Overland Park/KC Golf Courses

[1992]

I'll be moving to the Overland Park area soon and was wondering if anyone had any course recommendations. I'll probably try to hold off on getting a membership until I see if I like my job.

 

Thanks!

[bhj83]

Lots of great golf courses in the Kansas City area. They generally tend to be spread out pretty good throughout the city so if you're not opposed to driving a bit, you can play some really nice and different courses. In the OP area, the nicest courses I've played are Ironhorse (Leawood), Falcon Ridge (Lenexa) and Deer Creek (OP) and I'd rank them in that order. I live up in the Northland so I don't make it down to OP a lot. Prairie Highlands is also one of my favorites in the area in Olathe. Probably wouldn't be too far of a drive for you from OP.

I know you said you didn't want to join, but you might look into www.theclubmember.com. You pay $35 a month to be a "member" and you can play 6 courses for $20 each including cart. Deer Creek is one of those courses but the others are spread out throughout the city. There are some really nice courses on there, including Tiffany Greens up north, Dub's Dread in Kansas City, KS and WinterStone in Independence. Also, Alvamar in Lawrence is included and that would probably be a half hour or so drive for you. I love TG, DD and WS but never played Alvamar.

[pdakc]

[quote name='bhj83' timestamp='1400338356' post='9313829']
Lots of great golf courses in the Kansas City area. They generally tend to be spread out pretty good throughout the city so if you're not opposed to driving a bit, you can play some really nice and different courses. In the OP area, the nicest courses I've played are Ironhorse (Leawood), Falcon Ridge (Lenexa) and Deer Creek (OP) and I'd rank them in that order. I live up in the Northland so I don't make it down to OP a lot. Prairie Highlands is also one of my favorites in the area in Olathe. Probably wouldn't be too far of a drive for you from OP.

I know you said you didn't want to join, but you might look into www.theclubmember.com. You pay $35 a month to be a "member" and you can play 6 courses for $20 each including cart. Deer Creek is one of those courses but the others are spread out throughout the city. There are some really nice courses on there, including Tiffany Greens up north, Dub's Dread in Kansas City, KS and WinterStone in Independence. Also, Alvamar in Lawrence is included and that would probably be a half hour or so drive for you. I love TG, DD and WS but never played Alvamar.
[/quote]

Agree with bhj83, and also would add the following public courses:

1) Creekmore in Raymore, MO. Depending on where in OP you will be, this should be a 20-30 minute commute, but well worth it given that it's typically less crowded, in better shape, and a much better test than most of the others.
2) Sycamore Ridge in Spring Hill, KS. Haven't played it in a couple years, but a fun track. Hope the condition is okay.
3) stone canyon in independence - this is a hike, about 30-40 minutes, but a great track. always busy and tee times are not well managed all the time, so get out there at odd hours and you'll enjoy
4) Golf Club of Kansas - another hike (about 15-20 minutes depending), but some on here really love it. i think the layout is contrived, the conditions are inconsistent and the management is suspect. you probably need to play it 3-4 times to get a feel for where the hell to hit the ball, but, like i said, some people really love the course. not one of my favorites
5) St Andrews - Overland Park. This is an OP muni, but is surprisingly mature and challenging. interesting layout, good greens, but being a muni, always packed also. decent range.


Private:

I live in OP and looked at most every club in the area before I joined my club. PM me for details if you're interested.

[1992]

[quote name='bhj83' timestamp='1400338356' post='9313829']
Lots of great golf courses in the Kansas City area. They generally tend to be spread out pretty good throughout the city so if you're not opposed to driving a bit, you can play some really nice and different courses. In the OP area, the nicest courses I've played are Ironhorse (Leawood), Falcon Ridge (Lenexa) and Deer Creek (OP) and I'd rank them in that order. I live up in the Northland so I don't make it down to OP a lot. Prairie Highlands is also one of my favorites in the area in Olathe. Probably wouldn't be too far of a drive for you from OP.

I know you said you didn't want to join, but you might look into www.theclubmember.com. You pay $35 a month to be a "member" and you can play 6 courses for $20 each including cart. Deer Creek is one of those courses but the others are spread out throughout the city. There are some really nice courses on there, including Tiffany Greens up north, Dub's Dread in Kansas City, KS and WinterStone in Independence. Also, Alvamar in Lawrence is included and that would probably be a half hour or so drive for you. I love TG, DD and WS but never played Alvamar.
[/quote]

Thanks for the suggestions. That is definitely a membership I can deal with!

