The Daily Union. Saturday, February 9, 2013
5D
Hitting the
Links Don’t
forget to think
Custer Hill
By Lisa Seiser m.editor@thedailyunion.net
Custer Hill Golf Course provides experience for military, area residents
F
ORT RILEY — The rolling features, deceptively difficult greens and well maintained fairways and rough at Custer Hill Golf Course is apparent from the moment a golfer steps to the first tee.
But there’s one aspect of the course it’s likely most don’t know. The course is open to the public. That’s why Custer Hill Golf Course general manager Dave Crawley would like to get the word out the course is open and ready for civilians from the area to enjoy a morning or afternoon on the course. Crawley said about 75 percent of the golfers who play the approximate 12,000 rounds at the course each year are soldiers and those military personnel who work at Fort Riley. The remaining are civilian players. “We would definitely like more civilians play up here,” he said. Crawley said there’s reason for people to head to the tees at Custer Hill. “We try to treat everyone like family out here,” he said. “We try to call them by name.” There are other reasons — the concession stand food and the 24-hour driving range. On the course, Crawley said the holes cater to all levels. However, he said he tends to see many intermediate
players. There are four sets of tee boxes on each hole for all ability levels. The course may not have a significant amount of water features or bunkers, but medium-sized greens that require solid play and proper placement of the ball on the greens. “People will sometimes ask, is it always this tough,” Crawley said. “There are a few holes out there that will get your lunch if you are not careful. A couple of those holes are the toughest — 15 and 16 have quite a few trees.” A PGA apprentice, Crawley said his lowest score on the course is a 2-under-par 70. His favorite hole on the course would be the par-4 15th hole. From the blue tees, it measures 446 yards and from the golds it is 433. The dogleg right requires an accurate tee shot down the middle between some trees. Crawley said the second shot depends on the wind, but will be uphill and require navigation of two more trees closer to the fairway. The 16th hole is a relatively straightforward 184-yard par-3 from the back tees. It measures 164 from the golds and 148 from the front reds. Overall, the course measures 7,072 yards from the blue tees. It is 6,725 from the golds, 6,272 from the whites and 5,323 from the reds. Although the course is quite brown right now, it will be just a couple months until the greenery shows. Come March, serious preparations will be made to ensure the course is ready for play as the weather warms. Crawley said the peak shape for the INN course is typicalQUALITY ly in early July. By the305 middle May, the Bermuda EASTofCHESTNUT STR grass fairways will be greening and the rough should JUNCTION CITY, KS 66441 be thickening up. 298, OFF 1-70 That’s when he hopes aEXIT program called 10,00 rounds
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Looking back at Fort Riley golf The golf club at Fort Riley originated in 1897 with 22 members. The Officer’s golf course, which was located around what is now Riley’s Conference Center, was constructed in 1925. It was a 9-hole house used strictly by the officers and their wives club. An attempt to build another 9-hole course in the Funston area was suggested in the late 1940s. Nearly half of that course was finished before the flood of 1951 wiped out all progress. In 1957, the 1st Engineers started building what is now Custer Hill Golf Course. Well known and renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones designed the course and was paid a fee of $5,000 for the plans in 1955. Custer Hill Golf Course improvements • Driving range shelter • Retiled snack area • Four new course water fountains • Range vehicles • Possibly new electric golf carts a summer will be rolling. The person who plays the 10,000th round will receive a set of golf clubs. Crawley said this upcoming season there will be more junior events and clinics to promote golf. There also will be a ProAm tentatively scheduled for June. “I am looking forward to the weather being nice and hopefully not too hot like it was this year,” Crawley said. “I am also looking forward to the troops coming back. I just like coming up here and working with the soldiers and helping grow the game of golf.” QUALITY INN 305 EAST CHESTNUT QUALITY INN STR JUNCTION CITY, KS 66441 305 EAST CHESTNUT STR EXITNEW 298, OFFKS1-70 JUNCTION CITY, 66441 APR 785-784-5106 EXIT 298, OFF 1-70 2007 785-784-5106
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