I spent a couple days in Kansas for the Fourth of July holiday. The main course I wanted to play was Sand Creek Station Golf Course, which I ended up playing on Tuesday. That turned out to be a great place, so skip ahead to read that review. Since I was spending the gas money I decided to mix in some other courses along the way. Overall, I was very pleased with the way the golf turned out.

I left the Dallas area early on Sunday bound for Wichita and my first stop was at Quail Ridge Golf Course. The straightest shot from Dallas to Wichita is along I-35. However, I took a detour to the east through Arkansas City to Winfield, where you’ll find Quail Ridge. Winfield is only a town of about 12,000 people so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the golf course. Thankfully, it wasn’t a waste of time.

Quail Ridge is out in the country and had a relaxed, friendly vibe about it. The course is located in a housing development that is surrounded by farmland. It wasn’t very busy during my round and I wonder if that is normally the case. I cannot imagine that golf is all that popular around here. Anyway, I thought Quail Ridge was a great course – the locals are lucky to have it around.

The course is a Jerry Slack design that opened in 1992 and has a little bit of everything. The course has some elevation change, a creek that comes into play, and some water. There is a mix of prairie and wooded holes with a couple narrow chutes to fire though on the back nine. Also, it was challenging without being overly difficult.

The thing I liked the most about Quail Ridge was its visual appeal. I know, the Kansas landscape isn’t exactly inspiring, but there are plenty of holes that are framed by tall grass and trees. A property owner adjacent to the course has a small windmill that is visible from the par-3 7th. The homes are set back from play. I thought the course was scenic and peaceful.

I played the blue tees which are 73.6/132/6826. The front nine is easier than the back nine so try to take advantage of the front. The front is actually a couple of yards longer than the back, but it is more open and doesn’t have as much trouble. The par-4 6th (415 yards) is the #1 handicap and needs to be played carefully. The drive needs to avoid water to the right and tall grass to the left.

The back nine requires more straight tee shots and includes two very difficult par-3’s. The 13th, 204 yards, and the 16th, 183 yards, both have trees close to the tees – those trees significantly narrow the holes. I was very happy to get both of my tee shots through the small gaps. I even made a par on the 13th!

Another reason I liked Quail Ridge so much was because of its conditioning. The cost was $50 on a weekend morning to ride and for that price I don’t think you can beat it. The tees and fairways are zoysia which always seem to sparkle in the sunlight. The only blemish were some weeds growing in the blue tee boxes. The greens are bentgrass, which looked great but rolled slower than they looked.

If you ever find yourself driving between Dallas and Wichita and are looking to play, then I’d definitely recommend Quail Ridge. The course won’t wow you, but it is a quality course in an area where you wouldn’t expect to find one.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):