Agreed!
This is part of the fun of the two courses, too. Debating them. They’ve been compared for almost 90 years. This, too, is what’s great about golf no other game really has, the love and preference for the game’s architecture.
Let’s play them both together! Shit, @tnord outta be there, too. Would be fun to hear his thoughts during a round, as well!
As a frequent visitor of Kansas City (have a ton of family in town), I can freely admit that I can’t stand Swope. Now, this could be due to my tendency to be erratic off the tee or the fact that 7 AM tee times after a night of taking it deep with family due nothing good for my back, but I’ve never really enjoyed it much. Personally, a course that I always enjoyed is Adam’s Pointe. Just really loved the layout there (much more room for my big right miss).
If Hillcrest has had some work done, I’d be interested to see it again, but I’m not paying $75 or whatever it is. Swope at $30 or whatever, yeah, I’m in.
I really liked holes 2-5 maybe? The first would be fine if they’d just flip the 9s. I think it’s 17 green that was really good, but not very well utilized because of the blind approach. 14 was a good hole but had a tree covering up the left part of the green if I remember right, and the next short par 4 offered an interesting decision. The finishing stretch of each 9 are the weak points if I remember right, which is unfortunate.
I’ve only been there once, so I could have some of this mixed up. Looking at the website did they really replace every bunker on the course with billy bunkers? That’s an expensive proposition.
You def bring up some solid points as 9 is def > than 18. 2-5 is a solid stretch and the greens as a whole are typically fast and difficult (Swope’s greens are my fav part of the course).
Can’t speak to the actual nature of the redone bunkers but they are vastly improved over what they were a year or two ago.
I think we should have a day where we play both in same day followed by a round (or many) in brookside.
Related to all the Swope discussion, looking like 6/27 is the day. Reminder to vote if you haven’t yet.
When I first read this, I thought it was a HOT take. But I’m not so sure you’re wrong now.
It checks out:
Man, KC (public) golf options are baddd. I didn’t fully realize it until I moved.
When I first started playing golf, I thought KC had great golf just from the number of nearby courses. Turns out I just didn’t know any better. What KC has is a bunch of middling, overpriced, crowded golf courses. That goes for both public and private.
Bringing Hillcrest back to life as the best public course in KC is my dream retirement gig. I know there’s much love for Swope, I just think the bones of Hillcrest hold greater potential.
A 200 mile radius includes Sand Creek Station. I would hear an argument for Swope over Sand Creek, but it’s not a done deal.
I forgot about Sand Creek (I instinctively try to forget about Wichita, in general).
That’s essentially what happened to me too. I enjoyed Falcon Lakes, Sycamore Ridge, etc. for what they were. But now I’m spoiled with a $33-60 27-hole public track that hosts the KFT finale. Perspective, man.
I genuinely asking. Do we think Swope is better than Stone Canyon? Better than Ironhorse?
Also, Branson is 200 miles, Not sure I’d take Swope over any of the Big Name Public courses there. Are we really taking Swope over Kinderhook?
I really really really like Swope gang (mostly b/c its 5 min away and walkable), but I think we are suffering from confirmation bias here.
also, love this:
Ironhorse is immediately disqualified as being non-walkable.
Stone Canyon? Only played it once but I think the only hole I remember is 10, I also think it’s another unwalkable one that is immediately DQ’d from the “best public” title.
To be fair, I’ve seen people walking Ironhorse. It’s not even an option at Stone Canyon, though.
I walked it a number of times as a junior. Is it a nice walk? Absolutely not.
Sure, you CAN walk Ironhorse, or Sycamore, and people do it at Shadow too…but you’re not doing it on a regular basis from June-Aug.
So what courses are in the running for best walkable public track? Swope, Hillcrest, OP?? Not much competition if we take out all of the non-walkable courses.
Honestly, I’m playing OP out of those three. Too bad it’s IMPOSSIBLE to get a tee time there, even for a patron.
See my earlier point about how awful KC golf is.
There are others I’d throw in contention, like Dubs Dread as being very walkable and decent. St Andrews is actually a decent muni. Sunflower I think is pretty good for $25.
I do not like how they run OP, and the drainage there is terrible. I’d take StA over OP, but both of them are impossible to get on, pace is terrible, and after playing there for 2 years I was driven to go private.
The overcrowding is because it IS one of the only not-awful, decently priced, walkable courses in the entire south metro.
Like @scagnetti said, there’s beauty in the debate. It’s just a shame the debate revolves around the aforementioned courses. At least we have BCN, right?!
Back 9 at St. Andrew’s is ok. The front 9 is insufferable. Agree that KC Golf is garbage. I want to go private badly, but the amount of the year that you get to play golf here keeps me away. I guess I’ll just settle for my annual Lawsonia and Wildhorse trips and be happy that they are only 8 hours away.
Honestly, with the way all the clubs have filled up and raised their buy-ins, it’s probably not worth it to go private anywhere in town. I guess I might look at Oakwood, but that’s it. I have no idea what their costs are though.
I can’t even personally recommend my club at its current price point.
EDIT; if you’re up north, I heard Tiffany Greens at one point was $200/mo for jr “memberships.” That seems like a good option.
I went to Oakwood on a visit, and it is still 12 months or so out from being what it is priced at. They recently raised the buy in and monthly cost and are trying to keep membership around 250 golfers. The words “This is going to be the hardest course in KC” where thrown at me so many times on the visit that it was off putting. And also the membership director’s name dropping came off as obnoxious. It will have a world class practice facility though (best in KC by far), and will be much less crowded. I would consider joining once I see how it turns out.
