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General Discussion => Essentially Flyertalk => Topic started by: Johnny Wichita on July 01, 2010, 08:32:25 AM

Title: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Johnny Wichita on July 01, 2010, 08:32:25 AM
Anyone played recently?  How are the fairways?  I have heard they are having some trouble.  Need info please. 

Thanks,

JW
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: get_HIT on July 01, 2010, 08:39:20 AM
Played the par 3 a couple times in the last week, not much fairway on that though....
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: wetwillie on July 01, 2010, 08:57:56 AM
Was there for a wedding last weekend and went out on the front, other than a few small spots in the fairways the course looks great.   
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: 'taterblast on July 01, 2010, 10:04:51 AM
course is okay. a couple of the fairways are sub-par (pun intended), especially #15 comes to mind (they moved up the tees a couple weeks ago so the first fairway wasn't even in play), but it doesn't really take away from the round too much. the bunkers are all white sand now and legit.

overall, not the best shape it's ever been in, but it's still colbert hills.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Ghost of Stan Parrish on July 01, 2010, 01:58:00 PM
the bunkers are all white sand now and legit.


Good.  I played there last fall (with another goEMAW poster!) and half of the bunkers seemed to be dirt and rocks dredged from Tuttle Creek.   :flush:

It really cut into my elite golf skills.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: 'taterblast on July 01, 2010, 03:59:47 PM
yeah the bunkers were pretty much crap last summer. but now they're all AEAP (as elite as possible). doesn't matter to me though because i never hit into the sand.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Kat Kid on July 01, 2010, 04:07:53 PM
heard that place is losing money hand over fist.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Johnny Wichita on July 01, 2010, 05:15:18 PM
heard that place is losing money hand over fist.

Kind of why i asked.  They are offering some cheap deal if you bring a group of eight.  There were a bunch of us in the office going to go up but we heard the fairways were pretty bad.  Being a Manhatriot and all, I should probably support them and play even if the fairways are bad. 
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: j rake on July 01, 2010, 05:16:46 PM
Don't act like you hit the fairways.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Johnny Wichita on July 01, 2010, 05:26:22 PM
Don't act like you hit the fairways.

Great rough ridin' point rake.  I should be worried about the condition of the greens. 

Does anyone know the condition of the greens at Colbert?  TIA 
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: kso_FAN on July 01, 2010, 06:13:31 PM
The fairways aren't bad.  There are some dead spots b/c the snow did a number on the zoysia fairways, but Colbert is still in better condition than 95% of the courses in the state.  And with the deals you can get there now, its tough to beat as a golf value if you like playing tougher/nicer courses.

The greens are in great shape.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: j rake on July 02, 2010, 12:24:44 AM
Don't act like you hit the fairways.

Great fracking point rake.  I should be worried about the condition of the greens. 

Does anyone know the condition of the greens at Colbert?  TIA 

Last time I played  there, I had just one three putt.

Greens are great!

 :cheers:
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: waks on July 02, 2010, 01:00:36 AM
heard that place is losing money hand over fist.
Curious... what happens if they go bankrupt? I mean, is there much else you can do with the area other than have the course?
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: jtksu on July 02, 2010, 02:19:52 AM
If it' that bad, some other company would just buy the course.  Several of the Wichita area courses have changed hands recently, with basically no noticable changes to golfers.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Johnny Wichita on July 02, 2010, 10:21:05 AM
The fairways aren't bad.  There are some dead spots b/c the snow did a number on the zoysia fairways, but Colbert is still in better condition than 95% of the courses in the state.  And with the deals you can get there now, its tough to beat as a golf value if you like playing tougher/nicer courses.

The greens are in great shape.

Thanks for the info _FAN. 

I'm in the process of converting my back yard to zoysia.  Pretty excited about it.  About as excited as you can get for changing what kind of grass your yard is. 
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Johnny Wichita on July 02, 2010, 10:22:49 AM
If it' that bad, some other company would just buy the course.  Several of the Wichita area courses have changed hands recently, with basically no noticable changes to golfers.

