There’s another golf trail that’s been paved; this one in the Jayhawker or Sunflower State. Kansas has joined the growing list of golf course cooperatives that have mushroomed around the country in order to increase the collective number of rounds. Of the 273 golf courses in Kansas, 11 have banded together to form the Sunflower Golf Trail (SGT), which officially began operating on New Year’s Day.

Participating golf courses include the following: Emporia Municipal, Stagg Hill in Manhattan, Rolling Meadows in Junction City, Salina Municipal, Hays Municipal, Turkey Creek in McPherson, Carey Park in Hutchinson, Hesston Golf Park, Prairie Trails in El Dorado, Quail Ridge in Winfield, and Mariah Hills in Dodge City.

Several benefits will be available to members of the SGT:

• Members can and should call ahead of the golf course they plan to play and make tee times.
• A membership guarantees a price of $20 per round that includes green fees and a cart.
• Membership cards are available for the 2012 season.
• The SGT Board of Directors is planning a tournament at the member golf courses for the 2012 season.

A few course highlights include Carey Park Golf Course in Hutchinson. This 18-hole course measures 6,410 yards from the tips, and features wide fairways and not too difficult approach shots. Stagg Hill is a par 72 that measures 6,427 yards, and features tree-lined fairways and one par 3 hole that requires a shot over water. This beautiful course sits along the Kansas River. Dodge City’s Mariah Hills began as an 18-hole sand green course, but moved to bent grass greens and lush irrigated fairways in 1974. After a round of golf, be sure to check out the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, a town made famous by the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Bill Tilghman. Also, the Front Street buildings are reconstructions, exhibiting hundreds of original artifacts.

For more details on the Sunflower Golf Trail, contact any of the member courses.