[quote name='pdakc' timestamp='1400624815' post='9334715']

Agree with bhj83, and also would add the following public courses:

1) Creekmore in Raymore, MO. Depending on where in OP you will be, this should be a 20-30 minute commute, but well worth it given that it's typically less crowded, in better shape, and a much better test than most of the others.
2) Sycamore Ridge in Spring Hill, KS. Haven't played it in a couple years, but a fun track. Hope the condition is okay.
3) stone canyon in independence - this is a hike, about 30-40 minutes, but a great track. always busy and tee times are not well managed all the time, so get out there at odd hours and you'll enjoy
4) Golf Club of Kansas - another hike (about 15-20 minutes depending), but some on here really love it. i think the layout is contrived, the conditions are inconsistent and the management is suspect. you probably need to play it 3-4 times to get a feel for where the hell to hit the ball, but, like i said, some people really love the course. not one of my favorites
5) St Andrews - Overland Park. This is an OP muni, but is surprisingly mature and challenging. interesting layout, good greens, but being a muni, always packed also. decent range.


Private:

I live in OP and looked at most every club in the area before I joined my club. PM me for details if you're interested.
[/quote]

Thanks pdakc, i'll shoot you a PM.

Sorry guys i totally forgot about this thread!

[bhj83]

[quote name='1992' timestamp='1401040627' post='9364533']
[quote name='bhj83' timestamp='1400338356' post='9313829']
Lots of great golf courses in the Kansas City area. They generally tend to be spread out pretty good throughout the city so if you're not opposed to driving a bit, you can play some really nice and different courses. In the OP area, the nicest courses I've played are Ironhorse (Leawood), Falcon Ridge (Lenexa) and Deer Creek (OP) and I'd rank them in that order. I live up in the Northland so I don't make it down to OP a lot. Prairie Highlands is also one of my favorites in the area in Olathe. Probably wouldn't be too far of a drive for you from OP.

I know you said you didn't want to join, but you might look into www.theclubmember.com. You pay $35 a month to be a "member" and you can play 6 courses for $20 each including cart. Deer Creek is one of those courses but the others are spread out throughout the city. There are some really nice courses on there, including Tiffany Greens up north, Dub's Dread in Kansas City, KS and WinterStone in Independence. Also, Alvamar in Lawrence is included and that would probably be a half hour or so drive for you. I love TG, DD and WS but never played Alvamar.
[/quote]

Thanks for the suggestions. That is definitely a membership I can deal with!

[quote name='pdakc' timestamp='1400624815' post='9334715']
Agree with bhj83, and also would add the following public courses:

1) Creekmore in Raymore, MO. Depending on where in OP you will be, this should be a 20-30 minute commute, but well worth it given that it's typically less crowded, in better shape, and a much better test than most of the others.
2) Sycamore Ridge in Spring Hill, KS. Haven't played it in a couple years, but a fun track. Hope the condition is okay.
3) stone canyon in independence - this is a hike, about 30-40 minutes, but a great track. always busy and tee times are not well managed all the time, so get out there at odd hours and you'll enjoy
4) Golf Club of Kansas - another hike (about 15-20 minutes depending), but some on here really love it. i think the layout is contrived, the conditions are inconsistent and the management is suspect. you probably need to play it 3-4 times to get a feel for where the hell to hit the ball, but, like i said, some people really love the course. not one of my favorites
5) St Andrews - Overland Park. This is an OP muni, but is surprisingly mature and challenging. interesting layout, good greens, but being a muni, always packed also. decent range.


Private:

I live in OP and looked at most every club in the area before I joined my club. PM me for details if you're interested.
[/quote]

Thanks pdakc, i'll shoot you a PM.

Sorry guys i totally forgot about this thread!
[/quote]

If you end up getting that membership and you want to play a round at Tiffany Greens, let me know. I had the Club card the past couple of years but decided to get a membership at TG this year. I'm always open to playing with new people.

[Jayhawkeye3]

Be sure to head west to Lawrence and play Alvamar.

[tnord]

i've been golfing in OP for the last 5 years and have played pretty much every private and public course. in the SW "quadrant" of KC here is how i would rank the publics

1) Golf Club of Kansas - most challenging without being unreasonable and having a good flow front to back :::cough::: sycamore :::cough:::
2) Falcon Ridge - really good course for all skill levels
3) Ironhorse - great course and practice facility....pretty tight in spots which does not suit my game well
4) Deer Creek - great, tight layout but no range? wtf?
5) Dub's Dread - outside the quadrant a little, but i like the old school layout, and clubouse patio has a great feel to it.
6) Pairie Highlands - I often take the inlaws here...i like the course and they do too. not that expensive, good clubhouse, fair for high cappers but still keeps me interested. not sure why, but i always enjoy playing here.
7) Sycamore Ridge - it's a ways out south, but a really good course. i don't like some of the holes at all though and it keeps it from ranking higher. i'm probably being a bit harsh
8) Falcon Lakes - great facility, pretty wide open course that's good for all abilities.
9) St Andrews - pretty short, but enjoyable layout for a muni. also has pretty good facilities and is generally well conditioned.
10) Overland Park - ok place to play, but slow....slow...slow.... on weekends. at least it was when i used to play here a lot.
11) Heritage Park - don't remember it that well, but i do remember it being pretty wide open, and holes spaced so it's tough to walk.

[1992]

[quote name='tnord' timestamp='1401474074' post='9397533']
i've been golfing in OP for the last 5 years and have played pretty much every private and public course. in the SW "quadrant" of KC here is how i would rank the publics

1) Golf Club of Kansas - most challenging without being unreasonable and having a good flow front to back :::cough::: sycamore :::cough:::
2) Falcon Ridge - really good course for all skill levels
3) Ironhorse - great course and practice facility....pretty tight in spots which does not suit my game well
4) Deer Creek - great, tight layout but no range? wtf?
5) Dub's Dread - outside the quadrant a little, but i like the old school layout, and clubouse patio has a great feel to it.
6) Pairie Highlands - I often take the inlaws here...i like the course and they do too. not that expensive, good clubhouse, fair for high cappers but still keeps me interested. not sure why, but i always enjoy playing here.
7) Sycamore Ridge - it's a ways out south, but a really good course. i don't like some of the holes at all though and it keeps it from ranking higher. i'm probably being a bit harsh
8) Falcon Lakes - great facility, pretty wide open course that's good for all abilities.
9) St Andrews - pretty short, but enjoyable layout for a muni. also has pretty good facilities and is generally well conditioned.
10) Overland Park - ok place to play, but slow....slow...slow.... on weekends. at least it was when i used to play here a lot.
11) Heritage Park - don't remember it that well, but i do remember it being pretty wide open, and holes spaced so it's tough to walk.
[/quote]

tnord, any opinions of privates in the area? Particularly Brookridge and Country Club of Leawood. Golf Club of Kansas and Falcon Ridge seem to have really reasonable annual rates though. Is Golf Club of Kansas pretty walkable?

Jayhawkeye3: Hopefully I can find some time for that!

bhj83: Will do.

Thanks for the responses guys.

[QMany]

Golf Club of Kansas is not walkable. I am a member Golf Club of Kansas now and was at Brookridge previously. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a PM.

[tnord]

GCOK is absolutely not walkable, which is a problem. Falcon Ridge isn't really either as it's woven through a development.

I was a member of Brookridge for three seasons, and generally have positive things to say about it. However the dues increases since I started have taken it from a no brainer, to a "take a look, but be sure to look at others as well." The golf course is good, but there are a few nothing holes out there too. I would say 7 out of 9 holes on each side are good holes, the others not so much. It's difficult enough for better players to stay interested, but easy enough for beginners/families which is very appealing depending on your demographic. it's also very walkable.

The clubhouse at Brookridge is great, the gym can't be beat by anyone, not even close ( a big selling point for me). Practice area is adequate, but not great (though I hear Leawood's is good). Can't say much about the food, only ate there a couple times.

They did hire John Leineman away from Wolf Creek as the new GM, and he is already making noticeable improvements in the course and operation of the club overall. Brian Ward is the new head pro who I liked a lot. I finally pushed them to implement an online tee time reservation system, and the drainage problem on the range has been fixed. The club overall is headed in the right direction, but they need to be careful not to price themselves into the market of places like Shadow and Lions Gate...as the golf course can't compete.

