Golf in Wichita

The executive layout at Sierra Hills Golf Club‎ presents a par 58 course that covers 3,100 yards and features 4 par 4s and 14 par 3s. The terrain careens across gently undulating bluegrass and past six water features, including a crescent-shaped pond that wraps itself nearly all the way around one of the greens, forming a moat to prevent local mini-golf courses from setting up windmill colonies. The 18th hole offers a dramatic end to the round, as golfers must send approach shots soaring over a water hazard stationed directly in front of the green. Sierra Hills Golf Club‎ complements its pared-down layout with a full-length, 35-stall, natural-grass driving range, where guests can drive or bicycle-kick practice balls up to 300 yards into the distance.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 58 course designed by Leo Johnson
• Course rating of 70
• Slope rating of 113
• Three sets of tees

A nine-hole course ideal for a leisurely midday game or early morning jaunt, Clearwater Golf Course unfolds across level terrain unencumbered by an overabundance of sand bunkers and water hazards. Hurtling orbs sail into the sky at an onsite driving range, where players can hone swings in anticipation of holes four, five, and nine, numbers which not only signify Clearwater’s toughest obstacles, but also the toughest questions on the drivers-ed exam for a golf cart.

Vibrant hardwoods envelop the lush fairways of Fox Ridge Golf Club's nine-hole course as they stretch across 3,174 yards of scenic, secluded terrain. The horticultural haven encircles a central stream, which comes into play on four holes and houses a sophisticated underwater civilization that uses golf balls as currency. Rounds end in dramatic fashion at the ninth hole—a 498-yard par 5 that doglegs slightly left and contains the widest segment of the intervening river, forcing spiky-shoed adventurers to make cerebral course-management decisions. Head golf pro Mike Riffel guides greenhorns on their path to green jackets with a variety of golf lessons. The Club keeps tour-level hunger at bay with Fox Ridge Restaurant, which serves an eclectic menu including steaks, burgers, pastas, sandwiches, and salads that can be made to order and foraged entirely from recovered divots.

Since its opening in 1973, Suppesville Golf Course's nine-hole spread has enveloped golfers in a pleasant cocoon of low stress through rolling countryside. The design team of Joyce Hamm and Stanley Suppes wove strips of bermuda-grass fairway among its trees and pastures, leaving water in play on seven of the holes. Once on the small bentgrass putting surfaces, golfers must face down circuitous putting lines that, like Shakespearean sonnets scrawled into sand bunkers, are difficult to read.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 36 course
• Total length of 2,783 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 65.6 from the back tees
• Course slope of 102 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole :m]]