The biggest trip yet happened last week when I headed for NW Kansas. The plan was to play 14 courses in 2 ½ days. Reality says that was one course too many as I ran out of gas 6 holes into the last one. I’ll be going back to Ellis to play there again.
The weather was threatening the whole trip. The only time I got rained on was while I was driving between Oberlin and Colby. It rained where I wasn’t and at night which made for some messy playing at times. My shoes were wet a lot and I was glad for all the extra pairs of socks I brought along.
This journey is meant to enjoy the courses I find. They will all have their own flavor and most will not be suitable for professional competition…but that’s okay, because I’m playing them for experience! Here are some of my general thoughts on the trip and you can head on over to the Course Blogs for more detail on each course.
Thursday, June 11, I stopped in La Crosse (9), Ransom (12), Wakeeney (9) and Hill City (3). All of them but Ransom were neatly trimmed and appeared to be used by the city. La Crosse was a nice park and had a cool tunnel shot on Hole 8. Ransom had not been mowed recently which could be directly related to all the rain we’ve had this spring. it has a lot of potential if someone would take interest in it. Wakeeney is a fun little leg-stretcher course if you’re on I-70 and need a break. Hill City’s 3 holes didn’t offer me much hope, but when I got there, I would have liked to have gone around several times.
Friday, June 12, I stopped in Almena (9), Norton (18), Oberlin (9), Colby (9) Goodland (9) and Sharon Springs (9). I stayed in Norton for the night and made the short drive to Almena to get started. It was a small park and the holes crossed each other a lot. Norton was one of my favorites on the trip with its trimmed park and 18 holes. I’m describing it as a mini WaterWorks (KC). It just doesn’t have the length. Oberlin’s course is actually in a state park NE of town. It was trimmed and quiet. Colby has old baskets and hadn’t been trimmed in a while. They were out with the mowers but the grass was so wet. Goodland was SW of town about 15 miles. It was an adventure getting there on the dirt roads after the rain. The roads got a bit dicey, but I wasn’t going to be denied. It uses a lot of native tall grass. Sharon Springs looked real iffy at the start, but turned out to be pretty decent.
Saturday, June 13, I stopped in Oakley (9), St Francis (9), Atwood (18) and Ellis (18). I spent the night in Oakley so I hit that course early in the morning. They were setting up for a big car show and I was glad to have gotten it in before they got started. It was a drive to St Francis, but there was a reason. I was picking up a buddy, Ty, who was attending a wedding there to make the trip back to Wichita with me. I played that course while he was at the morning wedding. I met a Bill and Chris who played a round with me which added a lot to the course. It was lunch and then to Atwood. The course plays around a lake and was a lot of fun. There were some pretty tight fairways on the backside. Ellis looked to be very challenging, but after 6 holes I found my energy level way down and was also tired mentally. We decided it was a course better played when we were fresh so we called it a day and headed home!
The weather was threatening the whole trip. The only time I got rained on was while I was driving between Oberlin and Colby. It rained where I wasn’t and at night which made for some messy playing at times. My shoes were wet a lot and I was glad for all the extra pairs of socks I brought along.
This journey is meant to enjoy the courses I find. They will all have their own flavor and most will not be suitable for professional competition…but that’s okay, because I’m playing them for experience! Here are some of my general thoughts on the trip and you can head on over to the Course Blogs for more detail on each course.
Thursday, June 11, I stopped in La Crosse (9), Ransom (12), Wakeeney (9) and Hill City (3). All of them but Ransom were neatly trimmed and appeared to be used by the city. La Crosse was a nice park and had a cool tunnel shot on Hole 8. Ransom had not been mowed recently which could be directly related to all the rain we’ve had this spring. it has a lot of potential if someone would take interest in it. Wakeeney is a fun little leg-stretcher course if you’re on I-70 and need a break. Hill City’s 3 holes didn’t offer me much hope, but when I got there, I would have liked to have gone around several times.
Friday, June 12, I stopped in Almena (9), Norton (18), Oberlin (9), Colby (9) Goodland (9) and Sharon Springs (9). I stayed in Norton for the night and made the short drive to Almena to get started. It was a small park and the holes crossed each other a lot. Norton was one of my favorites on the trip with its trimmed park and 18 holes. I’m describing it as a mini WaterWorks (KC). It just doesn’t have the length. Oberlin’s course is actually in a state park NE of town. It was trimmed and quiet. Colby has old baskets and hadn’t been trimmed in a while. They were out with the mowers but the grass was so wet. Goodland was SW of town about 15 miles. It was an adventure getting there on the dirt roads after the rain. The roads got a bit dicey, but I wasn’t going to be denied. It uses a lot of native tall grass. Sharon Springs looked real iffy at the start, but turned out to be pretty decent.
Saturday, June 13, I stopped in Oakley (9), St Francis (9), Atwood (18) and Ellis (18). I spent the night in Oakley so I hit that course early in the morning. They were setting up for a big car show and I was glad to have gotten it in before they got started. It was a drive to St Francis, but there was a reason. I was picking up a buddy, Ty, who was attending a wedding there to make the trip back to Wichita with me. I played that course while he was at the morning wedding. I met a Bill and Chris who played a round with me which added a lot to the course. It was lunch and then to Atwood. The course plays around a lake and was a lot of fun. There were some pretty tight fairways on the backside. Ellis looked to be very challenging, but after 6 holes I found my energy level way down and was also tired mentally. We decided it was a course better played when we were fresh so we called it a day and headed home!
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