Claycrest Golf Course: Accept the Challenge

At Claycrest Golf Course in Liberty, the course record sits at 65. The number sounds beatable – only 7-under for the par-72 course – but even golf pro Bill Skolaut hasn’t reached that mark, and he’s been at Claycrest since 1977. “It’s a lot harder than most players think,” Skolaut said. “Believe it or not, there’s not a lot of low scores shot out here. I don’t know if it’s the size of the greens and how they are set up, or the way the course rolls, or if it’s just hard to gauge the distances out here.” Whatever the case, even with 15 to 20 college teams competing in spring tournaments, seldom do they even break par. It may be the wind. Or the water. Or, it may just be sneaky hard, as Skolaut calls it.

Claycrest plays about 6,500 yards from the back tees, has water and sand, long gradual hills, and plays differently on each nine. “The front side’s a little more wooded, and the back side’s a little more links style,” Skolaut said. But this doesn’t sound like “sneaky hard course.” Maybe the five or six blind shots (depending on your drives), combined with some tough-to-read greens, create a course that looks like one to ink your best score, while in truth it may challenge you to scramble to reach your handicap.

“It’s not real fancy, with waterfalls and railroad-tie lined bunkers,” Skolaut said, “but nothing’s washed out, the fairways are filled in nicely, the greens are in good shape.” It’s a nice, affordable place to play. For the green fee, you can play as many holes as you want. In the spring, many golfers from Iowa and Minnesota drive down to play Claycrest as much as they can in a weekend. Some days, that means 36 to 54 holes of golf for some of these northerners. For $42 a day with a cart, that works out to $.78 a hole for some of those weekend golfers. Not a bad deal. “We keep the price down and keep the course in good shape,” Skolaut said.

The way the course is set up, it has a fast pace of play. You’ll probably play a round in 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. “We don’t let the rough get too penal, there is a good definition between the fairways, and the fairways are maintained at a good height. We try to keep play moving,” Skolaut said. But it’s still sneaky hard. “We don’t have five-hour rounds,” he said. “I mean, yes, if it’s a nice day, and the whole world decides to play here, you can only go around so fast.” But overall, you won’t spend your whole day out here, unless you want to.

The course is owned and run by William Jewell College. Skolaut has coached the Cardinal men’s golf team for 14 years. Claycrest has been home to both William Jewell’s men’s and women’s golf team since 1990, when the college took over. “William Jewell has managed the course very well,” Skolaut said. “They’ve been able to use some resources and do some nice things out here.”

Skolaut’s attitude at Claycrest supports junior golf. Several high school teams play here to hone their skills. “We try to offer as much as we can to all the high school groups,” Skolaut said. But Claycrest goes beyond high school-aged golfers to help juniors, too. The course offers one of the most successful junior golf summer programs in the KC area. Last year they taught swing fundamentals, course etiquette, USGA rules and short game and putting techniques to 150 kids ages five to 16. The eight-week program (once a week on Fridays starting in June) gets the kids on the range and on the course.

Skolaut works with the kids, with the help of staff and volunteers, to encourage them and help them learn the game. For the $75 fee, the kids can hit as many golf balls as they want, and they get to play the course at no charge. They have to walk the course, but they have to walk in high school anyway, so it’s getting them back to the game the way it started. “It gives the 8th- and 9th-grade players a feel for what competition will be like,” Skolaut said.

Affordability, and the challenge of a course in good condition, create a winning combination at Claycrest. For your chance to break the course record, look them up at www.claycrestgolf.com, or call (816) 781-6522.

Paradise Pointe Golf Course : Choices

On moonless nights, the ghost of Jesse James may roam both courses – The Posse and The Outlaw – at Paradise Pointe in Smithville. It’s not certain, but what we do know is that if he does, he should slow down and play all 36 holes, like some of the golfers who play out here do. And he needs to keep his horse on the cart path.

Jesse James was born and grew up in Clay County, near Kearney, about 20 miles east of Paradise Pointe. You may have heard that Jesse James fought in the Civil War and held up a few banks and trains here and there. In the end, Robert Ford murdered him in his home in neighboring St. Joseph, and his family buried him back at the James family home in Kearney. So, with that sort of history hanging around, Paradise Pointe named both courses here based on his legend and connection to the area.

THE POSSE

Clay County built The Posse – the original 18-hole, par-72 course – in 1982. This picturesque course winds around Smithville Lake, with more of the lake on the front nine, but ponds and mature trees throughout the back. The course plays long, more than 7,000 yards from the Championship tees, and will test your shot-making skills.

