Golf in Kansas
Overview
Find places
This page explains golf in Kansas. The sorter handles the local question by city or ZIP.
Golf in Kansas
Kansas cities operate several public golf courses, and Johnson County Park and Recreation District offers senior walking rates starting around $26 for 18 holes on weekdays at Heritage Park Golf Links. Wichita Parks and Recreation runs five municipal courses with cart and green-fee options for all budgets.
Where to go
Golf score
31st of 51 states for retirement golf
Golf score blends year-round playability (34%), playable access (16%), affordability (16%), course pedigree (12%), and statewide course density (22%).
Courses
A sample of marquee courses across Kansas, with where to play and how to book.
Sandhills links with native dunes, yucca, and cottonwoods · Perry Maxwell and Press Maxwell
This Hutchinson links is one of the country's most celebrated courses, set among rolling sandhills and prairie. It is a private club, so you will need a member or a guest invitation to play.
Opened 1937 · $$$$ · Slope 139
Rolling Flint Hills prairie with native tallgrass and big views · Jeff Brauer and Jim Colbert
The home course of Kansas State sits in the Flint Hills above Manhattan, with sweeping prairie views. It plays long and strategic, and anyone can book a tee time.
Opened 2000 · $$$ · Slope 152
Native grasses and wetlands across rolling prairie north of Topeka · Notah Begay III and Jeff Brauer
Just north of Topeka by the Prairie Band Casino, this is Notah Begay III's first signature design. The native grasses and wide prairie make it a memorable round.
Opened 2011 · $$$ · Slope 137
Railroad theme with holes bordering Sand Creek · Jeff Brauer
A railroad-themed layout in Newton that once hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links. Walking is welcome most of the week, and the rates stay reasonable.
Opened 2006 · $$ · Slope 136
Open links front nine, wooded back nine carved from timber · Jim Colbert and Baxter Spann
One of the Kansas City area's premier public courses, in Spring Hill, with bentgrass throughout. The open front and wooded back give you two distinct nines.
Opened 2000 · $$$ · Slope 150
Scenic holes along the Kansas River near Lawrence · Jeff Brauer
Lawrence's friendly city course sits along the Kansas River, with walking allowed every day. Weekday rates stay easy on the wallet for an 18-hole round.
Opened 1998 · $ · Slope 124
Sandy, rolling western Kansas terrain that walks well · Frank Hummel
Often called the best municipal course in Kansas, this Garden City layout is a genuine pleasure to walk. The value here is hard to beat anywhere in the state.
Opened 1976 · $ · Slope 124
We've mapped 13 courses across Kansas so far.
What Kansas costs
Cost of living
90
BEA index, U.S. = 100
State income tax
~4.5% state income-tax planning rate
Social Security
Not taxed
How people start
Most metros list city-run courses with published fee schedules. Those set the affordable floor before any private club enters the picture.
Many courses post a reduced weekday senior rate and a season pass. The difference between pay-per-round and a pass is the number that usually drives the yearly cost.
In warm states the season runs most of the year; in cold ones it is a few months. The yearly cost is rounds-per-year times rate, plus cart and equipment.
Towns in Kansas
Wichita Park and Recreation operates multiple public courses under the Golf Wichita umbrella including L.W. Clapp, Sim Park, and MacDonald Golf Course; the city golf system offers senior membership passes and affordable per-round rates published at wichita.gov.
Golf Course Rates, City of WichitaCommon questions
Kansas cities operate several public golf courses, and Johnson County Park and Recreation District offers senior walking rates starting around $26 for 18 holes on weekdays at Heritage Park Golf Links. Wichita Parks and Recreation runs five municipal courses with cart and green-fee options for all budgets. Towns like Wichita have their own local options.
Kansas has a cost-of-living index near 90 (U.S. = 100), about a 4.5% state income-tax planning rate, and does not tax Social Security. The full state guide breaks down property tax, sales tax, and long-term-care costs, each sourced.
Sources
The life your money is for