My Weekend at Prairie Dunes!

[shotmaker86]

Spent the last weekend at Prairie Dunes. I can't say anything negative about it. Absolutely beautiful. Also played Falcon Ridge in Lenexa, KS on the way down. Other than it looked like it was probably fun to play, I couldn't gather much with the 45mph headwinds on every hole. Apologies for the quality of the pics, they were all taken on my iPhone. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sean2]

Very nice! Great pictures with an iPhone too. :-)

[tnord]

glad you enjoyed it. i've been fortunate enough to play there probably 15 or 20 times and it's easily my favorite course, and about my favorite place to be period. i even had our wedding reception there. when that wind picks up it can be a real bear. doesn't look that tough on the card, but the greens and the wind are more than enough challenge. especially 17, did they have the pin up on the nose up front? seriously difficult location.

what was your favorite hole? 8 is really tough, but i personally like "cottonwood" #14. depending on the wind you can give it a go with the driver to the green, but i always try and play a little draw kinda towards the teebox for "the chute" #15 and that first fairway bunker.

i've basically changed how i play the game to deal with that course. i've forced myself to learn a low draw with irons, and a draw with the 3 wood. i don't actually hit driver very often there.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

I grew up in Hutch and have played that course more times than I can count. I have also lost enough golf balls to start my own driving range.

Fantastic course. Your pictures do not really do the course justice. It is much more hilly and undulating than the pictures let on.


Seeing your pictures makes me want to go home this weekend and play. I became a member there earlier this year, and my parents still have a house off 17 green.

[shotmaker86]

[quote name='Rock Chalk Jayhawk' timestamp='1313455887' post='3490075']
I grew up in Hutch and have played that course more times than I can count. I have also lost enough golf balls to start my own driving range.

Fantastic course. Your pictures do not really do the course justice. It is much more hilly and undulating than the pictures let on.


Seeing your pictures makes me want to go home this weekend and play. I became a member there earlier this year, and my parents still have a house off 17 green.
[/quote]

You're right about the pictures not doing it justice. Some of the holes were truly rolling and undulating. 9 fairway is almost like waves coming in on the beach. The other thing that was hard to capture was the steepness of some of the bunkers. I have a picture of the member's wife that we played with in the middle of the first bunker on the left on 13. She's avg. height 5'5-5'6, and the top of the bunker was still 3ft. taller than she was it seemed. Absolutely no way to advance the ball forward in that thing. Just have to take your medicine and play out sideways. I'd have to say that 14 was my favorite hole. The view from the tee, and on the approach shot is beautiful. Like something you'd see on a golf poster. Interestingly, the toughest thing to get used to was the firmness and density of the turf. I don't know what type of grass it is, but it seems to stand straight up like a nice artificial range mat and has a rubbery texture to it. I normally have no problems taking a divot with a 7-LW, but this stuff didn't budge, which led to quite a few thinned shots for me. Can't wait to get back. Hopefully the gunsch won't decide to be my new best friend next time I go. For Jayhawk, I imagine neither you nor your family have ever "accidentally" hooked a ball into "Mizzou Country" off of 16 lol? I went to Mizzou, and found it pretty amusing to find someone willing to show such pride that deep into enemy territory.

[TheMackDaddy]

That course looks really nice, is it long?

[shotmaker86]

[quote name='Mack17' timestamp='1314806290' post='3532045']
That course looks really nice, is it long?
[/quote]

Don't remember the exact yardage, but it's under 7K. Some holes can play a little longer due to some uphill approaches, but you have elevated tee shots on 9 of the holes, so it all evens out.

[bcharlsen]

next time your down this way i will treat you to a round at the 2nd best course in ks. Sand Creek Station. Its a good course. it plays 7.2 and some change from the blue tees. fun tought first 6 holes. comeo n down and i will show ya a good time

[ninothing]

nice pictures - i really need to find a way on out there!

