The Anchor at Shangri-La Resort Named "Best New Attraction in Oklahoma" By Brian Weis

The Anchor at Shangri-La Resort Named "Best New Attraction in Oklahoma"

Managed by award-winning operator Crescent Hotels & Resorts, premier Oklahoma destination celebrates new amenities

By Brian Weis

MONKEY ISLAND, OK - The Anchor, the indoor-outdoor activity park located at Shangri-La Resort, Oklahoma's premier waterfront golf and outdoor recreation destination (managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts, the award winning, nationally recognized operator of hotels and resorts with more than 120 properties in the United States & Canada), was awarded the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association's (OTIA) coveted RedBud Award as the "Best New Attraction in Oklahoma." The award was presented to Shangri-La representatives at the OTIA RedBud Award ceremonies at The Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City Tuesday, June 13.

The RedBud Awards represent the highest honor in the tourism industry in Oklahoma. Shangri-La has previously been honored as "Best Lodging in Oklahoma" in 2018 and the resort was named "Best Attraction in Oklahoma" in 2022. The Anchor, which opened in June 2021, was named "Best New Attraction" at the 2023 Awards Banquet.

"It's a tremendous honor to have The Anchor recognized as the Best New Attraction in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association," said Shangri-La Resort's President & CEO Barry Willingham. "The Anchor is symbol of the growing spirit and culture that is making Shangri-La one of the most desirable resort destinations in the region and, along with The Battlefield - our showstopping new par-three golf course that complements our lauded 27 championship golf holes - is putting us on the radar as a 'must visit' for travelers from all over the country."

Shaun Tune, Director of Operations at The Anchor was joined by Director of Catering Linda Wall and Director of Communications Mike Williams to accept the honor which was presented by Jenifer Reynolds, Executive Director of the "Discover Oklahoma" television series and Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department Chief of Staff Taylor Nelson.

The Anchor has become a premier tourism attraction for Grand Lake and northeastern Oklahoma. The facility is built on 6.5 acres of land at the resort and features tennis, pickleball, basketball, cornhole, sand volleyball, and a unique mini-Fenway WIFFLE®Ball park.

The 11,000 square foot indoor facility features a sports bar, food service, simulator bays with Trackman Golf and LaserShot shooting simulators, as well as a complete arcade with a variety of games including virtual reality games and rides. More traditional games such as ping-pong, pool, shuffleboard, darts, and foosball are also featured at the facility which has served to make Grand Lake O' The Cherokees a true year-round destination.

The Anchor is just one of many amenities offered at Shangri-La - part of Crescent Hotels & Resorts' Latitudes: Lifestyles by Crescent collection - including the Top Five 27-hole Championship Golf Course, a 119-room resort hotel with 9,000 square feet of versatile meeting space, a medical spa, indoor pool, expansive outdoor resort pool with tanning ledge, splash pad, and pool bar as well as a variety of dining options at Doc's Bar & Grill, The Monkey Grind, The Summit Restaurant, and Eddy's Lakeside Bar. Boat and personal watercraft rentals, yacht charters, and Oklahoma's only parasailing adventures are also offered at Shangri-La Marina.

The Battlefield, Shangri-La's all-new 18-hole Par 3 golf course is also open and will be officially dedicated at a special Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremonies at 10:00 a.m. Friday, June 30, 2023. The Battlefield, which honors Oklahoma heroes of World War II as well as all veterans and military personnel, also offers an additional food and beverage option at The Canteen.

Visit shangrilaok.com for more information.

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Revised: 06/23/2023 - Article Viewed 4,454 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.