Best Golf Courses Near Lawrence, KS

Lawrence, the home of the University of Kansas, is an artsy university town located 25 miles east of Topeka and 35 miles west of Kansas City. The KU campus is known for its beauty and museums, and above all for Allen Fieldhouse, where the school’s powerhouse basketball team plays. In Lawrence, Jayhawk basketball is a way of life. KU golf is less storied, though the school notably produced U.S. Open-winner Gary Woodland. The KU golf teams use The Jayhawk Club as their home field, but it is private. For public tee times in Lawrence, Eagle Bend is the popular choice. It’s a championship layout that transitions from an opening stretch carved out of woodlands near a river to a six-hole finish where no trees are in sight. Other courses in and near Lawrence are mostly 9-hole layouts. You may be able to score a tee time discount at Orchards Executive Golf Course, which is near the KU campus, and at Oak Country Club, a par-66 executive-style course in De Soto. Burning Tree Golf Course, which is routed beside the Kansas River, is another 9-hole layout in De Soto. Have a look at the course offerings in Olathe and Topeka for regulation 18s. Then, when you’ve completed your round, head to downtown Lawrence. Massachusetts Street is the hub of everything. You find galleries, shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and bars. “Mass,” as the street is known to locals, is ground zero for Lawrence’s nightlife and impressive music scene.