Swope Memorial Golf Course

My Review

Swope Memorial Golf Course in Kansas City, MO is a very playable and fun course located just a Par 5 or so from the KC Zoo and Starlight Theatre. Maybe it is because I played Swope on a day that they were having a special tournament but they had the course looking really good. The course is fairly well groomed with a few pesky turf issues that all courses face at one time or another. There are many sand traps, of various sizes and depths, located in strategic locations throughout the course and the large greens had some big breaks. The roughs are fairly short so lost balls should be kept to a minimum. This course is no push over and there are many ways to get yourself into trouble. All in all, Swope Memorial is a wonderful public course and should be on any golfer’s list of courses to play consistently or periodically.

Staley Farms Golf Club

My Review

Wow! I had no idea. Staley Farms Golf Club in Kansas City, MO is one of the best courses in the state, public or private. It is stunning. And, it is one of the hardest in the city and state. The course is well laid out and very, very well maintained and groomed. There is a single nice concrete path running throughout, making it impossible to get lost, except between the 9th green and 10th tee (but since it is private, this really isn’t an issue). The Bent grass greens and fairways are flawless. The greens have a very high level of complexity and three putts are very common and unavoidable at times. The fairways are fairly wide but if you miss them by a foot, the reasonably thick roughs will grab your ball and will prevent your next shot from coming out cleanly. If you miss the fairways more than a few feet, in certain locations, you will lose your ball in the long natural Missouri grasses.

The course also has its fair share of water and sand. The fairway bunkers have a darker, more course type of sand. And, the bunkers, green-side, are of the white, fluffy variety.

Staley Farms is so nice I really cannot find anything to complain about so I will pick on the houses lining almost every fairway. I’m from St. Louis (but grew up in Gladstone) and we have this great store called Sherwin Williams. This nifty little store sells paints in any color you can think of. For whatever reason, the KC Northland area’s neighborhood associations must prohibit any color other than a derivative of beige. I mean really . . . every house looks the same. If you are all color blind, at least consider brick or stone to add some diversity and texture to your homes. This course deserves to be surrounded by magnificent homes with individual character. That is all.

Shamrock Hills Golf Club

My Review

I love this course! Shamrock Hills Golf Club in Kansas City/Lee’s Summit, MO is a very nice community course located in Lee’s Summit right off of 291. It has an old school, rural, friendly, exclusive-country club vibe. While Shamrock Hills is not the most pristine course in the state, it is very well manicured, for a public community course. The small greens are old school, sloping from back to front, and are fairly quick. So, while there are no breaks going from the back to front, you will need to play for a significant break if you have a sideways putt. Most of the fairways are in excellent condition and the tees are great shape for the most part, with a few exceptions. If you like to play new courses and live in KC or anywhere in the west-central portion of Missouri you should play Shamrock Hills Golf Club.

Royal Meadows Golf Club

My Review

Royal Meadows Golf Club in Kansas City, MO is a course in transition. They’ve recently planted new Zoysia on many fairways to replace the bent grass and it will be a year or two before the fairways and tees are plush and consistent. Regardless of the transitional grass, Royal Meadows is still a nice course to play. It is fairly wide open with several large trees on most fairways. The medium-sized greens are soft and have some undulation. The most telling aspect about the owner’s level of commitment to providing their customers with an excellent golfing experience and value is the manner in which they keep their traps trimmed. Very few courses, public or private, keep the edges of the sand traps edged. Royal Meadows is a fairly easy course and is worth playing, particularly if you live in the area.

River Oaks Golf Club

My Review

River Oaks Golf Club is mature with many large trees and could easily be mistaken for a Lake of the Ozarks resort-style course, particularly if it was better groomed. The fairways are narrow and their medium-size greens are flat. Even though the course is fairly short and all of their grasses have trouble spots, there are many fun holes that will put your golf skills to test. It has good bones but is in need of a larger budget to bring out its best. River Oaks Golf Club is another GreatLife Golf and Fitness course. Their modus operandi seems to be that they put a lot of money into their premier courses, which are extraordinary, at the expense of the second tier courses, like River Oaks. While I often criticize the condition of GreatLife’s second-tier courses, they really do offer attractive pricing structures and, if I lived on the west coast of MO, I would definitely be a member.

