Weatherford, OK Outdoor Activities

A renowned speaker and family entertainer, Robin Ray Hocker––known by his professional clowning name, Chester––opened Chester's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze in 2001 as a means of engaging kids in fun-filled outdoor activities. Snuggled amidst 25 verdant acres, his farm keeps visitors entertained throughout the year via a host of seasonal activities, hosting private picnics and cookouts in summer. As autumn unfurls, the farm's annual pumpkin patch returns to welcome families for fall-themed activities including a giant slide, pumpkin bowling, and a petting zoo. Groups can also put their navigational skills to the test in the farm’s three-acre Mystery Maze, meandering through spooky twists and turns made all the more tricky by a chance encounter with a ghostly pioneer or lost census taker. Afterward, guests can quiet chattering teeth by the warm glow of a bonfire, and outside picnic areas facilitate al fresco feeding frenzies throughout the day.

The 18-hole course at Sugar Creek Canyon Golf Club puts golfers face-to-face with a wide variety of challenges, from violent crosswinds to treacherous sandstone ravines. Completed scorecards often tell a tale of two nines, as the wide-open front nine lulls the unwary golfer into overconfident thwacks, though the relatively flat layout brings wind into play on many bids for the green. Lack of restraint going into the back nine may be one’s undoing, as this half tacks along the edges of the course’s eponymous canyon: rolling, diving, and swelling through a gauntlet of ravines and gullies. Whereas the front nine posed few obstacles to knock down shots that drifted astray of the fairway, the back nine features plenty of cedars, grassy hillocks, and sandstone outcroppings in which to lose a ball. Holes 14–17, known collectively as The Stretch, make each player earn a score worthy of posting in the clubhouse or skywriting over an opponent’s home. The par 5 16th, for instance, demands a precise tee shot lest the ball wind up in the twin ravines that straddle the fairway landing area. After safely sidestepping these disaster zones, players must then make a difficult choice between going for the green or laying up well short, as every endeavor that lands within 75 yards of the putting surface winds up in the bunker or deep rough.

Though players must adapt to a number of scenarios, course designer and longtime professional player Mark Hayes made sure that each hole adheres to a common theme of pristine conditions and playability for all levels of golfer, with four tee options at each hole. Sugar Creek Canyon also hosts tournaments every year.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Four tees options at each hole
• Total length of 6,837 yards from back tees
• Designed by Mark Hayes:m]]