Public Golf Courses in Topeka, Kansas

As of March 2010, Topeka, Kansas was home to 10 golf courses and half of them were open to the public. Some of the facilities in Topeka–such as Lake Shawnee Golf Course and Forbes Golf Course–are owned and operated by Shawnee County Parks & Recreation, while others are privately owned courses that are open to the public.

Forbes Public Golf Course

The shortest public golf course in Topeka is the Forbes Golf Course, a nine-hole, par-36 course about 3,100 yards long. The course features Zoysia grass on the fairways and Bentgrass on the greens.

Golfers can visit the course’s driving range or the putting green before playing a round. Forbes Golf Course also is home to a chipping area where golfers can work on their short games. Because of its short length and relatively few water hazards and bunkers, this course is a good one for beginners to start on.

Forbes Public Golf Course

700 SW Capehart Road

Topeka, KS 66619

785-862-0114

lakeshawneegolf.com

Cypress Ridge Golf Course

Constructed in 1954, Cypress Ridge Golf Course is the oldest municipal course in Topeka. In 2006, workers made improvements and upgrades to the course, including new bunkers around some of the greens and more trees along the fairways. The 18-hole, 6,300-yard, par-71 course is built around three lakes, which serve as menacing reminders to be accurate throughout each round. The Cypress Ridge Golf Course is enrolled in Audubon International’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, meaning that it takes preventative measures to ensure area wildlife are protected and preserved.

Cypress Ridge Golf Course

2533 SW Urish Road

Topeka, KS 66614-4335

785-272-0511

cypressridgegc.com

Lake Shawnee Golf Course

The Lake Shawnee Golf Course is an 18-hole, par-68, 6,200-yard course built around Lake Shawnee and the lake serves as a formidable foe on many of the holes.

One of Lake Shawnee’s most-difficult holes is the par-4 12th, a 429-yard hole that requires golfers to make the choice to follow the dogleg or carry it on the tee shot. Regardless of what a golfer decides to do on the tee shot, the approach shot must be accurate, as golfers will find a stream flowing across the end of the fairway as well as trees around the green.

Lake Shawnee Golf Course

4141 SE East Edge Road

Topeka, KS 66609

785-267-2295

lakeshawneegolf.com

Western Hills Golf Club

The Western Hills Golf Club is a short course: 18 holes and only about 6,000 yards long with a par of 70. But what the course lacks in size, it makes up for in several challenges throughout a round. Perhaps nowhere on the course is this more evident than on the par-3 second hole.

In addition to the green being completely separated from the fairway by a lake that runs from left to right across the fairway, those who carry the lake also must remember the two bunkers at the front of the green.

Western Hills Golf Club

8533 SW 21st St.

Topeka, KS 66615

785-478-4000

greatlifegolf.com