Golf Course at Southwind

There’s a reason for the name at Southwind Country Club. The course was opened in 1980 with one over-riding factor in mind. In southwest Kansas the wind blows from the south often and hard. Taking that into account, the course was laid out in the rolling sand hills south of Garden City to take advantage of that. It worked!

First-time players to the course are amazed at how demanding it is, especially if the wind is blowing. At first glance, people think the 6,921-yard course will be easy because of the obvious lack of trees along the fairway.

What they don’t know, until they’ve toured the beautiful 18-hole layout, is that the rough is so thick an errant shot means almost certain disaster. But, the fairways are unusually wide and the course can be tamed.

Southwind has become a favorite among touring golf professionals. Every year it is one of the two sites for the Southwest Kansas Pro-Am golf tournament, which is one of the largest professional events in Kansas with a purse exceeding $80,000.00. (The other site of the Pro-Am is Buffalo Dunes.)

Both tour veterans and newcomers flock to the course each year to chase that purse and always swear to return. What they find is a course that requires a firm grasp of golfing fundamentals. The course has plenty of water and sand hazards. The aforementioned rough – known locally as the “gunge” – consists of a little bit of every natural growing plant along with bent grass that has crept over from the fairways. It can be menacing.

Talk to the locals and they’ll quickly point out that the back nine is the toughest. Specifically the 14th, 15h, and 17th holes are considered to be the most demanding on the course.

Southwind remains a constant destination course for the Kansas Golf Association and Kansas Junior Golf Association. The club hosts KGA events each year, and its premiere event the Kansas Amateur every 6- 7 years.

Par: 71
Length:

• Back tees: 6,935

 

• Middle tees: 6,332

 

• Ladies’ tees: 5,392

 

Course rating / slope

• Back tees: 74.4/136

 

• Middle tees: 72.0 / 130

 

• Ladies’ tees: 72.9 / 129

 

Hole Breakdown:

• Par 3s: 5

 

• Par 4s: 9

 

• Par 5s: 4

 

Rules:

USGA rules govern play

White stakes: out-of-bounds
Yellow stakes: water hazard
Red stakes: lateral water hazard
Course specifics:

Greens:

•  bent grass

Fairways:

•  bent grass

 

Practice areas: driving range, putting green and sand trap
Irrigation: covers entire course, underground
Reciprocate with other private clubs:

620-275-4080