Shadow Glen the Golf Club

In Olathe, Kansas, there is a golf club that truly IS a golf club. Half an hour southwest of Kansas City lies Shadow Glen - The Golf Club. Golf Digest named it as America's Best New Private Course in 1990, after opening in 1989. It has remained in the state's Top Five ever since. The reasons for this are many: It is private and has terrific staff throughout. The membership is well-heeled, so they expect nothing less than great. And the property is spectacular: Rolling elevation changes, marked with great water features, thick tree lines, excellent bent grass greens and zoysia on the tees and fairways. Oh, and one last little thing: Try to find another golf course on the globe built by Tom Weiskopf, Jay Morrish AND Tom Watson.

Design-wise it is a full reflection of all three men and their vision of golf course architecture. True to Tom's form, there are holes which will allow you to take the ball in low and on the ground. Morrish's flourishes are seen throughout, with his guiding views of maintaining the inherent flow already existant in the landscape. Holes like numbers 5 and 9 come to mind. And great putting surfaces are found here: Medium to large with good undulation and terrific setting for pins never cease to be a function of Weiskopf's designs. Typically, all three demand that you are able to move the ball independantly. That remains true here. And the mix of par threes is something to behold, as they are each very different from the next.

Hole 2 (The Meadow) is a strong par five that asks for a fade against a fairway canted right to left. Number 5 (Stonewall - which marked the property line, years ago. You'll see it by the tee box.) is a dogleg left at 571 yards, again a par five of notable strangth. Nine (Vail) moves downhill, encouraging a draw off of the tee to a well-protected green with water right and bunkering left. Number 12 (called Hangtime) offers a 260 yard three par that drops 70 feet - just an all-world three shotter. The 13th hole (Oxbow) is a brawny par four that doglegs right, with a pond protecting the left side of the green. Number 14 (named Wild Turkey for residents that occupied the grounds when Watson was staking out the hole) is a complete blast: From the tips, it 285 yards. Six bunkers are speace strategically, directionally and distance-wise, forcing you to commit to a specific shot to a specific target ... to a crazily small green. From there, the finishing holes are a complete blast.

If you are in the Kansas City area and have a way to get on this track, do it. Slope ratings are very close from tee to tee: 136 at a little over 7000 yards from the Black, to 134 at 6757 and 132 at 6563. As to the facilities, the clubhouse was renovated in 2015 but still maintains its modernish, welcoming tones. Food and beverage is what you would expect here: phenomenal. And, finally, there ARE a wide variety of memberships available at Shadow Glen. In all honesty, THIS is a club I would love to call home. See if you don't think so, as well.

I play golf all over the world while on work trips. My buddy suggested I play his course. All I can say is wow. Not what I expected from a Kansas course. He said this was the best new private course in America in the 90's. That is an understatement. Easily in my top 3 of all time. I only wish it was closer to home or it would be my home course. Great layout, challenging but fair, fantastically true greens. Just wow. Don't pass up an invite to play this place. Not sure how it has stayed so under the radar.

This course is as good as it gets in KC. The terrain and undulations are what sets this course apart from all others. It's in great shape, but most importantly is REALLY fun to play! So many options. I love it!

I'm spoiled...Now I know what the pros get to see and play.