Courses to Play in 2024 ►
Excelsior Springs
Golf Course
Where Golfers Have Tee ’ d It Up for 109 Years
by Bill Cromwell
For over 100 years , hundreds of thousands have flocked to the historic Elms Hotel and Spa in Excelsior Springs to soak in the town ’ s famed mineral waters . But for 109 years , golfers throughout Clay and Ray counties and northwest Missouri have been soaking in the golfing experience at Excelsior Springs Golf Course . Now it ’ s time for the rest of us to soak it in too .
Excelsior Springs Golf Course opened in 1915 , making it one of the oldest courses west of the Mississippi River . This par-72 layout was designed by the legendary Tom Bendelow , “ The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf .” Bendelow not only designed some of the most famous golf courses ( Medinah , East Lake , and Olympia Fields ), but he also put his stamp on golf across Missouri and Kansas , creating the layouts at , among others , Mission Hills Country Club and Leavenworth Golf Club .
While the course is old , the clubhouse is new — and old . Opening its doors in March 2019 , the City of Excelsior Springs spent $ 1.5 million on the new clubhouse featuring a pro shop , men ’ s and women ’ s locker rooms , a full-service restaurant named Golf Hill Grille — and a historic log cabin ! Yes , you heard it ; there ’ s a log cabin inside the clubhouse . The clubhouse was built to house one of the oldest historic structures in Clay or Ray counties , the 1825 O ’ Dell Log Cabin . It is a registered historic landmark , and the clubhouse design and architecture were developed to feature it . It ’ s like a museum inside the clubhouse .
There is also a beautiful outdoor pavilion available for tournaments and private events .
Excelsior Springs Golf Course plays anywhere from 4,700 to 6,500 yards and is in excellent shape . And Excelsior Springs might have the smoothest cart paths in the area . Funded by a 2019 city capital improvement project , the cart paths were converted from asphalt to concrete .
Off the path , golfers will discover a surprising number of elevation changes at Excelsior Springs — especially on the back nine . The par- 5 , 15th is affectionately known as “ Cardiac Hill .” It ’ s a relatively short par 5 , but straight uphill all the way to the green . It ’ s a challenging walk , hence the name . Plus , there ’ s trouble left , right , and behind the green for those wayward shots .
▲ The clubhouse at Excelsior Springs encapsulates a very unique feature ― the historic 1825 O ’ Dell Log Cabin .
History , again , plays into the “ elevation equation .” Bendelow ( the course designer ) was a naturalist , and given the era when the course was developed , there were no big machines to move dirt , so it very much follows the natural lay of the land . You ’ ll get very few flat lies , and the elevation changes , along with smaller greens than those found at newer courses , make the course much more difficult than the yardage would lead you to believe .
One thing you won ’ t find at Excelsior Springs — sand — there has never been a bunker on the course , which is unusual and unique . However , what you will find on three of the holes are greenside “ mounds ” of native grass , which are as challenging to hit from as any sand bunker .
20 April 2024 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE