The Legacy of Liberty Park Honors U.S. Military Heroes
By Mike May
It’s truly better than advertised. That’s one way to summarize what it’s like to visit the Shangri-La Resort — shangrilaok.com; 918-257-4204 — in Monkey Island, Oklahoma. Located in the northeast section of the Sooner State, the Shangri-La Resort is labeled as Oklahoma’s premier waterfront golf and outdoor recreation destination, but it has far more to offer to its visitors. The Shangri-La Resort, featuring 119 guest rooms, can also be described as the ultimate destination for relaxation featuring many indoor and outdoor activities, where access to a set of golf clubs and a spirit of fun will help enhance your Shangri-La experience.
SHANGRI-LA’s ‘PLAYLIST’
While golf is the Shangri-La Resort’s main attraction, which includes a 27-hole championship course and an 18-hole par-three course known as The Battlefield, visitors to the Shangri-La Resort can spend their time boating, fishing, swimming, or parasailing on beautiful Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, lounging by the indoor pool, enjoying a spa treatment, sampling the steam room and sauna, working out in the fitness center, getting a manicure or pedicure, playing tennis, pickleball, basketball, or corn hole. And, spending your time relaxing on the 6,500-square-foot outdoor pool complex — which includes a hot tub, tanning ledge, and a splash pad – is a good idea, too.
There’s even a whiffle ball stadium with an artificial turf field which has a Fenway Park-inspired/’Green Monster’-like left-field wall. If you have ever played whiffle ball, you’ll discover that you have at least one more at-bat left in your athletic arsenal when you arrive at the Shangri-La.
On the 27-hole championship golf layout, where the term championship is a deserving label, there are three nine-hole courses: Heritage, Champions, and Legends. Each course has a unique appeal which allows them to stand apart from the other two.
HONORING A YANKEE LEGEND: #7
Shangri-La’s ‘signature hole’ is the ninth hole on the Legends course. It’s a downhill par-five which is played to an island green. This hole features two separate green complexes separated by a spectacular waterfall. It’s known as “The Mickey Mantle Hole” and is named after the New York Yankees legend who once scored a double-eagle two on this hole. From 1991 until his death in 1995, Mantle hosted his Mickey Mantle Golf Classic charity tournament at the Shangri-La Resort. A metal plaque, affixed to a large stone, is posted behind the ninth green at the Legends course to honor Mantle – nicknamed the Commerce Comet — who grew up in nearby Commerce, Oklahoma.
SHANGRI-LA’s MILITARY TRIBUTES
The Battlefield par-three course – which has an on-course military theme — is an amazing golf creation (pictured below). It’s a brilliant, fair, and a well-conceived layout. It opened in 2023 and is in spectacular condition.
To complement the Battlefield’s military theme, The Legacy of Liberty Park — which opened on May 24, 2024 — has been constructed and sits adjacent to the Battlefield course. It’s an open-air, free-of-charge, walk-through exhibit park featuring historic military moments and a specially selected collection of authentic World War II-era military equipment, vehicles, weaponry, and aircraft such as a Jeep; an ambulance; both a Higgins Boat and a DUK Boat; a 38-caliber Naval Gun; a Sherman tank; M8 and M20 armored cars; and a P-51D Mustang fighter plane. At the center of this park you’ll find a life-size exact replica of the statue of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima.
“We can’t do enough to honor the greatest generation of brave men and women who fought without reservation to preserve and protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans,” said Barry Willingham, President and CEO of Shangri-La Resort.
SHANGRI-LA’s DINING DESTINATIONS
When it comes to dining, there’s fine dining at The Summit and casual dining at Doc’s Bar and Grill and the Buffalo Bar. There’s also casual dining on weekends at Eddy’s Lakeside Bar.
While the Shangri-La Resort is ideal for family vacations, the 9,000-square feet of versatile meeting and conference space makes this an attractive destination for groups, corporate gatherings, association retreats, and weddings.
The Shangri-La Resort awaits your arrival. When you get there, you’ll quickly see that it’s better than advertised.
