Lake Lenexa progress report

[robertalan]

Dirk Hacker has come up with several interesting designs for courses.  We still have to check certain areas of the park to see where the property lines are and if there's enough land available for us around the dam.  There's a lot of construction going on in the park, so it's not a good idea to visit the park during the week (evenings and weekends are OK).  I believe we're going to end up with a short but challenging course with lots of wooded holes (like Rosedale Down Under) with lots of elevation changes.  Some of the sight lines are going to be wonderful.  The course should be in the ground by the end of the Summer.  We'll keep you informed of any further progress.

[David E]

How does one get to this park?

[The Bird Father]

91st & monticello....it is northeast of the k-7/k-10 interchange a couple miles...and I believe it is on the northeast corner of 91st & monticello.

The lake is already filling up I hear.

[eupher61]

But, don't go out there!!!  It's one huge construction site at this point, there's nothing to really see or do, and it's not very safe.  The City really doesn't want people out there, and at this point there's really no reason to be there either.  The road sucks too, so even driving by isn't a very pleasurable experience.

[robertalan]

People can visit the park evenings and on weekends.  The dam is complete and the lake will slowly fill over the next eighteen months.  The new disc golf course will be one of the first things in the ground.  Dirk Hacker and I started marking a possible course layout last week, hopefully to be completed this weekend.  This is all very preliminary.  We have to work with a master plan map, and we don't know exactly where all the parking lots, trails, shelters, and other activities are going to exactly be.  I'm sure there's going to be a lot of tweaking towards a final course design.  Lenexa Parks & Rec is also going to bring in a pro course designer, and he might change everything around, who knows.  I like what I see so far.  Most of the holes will be like the Rosedale Down Under course, with five or six out in the open.  Although this won't be a long course, the final design should prove to be challenging and quite fun to play, as well as some holes being very scenic.  There's going to be some good elevation changes, and quite possibly a few shots over water, one of those in the woods!  This is all very exciting, since it will be the first course in Johnson County, other than Prairie Center.  I can see a K-7 tournament sometime in the near future (Prairie Center, Lake Lenexa, Wyco), as all three courses are very close to K-7.  I'm hoping by the end of the Summer to be playing this new course.  Later-Bob Hayett

[mattfillingham]

Aren't  there other courses in Johnson County: Blue Valley and  California Trail Jr. High (just 9 hole of course)

Matt

[jack]

Blue Valley is in NE KC MO, 23rd and Topping (4-35 & I-70 diagonal from the stadiums).

Bob, keep in mind that I am a certified Disc Golf Course designer, so when they want to have a "pro" come in, you can call me and explain that, though I am pretty sure that Scott from DGA already wrote that into the equation.  I hope to get out there on Thursday to take a look at the land.

Thanks,

Jack

[PrairieHomePutter]

I have been out to this park site several times since we stumbled across it on Thanksgiving, way before i knew it would have a disc golf course. I was just out there showing the in-laws around last Saturday, it is really coming along. Worth the drive out there just to see the dam. I did a quick Google on Lake Lenexa, found the Park Plan pdf. Check it out, it even points out where the 18 hole disc golf course will be. Cant wait to play it!
http://www.raintorecreation.org/PDF/LakeLenexaParkPlan.pdf

Let us all know if we can help in the building, it will be nice to have another course between Prairie Center and Rosedale for us southerners. BTW, what is up with Shawnee Missions's course?

[David E]

Any update of the course at Lake Lenexa?

[jack]

Proposals have been submitted.  The plan at this point is to hopefully have it all complete by the start of Summer 2009.

More info to follow as it comes through.

[phisherman_77]

isn't Black Hoof Park the new name for the lake lenexa course?


houck designed?

[TPalmer]

It used to be listed on Houck's website as one of his current projects but it's since been taken off.  I'm not sure he's involved anymore.

http://www.houckdesign.com/

--Tom

[Tom]

The P & R informed me yesterday they are planning on having the course design starting soon, with fairway clearing and course installation this winter/spring, with the course ready for play in Spring of '09. As of today they plan on hiring a course designer from Texas named John Houck to design the course layout for them. I believe the city will either do the installation work themselves, or contract it to be done. I have made them aware that we have many hard working volunteers at their disposal as well.

Of course how many times have we heard a course will be open by a certain time and it not happen? Hopefully this one will go in and we'll have yet another great place to fling em.

[Keizer]

Sounds like Lenexa really wants this to happen-- I had no idea they were wanting it done so soon. Cool beans, man!

[robertalan]

I've been out to this park a number of times.  There's some really good potential for a great course.  It all depends on which part of the park we're given to put a course in.  I'm hoping the course winds around the dam area.  There could be some awesome holes back there.  When John Houck was out there he was impressed with the possibilities for a course.  As far as when it happens that's anybody's guess.  We were told the course was supposed to go in two years ago.  They ran into all kinds of unforeseen problems putting the park in, road cave-ins, vandalism, etc.  Then there's the political problems.  Tree huggers don't want certain parts of the park to be touched.  There's an endangered specie of snake out there somewhere so the land the snake inhabits can't be touched.  There's going to be a lot of other park activiities, so where the course gets put in depends on a lot of factors.  Bottom line is we have to be patient, these things take time.  Hopefully if things go on schedule there's going to be a beautiful brand spanking new disc golf course in one of the most expensive parks anywhere in the state of Kansas.  If you haven't been out there to see the dam you should go, it's awesome.  Tom Butler is the new course coordinator out there so it'll be in very good hands as far as the KCFDC is concerned.