By:
GOLF’s Course Raters and Ran Morrissett, Structure Editor
December 23, 2022
The sixth gap at Prairie Dunes.
Getty Pictures
As a part of GOLF’s course ranking course of for 2022-23, our fleet of 100-plus knowledgeable panelists recognized the most effective golf programs in Kansas. Browse the hyperlinks under to take a look at all of our course rankings, or scroll right down to see the most effective programs in Kansas.
GOLF’s different course rankings: Prime 100 Programs within the World | Prime 100 Programs within the U.S. | Prime 100 Programs You Can Play | Prime 100 Worth Programs within the U.S. | America’s Finest Municipal Programs | The 100 Finest Brief Programs within the World
SYMBOL GUIDE
1 = Prime 100 Course within the U.S.
P = Public/Resort Course
V = Prime 100 Worth Course within the U.S.
M = Prime 30 Municipal Course within the U.S.
Ed. notice: Some programs had been omitted from our rankings as a result of they didn’t obtain sufficient votes.
One of the best golf programs in Kansas (2022/2023)
1. Prairie Dunes (Hutchinson) [1]
After weeks of tromping across the yucca-choked sand hills of Hutchinson, architect Perry Maxwell proclaimed, “There are 118 good golf holes right here. All I’ve to do is get rid of 100 of them.” All that’s lacking is an ocean at this linksy-looking structure that performed host to the 2002 U.S. Ladies’s Open (Juli Inkster) and 2006 U.S. Senior Open (Allen Doyle). What a delight that the Maxwells set to work with this particular website as their comfortable contact on the land is a must-study for any architect.
2. Flint Hills Nationwide (Andover)
3. Kansas Metropolis CC (Mission Hills)
4. Shadow Glen (Olathe)
5. Buffalo Dunes (Backyard Metropolis) [P, V, M]
For practically 5 a long time, this heartland hyperlinks has owned the crown of Kansas’ finest muni. But it surely hasn’t rested on its laurels. Because of a staff of budget-minded restoration professionals, together with Buffalo Dunes’ personal superintendent, the course is returning to its roots. Bushes have been eliminated, greens and bunkers rebuilt, and components of the sandy property regrassed to assist scale back water payments. Sound pricey? It might be, save for some good and artistic considering from the undertaking managers that has saved town lots of of hundreds of {dollars}.
How we rank our programs
For GOLF’s course rankings lists, every panelist is offered a listing of lots of of programs and “buckets,” or groupings. In the event that they imagine the course to be among the many finest in its class (World, U.S. Worth, and many others.), they test the corresponding field to position it in a particular bucket. Panelists are additionally free to write down in programs they felt ought to have been included on the poll. Factors had been assigned to every bucket; to reach at a median rating for every course, we divide its mixture rating by the variety of votes. From these level tallies, the programs are then ranked accordingly.
The important thing to the method is the expertise and experience of our panel. Hailing from 15 nations and all of the worldwide golf meccas, every of our 115 handpicked panelists has a eager eye for structure, each regionally and globally. Lots of our panelists have performed greater than 1,000 programs in 20-plus nations.
As a result of we don’t prescribe a set methodology to evaluate programs as different ranks do, nobody opinion carries the day — our rank is a democracy. Some panelists imagine that enjoyment is the last word objective, and thus prioritize design attributes resembling width and taking part in angles, whereas frowning on upon having to consistently hunt for balls in thick tough. Different panelists worth problem and the calls for of hitting each membership within the bag. Nonetheless others think about a course’s environment and general surroundings of paramount significance, thereby emphasizing the setting and naturalness of the course. In the long run, permitting raters to freely specific their tastes is what produces the specified eclecticism in our Prime 100 lists.
Panelist integrity is significant. Voters with any ties or associations to eligible programs should flag such conflicts. Panelists additionally know to not let the standard of their play affect their poll — similar for a luxe expertise or clubhouse. Whereas opulence could make for a extra a memorable outing, it’s not what GOLF’s course lists are about. Our focus is on design and structure. We examine the course, not the trimmings round it.
Need assistance unriddling the greens at your own home course? Choose up a customized Inexperienced E-book from 8AM Golf affiliate GolfLogix.