Colbert Hills - Par-3

I was personally not as impressed with Colbert Hills as some people make it out to be. They obviously went for the high wow factor with all of their steep downhill holes. Kind of hard not to have a lot of elevation changes on that property. But the layout is almost only big drop tee shots to firm fairways, in Kansas wind conditions. Unless you’re a golfer who can control his ball perfectly, big downhill holes like these...especially in windy conditions...only leads to a lot of ball searching and head scratching. Would have been nice to see a few more uphill holes and ridge top holes. Furthermore, there were a couple holes that they didn’t seem to take notice on how the fairways were sloped, these being holes 1 and 9. I hit a bullet 2 iron down the extreme right side of 1 and may ball hardly stayed in the left side of the fairway. Same thing happens on hole 9. Both fairways were fairly narrow for this course and it seemed they neglected to level them out a little.

During the time of my round, the COVID-19 events were going on, so maybe that meant maintenance could not be as diligent on the course. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that the course conditions are normally a little better. When I played, many bunkers were unraked and growing lots of grass inside them. The greens were fairly slow, and many had been scalped from some mowing attempts to widen them I guess. The fairways had a lot of stressed or dead spots. Some of the tee boxes had tail weeds on them.

You just don’t expect that from a course as well spoken of as Colbert Hills. Again, maybe it was due to the times.

All that being said, still some positives that make this course worth playing. The green settings are generally in really nice spots and have some interesting features. A few holes of note that I particularly liked were the par 4 third, a really pretty hole with a good approach over a creek to a well bunkered and shaped green. The par 4 6th is a rare uphill hole that has a well bunkered and situated green. The par 5 tenth is a pretty hole and provides some good thought provoking. Then the best holes in my opinion are the par 4 15th and par 5 16th. That’s a really good duo of holes that fit seamlessly into the land they occupy.

Overall, I’m happy I got to experience this golf course, and I would suggest you to play it if you’re in the area. However, due to the nature of the layout, and the conditions of the course (at this time) I would not call it the best public golf course in Kansas.

Four of us traveled from Nebraska to play this course on a beautiful Saturday afternoon during a K-State home football game, so the course was not very busy. Our 2 o’clock tee time gave us a $45 rate versus the normal $75 weekend fee, and included carts equipped with bucket seats, club and ball cleaner and GPS. Truly outstanding rates for the quality of this course! We are all average golfers with handicaps ranging from 8 to 18, so we opted for the middle (purple) teeing area. The far back (black) tees here play to over 7,500 yards!

The course layout here is very nice, presenting risk reward challenges from many tees and fairway locations. Most holes had several strategically placed fairway and green side bunkers, and the sand was like powder and wonderful to play. The zoysia grass tee boxes and fairways were in exceptional condition, and the ball sat up nicely when we were fortunate enough to keep it in the fairway! You don’t want to miss the fairways by very much as after the initial first rough cut, you proceed quickly into tall native grasses which are dense and at your knees. The greens at Colbert Hills are huge, fast, tiered, undulating and true. A lot of fun to play!

The par 3 fifth hole presented an aesthetically striking 5-bunker grouping that was comprised of purple sand in the formation of a wildcat paw, as this is the KSU golf teams’ home course. While there are numerous holes on this course that are outstanding, I especially appreciated the par 5, seventh hole and the par 4, thirteenth. We elected to play #7 from the elevated back tee. From there the hole is 600 yards and offers a wonderful view of the course and surrounding countryside. Hole #13 is a short par four which, for long hitters, presents them with a decision of whether to go for the landing area in front of the green but just beyond a gauntlet of bunkers, or lay up to the side landing area and settle for a 70-100 yard, blind approach. Besides the numerous bunkers on this course, there are also water hazards on several holes in the form of ponds and creeks that alter club selection.

After our round we gathered in the Colbert Hills restaurant and enjoyed some great food! The buffalo chicken mac & cheese was D-licious!! The people working at the restaurant were primarily Kansas State students and were very friendly.....maybe because the ‘Cats had disposed of TCU earlier in the day!

This course was well worth the 2-1/2 hour drive from Lincoln!

First time playing and was very impressed by the layout. Conditioning was just alright. Would definitely play again. Very solid amenities. Manhattan should be proud to have this course. Homes are really popping up all around the course, but they are nicely situated and don't come into play. I wouldn't hesitate to come back.

This course is a 2 1/2 hour drive for me. I happily make the trip a couple times a year (at least). LOVE the layout. Carved out of the Flint Hills, new homes are definitely encroaching on the natural beauty of this course. However, if that means more revenue and a more secure financial future for the course, I’m all for it. My only complaint is their decision not to provide drinking water on the course because of the problems experienced by other courses in the past (bacteria). It’s Kansas in the summer. Find a way.

The routing of this course is phenomenal and the stretch of holes 4-7 is one of the top 5 best stretches I have played all year. The architectural team did wonders on this property but the conditioning was somewhat subpar. Numerous bunkers were completely unplayable with giant holes in them and ledges of where I presume water had washed them out. There didn't appear to be any effort whatsoever to address this.

The elevation changes off the tee box onto some of these fairways made this course a real treat. Because of steep drops you've got to adjust your carry distance with the driver and lines you don't think are possible can be pulled off. Conversely, hazards and/or native area that looks to be way out of reach can be flown with the right wind and the right elevation drop-off from tee box to fairway. It's a good course and if I am in the area then I'd certainly come back. Is it #2 in Kansas? Maybe. I haven't seen many of the courses here. That said, this isn't even a top 50 in state course anywhere on the West Coast, Southeast, Northeast, Atlantic or midwest. However, it's relatively affordable and what appeared to be the best option within a 100-mile radius.

Played here because Golf Digest had it ranked as the #2 public course in the state, and I thought it was a fun track. The fairway grass is a little different (zoysia, I think), so it's maybe not as green as other courses but I thought it played just fine as I didn't have any bad lies. I especially enjoyed the holes that didn't have any homes built on them, although I'm guessing they will all soon be overrun by homes. Overall, conditions were good, and worth the #2 ranking.

I am not sure what the "3 star" gentlemen was talking about. I was living in Manhattan attending KSU when the course opened. I love it as much now as I did then. The course wss in prestine condition. The fairways wete well kept and manicured. The greens roll true and were as quick as those at Augusta National. The nee Golf Carts are ultra comfortable. The GPS sytem is second to none. I absolutely love the drome flyover and Pro Tip options on the screen at evey hole. I now live in the DC Metro amd have been blessed enough to play the PGA coursrs in the area and abroad.. Colbert Hills is easily on par with them. I bring my friends to Kansas to play it and they cannot wait to return each time!!!!

Disappointed with the declining course conditions. This golf course is an awesome tract and enjoyable to play but some type of chunky spreading grass is taking away from what used to be my favorite course. The Fint Hills scenery is still around but is being replaced by houses and condos with construction continuing. Not being busy lunch at the turn was mediocre taking 49 minutes. Golf cart condition was poor continuing to pull left with poor jumpy acceleration and braking. Such a nice place in a decline is sad to see. Our group will be in no hurry to return.

Very fun course. It is very long. I normally play from the purple tees. Challenges even the most competitive golfers.

They don't take as good of care as they do on their big course but it is great to take the kids out to to work on short game and teach them the game we love!