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

[quote name='shotmaker86' timestamp='1314806137' post='3532035']
[quote name='Rock Chalk Jayhawk' timestamp='1313455887' post='3490075']
I grew up in Hutch and have played that course more times than I can count. I have also lost enough golf balls to start my own driving range.

Fantastic course. Your pictures do not really do the course justice. It is much more hilly and undulating than the pictures let on.


Seeing your pictures makes me want to go home this weekend and play. I became a member there earlier this year, and my parents still have a house off 17 green.
[/quote]

You're right about the pictures not doing it justice. Some of the holes were truly rolling and undulating. 9 fairway is almost like waves coming in on the beach. The other thing that was hard to capture was the steepness of some of the bunkers. I have a picture of the member's wife that we played with in the middle of the first bunker on the left on 13. She's avg. height 5'5-5'6, and the top of the bunker was still 3ft. taller than she was it seemed. Absolutely no way to advance the ball forward in that thing. Just have to take your medicine and play out sideways. I'd have to say that 14 was my favorite hole. The view from the tee, and on the approach shot is beautiful. Like something you'd see on a golf poster. Interestingly, the toughest thing to get used to was the firmness and density of the turf. I don't know what type of grass it is, but it seems to stand straight up like a nice artificial range mat and has a rubbery texture to it. I normally have no problems taking a divot with a 7-LW, but this stuff didn't budge, which led to quite a few thinned shots for me. Can't wait to get back. Hopefully the gunsch won't decide to be my new best friend next time I go. For Jayhawk, I imagine neither you nor your family have ever "accidentally" hooked a ball into "Mizzou Country" off of 16 lol? I went to Mizzou, and found it pretty amusing to find someone willing to show such pride that deep into enemy territory.
[/quote]

I am good friends with the 'jerk' on hole 16, and we like to give each other a good ribbing on the border war.

The grass at PD is rye. It is over-seeded twice per year, and receives incessant watering. There are about 15-20 wells on property. IMO, the fairways at the course are the very best in the entire world.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

[quote name='shotmaker86' timestamp='1314826875' post='3532790']
[quote name='Mack17' timestamp='1314806290' post='3532045']
That course looks really nice, is it long?
[/quote]

Don't remember the exact yardage, but it's under 7K. Some holes can play a little longer due to some uphill approaches, but you have elevated tee shots on 9 of the holes, so it all evens out.
[/quote]

The Gold (Big 12 tournament) tees play about 7K. The blue tees (championship) are ~6600 yards, and the men's tees are 6200 yards. The course, depending on the wind, will play completely differently two days in a row. You have a hard time finding a course with a tougher slope rating of 141. Can't wait to go home and play this weekend!

[ben w]

That course looks really nice, is it long?

 

Don't remember the exact yardage, but it's under 7K. Some holes can play a little longer due to some uphill approaches, but you have elevated tee shots on 9 of the holes, so it all evens out.

 

The Gold (Big 12 tournament) tees play about 7K. The blue tees (championship) are ~6600 yards, and the men's tees are 6200 yards. The course, depending on the wind, will play completely differently two days in a row. You have a hard time finding a course with a tougher slope rating of 141. Can't wait to go home and play this weekend!

 

You're absolutely right! I went up for the last day of the Big 12 to support my boys, and of course attended the NCAA Championships @ Karsten. 7K with a slope of 141 is tough, and the scores showed it. Imagine my surprise when the NCAA Champ Tees debuted at 7600 yards, rating 78 slope 152!

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

That course looks really nice, is it long?

 

Don't remember the exact yardage, but it's under 7K. Some holes can play a little longer due to some uphill approaches, but you have elevated tee shots on 9 of the holes, so it all evens out.

 

The Gold (Big 12 tournament) tees play about 7K. The blue tees (championship) are ~6600 yards, and the men's tees are 6200 yards. The course, depending on the wind, will play completely differently two days in a row. You have a hard time finding a course with a tougher slope rating of 141. Can't wait to go home and play this weekend!

