Kansas GCA: Colbert Hills and Wamego Country Club.

[Brandon Urban]

As you’ve seen in previous threads, the Kansas contingent of GCA tries to get together every couple of months. Our mission statement (and I may be paraphrasing): to see and experience new (to one or all of us) courses in the region while having a lot of fun and maybe drinking a beer or two after the round. This time around, Jason Hines and I made the short trek to Manhattan, KS to meet esteemed two club member Daryn Soldan for visits to Colbert Hills (Jeff Brauer/Jim Colbert/2000) and Wamego Country Club (Chick Trout/1920, Eric Langvardt/2004).

Jason pulled into my driveway at 5:15 a.m. for the hour and fifteen minute drive to Colbert Hills. As we pulled into the lot, we saw Daryn milling around outside the clubhouse. While we were (gasp) putting on our shoes on in the parking lot, this happened:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPvhNmKI-ec










And then this happened:


Evidently, pulling on the clubhouse door to try to open it may sound the alarm if the kitchen staff forgets to lock said door from the night before. Luckily, the pro shop attendant arrived in time to vouch for us, and we were on the first tee a little after 7:00 a.m.

Colbert Hills, located in the beautiful flint hills to the northeast of the city, is home to the Kansas State golf team. It can be a difficult test depending on the tees you play, which stretch from 4,982 to 7,525 yards. Since us Kansas boys tend to play pretty quick, I only snapped a handful of pictures… so no full photo tour. All yardages listed are from the purple tees at around 6,500 yards.

The first hole (pictured below) is no gentle handshake.  This 530 yard par 5 tumbles down the terrain towards a small pond fronting the green. With a difficult second shot, walking away with par is a great score. Except for Jason, who decided to just make a tap in birdie after no warm up holes and a frisking from the local police.


Below is the par 4 2nd hole from the 350 yard tee. The hole wraps around the trees on the left.


This is one of my favorite green complexes on the golf course. Tons of options, short grass, and great humps and hollows that create varied recovery shots.


The par 3 5th hole features a Wildcat paw bunker complex. I believe Daryn is laughing at this Jayhawk after I put one in the purple sand.


The 383 yard par 4 6th hole gives you a great feel for the Flint Hills region. The tee shot is to an angled fairway fronted with a long, gnarly hazard.


This approach shot also gives you different options. You can run it up or use the slope to the right of the green to fly a ball in.


Or you can hit one left and get well acquainted with the Kansas native.


The par 5 7th stretches to 600 yards from this elevated back tee. It runs uphill through the valley to a green at the base of the far hills.


The picture below from the 9th green gives you more of an idea of the surrounding landscape.


The par 4 13th definitely takes “risk vs reward” to a new level. The sliver of fairway fronting the green requires a 270 yard carry off of the tee. A safe tee shot to the right hand fairway leaves a short, almost entirely blind shot to a green with little depth from that angle.


The green on the 15th hole shows how well many of the green sites and bunkers blend in to their surroundings.


Colbert Hills is a big golf course that will eat you alive if you are not hitting it straight. It is also a fun golf course with heroic shots, creative recovery opportunities, and a gorgeous setting. Worth seeking out if you are ever in the area.

After a short drive over to Wamego, we stopped for this deliciousness before embarking on the afternoon 18 at Wamego Country Club.


Stay tuned…

[BCowan]

Thanks for the post.  Like the rugged land.  

[Jason Hines]

It was a top ten weather day, 71 degrees, cool, light breeze and warm sun, which is very odd for mid-May in Kansas.  No 20-30 mph wind, no frost, tornado, thunderstorm or heat advisories...  Instead, we had to mess with the “Fuzz”...

Colbert Hills to me was a very straightforward, true test of modern golf.  With the exception of a few holes, the strategy and ruggedness of the prairie is laid out before you.  That is not to say that you don’t have to think about what you are doing, there are several humps and bumps around the greens and fairways that make you doubt your club and shot selection.

For zoysia fairways, there was some roll, which it seems like most courses around the I-70 corridor are a bit behind in coming out of dormancy.   That is fine with me, because once the heat and humidity set in, zoysia becomes a large strip of velcro. 

