Golf in Overland Park

Lush greenery, stone-trimmed ponds, and sun-soaked bridges give the 18-hole Championship course its storybook beauty. Designed by notable local architect Don Sechrest, Adams Pointe features challenging elevation variation, scenic holes, and a front nine that includes one of the toughest par threes in the Kansas City area, according to Tee Times Golf Guide. A GPS cart preserves golfers' precious energy reserves as they play through the course's 18 holes (up to a $49 value). Hone skills until they're sharper than the scythe that shreds children's dreams, and knock off a small bag of balls (30–40 per bag, $5 value) on the acclaimed driving range. After the game, celebrate with a liquid of choice: domestic beer, bottled water, or a pop ($3 value).

Deer Creek Golf Club’s experienced staff, plush facilities, and picturesque championship course create an enjoyably mummy-free outdoor experience for golfers of any handicap. After calling to reserve a tee time, ball-banging golf-cart gurus can wreak polite and well-dressed havoc while carefully soft-spiking across all 18 of Deer Creek Golf Club’s holes, which have been designed to test the skills of experienced club-wielders while still giving beginners an exciting, accessible playing field. An included cart rental lets you easily navigate the course’s 6,811 yards of beautiful rolling hillocks, winding waterways, and tree-friendly areas while providing a means of escape from herds of disgruntled deer statues.

Both awarded a Four Star rating by Golf Digest, the Outlaw and Posse courses at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex hug the jagged waterline of Smithville Lake, jutting out onto peninsulas to incorporate picturesque coves. Sculpted into the landscape in 1982, the original Posse course leads golfers over rolling bluegrass fairways that present multiple opportunities for golfers to appreciate the lake's grandeur and make bets with willing waterfowl. The Outlaw course, characterized by zoysia fairways, large greens, and ample opportunities to bask in the maritime surroundings, was added 12 years later. Wind makes for a formidable foe on both courses, placing a premium on proper club selection and choice of ball flight.

Posse Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,768 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.8 from the back tees
• Course slopes of 125 from the back tees

Outlaw Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 7,016 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 74.3 from the back tees
• Course slope of 138 from the back tees

The acoustic whoosh of swooping golf clubs welcomes players to Peculiar Golf & Learning Center, where a stable of 16 driving range stalls fosters flusher drives and straighter approaches for players of all abilities. The range features both natural grass and artificial turf hitting surfaces, and clubbers can take aim at distant targets or windswept parade floats from covered or open-air hitting bays, all of which are illuminated by towering lights for late-night practice. A staff of resident aces presides over lessons conducted at the Center, where they help correct swing imbalances and illiterate clubs at the Center's practice green or sand bunker. A fully-stocked pro shop rounds out the Center's deep reservoir of golf resources with an array of clubs, bags, apparel, and other golf gear from brands such as Ping, Callaway, Nike, and TaylorMade.

Dynamic golf duo Robin and Mark Nigro help golfers develop optimal swings at Robin Nigro Golf Academy's full driving range, pro shop, and academy. The pair first joined forces when Mark began teaching golf to Robin, then 23, who thrived under Mark's deft training and, in two short years, ascended the ranks from late-starting beginner to a competitor on the Futures Mini Tour. Recognizing their undeniable chemistry, the two joined forces and now foster successful golf skills with lessons tailored to golfers of all stripes, often enlisting technological teaching aids to enhance their swing diagnoses and placate the club's supercomputer overlord.

Those looking for solo practice sessions can take to the outdoor driving range, where clubbers launch balls off of astroturf hitting mats out into a zoysia-grass valley peppered with multiple target areas. With covered, heated hitting bays, the range lets pin hunters work on their power draw or high fade while safely protected from rainstorms or predatory hot air balloons.