Lawton Airport’s governing board preparing for golf course upgrades

Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport’s governing board has set a new lease for the Lawton Golf Course, as they seek the details of upgrades planned for the facility.

The golf course has long been a tenant of the airport, which is governed by the Lawton Metropolitan Area Airport Authority. Joe English has been systematically upgrading the facility since he was awarded the original lease in January 2013, and recently won a new lease that has two, five-year options. Authority members approved plans in late October that would increase the $1,814.85 per month now paid by 2 percent every two years during that new lease term and also agreed to add English’s son Nick McConnell to the document.

Authority members also want to know what English plans to do with the $2 million in funding that will come to the golf course through the City of Lawton’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Extension. English was directed to prepare a development plan, with cost estimates, that airport authority members can review.

“It’s needed,” said Airport Authority Chairman David Madigan, of plans English has tentatively outlined to improve conditions on the golf course that is located east of the airport terminal and aviation complex.

Authority member Clarence Fortney said prime among those upgrades are plans to install irrigation systems for both the greens and fairways, something he said is important given current drought conditions that are affecting playing areas.

Airport Director Barbara McNally said English will come to the airport’s governing body with a development plan to show exactly what he wants to do. She said it’s a request City of Lawton officials have made, as they prepare to allocate funding from the CIP Extension approved by voters in August.

English, who was pleased the golf course was being considered for funding, said there haven’t been any major renovations there since the 1970s. That lack of attention to a municipal golf course is the reason Mayor Stan Booker wanted the facility included in the CIP.

Earlier this summer, English outlined plans to install a new irrigation system and water well, while also upgrading the golf course landscape. He expected the irrigation system to be the major project, an estimated $1 million worth of work to replace what is now a manually-operated system with a modern system that uses timers. He projected another $200,000 to $300,000 to dig a new water well, with any remaining money from the CIP allocation spent on landscape improvements and upgrades to cart paths.

McNally said she would like to see work done on the dam that forms Lake Lawton, the small lake on the golf course that acts as a detention/drainage pond for the airport’s runway.

English expected the project to be done in Winter 2025, keyed toward a reopening in March 2026.