For some reason, I was having a very hard time judging visual distance in the rugged hills and valleys of the course.  Another surprise, and maybe this is what threw my depth perception off, but there was a lot more housing on the course than I was expecting.  It was mainly on the southeast portion of the course, not saying that the housing encroached on the course or your playing experience but it felt like I was back in the suburbs.  No complaint, just an observation. 

When Daryn chimes in, I hope he speaks to the evolution of the bunkering at CH.  Also, I don’t remember trees having a major influence on any of the holes for the most part.  Which can be a Kansas attribute and benefit to GCA!

Overall, I like Colbert Hills very much and what a tremendous facility for the city of Manhattan and northeast Kansas.  And for the record, I enjoyed Wamego just as much....

[Bill Vogeney]

Very cool! Colbert Hills looks awesome. I get out to Prairie Dunes probably 4 times a year and golf binge; it would be great to meet up with you guys one day and try some different tracks. I'm not scared of driving

[Carl Nichols]

Am I correct in assuming that Colbert Hills is named after Jim Colbert?

[Jeff_Brauer]

(In the voice of Ed McMahon).....You are correct sir!"

Good to see the course somewhat green. They did have water issues and put out about 25% of ET, living with the results.  Looks firm and fast, but playable and healthy so far this spring.  Since day 1, they have NEVER watered the greens more than once every 4 days, BTW.

Those bunkers were reduced in size and shape a few years ago, mainly to afford that white sand.  The native local sand was deemed to give plugged lies, etc.  Not what this board wants to hear, I know.

Hey, I enjoyed Wamego, too!

[John Mayhugh]

Thanks for the photos.  I was actually discussing the course a few days ago with a kid who plays at Kansas State.  He said that in their college tournaments there, they ride the entire course (not shuttles).  I was surprised that a college team would ride.  I know it gets hot out there, but how long are the green to tee walks? 

[Jeff_Brauer]

Moat aren't bad. I think the problem is the climb and walk from 6 to 7 tee, which has to be 100 feet in the air, if they play it at full length.  They could use a shorter tee.  There is a bit of a walk from 13 to 14 green, as well as a few other road crossings - 3 to 4 in a tunnel, 8 to 9 (eventually, road not in last time I was there)

But, again, Kansas is not flat! Lots of hills to walk overall.

[Mike Nuzzo]

I measured 3,400 yards (18 walks) from the green edge to the purple tees (6,500 yds) and from the 18th green to the parking lot.

[Jason Hines]

I measured 3,400 yards (18 walks) from the green edge to the purple tees (6,500 yds) and from the 18th green to the parking lot.

Hi Mike,

Forgive the stupid question, but is that a lot?  From playing last week, I have seen a little better and a little worse.

Daryn is our token college golfer of the group, I will let him chime on on the tournament side of things.

[Jeff_Brauer]

The course started out as a TPC course, and I do recall being surprised at how much relevance they gave the real estate component in the design. 

We had one routing that was sort of a core course, and they looked at me like I was nuts. Of course, the land owner was also a KSU guy and wanted to make sure we maxed out the value.  For example, the 6th and 7th - two of my favorite holes "had" to go there.  That portion of the site drains west and cannot be connected to the city of Manhattan sewer systems, so we made it golf. 

Regardless, it's hilly ground, and basically, the best holes were in the valleys, and the valleys just happened to be pretty far apart.  Without using those, we would have had a lot of up and overs or an over the top rock budget.  So, between the TPC real estate concept, and using the best ground, since underlying rock prevented earth moving, we ended up with some walks. 

[Brandon Urban]

Wamego Country Club was originally designed by architect Chick Trout and opened as a nine hole course in 1920. The new nine holes added to the course were designed by local architect Eric Langvardt. The new holes were officially opened for play in June of 2004.

Wamego CC sits on some beautiful rolling property that includes several lakes and a creek. Originally the course was sand greens but has since built some fantastic push up greens on top of the original 9 holes.

The first hole is a straightaway par 4 that plays just under 400 yards downhill.