 

You're absolutely right! I went up for the last day of the Big 12 to support my boys, and of course attended the NCAA Championships @ Karsten. 7K with a slope of 141 is tough, and the scores showed it. Imagine my surprise when the NCAA Champ Tees debuted at 7600 yards, rating 78 slope 152!

 

The slope from the Tips at the Dunes is actually 144, but that's splitting hairs

 

I can't imagine playing a course with a slope rating of 152! the highest slope rating possible is 155. What was the low round of the championships?

[ben w]

That course looks really nice, is it long?

 

Don't remember the exact yardage, but it's under 7K. Some holes can play a little longer due to some uphill approaches, but you have elevated tee shots on 9 of the holes, so it all evens out.

 

The Gold (Big 12 tournament) tees play about 7K. The blue tees (championship) are ~6600 yards, and the men's tees are 6200 yards. The course, depending on the wind, will play completely differently two days in a row. You have a hard time finding a course with a tougher slope rating of 141. Can't wait to go home and play this weekend!

 

You're absolutely right! I went up for the last day of the Big 12 to support my boys, and of course attended the NCAA Championships @ Karsten. 7K with a slope of 141 is tough, and the scores showed it. Imagine my surprise when the NCAA Champ Tees debuted at 7600 yards, rating 78 slope 152!

 

The slope from the Tips at the Dunes is actually 144, but that's splitting hairs

 

I can't imagine playing a course with a slope rating of 152! the highest slope rating possible is 155. What was the low round of the championships?

 

I actually worked the event and walked every day as a scorer with the groups... the lowest round I personally witnessed was a 1-under 71. That was with three birdies and a double (oops), and honest to god, I did not see that player miss a shot all day. He drove it on a string, hit nearly every green, and putted lights-out. Scores averaged around 75. Being that it is my home course I thought I'd seen it all, but this was a new level of difficult.

 

Members were on cartpath only for at weeks before the tournament, which allowed the rough to grow up tall, deep, thick, and nasty. The greens were rolling 10-11 but quickly dried out and well struck approach shots would take huge bounces and the greens not too receptive. Saw plenty of good shots go totally unrewarded, and even punished. I heard a coach say they were rolling closer to 12 1/2 as the tournament wore on. Combined with the wind picking up and the heat/humidity bearing down, it was very very difficult.

 

Normally at Karsten Creek (if you go to the website or view the scorecard) the Orange tees are the Championship tees and those are brutal. However if you've played the course, even if you trek all the way back to those tees (which usually require a totally separate cartpath or footpath as they are so far removed from the normal tees) you will be surprised to find that there can be 2 or even three other tee boxes even further back. When the NCAA was played, they utilized these back tees on nearly every hole.

 

I played the same tees as the competitors about a month later, and let me tell you, it's absolutely harrowing. I played what I consider to be my finest round of the season, and managed to shoot 78. That included making four birdies and putting/scrambling out of my mind. The rough was still tall, but the greens were back to their usual speed. I can't imagine playing it under the championship conditions, mixed in with the pressure.

[tnord]

i love the dunes. my busy schedule hasn't allowed me to get there as much this year as last, but i am going to make it down in two weeks for a couple rounds. hoping to maybe break 80 there for the first time. as those who have played there before can attest.....score there has as much to do with weather as anything....ala Fowler's comments after the British Open this year. hopefully some leaves will still be on the trees to provide some nice color and wind blockage.

 

my inlaws live over on linksland dr, but i'm plenty familiar with "missouri row" along 16 and 17.

[MileHi]

Fun to see those pics, brings back memories. I grew up in Hutch and learned to play at PD, though we moved when I was 10 so I was never old enough to appreciate how great the course really is. Somehow still remember most of those holes though. Haven't played it in many years, I'd really like to see what it's like now that I'm old enough to appreciate it. My dad is playing in the member-guest there this week.