Flint Hills National Golf Club

Seeking to build a premier private course near Wichita, businessman Thomas Devlin discovered a picturesque 640-acre site in Andover dotted with ponds, wetlands and mature trees. He hired acclaimed architect Tom Fazio, who crafted Flint Hills National Golf Club across the expansive, gently rolling terrain.

Despite requiring minimal earthmoving, the course cost $18 million as Devlin insisted on the finest conditions, with zoysia fairways and bentgrass greens surrounded by bluegrass roughs. Visually stunning and structurally sound, Flint Hills embodies a polished aesthetic more than innovative design. The shaping appears contrived in places, with some greens needing more strategic coherence.

The back nine culminates in a compelling three-hole stretch, starting with the uphill 15th to a humped green rewarding proper positioning. The 16th then plays alongside wetlands up to a slim, angled putting surface. On the picturesque 17th, golfers fire towards a lake that also boundaries the left side of the closing 18th. Its green is obstructed by sand, water and a large cottonwood, demanding accuracy into the recent zone. Earlier strong holes include the pretty par-3 10th over marshy terrain and the cunningly contoured 6th driving golfers left towards the green.

Kept in exceptional condition with first-class amenities, Flint Hills National is a very good modern course, though short of Fazio’s best designs. It offers Wichita-area golfers a refined, exclusive experience worthy of a top 100 ranking.