someone the other day, and it's like, man, it's one of the best things that's ever happened to Alabama—the golf trail," said Mike Beverly, president and CEO of Sunbelt Golf Corporation.

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail debuted in 1992 as a way to fund pensions for the state of Alabama and grow tourism. In the years since, the state's tourism industry has grown from $1.3 billion to more than $24 billion.

"Our goal from the beginning is to bring people from all over the world, all over the state. We've hosted numerous professional events," Beverly said.

His company manages the trail and says it’s flattering that other states have now tried to copy what they've done—Oklahoma being the latest.

Pinnell says only time will tell if Oklahoma can match Alabama's success—but they're working toward that goal.

And if this trail is anything like his golf game... it'll be alright.

News On 6 also spoke with former state Representative Sheila Dills, who wrote the original legislation and is on the committee.

She says the state legislature did not set aside funds for the golf trail in this year's budget, which she had planned for, but says if it's successful, the state could include some funding for it in the future.

More from Dills on the Oklahoma Golf Trail: