Does anyone know if GL actually owns the courses, or is it just a management/fee type of deal? Seems I remember hearing that Canyon & Staley were set up a little differently that the rest.
Let’s do it
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I’ve heard they actually buy the courses. My lady’s family lives on Tallgrass in Wichita and they mentioned GreatLife bought the course.
I’m unable to decide what the net impact is of GreatLife. Let’s look at Painted Hills in KCK that is right by BCN. That course was going downhill quick. Not that they didn’t have the rounds to survive - they had the wrong grasses for the area and it bled into other issues making the course unrecognizable in late summer. Not really any ones fault but the original architect who landed on unsustainable grasses for a budget course. GreatLife bought them up and installed the right grasses for the course. I’m feeling optimistic about Painted Hills future and ability to deliver the right product to the folks in KCK.
Now where my issue lies, is taking the public courses we have all played a million times, buying them up, making no changes and then taking them “private”. Nothing has changed at these courses besides less accessibility. Same 5 hour rounds. Same mediocre conditioning. Just a pain in the ass now. I’d consider this a negative and borderline monopoly type initiative. I’m not convinced it is good for golf to force most public players to join - guaranteeing a $1K+ expenditure on golf per year. Even if it is “cheap”.
do you have to be a GreatLife member to play these courses, or do they offer a certain amount of tee times at a higher rate to non-members?
Public can play at the less desirable times. That is what bugs me.
You convince these folks that they are getting a killer deal, but it ends up just being a public track anyways. No advantages of a private. 5-hour rounds. Booked solid on the weekends. Still paying for range balls and range open to the public.
It’s like they took Falcon Valley and decided they need everyone to commit to $1500 a year if they wanted to keep playing the exact same course in the exact same conditions/experience.
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Shawnee Country Club in Topeka. May 2011 vs. April 2016. I think in 2015 they tried to strip zoysia into the fairways.
ANNNND it’s gone. They turned a very fine piece of GCA, and now if you wanted to restore that thing, I assume it would cost more than whatever they paid for it in the first place. 
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I wish I had the bankroll to buy it and restore it.
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I’m free on the 25th. Not sure how that day looks for you and working on BCN, though.
I’m in San Diego or I’d join in the fun.
Drumm Farm is a fun course. Eastern Jackson county used to be a little bit of a golf desert. Drumm was a welcome addition along with their executive 9. It’s not going to blow you away with great holes, but it’s very playable and a nice course to play a couple times a year.
Stone Canyon, Drumm, and Longview make it a decent area to play some good public golf. I grew up playing Chapel Ridge a lot (had a $300 unlimited annual junior rate and was one of my HS home courses), but a fraternity brother’s family bought it and turned it into apartments. Drumm has helped fill the void with Stone Canyon. Definitely worth a play.
Seems like Great Life has different tiers, which I’m guessing have a lot to do with the local players and former group’s members. I’ve heard great things about Staley, and I’m assuming it’s because the members said they’d only allow GL to purchase it if they made a certain commitment.
I played GL courses in Topeka when I was in Law School at Washburn. All those courses were trash (Shawnee CC was a higher price to join) and they definitely didn’t do anything to improve them. They all have a very teetering rocks vibe.
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Not KC but was in Manhattan for graduation this weekend and got out to Colbert Hills yesterday for 18. Absolutely brutal pace. 5.5 hour round on a Sunday that didn’t really feel that busy. Still a good time but man did we wait around a lot. I also heard that the par 3 course out there is closing to the public. Anyone know why that is?
how is KC doing turf wise? played with some KC folks the other day that mentioned a LOT of the zoysia died off at some prominent places on the south side of town.
we’re getting dumped on in Hutch again. I think we had over a foot in a week, and I bet we’ve had another couple inches today. I’ve never seen so much water on my property.
i may be in town wed/thurs/fri and would go scout out mission and milburn at the minimum.
i remember how much deer creek used to flood before, i assume it’s one big lake right now.
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KC is getting dumped on right now and it’s not letting up for a while. Casual water everywhere in our yard. Hoping that cleaning out the gutters and routing the downspouts away from the house yesterday helps.
I drove by KCCC and Mission Hills a few days ago and they seemed to look in good shape. Not sure how other courses look though.
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Swope is in great when it dries out, it’s going to be awful for the next few days.
Shadow is not doing well with all the water so far this season.
St. Andrews looks awful.
Mission and KCCC looked great today but after this rain that might not be the case.
Sycamore Ridge has been pristine the couple times I’ve played it this year.
this is a seemingly random question…but how is Sunflower? what’s that place even like?
i’m surprised KCCC isn’t flooded. hasn’t that typically been a problem down by whatever street that is?
I drove by before the rain started so it could definitely flood after this storm.
I’ve always liked sunflower, haven’t played it in years though.
The low areas at KCCC definitely have potential to flood after all of this rain we are supposed to get. I can only imagine what Deer Creek looks like right now.
Was never the biggest fan of Sunflower.
I played sunflower a few weeks ago before getting dirt from a divot sprayed in my eye. Forced to retire after 13 and get soil picked out of my eye by a doc at the urgent care. From what I could see (with one eye), it was in decent shape. I would like to play it two-eyed sometime soon.
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is sunflower tight like the front nine of sycamore, or open like the back? i can’t really tell from the website. what would you expect a scratch to slightly better to post?