July 6, 2023
Vol. 24, No. 7
In This Issue FOUR SEASONS
Fore-ward with revamped KickingBird Golf Course
Four Seasons, by Kevin Box, in real life is located in front of the Center for Transformative Learning on the UCO campus, but this week is hidden somewhere in our paper. Email contest@edmondpaper.com with the correct location to be entered in the weekly drawing. For more information, see page 4.
Edmond Electric answers the call in Arizona
See page 9
LOWER LEFT PHOTOS BY MELINDA INFANTE
Mayor Darrell Davis gets the first tee on the newly opened golf course Mayor Darrell Davis and city VIPs gather June 29 to officially re-open KickingBird Golf Course, closed since July 1, 2021.
FRIDAY, July 7
Isolated Thunderstorms High 85° Low 70°
SATURDAY, July 8 Partly Cloudy High 90° Low 75°
SUNDAY, July 9
Partly Cloudy High 94° Low 74°
When it came time to reimagine KickingBird Golf, staff, stakeholders and City of Edmond Director of Golf Brian Soerensen spent a lot of time checking out public and private courses across the region, looking for ideas about how Edmond’s oldest golf course could grow and improve. But that team also spent a lot of time thinking about things beyond the traditional golf audience. “We have had for years – and continue to have – some of the most loyal players in the area, if not the region,” Soerensen said. “And, for that reason, when it came time to give our clubhouse, our course and our facilities a fresh look, we were committed to raising the bar. We want KickingBird to redefine what people envision when they think of a municipal course. We focus strongly on the relational aspect of our business and our customers’ overall experience, and we hope our new facilities will help us attain these initiatives. “We also wanted to offer up something to appeal to maybe the
novice golfer, or the non-golfer. We wanted to make this place as much about the overall experience as we did golf. We want KickingBird to be a place that offers something for everyone.” Mission accomplished. With nearly $21 million invested in the project, when the course opens for public play July 1 – right after a special celebration on June 29 and an opening tournament on June 30 – what visitors will find is a facility that offers state-of-the-art amenities. At more than 13,300 square feet, a larger, modern and more comfortable clubhouse, features a well-appointed golf shop, modern locker rooms and both a full-service restaurant and “turn bar” for players and someone looking for a great meal in a fun atmosphere. The multiple TVs inside and out on the patios will make KickingBird the perfect place to watch the big games. An expanded covered and open driving range with a huge, 57,000 square foot hitting area that in-
cludes the latest in technology for both the serious and casual golfer. Lighted and open until 11 p.m. nightly, the range is the first in Oklahoma serviced by TrackMan Range, meaning golfers can log in through a mobile app and track all shots when practicing. And the new range pavilion also offers golf entertainment games through Flite Golf Technology. Next to the range on the north end is a new indoor teaching facility with a well-respected instructor, Chase Cooper, a 15-year teaching veteran, available to help players take their game to the next level. KickingBird is excited to start offering year-round instructional programs through this facility with an emphasis on creating a year-round Junior Golf Academy. A new, three-hole short game practice facility on the north side of the clubhouse that partners with a 12,000 square foot putting green on the south side just outside the restaurant and turn bar, near the tees for holes Nos. 1 and 10. continued on Page 3