Woman Reminisces About Living At Southern Hills Golf Course

Avid golfers are sometimes accused of living on the golf course. We found a family that really did live on the Southern Hills Golf Course. Debbie Shah and Mary Evans' dad was the superintendent of

Thursday, July 26th 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

Avid golfers are sometimes accused of living on the golf course. We found a family that really did live on the Southern Hills Golf Course. Debbie Shah and Mary Evans' dad was the superintendent of the course years ago, and back then, the superintendent lived right on the grounds. As the PGA draws near, they shared their memories with News On 6 reporter Steve Berg. He reports on their house in Southern Hills.

"My dad was John Price. He was the superintendent at Southern Hills Country Club," said Debbie Shah, daughter of the courses former superintendent.

Debbie Shah, born Debbie Price, was one of five Price kids, and she says her childhood was priceless.

"I just can't think of one that would be better than what mine was. It was wonderful," Shah said.

If you've been to the #8 hole on the Southern Hills course, and if you tend to slice the ball on your swing, you've probably seen where the Price family lived for some 20 years, it sits just off the fairway.

"Everybody knew it. Everybody knew when you said, oh you know the little brown house, they went, oh yeah I've seen that," said Shah.

It wasn't long before Debbie and her sister Mary realized that not everybody lived on a golf course.

"Really pretty early on I knew that I had something special," Shah said.

"Occasionally when it was warm enough, we would have slumber parties out on the course, which was very nice, and all of our friends were very envious of where we lived," Debbieâ€™s sister Mary Evans said.

It's not hard to see why, imagine a manicured golf course as your front yard.

"I grew up there. I was 17 before we moved, and I pretty much had the run of the golf course of my own," Shah said. "They might find me on the skeet field, or I might be on the polo grounds, or I might have been up at the country club fooling around in the kitchen."

John Price was the superintendent for the 1958 U.S. Open, the first major to be held at Southern Hills. And they believe his skill and sweat are a big reason why the championships kept coming back.

"He lived the golf course," said Shah.

Debbie says her health and the August heat will probably keep her home during the PGA. And the brown house was torn down just a couple of years ago. Like they say, you can't go home again.

"Only in my mind and in my pictures," said Shah.

A Southern Hills official said that Mr. Price and a crew of about a half-dozen men did the same job that's done by about 200 people today.

For more information on the PGA, including the championshipâ€™s history, an interactive course map and the 6 Secrets of Southern Hills, click here.

Watch the video: Living At Southern Hills