Painted Hills Golf Club

What is known as Kansas’s oldest course, PH offers a modest challenge but not much difficulty, even if you are a newbie. Today the course was a little crowded, but our foursome still finished in great time. Gas carts with no GPS so bring your device. Clubhouse is old, very messy and just run down. Inside restrooms are equally bad. There is a dark and dingy snack bar and small limited pro shop on the first floor. The clubhouse area as a whole needs to be torn down and rebuilt. The course is in phenomenal shape with great fairways and pretty good tee boxes. Greens are not too fast but you need to be in the right spot because of some tricky undulations. And each green is in perfect shape. Back nine is a little wider and the front is a bit tight. There are also ball washers on each hole. Overall, from tee to green- this is a very good course in the Kansas City area especially if you can get the $50.00 rate for the weekend. Would definitely play again for the price I got online.

Sorry for the long read but I would highly discourage anyone with a disability from visiting this course. We had a 7:42 a.m. tee time at Painted Hills Golf Course on Saturday. We arrived well ahead of our scheduled time and teed off on time. By the second hole, however, we were already backed up and waiting on every tee box for the remainder of the round. While frustrating, we decided not to let the slow pace ruin our day and continued to enjoy the beautiful weather and time together. The issue came when we reached the turn. My father is legally disabled due to previous back surgeries and injuries and can only walk a limited distance before experiencing significant pain. I went into the pro shop and requested a handicap flag so we could drive closer to the greens. The employee in the pro shop told me that we did not need a handicap flag and that we could drive past the cart markers as long as we maintained 10 yards from the green. We followed that direction for the next several holes. On hole 16, the marshal approached us and asked whether we were playing with the group behind us. We explained that we were not and that the course had been backed up throughout the entire round. We continued to hole 17, where the marshal stopped us as we were leaving the green and told us we needed to follow the cart signs and not get so close to the green. I explained that my father was disabled and that we had specifically been told by the pro shop that we could drive past the markers while maintaining 10 yards from the green. Instead of simply clarifying the policy or acknowledging the conflicting information we had been given, the marshal began arguing with me about whether we were actually 10 yards away. At that point, with only one hole remaining, I told him I did not want to spend the rest of our day arguing over whether we were five or 10 yards from the green. We finished the round and went to leave. After dropping my father off at the vehicle, I returned the cart and encountered the marshal and another employee. I explained that I was disappointed with how the situation had been handled and, more importantly, that it was embarrassing and upsetting to have my father singled out over his disability after we had already explained the situation. Rather than acknowledging the misunderstanding, the marshal continued arguing with me and insisted that I was the one driving the cart. I had to explain that my father was the disabled passenger in the cart, which is precisely why I was driving beyond the cart markers to get him closer to the green and minimize the amount of walking he had to do. The entire situation could have been handled very differently. If the course has specific rules regarding handicap access, those rules should be clearly communicated and consistently enforced—especially when a customer has already spoken with the pro shop and followed the instructions they were given. What bothered me most was not being reminded about a cart policy. It was the lack of understanding, empathy, and professionalism shown toward someone with a legitimate disability. Instead of simply clarifying the policy and moving on, the marshal chose to argue and make an already uncomfortable situation even more embarrassing. We will not be returning to Painted Hills Golf Course, and I hope management takes this experience seriously and provides better training on how employees should handle situations involving disabled golfers and their families.

We had a tournament out there and found the course to be really nice for a public course. The fairways and greens were well manicured, and the design was easy. The spaces outside the fairways are going to be pretty tough going, and you will surely encounter a gruff marshal, but we had a great time.

Find another course…. Do not recommend. I booked two consecutive tee times (9:30 and 9:39) for a birthday outing with a group of eight consisting of four couples. Most of the wives were not actively golfing the entire round—they would occasionally hit an iron shot or putt—and our groups were playing a scramble format, which significantly sped up play. Unfortunately, our experience at Painted Hills was overshadowed by the treatment we received from staff. From the very beginning, the marshals were rude, confrontational, and constantly pressuring us to move faster. Despite completing 18 holes in approximately 2.5 hours, we were approached on nearly every hole and told we were behind pace. We never felt that was accurate, as we could consistently see the group ahead of us on the tee boxes while we were finishing the greens. We had specifically booked back-to-back tee times so our birthday group could stay relatively close together, yet our second group was not allowed to tee off even a few minutes early and had to wait until exactly 9:39. Meanwhile, the marshals continued to single our groups out throughout the round. At one point, a member of the group behind us hit into our group from the T box, striking one of the wives from our group in the leg with a golf ball. Given how aggressively everyone seemed to be pushed to speed up, it certainly contributed to an unsafe environment on the course. The experience only worsened after we finished the 18th hole. An employee approached us asking if we were done. We explained that we were heading to the clubhouse to gather our belongings. Staff then followed us to the clubhouse area and began removing our personal items from the carts while repeatedly stating that they needed the carts back. It was unnecessary, unprofessional, and honestly embarrassing. I’ve played many golf courses and have never experienced hospitality like this. Being reminded to keep pace is understandable; being harassed throughout an entire round that was completed in just 2.5 hours is not. We couldn’t even use the restroom or grab a drink at the turn without feeling rushed. If cart availability or pace-of-play management is an issue, perhaps tee times need to be spaced further apart or additional carts should be provided. Regardless, there is no excuse for treating paying customers this way. What was supposed to be a fun birthday celebration turned into a stressful and disappointing experience. Sadly, I won’t be returning to Painted Hills, nor would I recommend it to others based on how our group was treated.

Played course last night with my wife. Greens were in fair shape. Tee boxes were beat up. My biggest disappointment was without a starter or a marshal on the course it was very much a free for all! Golf carts driving everywhere but across the greens; we had two groups jump on the back nine in front of us coming off the front nine. That did not help the pace of play for the course. Ok experience at best, paid $30 bucks for the twilight fee, so suppose you get what you pay for!