The Club at Forest Ridge opened in 1989 on land that had been a working cattle ranch in east Broken Arrow. Randy Heckenkemper designed the course for owner Joe Robson, who spent the next 37 years tending it and expanding the real estate development around it, with the goal of eventually making the club private. The club later set the date.
That date is November 1, 2026, which is 25 days from now. On that day The Club at Forest Ridge ends its run as one of Oklahoma's best-known upscale daily-fee courses and becomes a fully private country club, according to the Bobby Jones Links announcement from February.
Most people who live in Forest Ridge already know the change is coming. Less has been said about what it means for the neighborhood. After November 1, the plans for the property at the center of Forest Ridge will come from its members, and the club has said so directly.
A Plan Nearly as Old as the Club
Rumors that Forest Ridge would go private circulated for years before the announcement. Heckenkemper, the course architect, told Golf Oklahoma that a private club "was one of Joe's original goals." He also said he had long thought there would be room for another private club as Broken Arrow grew.
The club spent several years adding the amenities that support that kind of membership. The Ridge Club and the Rocking R Ranch House opened in 2019. Last fall the club added The Dome for indoor tennis and pickleball. The Ridge Club now includes a fitness facility, a resort-style pool, six lighted tennis courts, pickleball, and the indoor racquets dome. The dome has two indoor tennis courts and four pickleball courts.
Forest Ridge will become the fifth private club in Broken Arrow. The other four are Cedar Ridge Country Club, Indian Springs Country Club, Broken Arrow Golf & Athletic Club, and The Golf Club of Broken Arrow. Golf Oklahoma named Rose Creek Golf Club in Edmond as one of the few other Oklahoma courses to make the same switch from upscale daily fee to private. General manager Cody Lack was Rose Creek's head professional when the course opened in 2004. He came to Forest Ridge from Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Arkansas.
The Membership Numbers Behind the Timing
The club's case for going private now rests on membership growth. In a September 29, 2026 update from Bobby Jones Links, the management company reported:
- 2025: 105 new members, for a net gain of 80
- January through April 2026: 110 new members, for a net gain of 105
- Since the start of 2025: 185 net new members, with membership revenue up more than 40% year over year
- Current total: close to 500 members, including nearly 300 golf members
The 2026 figure is the notable one. The net gain in the first four months of 2026 was already larger than the net gain for all of 2025. The same article says the club's public commitment to go private created urgency in the market and helped drive initiation fees. Neither that article nor the club's website lists an initiation fee or dues amount. Anyone interested is asked to contact the club for pricing.
Who Decides What Gets Built Next
The September update says the club has a master plan of improvements in development. It covers "resort-tier programming and capital improvements," with Bobby Jones Links helping run the operation. Owner and CEO Davis Robson explained how those decisions will be made:
"So even though we have a master plan of improvement areas, the sequencing and final design will be based on member surveys at the end of the year — what the members want to see. It lets us tweak the plan and really create a living roadmap that can adjust based on member priorities."
The surveys are scheduled for the end of this year, shortly after the club goes private. The people who answer them will help decide what happens next at the course, clubhouses, and amenity center at the middle of the neighborhood. Robson also described the result as a product for "our members and residents — in Forest Ridge as a whole." The club does not offer a separate resident membership. Its membership page invites both Forest Ridge residents and the wider Broken Arrow community to join under the same options.
The club lists three membership types:
- Full Golf includes the course and every other amenity.
- Sports leaves out golf but includes racquets, the pool, fitness, dining, and clubhouse functions.
- Lifestyle includes dining, member social events, and the pool.
The Sports and Lifestyle tiers are written for people who don't play golf. For a household in Forest Ridge that has never played the course, those tiers are where a membership would include the pool, the courts, or a role in the year-end surveys.
Confirmed, and Still Unanswered
Everything published so far confirms the private date. Very little explains what nonmembers can still use after it.
| Question | What's published as of October 7, 2026 |
|---|---|
| When does the club go private? | November 1, 2026 |
| Last public tee time | No date announced |
| Rocking R Ranch House after Nov. 1 | Currently advertised as open to the public; no statement on later access |
| Weddings and private events | Currently taking inquiries; no post-transition rules published |
| Resident-only membership | None listed |
| Membership pricing | Not published; inquiry required |
The Ranch House is the clearest example. The restaurant is inside the Forest Ridge clubhouse at 7501 E. Kenosha St. It serves Southern-style food and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Sundays it serves only a breakfast and brunch menu from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it is closed Mondays. Its page currently says, "No membership is required." The page doesn't mention November 1. Neither the February announcement nor the September update says whether public dining continues after the switch.
The Glass Veranda is in the same position. The club's events page still asks for private-event inquiries and lists weddings and receptions, but it doesn't say whether nonmembers can book after the club goes private. If you're holding a date or planning a reception for next year, ask the club directly.
The tee sheet has the least information. Golf Oklahoma reported that the club started marketing rounds for "while it is still public." The publication expected the staff to spend the summer handling a membership drive and rounds from thousands of golfers who wanted "to get their final licks in." No final public tee-time date has been announced, so the only firm deadline is November 1.
Where Public Golf Continues in Broken Arrow
For Forest Ridge residents who play a few rounds a year and don't plan to join, the main public course in town is Battle Creek. The City of Broken Arrow lists it among city facilities and highlights its "flexible public golf membership" and tournament options. Battle Creek's rates page lists combined green fee and cart prices of $25 to $55 plus tax, depending on season, day, and time. It also lists a weekday rate of $42 plus tax for golfers 55 and older. That page is dated October 2025, so confirm current prices before you book.
Battle Creek also has more public investment ahead. On April 7, 2026, Broken Arrow voters approved all seven propositions in the city's general obligation bond package. The project list includes $2.5 million for "Battlecreek Golf Course Upgrades and Improvements." The city hasn't published the scope of the work or a start date. It says it will set construction schedules as it matches projects to its annual bond sales.
The two courses will be decided in different ways. Upgrades at Battle Creek go through a voter-approved city bond program. Upgrades at Forest Ridge will be sequenced by member surveys.
Golfers willing to drive across the metro can also play the City of Tulsa's two 36-hole public facilities, Page Belcher and Mohawk Park. Both take tee times through Tulsa Golf.
What November 1 Changes for the Neighborhood Around the Course
The club has been the centerpiece of the Forest Ridge master-planned community since it opened in 1989. The development won Best Subdivision in the Tulsa Parade of Homes every year from 2019 through 2024. None of that changes on November 1. What changes is who has a voice in the club's future. The amenity at the center of the neighborhood will be planned with input from members, and residents can become members through any of the three tiers.
For the next 25 days, the published information is limited to what's listed above. The private date is set and the membership tiers are listed. The Ranch House is advertised as open to the public until the club says otherwise. Membership questions go through the club's membership page.
If you own a home in Forest Ridge and are wondering what the club's change means for your property over the long term, Michael Yannacacos can walk through it with you. That might be for a sale, a lease, or a remodel you're weighing in the next few years. Let's Connect.