This sight just off of the first fairway should tug at the heartstrings of any GCA enthusiast… a giant pile of burning trees.


The second hole played from 130 yards. You don’t want to miss right.


This photo of Daryn chipping on the 4th hole gives you an idea of the rolling nature of the property.


The 5th hole, a 350 yard par 4, may have been my favorite. A dogleg right with lots of room in the fairway.


And the downhill approach with a large swale in front of the green.


There were many of these benches throughout the course. Not that I like to wait to take a swing, but if I had to, this is a pretty nice place to do it.


The 9th hole, a 340 yard par 4, takes you onto the property where the new holes are located.  Yes city-slickers, that’s a plowed under field in the distance.


The tee shot on the par 4 11th gives you an idea of the back nine property.


With a fun approach shot to an elevated green with water short right.


The 12th hole, 180 yards, was my favorite par 3 on the course. I know the surrounds are not the same, but this hole reminded me of #6 at Sand Hills with the dune obscuring the left hand side of the green.


The 15th was a good short par 3 at 150 yards playing from hilltop to hilltop.


The 18th, a midrange par 4 at just over 400 yards, takes you back to the original property. It’s a straightforward hole with a rolling fairway.


Finally, my kind of clubhouse bar with a bunch of old-timers drinking Coors Original.


I loved Wamego CC. It is a great small town club. I was talking with Jason on the way home and wondering how you make a place like this work in a bigger town. You don’t always need the highest budget, etc to make a place fun to play. Wamego has fun in spades.

[Daryn_Soldan]

I'm glad that Brandon and Jason were able to make it out my direction for some golf. This outing was rained out on the first try but we got a great day this time around. Plus we had some added excitement with the cops, greasy spoon burger and fries, and the banquet beer.

I'll add my thoughts on Colbert Hills in a bit but wanted to share a pic of WCC's par 3 10th, another that highlights the interesting nature of the property.

[Brandon Urban]

Thanks for the picture of the 10th, Daryn. Mine came out blurry.
Definitely a good hole on some good ground.

I can definitely say that out of all of the smaller town clubs/courses I have played, Wamego CC has the best set of par 3's I've seen.

[Jason Hines]

As I mentioned earlier, I was looking forward to playing WCC as much as Colbert Hills that Sunday.  That is not a slight on Jeff’s courses, I think Colbert Hills and Firekeeper are two of the best courses we have in the state.

My WCC observations:

Very similar to smaller community courses here in the western midwest that have added 9 holes during the golf boom, the front and back couldn’t be any different.  The front is a very classic, tree lined up and down routing and design.  The back 9 was cut out of the cedars and thicket of the prairie, with some semi blind, but honest tree line fairways.  On the 18th hole, I told Daryn who recently purchased a home just down the street from the course, that I would play several of the holes differently on my next play.  Not because he didn’t do a good job describing the routing or layout of each hole, but WCC is a place you need to “feel” as you make your way around the course.  Was there quirk?  Yes, #3 short par 4 with a tight and tree blocked landing zone.  Was there boring?  Yes, #1 straight down the middle with a perfectly round green.  Was there too many trees on the back?  Yeah probably...However, we all giggled as Brandon took the photo on the first hole of the smoldering, downed trees to the right of the fairway.  I may steal that photo as my avatar going forward. 

Other thoughts, I also noticed on the first hole was the family of four behind our group, Mother, Father, daughter and son.  I don’t see that very often at my home club, but you could tell it was a regular game for the whole family.

I will mention camaraderie and spirit of the game present at WCC, not just with our little group, but also for what this course obviously gives and means to this small community in Kansas.  I will guarantee you that there are 200-300 of these little courses that were built, belong and help make up the spirit of the game from Oklahoma through South Dakota.  Don’t get me wrong here, I am the hypocrite who belongs to the course down the street in the suburbs that has shoe care, no tee times, fabulous dining and an immaculate practice facility with not a spec of brown anywhere to be found on the course. 

So with that I ask this question, do these courses warrant or come even close to the prestige of the beat your chest courses that are discussed, and let be honest discussed to death, on this board?  No, however if you didn’t believe what these smaller courses offer, you would have skipped over this thread by now anyway.  I wish every day could be that day....