The par-4, 2nd hole looks easy enough, but keep right or you’ll end up in a hidden water hazard. Then, to beat the hardest hole of the course, you’ll be hitting downhill into a normally prevailing wind. Hole 18, the par-5 signature hole, features a 30-year-old cottonwood tree in the middle of the bluegrass fairway, so you need to pick a side. And according to Jesse James, the green is nearly impossible to reach in two.

THE OUTLAW

Craig Schreiner designed The Outlaw in 1994 as a links-style course with zoysia. Once you head out, you don’t come back to the clubhouse until the 18th hole, and while you’re out, you will battle the rolling hills, and especially the wind. “The Outlaw is a little more generous in the fairways, but the wind out here makes it very challenging,” Eddie Hall, the Paradise Pointe General Manager, said. “It’s always blowing here off the lake.”

The green on the par-3, 258-yard 10th is surrounded by the lake on three sides. Even if you’re playing from the middle tees at 165 yards, you may need a saddlebag of Titleists to get you through. According to legend, this hole may be the toughest par-3 in Kansas City.

Once you reach the 17th, take a break and enjoy the scenery from the highest point on the course, and one of the highest spots around the entire man-made lake. When you decide to hit, watch out, because this par-5 again has trees in the fairway to avoid, making reaching the green in two a difficult task.

Since the Army Corps of Engineers owns the land for the entire complex, both The Outlaw and The Posse will never have homes or any other encroachments to distract from the beauty out here. And with bountiful wildlife, you’ll probably see turkey, deer, and maybe even a bobcat. “You’d probably be surprised if you didn’t see the deer running across the fairway,” Hall said.

THE ACADEMY GOLF COURSE

Besides two different, quality courses, Paradise Pointe offers their Academy Golf Course, as well. This four-hole course used to be a part of the original Posse course before they did some course renovation and hole additions.
Most veteran players tune-up on this course, while beginners get to play the two par-5s, the par-4, and the par-3 holes twice for the greens fee.

“We believe in junior golf,” Hall said. “We have a great junior rate, and we encourage juniors to play.” With a facility like the Academy, it’s easy to encourage kids and beginners of all ages. You can learn the game, take some swings, learn the etiquette, and not feel like you’re in the way of more experienced golfers.

“I don’t want the juniors and the beginners to be driven off because they are in someone else’s way,” Hall said.

In June, Paradise Pointe offers a Junior Academy to inspire the younger players. For one day a week, for six consecutive weeks, juniors spend an hour practicing, then an hour on the Academy Golf Course. For $60, call and sign up early if you’re interested.

PACE OF PLAY

One thing they take pride in at Paradise Pointe is pace of play. They’ve set up both The Outlaw and Posse for quick-paced rounds.
“We have a 4 1⁄2 hour pace of play, and people like to come out here and know they’re not going to spend the whole day,” Hall said.
How do they do it? By understanding their tee times. The Posse has nine-minute intervals, while the Outlaw adds an extra minute.
“We’ve done our homework. We know by history, by tracking times, that these intervals work for us,” Hall said. They tried nine-minute tee times on the Outlaw before but found golfers got backed up at the par-3 3rd. Also, with 36 holes available, players have the option of choosing the less-crowded course if they’re in a hurry.

GOLF SHOP

For 10 years running, the golf shop at Paradise Pointe has been selected as one of the “Top 100 Golf Shops in the Country” by Golf Digest. They have a great selection, but customer service sets them apart from the competition. John Marquardt, the Director of Golf, has been selected for “Merchandiser of the Year” 56 times. That tells you something.

The big draw is custom club fitting for free, as long as you buy your clubs in the store. Gone are the days of buying off the rack. Now you can have your clubs fit to your body and swing, and at no extra charge. And it doesn’t matter your golf experience, age, or gender – the staff up here can fit anyone. “Every aspect of the game can be fit,” Hall said, “and every stage of the golfer should be fit.” They will get you fit with a complete new set, from your driver to your putter. “We’ll custom fit you, but then you get the fun part. You get to try out all of the different clubs,” Hall said. The nice thing about getting fit at Paradise Pointe, you get to hit all of the clubs on the driving range. They believe in watching the flight pattern of the ball.

If you come out on Saturday, May 3, all of the club manufacturers will be out here, so you can “hit and be fit that day.” Demo Day usually brings out hundreds of people to test equipment. Who knows? You may even spy Jesse James on the practice green.

For more information, call the pro shop at 816-532-4100, or visit their website:
www.paradisepointegolf.com.