Tomahawk has some of the most reasonable green fees in town, with discounts for seniors and juniors.
Lispi, who became the pro at Tomahawk 25 years ago, offers lessons by appointment on all aspects of the game. There is an 8,000-square-foot putting green. The new range has zoysia grass tees and modern mats for winter and wet conditions. More recently, the course moved the old practice area from near the first hole to near the tenth hole.
Heritage opened in 1990.Ī few years ago, the county replaced Tomahawk’s aging, leaky old clubhouse with a modern facility that has a banquet room, lounge, dining area and large wrap-around front porch that overlooks the 9th and 18th greens and practice area. Tomahawk is owned by Johnson County Department of Parks and Recreation, which also owns Heritage Park Golf Course in Olathe. People who have played the course for a long time will remember rickety steel trams that would transport players up to the two tees. While not easy, Tomahawk can be walked, thanks in part to marshals who provide rides up to the 4th and 12th tees from the flat ground below. There are six par 3s on the course that account for the par 70 layout. A long and well-placed tee shot right over the trees can leave the ball just a short pitch to the green, even though the hole plays 400 yards. The 17th is a memorable, sharp dogleg right. The best birdie opportunities may come on three par 4s that range from 265 to 310 yards. Local knowledge plays a big part on where to aim the ball on sometimes blind shots on both holes. Tomahawk has another par 5 on the front and then, unusually, back-to-back par 5s on the back that are each over 530 yards from the white tees. A par there is a great start for most players. It is the longest hole on the course at 540 yards from the white tee. The course opens with a par 5, straight and flat, but with a creek running down the entire right side. On most of the greens, the best place to miss it is short.” There are a lot of trees and you have to hit it straight. “This is totally different than any other course in Kansas City,” Lispi said. The course is short at 6,000 yards, but demands careful layups. Holes 1, 2, 3, 10 and 11 at Tomahawk are played throughout the lower area of the landscape that the course occupies, while all the other tees are in the high country. Anybody who has played Tomahawk even once will probably remember the course for the dramatic 9th and 18th holes. Both can be considered signature holes because the tees sit high above the greens, giving tee shots a lot of hang time and a distance difficult to gauge for newcomers.
Tomahawk is one of the few regulation courses anywhere to have par 3s on both the 9th and 18th holes. The highest point, up on the 7th tee, offers sweeping views not only of the course but the surrounding area. “It’s a pretty course and most holes are kind of individual – only a couple of them border each other.”įall is an especially picturesque time to play Tomahawk.
“You are going to see a lot of wildlife out here, including deer and turkeys,” said Jay Lispi, head professional at Tomahawk. There is not a single house on the golf course. The course puts a premium on landing in the right spot or risking a bounce into the woods.īut there are many rewards to playing the grand-daddy of Kansas City golf courses.įor one thing, few courses inside the metro area can match Tomahawk’s back-to-nature feel. Greens tend to be small, turtle-backed, and unforgiving. Fairways are sometimes flat, sometimes tilted. Tomahawk is a course that has to be played on its own terms. The course was first established in 1910 as Elm Ridge Golf & Country Club. Tomahawk, the oldest golf course in Kansas City, was carved through the woods, over streams and into hillsides without today’s modern equipment and sophisticated design methods. To discover what golf courses were like over a century ago, tee it up at Tomahawk Hills Golf Club in Shawnee.