I can't say much about Leawood as I never went there. They're worth a look if you're interested in private....especially with the lack of initiation fee, but you should look at other options as well.

[1992]

[quote name='tnord' timestamp='1401744203' post='9416439']
GCOK is absolutely not walkable, which is a problem. Falcon Ridge isn't really either as it's woven through a development.

I was a member of Brookridge for three seasons, and generally have positive things to say about it. However the dues increases since I started have taken it from a no brainer, to a "take a look, but be sure to look at others as well." The golf course is good, but there are a few nothing holes out there too. I would say 7 out of 9 holes on each side are good holes, the others not so much. It's difficult enough for better players to stay interested, but easy enough for beginners/families which is very appealing depending on your demographic. it's also very walkable.

The clubhouse at Brookridge is great, the gym can't be beat by anyone, not even close ( a big selling point for me). Practice area is adequate, but not great (though I hear Leawood's is good). Can't say much about the food, only ate there a couple times.

They did hire John Leineman away from Wolf Creek as the new GM, and he is already making noticeable improvements in the course and operation of the club overall. Brian Ward is the new head pro who I liked a lot. I finally pushed them to implement an online tee time reservation system, and the drainage problem on the range has been fixed. The club overall is headed in the right direction, but they need to be careful not to price themselves into the market of places like Shadow and Lions Gate...as the golf course can't compete.

I can't say much about Leawood as I never went there. They're worth a look if you're interested in private....especially with the lack of initiation fee, but you should look at other options as well.
[/quote]

Thanks tnord. Well after getting the price of Brookridge and Leawood I think i'm most interested in Golf Club of Kansas and Falcon Ridge. Brookridge and Leawood look like a good deal for a family, but for a 22 year old single guy not so much. I'm pretty much just interested in golf.

Any opinions on Shawnee Country Club?

[tnord]

i understand and kind of agree with you.

it depends on where you live, and what you expect your usage to be. for me, Brookridge was located ~3miles from either my home or office, so i'd pop over during lunchtime and hit some balls, or stop and play a few holes on the way home, etc. i still maintain a social membership and use the gym all the time, but we're moving at the end of the month so i dropped golf at the beginning of the year.

one thing to watch out for at GCOK, is the extra fees. that's one thing Brookridge did have going for it, no cart fees, no minimums, no initiation, no range fees, and access to 45 holes. last time i checked at GCOK they charged you like a $20 cart fee on top of your "membership" and with the course being completely unwalkable, for somebody that plays frequently it gets to be expensive.

i'm not sure what the arrangement is at falcon ridge. i've never been to Shawnee CC, I kicked around some emails with them, but decided it was too far away from me to consider joining. i think they're semi-private as well.

[QMany]

[quote name='tnord' timestamp='1401801327' post='9420357']
one thing to watch out for at GCOK, is the extra fees. that's one thing Brookridge did have going for it, no cart fees, no minimums, no initiation, no range fees, and access to 45 holes. last time i checked at GCOK they charged you like a $20 cart fee on top of your "membership" and with the course being completely unwalkable, for somebody that plays frequently it gets to be expensive.
[/quote]
It just depends on the membership package you choose. (http://www.thegolfclubofkansas.com/membership_options/). The Elite Membership includes everything (greens fees, range, and carts). This year, the Elite Membership is only $235 per month with no initiation or monthly assessments. That is about half of what other clubs cost or were going to cost me.

[ReidStylez]

Has GCOK been better about keeping their course condition up? I paid $67 to play there one day and the course was in horrible condition. The fringe around the green...well what there was of grass was poor. The rough was very spotty. Basically all the normal things that most courses keep up on were in poor condition. At the turn I was talking with the people in the office about it and they were like yeah with no or little rain it's difficult to keep it up. Next day I went to St Andrews to play and the course was in tip top shape. Basically GCOK just didn't want to pay the price to keep it up and that kind of rubbed me the wrong way after paying $67 to play.

