Turkey Creek Golf Course Review
October 12, 2023
Our current RV travels has us spending some time in Hutchinson, Kansas – attending the Heavy Duty Truck (HDT) Rally at the state fairgrounds. For me, whenever I think of Kansas, I am immediately drawn to images of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her dog Toto as they are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz.
Well we have been here a week and one thing is for sure – we have felt some very high winds! But that didn’t stop us from playing a round of golf.
We knew the rally schedule would be full, so we only had one day open to play, regardless of the temps and winds. After doing a bit of google searching, we landed on Turkey Creek Golf Course in McPherson, KS.
Built in 1990, Turkey Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole facility with gorgeous bluegrass fairways and bent grass greens. There are 4 sets of tees and native grass areas on numerous holes which add to the beauty of the well-manicured course.
As we were loading our golf cart – I found myself already hunkering down from the high winds and wondered “out-loud” if we should even be playing.
The winds were strong and the temps had dropped. There was even a small threat of rain heading our way.
I am usually what I like to call a “fair-weather” golfer, but with only one day available, I knew I had to just put on my knit cap, wear layers under my jacket, ensure I had my neck gator in place and….Suck It Up!
At check-in, we were greeted by the course Starter. The first question he asked was had we ever played the course before. When we told him this was our first time, he immediately offered us the course’s yardage guide – which I really appreciated.
Look golf is difficult enough, so I figure the more advantages I can give myself the better off I am. And I believe during this round, it definitely saved me a shot or two.
Stepping up to the first tee, I felt the strong winds….and after a couple of “crazy” tee shots, I recognized there would be basically three wind conditions that I would need to be concerned with throughout the day:
- Hitting into the wind,
- Hitting down wind, and
- Hitting into a cross wind
Truth is playing golf on windy days just requires that I become better at reading the breeze, and just embrace the wind. With a course length of 4853 yards from the forward tees, I felt all the greens were reachable in regulation for me.
We were behind a three-some but our pace of play was very fast. Partly because it was so windy and cold – which means we weren’t wasting our time in between shots – and partly because the track is very well maintained. The fairways were in really good shape and the native grass on a couple of holes discouraged any crossover when I considered cutting the fairway to shorten the distance to the hole from the tee.
Several of the greens are undulating, which forced me to take my time putting.
There are some water hazards throughout the course and a creek running through the property which does a great job of keeping things interesting.
The one thing that was very consistent during my round was the strong winds.
I had to be careful when choosing a club off the tee. One time my choice was too long and I landed in a bunker, and the next time it would be too short and I ended up in the water. Sometimes it was the prevailing headwind in my face, and other times it was a strong crosswind carrying my ball too far right or left depending on the approach off the tee box.
I found Turkey Creek Golf Course to be challenging and a fair layout that was fun to play – in spite of the winds and cold temps. Having the yardage guide provided the little bit of extra course knowledge that was important, and really helped me keep my score in the high 80s.
I would play this course again.
If you are going to be visiting the Kansas State Fair in Hutchison and want to play some golf, I recommend you play Turkey Creek Golf Course! It is worth the 30 minute drive to McPherson.
Based on our score card rating – I would rate Turkey Creek Golf Course a Par!
Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting
Written By Kathy Festa
COURSE REVIEW SCORE CARD
Course:Turkey Creek Golf Course
Type: Public Course
Date Played: 06 October 2023
| HOLE | PAR | SCORE | COMMENTS |
| 1 – Tee Time Availability | 4 | 4 | No problem getting the tee time we requested. |
| 2 – Cost of Green Fees | 4 | 4 | Reasonable. Mid-week prices, and twilight fees available. |
| 3 – Condition of Tee Boxes | 4 | 4 | Great condition. |
| 4 – Condition of Fairways | 5 | 5 | Beautiful bluegrass fairways. |
| 5 – Condition of Greens | 4 | 4 | All greens were well manicured bent grass. |
| 6 – Length of Course | 5 | 5 | Back tees distance is 6338 yards and forward tees 4853 yards with a par of 70. |
| 7 – Hazards | 4 | 4 | Some water hazards and a creek running through the course. |
| 8 – Starter/Marshal | 3 | 3 | The starter was friendly and knowledgeable of course insight. He also provided us with a yardage book of the course to help while playing our round. |
| 9 – High Handicap Friendly | 3 | 3 | There are 4 sets of tees to choose from. |
| OUT | 36 | 36 | |
| 10 – Practice Area | 5 | 5 | There is a driving range, pitching/chipping area and putting green. |
| 11 – Locker Rooms | 3 | 3 | The club house has lockers, changing rooms, and shower facilities. |
| 12 – Pro Shop | 4 | 4 | Wide variety of name brand golf essentials. |
| 13 – Location | 4 | 4 | Easy to locate, about 30 mins from Hutchinson. |
| 14 – Rental Equipment | 4 | 4 | Plenty of name brand golf clubs to rent. |
| 15 – Restaurant/Food Cart | 4 | 4 | The club house has a snack bar |
| 16 – Club House | 4 | 4 | Plenty of space to relax after a round. |
| 17 – Parking | 3 | 3 | Spacious parking |
| 18 – Customer Service | 5 | 4 | Very friendly and helpful. The entire staff made us feel welcome. |
| IN | 36 | 35 | |
| TOTAL | 72 | 71 | PLAYER: Kathy F. ATTESTED BY: MARC F. |
Treg….Thank you, we look forward to taking you up on your offer the next time we are in the area….Fairways and Greens….XoXo…Kath
Kathy and Marc – Thank you so much for coming to play our golf course! I am glad you both enjoyed it and had a great experience even though the weather was a little iffy!
Come back whenever! The round will be on us! Regards, Treg Fawl