Carey Park Golf Course a part of the city for nearly 90 years

The 4th green at Carey Park was part of the most recent renovations made to the course. The renovations are moving along in phases, which include new fairways, irrigation and new greens.

By ROD ZOOK

Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The golf course at Carey Park has been a part of the community since before the park existed. The Carey Park Golf Course will celebrate 90 years of business next year.

The course, which opened in 1932, is still a popular course and one of three currently operating in the Hutchinson area. The course is old-school with a mixture of long and short holes and lots of trees. One person that has been a big part of Carey Park, both as a player and an employee, is golf shop assistant Mike Benscheidt. Benscheidt says the course is one you can always enjoy.

“It’s kind of a subtle thing, but it really is honestly a golf course that you don’t get tired of playing,” Benscheidt said. “It’s got some long par 4’s, it's got some real short par 4’s, so you might get some birdies out there and three holes out there, if there’s a south wind par is a great score.”

In a time where golf may be in a slow decline, the course saw one of its best years ever in 2020 as golfers and others tried to find a way to get outdoors despite the pandemic. The course has also been in the midst of a major renovation project, which is being completed in phases. Parks Director Justin Combs says the course is one of the really good quality of life attractions in Hutchinson.

“I think Carey Park is so special because of the history behind it,” Combs said. “I can’t even count the number of people that have mentioned to me that they grew up learning to play or play golf at Carey Park.”

One of the tougher holes on the course is the par 4 fifth. The hole is now getting some humps and bumps in the fairway with taller rough. Several new sand bunkers will also be installed around the green.

One person that Combs refers to is Jack McClelland, who has played golf at Carey for more than 50 years.

“I just got out of the service and my wife and I got married,” McClelland said. “We had some money and we went out and bought golf clubs and went out and learned to play.”

McClelland, who now may spend more time in the club house drinking coffee with his friends than golfing, says the course has come a long way since he started playing.

“When I first started playing, the fairways were hard and they were full of stickers, and there were probably eight golf carts out there,” McClelland said. “I’ve known a lot of those guys out there for the whole 50 years. We don’t play as much as we used to, but we still go out there about every day and drink coffee.”

Carey Park is known for its long par 3 holes with three of the four over 190 yards from the  normal tee boxes. (there are longer and shorter ones). The only par 3 that is less than that is hole 8. That hole is getting a new green and an additional tee box to lengthen the hole. Yes, the giant cottonwood is staying put. — Carey Park is known for its long par 3 holes with three of the four over 190 yards from the normal tee boxes. (there are longer and shorter ones). The only par 3 that is less than that is hole 8. That hole is getting a new green and an additional tee box to lengthen the hole. Yes, the giant cottonwood is staying put.

The history of the course certainly cannot be denied. It is one of three courses that sprang up in the area in the 1930s. The Carey Park Golf Course came into existence five years before the more notable Prairie Dunes placed the first nine holes into the ground in 1937. The other course of that era was Prairie Lakes, which lasted only a short time on the east side of town.

Since then, other courses have come and gone, most notably Cottonwood Hills, which is now closed, and Crazy Horse, which has had mixed history north of the city.

Matt Miller, Superintendent of Carey Park, says the course is still prominent in the area. Like most things in Hutchinson, early on it was fueled by the Carey family.

“It’s got a long history here in Hutch,” Miller said. “The Carey family was involved with just about all of golf around Hutch and I think it’s a great deal that they chose this property for a municipal golf course.”

As the course continues its facelift, there are some that feel putting money into the course is not necessary. That includes some members of the Hutchinson City Council who have voted against earmarking funds for phases of the renovation. Miller says the course needs the improvements to stay competitive.

Hole 7 is a short par 5 but with a twist. There is a very large cottonwood tree sitting in the middle of the fairway. The hole has always had a green that suffered through the summer. Now that green is being replaced along with a new tee box and new fairway. Like with all phases of the renovation, new irrigation is also being put in.

“We have to keep up,” Miller said. “There is a lot of golf in the area between Wichita and here and surrounding areas. We want to keep our residents here close by and have something to do here in the area.”

Miller says there are a lot of golfers in Hutchinson and they want to give them a good quality golf course. The latest renovations include continued updates to the course's irrigation system that is nearly 70 years old. At the same time they are putting in fairways that are more resistant to the summer conditions and replacing several greens.

Carey Park is still host to two of the largest high school golf tournaments in the area along with small college tournaments and local events. The club house offers food and beverages along with equipment and apparel. They also do club repairs and offer lessons. PHOTO COURTESY: Carey Park.

The current phase involves holes five through eight and should be completed this spring. It also includes a new practice area near the driving range.

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