Fred Arbanas Golf Course
Feature Course
Fred Arbanas Golf Course
Make Your Day Here!
by John Baccala
Hole 8— Par 4, 388 yards, is considered a second signature hole. Teeing off from an elevated tee to a steep downhill fairway, the outof-bounds fence to the right and water down the left all the way to the green creates a bit of intimidation. Tee shots will roll toward the water, so favor the right side.( Photo by Bill Cromwell)
Owned by Jackson County Parks and Recreation, Fred Arbanas Golf Course at Longview Lake comes with the tagline“ Make Your Day Here.” I can’ t think of a better place to“ make your day” than on this beautiful southeast Jackson County course.
The course, featuring a par 72 championship course, a par 3 course, and a fantastic practice facility, is named after the legendary Fred Arbanas, a Kansas City Chiefs Tight End from the 1960s, who was a member of the All-time All-AFL Team. Arbanas not only made an impression on the football field, but the long-time county legislator’ s work across Jackson County also led county leaders to rename the golf course in his honor. It seems fitting— one of pro football’ s alltime greats has his name attached to one of Kansas City’ s golf course greats. Arbanas passed in 2021, but his legacy lives on throughout Jackson County and at the Fred Arbanas Golf Course.
If you haven’ t played Fred Arbanas lately, the first question is,“ Why?” It’ s a beautiful mix of native grassland, rolling terrain, and undulating greens, with occasional scenic views of Longview Lake sprinkled in to enhance your experience. The natural beauty has always been there, but ongoing improvements since the Championship Course opened in 1986 have added more polish to this already shiny gem.
The course was completely renovated in 2009, then in 2021, a greens re-sodding restoration project included A-1 Bentgrass sod from Colorado, along with changes to aeration practices, watering,
16 May 2025 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE and top-dressing techniques, resulting in firmer greens, lusher fairways, and more resilient rough.
The county also converted half of the driving range to Zoysia, providing three-season accessibility by using Bentgrass and mats in the teeing areas during fall and winter. Upgrades were also made to the clubhouse exterior, cart barn, and starter sheds. Plus, the county says,“ More than $ 300,000 was allocated for course maintenance equipment, including fairway mowers, chemical applicators, and bunker care equipment.”
Like most courses, Fred Arbanas has its fair share of fairway and greenside bunkers and water hazards but also includes several holes where native grass areas come into play. These serve several purposes— everything from posing more challenging scenarios for golfers to providing environmental and nature-related habitat for the spectacular array of wildlife around the course and Longview Lake.
Fred Arbanas features four sets of tees— the Blue tees play nearly 7,000 yards, the White tees nearly 6,300 yards, the Gold tees just over 5,800 yards, and the Red tees just a tick over 5,500 yards. Perfect for any golfer’ s skill level. I could easily write about each of the championship course’ s 18 holes, but I’ ll center on two— two of my favorite golf holes in Kansas City.
Stand on the tee box of the par-4, 8th hole( photo above), playing 388 yards from the blue tees, and you’ ll be standing at one of the highest points in eastern Jackson County. Your knees might start