Which ones?  Echo Hills?  What else? 
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: jtksu on July 02, 2010, 11:14:11 AM
Willowbend.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: DILLIGAF on July 02, 2010, 11:40:09 AM
   New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: kso_FAN on July 02, 2010, 11:49:17 AM
   New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke.

There is a big reason Prairie Dunes is the top course in the state.  I'm sure being private and having a much bigger budget doesn't hurt what they can do compared to Colbert.  Prairie Dunes should be in much better condition and it is.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: jtksu on July 02, 2010, 12:24:52 PM
My folks live on Auburn Hills and you can certainly tell its managed by the city.  It was in great shape for the first few years but it's gradually gone downhill.  Still a very nice munie course but nowhere near what it used to be.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: DILLIGAF on July 02, 2010, 02:12:37 PM
   New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke.

There is a big reason Prairie Dunes is the top course in the state.  I'm sure being private and having a much bigger budget doesn't hurt what they can do compared to Colbert.  Prairie Dunes should be in much better condition and it is.

Not so sure on that _FAN, I worked on the Pd crew for a year, they used two retired guys to mow the rough and fairway surrounds, and 6 of us full-timers for the rest.  I'm guessing, but I presume Colbert has many more available.  The Super at Pd simply knows his hullabaloo and doesn't accept shoddy work or slacking.  We very seldom used chemicals for anything outside of a little iron now and again to green it up.  Again guessing, but I imagine Colbert spends much more in this regard.   May have been attributable to just starting out, or whomever was in charge at that time (if it has changed) but don't believe money was the diff. 

Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: kso_FAN on July 02, 2010, 03:52:08 PM
   New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke.

There is a big reason Prairie Dunes is the top course in the state.  I'm sure being private and having a much bigger budget doesn't hurt what they can do compared to Colbert.  Prairie Dunes should be in much better condition and it is.

Not so sure on that _FAN, I worked on the Pd crew for a year, they used two retired guys to mow the rough and fairway surrounds, and 6 of us full-timers for the rest.  I'm guessing, but I presume Colbert has many more available.  The Super at Pd simply knows his hullabaloo and doesn't accept shoddy work or slacking.  We very seldom used chemicals for anything outside of a little iron now and again to green it up.  Again guessing, but I imagine Colbert spends much more in this regard.   May have been attributable to just starting out, or whomever was in charge at that time (if it has changed) but don't believe money was the diff. 



Fair points.  Just an educated guess on the budgets, but I doubt Praire Dunes is running on a bare bones budget.  It is the best course in the state for a reason.  Would love to play it someday.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: stunz on July 04, 2010, 02:28:56 PM
zoysia is more difficult to keep green (fun fact)
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: 'taterblast on July 14, 2010, 09:40:03 PM
 saw a pretty legit  :katpakhead:  out there recently.  was pretty excited about that. not a knock-off katpak head cover, an exact replica.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: CrushNasty on July 14, 2010, 09:53:46 PM
Not every bunker is all white sand... about half I would guess... Played there Sunday.

The ones that are all white sand are great, but half are rock/ horrible dirt.



Someone that works there said only about 20% revenue was going to course maintenance, which was pretty low (I agree  ;) )
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: kcchiefdav on July 15, 2010, 06:44:07 AM
It probably doesn't help that 80% of Colbert Hills' regulars are the Early Bird Special crowd. They always bring their own drinks and are in bed by 6 PM. It's hard to make money when your customers are in their PJs 3 hours before dark.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Poster formerly known as jthutch on July 15, 2010, 07:28:37 AM
   New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke.

There is a big reason Prairie Dunes is the top course in the state.  I'm sure being private and having a much bigger budget doesn't hurt what they can do compared to Colbert.  Prairie Dunes should be in much better condition and it is.

Not so sure on that _FAN, I worked on the Pd crew for a year, they used two retired guys to mow the rough and fairway surrounds, and 6 of us full-timers for the rest.  I'm guessing, but I presume Colbert has many more available.  The Super at Pd simply knows his hullabaloo and doesn't accept shoddy work or slacking.  We very seldom used chemicals for anything outside of a little iron now and again to green it up.  Again guessing, but I imagine Colbert spends much more in this regard.   May have been attributable to just starting out, or whomever was in charge at that time (if it has changed) but don't believe money was the diff. 


I'm not buying that PD doesn't use much chem.  They have Rye FAirways and they pretty much would have to pour fugicide to it in the summer.  Live in hutch, know the super and this is fact.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: kso_FAN on July 15, 2010, 09:46:08 AM
Not every bunker is all white sand... about half I would guess... Played there Sunday.

The ones that are all white sand are great, but half are rock/ horrible dirt.



Someone that works there said only about 20% revenue was going to course maintenance, which was pretty low (I agree  ;) )

At least you can get relief from the old ones.  

And the good thing is all the funds to pay for the bunkers and the new clubhouse all came from private donations.  

From what I've heard Colbert Hills is doing okay financially.  Biggest issue is trying to get the fairways to recover from winter kill, but most courses around here with warm weather grasses on the fairways (like Custer Hill on Ft Riley) have the same problem.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: DILLIGAF on July 15, 2010, 12:52:57 PM
  New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke.

There is a big reason Prairie Dunes is the top course in the state.  I'm sure being private and having a much bigger budget doesn't hurt what they can do compared to Colbert.  Prairie Dunes should be in much better condition and it is.

Not so sure on that _FAN, I worked on the Pd crew for a year, they used two retired guys to mow the rough and fairway surrounds, and 6 of us full-timers for the rest.  I'm guessing, but I presume Colbert has many more available.  The Super at Pd simply knows his hullabaloo and doesn't accept shoddy work or slacking.  We very seldom used chemicals for anything outside of a little iron now and again to green it up.  Again guessing, but I imagine Colbert spends much more in this regard.   May have been attributable to just starting out, or whomever was in charge at that time (if it has changed) but don't believe money was the diff.  


I'm not buying that PD doesn't use much chem.  They have Rye FAirways and they pretty much would have to pour fugicide to it in the summer.  Live in hutch, know the super and this is fact.

Then it's changed since '00 friend.  The only chem applied for fungus was very limited and only spot applied to very aggressive types, which were seldom ever present.  Never, ever, as you suggest.  Never.   The crew was very aware of what mycelium is and would spot apply on anything over a foot in diameter.   Worst I remember was an area that had attacked half of one tee box, #12, which is small to begin with.  

Hey _FAN, here's your in, this one knows the Super!   :thumbsup:  Though I'm not sure why he didn't mention him by his name, or at least look it up.   
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: mcmwcat on July 15, 2010, 01:31:15 PM
waiting for a Dave Wooderson reply  :users:
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Dave Wooderson on July 15, 2010, 01:56:56 PM
Played it a couple hundred times and there isn't a better layout in Kansas.  Bunkers had an original flaw in the type of sand they used.  With all the rain and wind, couldn't keep the sand in the bunkers.  With the new heavy white sand they should stay in good condition for many years to come.  Financially they are doing fine considering the economy and the fact that Colbert Hills is a destination course.  I tell you if I still lived in Manhattan I would be a member there.  The yearly membership price is outrageously good.

As for "(k)New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke."

I would take the staff and experience of the management along with the resources from the university and state these guys were 1)  In college and I'm sure they knew everything.  2) Pompass ass duche bags.  3)  Not willing to learn new knowlegde and techniques.  4)  Not willing to think outside the box.  5)  Dumbass full of themselves morons who took a couple classes in college and thought they were hot crap.

I'll stick with the guys who had been there and did that over and over and over as opposed to a couple stuck on themselves college kids.


Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Bill Clarahan on July 15, 2010, 02:21:15 PM
heard that place is losing money hand over fist.

Kind of why i asked.  They are offering some cheap deal if you bring a group of eight.  There were a bunch of us in the office going to go up but we heard the fairways were pretty bad.  Being a Manhatriot and all, I should probably support them and play even if the fairways are bad. 

Johnny, save the gas money and take the boys out to Suppesville, green fees are $5 and the golfing experience there is, well, like no other :cheers:
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: pissclams on July 15, 2010, 03:05:35 PM
Played it a couple hundred times and there isn't a better layout in Kansas.  Bunkers had an original flaw in the type of sand they used.  With all the rain and wind, couldn't keep the sand in the bunkers.  With the new heavy white sand they should stay in good condition for many years to come.  Financially they are doing fine considering the economy and the fact that Colbert Hills is a destination course.  I tell you if I still lived in Manhattan I would be a member there.  The yearly membership price is outrageously good.

As for "(k)New a number of guys who worked the turf crew at Prairie Dunes who went up to get their degree at KSU and hired on at Colbert, they all to a man came back to PDunes for their summer work because the way they took care of (was around '01) Colbert was a joke."

I would take the staff and experience of the management along with the resources from the university and state these guys were 1)  In college and I'm sure they knew everything.  2) Pompass ass duche bags.  3)  Not willing to learn new knowlegde and techniques.  4)  Not willing to think outside the box.  5)  Dumbass full of themselves morons who took a couple classes in college and thought they were hot crap.

I'll stick with the guys who had been there and did that over and over and over as opposed to a couple stuck on themselves college kids.



hey wooderson, 1-5 in your list- they're all the same :lol:
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: mcmwcat on July 15, 2010, 03:08:30 PM
hey wooderson, 1-5 in your list- they're all the same :lol:

1) location, 2) location 3) location

or as DW puts it

1) they were douchebags, 2) they were douchnozzles 3) they were douchejuices
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: pissclams on July 15, 2010, 03:09:32 PM
hey wooderson, 1-5 in your list- they're all the same :lol:

1) location, 2) location 3) location

or as DW puts it

1) they were douchebags, 2) they were douchnozzles 3) they were douchejuices
i think maybe me and him need to have a post off.  a real post off.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: krazykat on July 15, 2010, 04:57:06 PM
Johnny, save the gas money and take the boys out to Suppesville, green fees are $5 and the golfing experience there is, well, like no other :cheers:

true story. bachelor party out there last weekend, drink girls got topless and stripped down to thongs just for tips.
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: Bill Clarahan on July 15, 2010, 06:24:12 PM
Johnny, save the gas money and take the boys out to Suppesville, green fees are $5 and the golfing experience there is, well, like no other :cheers:

true story. bachelor party out there last weekend, drink girls got topless and stripped down to thongs just for tips.

That's what we call your" standard weekend" in the boondocks
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: DILLIGAF on July 16, 2010, 02:23:45 PM


I would take the staff and experience of the management along with the resources from the university and state these guys were 1)  In college and I'm sure they knew everything.  2) Pompass ass duche bags.  3)  Not willing to learn new knowlegde and techniques.  4)  Not willing to think outside the box.  5)  Dumbass full of themselves morons who took a couple classes in college and thought they were hot crap.

I'll stick with the guys who had been there and did that over and over and over as opposed to a couple stuck on themselves college kids.




Yup, I'd say it was those guys who had superiority issues not you.  Say, can I get some lotto #'s for this weeks powerball P & T. 
Title: Re: Colbert Hills?
Post by: kso_FAN on July 21, 2012, 12:18:37 PM
Finally have a legit comparison after playing Prairie Dunes yesterday. Colbert is in good shape (at least it was a month ago when I played, there has been a lot of heat since then), but Prairie Dunes is at a different level. Again, I'm not saying Colbert is bad, but PD is at a different level. It was a great golf experience to play there.