I registered for this. I made it a goal to play in it this year. Will likely get my ass handed to me by the studs that routinely play in it but wanted to give it a shot.
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It’s not too tough to make the top 32 (he says, having never made it). 76 was in a playoff for the final spots last year. Definitely some show ponies at the top of the field though. I mentioned it before but they arrange the shotgun start by handicap (lowest on 1, highest on 18) and a couple years ago I was a 0.0 and started on 10… B.
This is wild. I wonder if it is because they already host the Big12s often + a ton of increased rounds in the last few years?
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PD doesn’t want the Am, and is more interested in hosting the big 12 every few years.
Here’s a question on the KC match play: are caddies common? Not that I’d bring one but reading through the rules they say they don’t include the cart and they allow caddies.
Along those same lines, are spectators common?
I don’t know that I’ve ever played with someone with a caddie. I don’t think it would be awkward though. As for carts, I seem to remember people taking them but again I don’t really remember since I’ve always walked. Might call up there and ask or email Todd.
Spectators are sparse but common for the match play round. Maybe the occasional person walking around during the qualifying portion. There are rules officials and spotters all around the course so I don’t think it would look out of place if someone was following you.
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Not terribly interested in either a caddie or group of spectators for me. Given the caliber of player I sometimes see at that event, I wondered if some took it seriously enough to bring a caddie or tell people to come watch them.
Most comps I play in don’t allow caddies so I just found the KC match play allowing them interesting. Thanks for the info though!
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I’ll see if my feelings change between now andOctober but paying an extra fee to play my own club for the Mid Am doesn’t sound super fun to me. Might play the 4 ball though.
Played Mission this past fall. Was in amazing condition.
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IIRC, they were supposed to play the Kansas Am at The Jayhawk Club. No clue why it got moved. Falcon Lakes seems pretty bland to host the top amateur tournament in the state.
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Probably because they still struggle to grow grass out there.
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They haven’t had the Am in 8-10 years, probably will stay that way.
I’m not overly impressed with the schedule of courses for this year.
I made the Match Play at Crestview and Mid-Am was at Terradyne (home track)
Last year I missed the Match Play (I was in the 15 for 14 playoff) and Mid-Am was at Lionsgate.
This year being at Falcon and Lawrence, kind of ‘Eh’, but will play, regardless.
I think LCC will be good. Falcon might be meh…but there isn’t a LOT to choose from in town.
where do you think these events should be held?
TCC currently is under a significant reno. May surprise you the lengths that they’ve gone to with updating the course.
'25 at WCC is in jeopardy…they are about to overhaul the whole green/bunker complex again. Last summer, they barely had grass on the greens. Hopefully it’s ready by then!
Unfortunately, not much to chose from, but since CL contains ALL of KC, have pick the best spots. Even if they are once every 5-7 years.
Its similar to the high school association playing some dog tracks for their state finals
I did the same for Terradyne 2 years ago. It’s all good.
yeah, I get it. I’ve played in it, and am involved at the club level in deciding how many of these types of events to host.
Think of the mid-am, SLAT, and champ events. They already hit up about every worthwhile course across the entire state every single year.
In terms of what places the competitive landscape would deem worthy…it’s REALLY small. KCCC, Mission, Milburn, Hallbrook, WCC, Wolf, Flint, Oakwood, WCC, PD, The National, LL, maybe Lions Gate and Firekeeper. That’s only 14 sites, and a handful of those aren’t interested. Good luck getting it through The National and LionsGate now run by ClubCorp. PD doesn’t want it for a number of reasons. No idea where Oakwood and Wolf are at.
There just aren’t a lot of good options, and talking those clubs into hosting every 5 years is never going to happen.
Don’t know about Wolf, but Oakwood has focused on hosting USGA qualifiers the last couple seasons. There was a Fourball qualifier in 2021 and US Open Locals in 2022 and 2023. Not sure if there’s desire to host state/local stuff in the immediate future.
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That’s another thing to consider…courses host lots of other stuff besides Central Links…Oakwood has some USGA qualifiers, Hallbrook has the Mid-Am this year, Blue Hills has an Am qualifier every couple years in addition to the KFT.
It’s hard to get members to give up their club for a full week in addition to the other stuff.