The Heart of America Golf Course offers two challenging nine-hole golf layouts in Swope Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country. The old nine-hole golf course is a par 35 and measures 2,604 yards with very tight target areas.
The new nine-hole course was designed by Richard Allen, a landscape architect in the Parks and Recreation Department's Planning Services Division. It is a par 27 course and measures 1,200 yards. The course has several new features. Golfers on Hole Two will tee off across a water feature; on Hole Six they will face a green carved out of the hillside. At hole eight, golfers must hit off a cliff face down to the green.
Heart of America also is a host site for the First Tee, a nationally recognized Junior Golf Program.
Heart of America offers a snack bar, pro shop, locker facilities, putting and chipping greens along with a large driving range with both mat and grass hitting areas.
Minor Park was established in 1966. This classic 18 hole municipal golf course is known throughout Kansas City for it's playability. The layout is fun and easy to walk for players of all ages and skill levels. Many golfers remember it as the "the first golf course they ever played". Located in the heart of south Kansas City it is easy to access and affordable to play any day of the week. At 5700 yards it is a reasonable length for all players to manage, yet the greens are small and challenging offering enough difficulty for seasoned players as well. With zoysia fairways and bent grass greens the course is always in good condition.
The facility offers an excellent driving range along with practice greens for chipping and putting. The clubhouse has a snack bar and golf shop with a professional staff available to help with all of your needs.
Cardinal Hill Golf Club is challenging for all skill levels offering enjoyment and value and is one of the finest in the Northland. The course meanders around gentle rolling hills and has an array of scenic views of natural prairie grasses, woodlands, streams, and ponds. Cardinal Hill preserves the highest level of playability with 4 sets of tees ranging from 5,375 to almost 6,500 yards. The immaculate bent grass greens and Bermuda fairways are delicately sculpted and interwoven in the landscape. This extraordinary design features breathtaking elevation changes and expansive landing areas that stroll through some of the most picturesque terrain in the Northland.
Closed for the 2025 season for renovations. Designed in 1934 by legendary architect A.W. Tillinghast, Swope Memorial Golf Course was once the home of the PGA Tour's Kansas City Open (1949), making it the only public course in the area to have hosted a PGA Tour event. Carved out of the wooded land in Swope Park, this tight layout, along with its undulated fairways and multi-tiered greens, provides a true test of golf; one that legends Ben Hogan and Sam Snead have been challenged by. Skyline views of downtown, accompanied by the roars of lions from the K.C. Zoo below, give this course character that is unmatched anywhere in the city. Come out and experience what people consider the best value in K.C.!
