Colbert Hills Golf Course is a public

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

located in

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...

. Utilizing the natural ecosystem of the surrounding

Flint Hills The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a region in eastern Kansas and north-central Oklahoma named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. It consists of ...

, it is a links-style course with few trees. From its opening to 2011 Colbert Hills was ranked by ''

Golfweek ''Golfweek'' is a golf magazine and digital media outlet based in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of Gannett's USA Today Network. History and profile The magazine was founded in 1975 by Charley Stine and was originally named ''Flori ...

'' as the best public course in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, and it has ranked as the second-best from 2012 to present. Among both public and private courses, it has also been continuously ranked by '' Golf Digest'' among the top eight overall in the state. The course is home to the men's and women's golf teams of Kansas State University, and is used by the university as an environmental research and turf management facility. Colbert Hills is also home to

The First Tee First Tee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that teaches children life skills, self-confidence, and resilience through golf lessons. First Tee reaches more than 3.6 million youth annually through programs delivered at chapter program locations, ...

Academy and the

Earl Woods Earl Dennison Woods (March 5, 1932 – May 3, 2006) was the father of American professional golfer Tiger Woods. Woods started his son in golf at a very early age and coached him exclusively over his first years in the sport. He later published t ...

National Youth Golf Academy. The course was co-designed by professional golfer

Jim Colbert James Joseph Colbert (born March 9, 1941) is an American professional golfer. Colbert was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended Kansas State University, where he finished second in the NCAA golf championships in 1964, before graduating ...

, a Kansas State University graduate. A statue of him stands at the facility. Colbert Hills also features a Par-3 course.

History

The course opened with an invitational pro-am tournament on April 30, 2000. Among those competing in the tournament were Jim Colbert, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd,

Annika Sörenstam Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 intern ...

and Manhattan native

Deb Richard Deb Richard (born June 13, 1963) is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the LPGA Tour for twenty years during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Amateur career Richard was born in Abbeville, Louisiana in 1963, and raised in ...

. Also present at the opening was

Tim Finchem Timothy W. Finchem (born April 19, 1947) is an American lawyer and retired golf administrator, who served as commissioner of golf's PGA Tour from 1994 to 2016. He served in the White House for two years during the administration of President J ...

, Commissioner of the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

. A new clubhouse was completed in May 2010, on the tenth anniversary of the course.

Tournaments

Colbert Hills was host to the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

women's golf championships on April 19–21, 2002.

Layout and Signature Holes

The

signature hole A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

is number 7, which is a 600-yard par 5 that begins with a drop from the tee to the fairway. The initial landing area is bracketed by 3 bunkers, making controlled shots essential. The second landing area is also well bunkered, combining with the bunkers at the green to require an entrance from the right side of the second landing area.

Scorecard

Distances listed are from the black/blue tee boxes.Scorecard
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References

{{Kansas State University Kansas State Wildcats College golf clubs and courses in the United States Golf clubs and courses in Kansas Buildings and structures in Riley County, Kansas Tourist attractions in Riley County, Kansas Manhattan, Kansas