Paradise Pointe Golf Complex – Posse Course

My Review

Paradise Pointe Golf Complex, in Kansas City, Missouri (Smithville) has two courses, The Posse Course and the Outlaw Course. Think of them as maternal twins. While their DNA is very similar, there are some fairly significant differences . . . much like a red haired boy and brown haired girl set of twins. Same parents but different chromosomes. The biggest difference in the two courses is that The Posse has Blue grass tees and fairways. The Outlaw has Zoysia. I actually prefer Blue grass if it is nurtured and maintained properly, as The Posse is. Both courses have a few prime real estate holes that are adjacent to the lake (although I prefer The Posse’s lake holes) and both have plenty of fairway and green-side bunkers. For whatever reason, The Outlaw’s sand seemed to be more consistently well maintained. Now for the similarities. Both courses are a Par 72 that are just over 7,000 yards from the tips. Both offer a great test of golfing skills that will require using every club in your bag. Both have a thick rough that are a bit too long for speedy play. Both have medium-size greens that are a little slow but roll true with a low level of complexity. Both have a few holes that offer sweeping views of the lake and course (I give the edge to Outlaw here). Both have pot bunkers guarding many of the greens. The comparisons can go on and on. But, make your own comparisons. Both courses are worth playing. So, take a little drive into the country of Clay County and enjoy two rounds of great golf.

Paradise Pointe Golf Complex – Outlaw Course

My Review

Paradise Pointe Golf Complex, in Kansas City, Missouri (Smithville) has two courses. Think of them as maternal twins. While their DNA is very similar, there are some fairly significant differences . . . much like a red haired boy and brown haired girl set of twins. Same parents but different chromosomes. The biggest difference in the two courses is that The Posse has Blue grass tees and fairways. The Outlaw has Zoysia. I actually prefer Blue grass if it is nurtured and maintained properly, as The Posse is. Both courses have a few prime real estate holes that are adjacent to the lake (although I prefer The Posse’s lake holes) and both have plenty of fairway and green-side bunkers. For whatever reason, The Outlaw’s sand seemed to be more consistently well maintained. Posse Course in Kansas City, MO. Now for the similarities. Both courses are a Par 72 that are just over 7,000 yards from the tips. Both over a great test of golfing skills that will require using every club in your bag. Both have a thick rough that are a bit too long for speedy play. Both have medium-size greens that are a little slow but roll true with a low level of complexity. Both have a few holes that offer sweeping views of the lake and course (I give the edge to Outlaw here). Both have pot bunkers guarding many of the greens. The comparisons can go on and on. But, make your own comparisons. Both courses are worth playing. So, take a little drive into the country of Clay County and enjoy two rounds of great golf.

Oakwood Country Club

My Review

Established in 1881, Oakwood Country Club in Kansas City, MO is the oldest country club in the region and possibly the state. Many well known celebrities and golfing royalty have frequented this club over the years, including Harry Truman, who is known to have visited the club numerous times over his life. The course has the look and feel of an old school country club and it provides quite a test of your golfing skills. Tom Watson redesigned the course in 1991 and I’ve got to think he missed his calling as a prison architect. True to an old school country club course, the fairways are lined with mature trees and most greens are protected by 2 or 3 sentries, of the sand trap variety. So, keeping your ball in the fairways (and not in the trees or sand) is critical; one errant ball will add one or two strokes to that hole’s score. The course is very well groomed and maintained. The club house is beautiful and stately as you might imagine for a club with this pedigree. Interestingly, the front nine has few cart paths so, if it rains hard, members may be restricted to the back nine. Oakwood Country Club is one of the most notable clubs in KC. It is hidden in the 435/Holmes area so, if you can find it and know a member, ask them nicely to host you at this fine club.

The Deuce at The National

My Review

The Deuce at The National in Kansas City, MO is the little brother to The National. Hence its name: The National II, commonly called The Deuce . . . as in #2, like Robert Wagner in Austin Powers. The course is actually a fun course and has one hole that will make our list of the Top 18 Craziest Holes in Missouri (coming soon). The Deuce’s 14th hole is a wacked and fun hole. It is a 390 yard (from the tips) par 4. You know you are in for something unique when you see the electronic equipment adjacent to the tee box, which is a fancy “blind shot” warning system. The key is to drive straight up a steep hill about 190 yard, with a slight fade. If it is hit perfectly, your ball will land just over the apex of the hill and then roll down the extraordinarily steep hill and stop just short of a creek in front of the green. If you don’t hit it perfectly, your second shot will not be easy. For me, it is worth playing The Deuce just for this hole, but even without this hole, the course is worth playing anyway.

For old time golfers, the old Mirror Lake golf course was on a portion of The Deuce.

The National Golf Club

My Review

The National Golf Club of Kansas City, MO is one of the finer private clubs in the western portion of Missouri. It is a first-class club, course and club house. The course is surrounded by beautiful homes which complement the course. You can usually get an indication of the quality of the course and its maintenance by the number of greens keepers. The number of The National’s greens keepers are comparable to size of the army of a small country. These guys were everywhere. And, the quality of the course shows in big ways and the smallest details. The bunkers are nicely edged, the beautiful white sand traps are well manicured and the fairways are in wonderful condition. The greens are medium to large size with a high level of complexity AND fast . . . a lethal combination. Like many exclusive clubs, The National’s tee boxes are not numbered which is only problematic if you are playing by yourself for the first time, which I was. If you love golf and like a good challenge, figure out how to get yourself invited to play this great course.