[QMany]

[quote name='ReidStylez' timestamp='1403534601' post='9557347']
Has GCOK been better about keeping their course condition up? I paid $67 to play there one day and the course was in horrible condition. The fringe around the green...well what there was of grass was poor. The rough was very spotty. Basically all the normal things that most courses keep up on were in poor condition. At the turn I was talking with the people in the office about it and they were like yeah with no or little rain it's difficult to keep it up. Next day I went to St Andrews to play and the course was in tip top shape. Basically GCOK just didn't want to pay the price to keep it up and that kind of rubbed me the wrong way after paying $67 to play.
[/quote]
There are a few rough patches, including one small part of 14 fairway and the back of 13 green. Other than that, I think the course is in really good shape. I will say this, I believe it is in better shape than Hallbrook CC, and their own members admitted as much last week. Actually, I played St. Andrews last Friday, and I was really impressed with how good it looked. It was in really good shape.

[tnord]

GCOK used up ALL of their water to my knowledge a couple years ago - you know, when we had those 3yrs of awful drought that cost billions in agricultural losses? the entire drainage pond to the left of 18 was dried up and i think they were to the point of buying water from the city. that gets real expensive real fast. i played it last fall and it was in good shape, not sure about right now.

OP and St Andrews are always in pretty good shape because they keep everything really long, and it's owned by the city so they get "free" water and probably a break and/or no property taxes. that goes a long ways. i've never minded playing st andrews, i think with the new routing it's a short, fun, walkable, interesting place to play for not a lot of money.

[ReidStylez]

[quote name='bhj83' timestamp='1401201590' post='9373767'][quote name='1992' timestamp='1401040627' post='9364533']
[quote name='bhj83' timestamp='1400338356' post='9313829']
Lots of great golf courses in the Kansas City area. They generally tend to be spread out pretty good throughout the city so if you're not opposed to driving a bit, you can play some really nice and different courses. In the OP area, the nicest courses I've played are Ironhorse (Leawood), Falcon Ridge (Lenexa) and Deer Creek (OP) and I'd rank them in that order. I live up in the Northland so I don't make it down to OP a lot. Prairie Highlands is also one of my favorites in the area in Olathe. Probably wouldn't be too far of a drive for you from OP.

I know you said you didn't want to join, but you might look into www.theclubmember.com. You pay $35 a month to be a "member" and you can play 6 courses for $20 each including cart. Deer Creek is one of those courses but the others are spread out throughout the city. There are some really nice courses on there, including Tiffany Greens up north, Dub's Dread in Kansas City, KS and WinterStone in Independence. Also, Alvamar in Lawrence is included and that would probably be a half hour or so drive for you. I love TG, DD and WS but never played Alvamar.
[/quote]

Thanks for the suggestions. That is definitely a membership I can deal with!

[quote name='pdakc' timestamp='1400624815' post='9334715']
Agree with bhj83, and also would add the following public courses:

1) Creekmore in Raymore, MO. Depending on where in OP you will be, this should be a 20-30 minute commute, but well worth it given that it's typically less crowded, in better shape, and a much better test than most of the others.
2) Sycamore Ridge in Spring Hill, KS. Haven't played it in a couple years, but a fun track. Hope the condition is okay.
3) stone canyon in independence - this is a hike, about 30-40 minutes, but a great track. always busy and tee times are not well managed all the time, so get out there at odd hours and you'll enjoy
4) Golf Club of Kansas - another hike (about 15-20 minutes depending), but some on here really love it. i think the layout is contrived, the conditions are inconsistent and the management is suspect. you probably need to play it 3-4 times to get a feel for where the hell to hit the ball, but, like i said, some people really love the course. not one of my favorites
5) St Andrews - Overland Park. This is an OP muni, but is surprisingly mature and challenging. interesting layout, good greens, but being a muni, always packed also. decent range.


Private:

I live in OP and looked at most every club in the area before I joined my club. PM me for details if you're interested.
[/quote]

Thanks pdakc, i'll shoot you a PM.

Sorry guys i totally forgot about this thread!
[/quote]

If you end up getting that membership and you want to play a round at Tiffany Greens, let me know. I had the Club card the past couple of years but decided to get a membership at TG this year. I'm always open to playing with new people.[/quote]

I need to play TG. Been talking about it for a while now.

[bhj83]

If anyone wants to play TG, a buddy and I are making a day of it on Monday, August 11th. Morning tee time would be $52 and a replay rate of $20 for the afternoon.

