With his oil money and with his reputation, Bill Warren and Cecil Canary asked Phillips to sponsor the development of a new country club.

The boosters argued that there was the need for a family-oriented club that would include a swimming pool, stable, horseback trails, polo field, skeet range, tennis courts, clubhouse and golf course.

[2] The clubhouse, designed in "English country manor" style by Tulsa architects John Duncan Forsyth and Donald McCormick, opened on October 17, 1936;[3] the clubhouse was extensively renovated during a three-year project prior to the 2007 PGA tournament.

[4] On May 27, 1981, Roger Wheeler, a Tulsa businessman and owner of Miami's World Jai Alai, was murdered in the parking lot of the club.

Southern Hills offers swimming, personal training, and tennis instruction.