It is a beast. Honestly, there is no other way to describe the Jimmie Austin Golf Club at the University of Oklahoma if you’re standing on the first tee on a windy Tuesday in Norman. You see the rolling red hills. You smell the cedar. Then the wind hits you at 25 miles per hour, and you realize your handicap is about to take a serious beating.
Most people think college tracks are just wide-open birdie fests designed to boost the confidence of twenty-year-old phenoms. Jimmie Austin is the opposite. It’s a grind. It’s a par-72 layout that stretches over 7,400 yards from the tips, and it has hosted everything from the U.S. Amateur Public Links to NCAA Regionals. If you can play well here, you can play well anywhere. Period.
The history isn't just a side note; it's the foundation of the dirt you're walking on. Back in the 1940s, the land was part of a Navy base and a hospital. It’s kind of wild to think about pilots training where you're now trying to slice a 3-wood around a dogleg. Perry Maxwell, the legendary architect behind Southern Hills, did the original work. Then, Bob Cupp came in during the 90s to modernize it, and more recently, Tripp Davis—a former OU All-American himself—refined it to the championship standard we see today.
What Makes Jimmie Austin Golf Club So Stressful?
The bunkering. Seriously, Tripp Davis didn’t hold back. The sand isn't just there for decoration; it’s positioned exactly where a modern golfer wants to land their drive. If you’re a long hitter, you can’t just mindlessly wail on the ball. You have to think.
One thing people get wrong about Jimmie Austin Golf Club is assuming the difficulty comes from gimmicks. It doesn't. There are no clown-mouth windmills or weird tiered greens that defy physics. The challenge is purely about "weighted" shots. Every miss has a specific consequence. Miss right on certain holes, and you’re in a native grass area that will swallow your Titleist and your pride. Miss left, and you’re facing a recovery shot from a tight lie off a slope that requires the hands of a surgeon.
The greens are bentgrass, which is a bit of a luxury in the transition zone of Oklahoma. They are fast. Not just "fast for a public course" fast, but "scary fast" where a downhill putt can easily trickle off the front of the green if you lose focus for a second.
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The Bishop’s Corner and Other Nightmares
You’ll hear regulars talk about specific stretches of the course with a certain level of reverence or PTSD. The back nine is where the real drama happens. The 12th hole is a par 4 that often plays directly into the teeth of the prevailing southern wind. It’s long. It’s narrow. It basically demands two of the best shots of your life just to look at a par putt.
Then there is the finish. The 18th is a scenic but treacherous closer. You’ve got the clubhouse looming in the background, the lake guarding the right side, and a green that is much more complex than it looks from the fairway. It’s a theater for collapse or glory.
The University of Oklahoma Connection
Because this is the home of the OU Sooners, the facilities are world-class. We aren't just talking about the course itself. The Ransom Short Game Area and the Charlie Coe Learning Center are where some of the best amateurs in the world hone their craft. When you practice here, you might see a future PGA Tour winner hitting balls two stalls down from you. It creates an atmosphere that feels elite but surprisingly welcoming.
People ask if it’s "too hard" for the average weekend warrior.
Kinda.
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If you play the back tees and you aren't a scratch golfer, you’re going to have a bad time. You’ll be hitting long irons into every par 4 and praying for a bogey. But the beauty of the Davis renovation is the tee options. If you swallow your ego and play from the 6,200 or 6,700-yard markers, the course opens up. The angles become manageable. You start to see the strategic "out" that Maxwell and Cupp intended.
Maintaining the Standard
The superintendent, McCord Pankonen, and the crew deserve a massive amount of credit. Oklahoma weather is a nightmare for turf. You have 100-degree summers followed by ice storms and erratic spring shifts. Keeping bentgrass greens alive and thriving in Norman is an act of agricultural wizardry. Yet, the surfaces at Jimmie Austin are consistently among the best in the region.
It’s worth noting that this isn't a "resort" course where the rough is cut to an inch and everything is manicured to look like a painting. It’s a rugged, naturalistic layout. The fescue flows in the wind. The red dirt peeks through in the waste areas. It feels like Oklahoma. It feels authentic.
Planning Your Round
If you’re traveling to play Jimmie Austin Golf Club, you need to understand that it’s a popular spot. Since it’s a semi-private facility, tee times fill up, especially when the university is in session.
Logistics to keep in mind:
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- The Wind: Check the forecast. A 15-mph wind is a "calm" day. If it hits 30, add five strokes to your expected score immediately.
- Walking vs. Riding: It’s a walkable course if you’re in decent shape, but there are some significant elevation changes between greens and tees on the back nine. Most people take a cart.
- Practice: Don’t skip the range. You need to be warmed up before you face the opening holes, which don't offer much of a "soft start."
One of the most underrated aspects of the club is the price point. For a course that consistently ranks in the top 10-20 of "Best Campus Courses" by Golfweek and other publications, the greens fees are remarkably fair. You're getting a Top 100 public experience for a fraction of what you’d pay at a high-end resort in Florida or Arizona.
Technical Nuances of the Tripp Davis Redesign
Davis focused heavily on the "ground game." While many modern courses require you to fly the ball all the way to the hole, Jimmie Austin allows for some creativity. You can use the slopes. If you’re playing into a stiff wind, you can punch a low runner and let the contours of the fairways guide the ball toward the green. This "Old World" feel is a direct nod to Perry Maxwell’s influence.
The bunkers are revetted in some areas, giving it a bit of a British Links feel, but with the distinct red-clay aesthetic of the Southern Plains. It’s a hybrid style that shouldn't work on paper, but in person, it's stunning.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
- Book early: Use the online portal at least a week out, especially for weekend morning times.
- Club up: The Oklahoma air is heavy and the wind is real. Whatever yardage your laser says, if it's into the wind, take at least two extra clubs.
- Respect the "Sooners Only" areas: Some of the elite practice facilities are reserved for the golf teams. Stay within the public-access zones unless you're a donor or a guest of the program.
- Hit the grill: The clubhouse food is actually good. It’s not just soggy hot dogs; it’s a legit spot to grab a burger and watch the sunset over the 18th.
- Study the green maps: If you have a GPS app like 18Birdies or Arccos, use it. The breaks at Jimmie Austin are often subtle and influenced by the general tilt of the land toward the nearby creeks.
The Jimmie Austin Golf Club isn't just a place to play 18 holes. It’s a rite of passage for any golfer in the Midwest. It’s a place that demands your best and usually exposes your worst, but you'll leave wanting to come back the next day to fix your mistakes. That is the hallmark of a truly great golf course. No gimmicks, just pure, difficult, beautiful golf.
Check the wind, pack extra balls, and leave the ego in the parking lot. You'll need every bit of focus you've got to survive the red hills of Norman. Once you've finished, take a walk through the Heisman Park on campus nearby to round out the full OU experience. It’s the perfect way to decompress after the course has finished testing your patience.
Keep your ball low, aim for the fat part of the greens, and whatever you do, stay out of the fescue on 15. You won't find it. Just drop and move on. That's the best advice anyone can give you for Jimmie Austin.
To ensure the best experience, verify current course conditions on their official website or social media channels before heading out, as collegiate tournaments can sometimes close the course to public play. Pack a high-SPF sunscreen and plenty of water; the Oklahoma sun is relentless on that back nine. Aim to arrive at least 45 minutes early to utilize the expansive chipping green, as chipping from the tight Oklahoma lies is usually the first thing to fail for visiting players. If you're coming from out of state, consider staying in the Campus Corner area for the best post-round dining and atmosphere.