[Daryn_Soldan]

Brandon, interesting that after the 2nd, those par 3s are all on the new piece of property as part of the back nine - 10, 12, 15, and 17. Knowing the terrain and looking at the aerial, that was always going to be a difficult parcel to get around without a bunch of par 3s. It's not that big and rather irregular in shape. In my opinion, the par 3s were used very effectively as connectors and to utilize corners of the property.

Jason mentions his club with "shoe care" in the Kansas City suburbs. It should be noted that he was so mad at the shoe guy for leaving one of his laces knotted, that he could barely speak on the first tee of the morning. He birdied despite it.

[Daryn_Soldan]

Colbert Hills is a hike, no way around it. I was on the team at K-State when the course opened and we walked it frequently during practice the first couple years. As Jeff mentioned, the majority of holes play thru the valleys. They finish low and you hike up to the next hilltop to tee off on the following hole. So not only are some walks relatively long... they are significantly uphill. Plenty doable for a physically fit 18-22 year old, but still adds to the overall time for a round. The challenge in a college tournament is getting all the golfers around 36 holes in one October day when daylight is short. Carts are often used at late or early season tournaments, even on courses without long walks between holes. When we hosted NCAA Regionals in 2004 the players walked with shuttles covering the most difficult green-to-tee hikes. If I remember correctly, we walked it in our fall tournament also, at least in the first year or two.

Jeff, there are days I wish your core routing would have gained some traction. Personally, I'd have loved to see a couple holes that "ran the ridge" like 11 at Bayside or a par 3 green perched above one of the steep drop-offs. But if golf was on the hilltops where would the houses go??? Jason mentioned that he was surprised by the "suburbs" feel of the first 4 holes. It's amazing how many houses have been built on first several holes of both nines over the past 10 years. I remember walking the property before construction and you'd have never convinced me that ranch land was going to have so many people living on it.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Daryn,

No kidding on the housing.  From memory, Manhattan had only 37 building permits a year in the decade prior to the course opening, but more since (at least until the crash, then not sure)  There was a competing group that wanted to do a similar housing project with golf just south.  They backed out, know the U was more funded.

We did look at that site, and then another further south on a mesa above the airport and old spa.  Colbert decided that was too windy, although it would have been a great core course with multiple vistas similar to 7 tee.  Frankly, between the real estate and the rock, we never got a great core course to work.  There was some talk of ridge top holes, as the land owner had some notions that the valleys might be better for housing, at least in some spots. 

The most interesting real estate related fact to me is to look at those drain pipes exiting in front of 16 tee.  As we developed the land plan, even figuring that portion wouldn't see houses for decades, the question came up as to putting in drainage for the future to avoid digging up the course.  It was agreed we should, and thus, a 48" (? can't clearly recall) pipe down the center of that fairway, just in case they chose to build high density town homes down both sides some day.  I wonder if it has ever flowed full as a prairie site?  (Note, that is pretty standard practice in development course, only not considered due to the unlikeliness of homes being built in the far corners in two lifetimes.....)

[Daryn_Soldan]

Jeff,

The recent housing numbers are even stronger than before the crash. We saw a slight slow down in 2008/2009 but between the university and Ft. Riley, the Manhattan area was pretty well insulated. I'm guessing that pipe on 16 has never been anywhere close to running full, even with all the area it drains upstream west of the 16th green. Hours after a big rain you can still hear water running under that fairway. Now if there were rooftops down both sided of the hole... let's hope the suburbia fee doesn't creep out to that part of the property any time soon.

Your comments about the other sites further south reminded me of some plans I have hiding in the basement for a course and housing along that ridge line above the river valley. I'll have to dig those out. It's all housing over there now as well.

[Jason Hines]

Jason mentions his club with "shoe care" in the Kansas City suburbs. It should be noted that he was so mad at the shoe guy for leaving one of his laces knotted, that he could barely speak on the first tee of the morning. He birdied despite it.

Gentlemen please, just because I make a few rustic, idealistic and nostalgic comments, doesn't make me a savage...