[QMany]

[quote name='tnord' timestamp='1403554500' post='9560331']
GCOK used up ALL of their water to my knowledge a couple years ago - you know, when we had those 3yrs of awful drought that cost billions in agricultural losses? the entire drainage pond to the left of 18 was dried up and i think they were to the point of buying water from the city. that gets real expensive real fast. i played it last fall and it was in good shape, not sure about right now.
[/quote]
I heard those horror stories about GCK and others in the area (Wolf Creek had crazy assessments). This year, the weather has been great for courses in the area. GCK has a few areas that are struggling (one corner of 14 FW), but as a whole, the course is in phenomenal shape. I have played Hallbrook, Sycamore Ridge, and Mission Hills during the Kansas Am, and GCK has the best greens I've seen.

[dave5405]

Has anyone heard that Lionsgate has significantly dropped their fee/rate? Just moved back to the area and looking at joining a club. Looking at Meadowbrook and Lionsgate. Meadowbrook is alot closer, but Lionsgate is the better course (or at least it was the last time I played it 10 years ago...). If Lionsgate has gotten as cheap as I've heard (Under $5K initiation and under $500/month for a junior member with no minimums) it may be too good to pass up.

[artica]

I would be really interested in hearing what Lionsgate fees are down to? Also if anyone knows where the pricing is at for Wolfcreek would appreciate the Intel?

[tnord]

from a friend looking at Lions Gate, their rates really aren't that bad. i think your $5k and <$500 numbers are right from what I'm hearing. i wouldn't even consider meadowbrook, i looked at it when i joined brookridge and was not impressed. i've played it once and wasn't a huge fan. if you're up near meadowbrook, i'd at least look at Milburn, Indian Creek, and Brookridge before jumping in there.

wolf creek is like $10k and $500/mo for non-juniors. I think juniors are like $3500 and $300. not a bad deal, and the hardest course i've played in KC when they have the rough up. if you live out that direction, and all you care about is the golf (social, pool, etc don't matter to you), then wolf is tough to beat. just be careful about getting into money games out there, those guys don't mess around. i played in the member guest there a couple years ago and there's some serious money changing hands.

[QMany]

[quote name='tnord' timestamp='1408114343' post='9940831']
wolf creek is like $10k and $500/mo for non-juniors. I think juniors are like $3500 and $300. not a bad deal, and the hardest course i've played in KC when they have the rough up.
[/quote]
Wolf Creek would be my #1 choice in the city. It is just not reasonable for me because it is so far away from where I live. I play or practice everyday, and it would basically be an extra hour of driving everyday. I plan on moving out south within the next few years, and I hope to make it work at Wolf.

[tnord]

i enjoy playing at the national more than wolf, but wolf is certainly harder.

[dave5405]

What about Leawood CC? Any thoughts? Never played it before, but I understand they're now under the same ownership as Brookridge and you can play both courses with one membership...

[tnord]

that's true, you can play both courses with one membership....but they charge you a cart fee when you cross over. i wasn't super impressed with that little detail, and never played Leawood.

[KWheels]

Great stuff about our KC courses. I agree with just about everything above. Overall, KC is a great place to play Golf as we have good, reasonably priced, well maintained courses. I have lived in Chicago and Atlanta and we trump those in my mind. If I were just moving here I wouldn't join a club unless you practice and play everyday or if you want the social component of a membership. Too many good options to feel obligated to play one course all the time. Now, if I'm loaded with extra money and can join Wolf Creek, KCCC, Indian Hills, Shadow Glen, Hallbrook, etc. and still play other courses without feeling the financial pinch I might feel differently.

[ReidStylez]

[quote name='bhj83' timestamp='1406649719' post='9809807']If anyone wants to play TG, a buddy and I are making a day of it on Monday, August 11th. Morning tee time would be $52 and a replay rate of $20 for the afternoon.[/quote]

I have a 2:10 tee time at TG on Friday.

[bhj83]

[quote name='ReidStylez' timestamp='1408585307' post='9976801'][quote name='bhj83' timestamp='1406649719' post='9809807']If anyone wants to play TG, a buddy and I are making a day of it on Monday, August 11th. Morning tee time would be $52 and a replay rate of $20 for the afternoon.[/quote]

I have a 2:10 tee time at TG on Friday.[/quote]

I didn't notice this until now but I wouldn't have been able to join you on Friday anyways. How was your round? What did you think of TG?