Golfers who value lush conditions will have another reason to play the Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville north of Kansas City.
A new irrigation system is going in on every hole of the 18-hole Posse and Outlaw courses and the four-hole Academy practice course. The $3 million project began in the second week of May and will take six months.
Each sprinkler head will be individually controllable, allowing selective watering for uniform turf conditions instead of some areas being too wet or too dry, said Eddie Hall, general manager and director of golf at Paradise Pointe.
“It’s going to be easier to water everything, and more importantly, to water correctly,” Hall said.
The work is being done without interrupting play, with no need for temporary tees or greens during excavation. No more than four holes will be worked on at a time.
The work is being paid for as part of a Clay County-approved bond issue and requires no tax or golf fee increases, Hall said. Hall manages Paradise Pointe under a contract with the county.
Hall said Paradise Pointe is fortunate that the Clay County Commission and administration keep investing in the courses.
“These improvements at Paradise Pointe not only will benefit our local golfers but golfers across the Midwest,” Hall said.
Another project going on during the irrigation work is the conversion of fairways at the Posse into Zoysia grass. Zoysia strips are being laid as irrigation is completed on each hole. The Outlaw course already has Zoysia fairways.
The two courses at Paradise Pointe lay along Smithville Lake, with some holes surrounded by water in a setting unique to the Kansas City area. All the water for the courses comes from the lake.
Paradise Pointe, at 18212 Golf Course Road in Smithville, opened in 1982 with the completion of the Posse. In 1994, the Outlaw opened adjacent to the Posse. The course names derived from Jesse James, the outlaw who had lived in Clay County.
Play at Paradise Pointe is up from a year ago, Hall said.
I”m seeing a lot of new faces, and as a golf course new faces equals more play,” Hall said.
Hall said Paradise Pointe, 20 minutes north of downtown Kansas City, draws from a wide area and is a destination of visitors from Iowa and other states to the north, especially when the weather is colder up there.
“People come back to Paradise Pointe because we have two unique golf courses, and because of the experience we give them here,” Hall said. “Our goal is that when they come here they will have fun and that their day is better when the leave than when they arrived.”
The condition of the course is also paramount to the players and big reason they return, Hall said. Each course gets about the same amount of play, he said.
Both courses are hilly with plenty of trees. The Posse is a traditional layout while the Outlaw is links-style, with a front nine that does not return to the clubhouse. Each course is a par 72. They are both about 6,500 yards from the back tees and there are four tee boxes. Both courses can be walked.
The signature holes are those along the water, especially the 4th on the Posse, where the fairway borders the lake on the left and the green is on a peninsula. The next hole, a par 3, requires a tee shot over water.
Water borders the left of the 9th hole on the Outlaw, almost surrounds the green on 10 and runs along the 11th.
The four-hole Academy course for practice has two par 5s, a par 3 and a par 4.
Paradise is popular for banquets, weddings, reunions, other social events and more than 100 tournaments annually. Charitable or corporate outings for groups of 16 to 144 players or more can be accommodated and the complex has a 4,000 square foot banquet room.
Paradise Pointe continues to be known for its wide selection of golf equipment in the pro shop. Hall and his staff fit clubs on the practice range to find the best length, shaft stiffness and loft for particular players.
Lessons at Paradise Pointe have helped many players with their games.
“I believe that a lot of problems can be solved if you go back to basics, and that goes back to alignment, grip and things like that,” Hall said. “Players stray away from that without even knowing that they are.”
Information the golf course, green fees, leagues, memberships, lessons and social events can be found at paradisepointegolf.com or by calling the pro shop at 816-532-4100.
