Topeka

Founded in 1905, Topeka Country Club had a 9-hole layout in play a year later, designed by Tom Bendelow. When a decision was made to redesign the original layout and add another nine holes, Perry Maxwell was called in to plan and oversee the work.

In the book The Midwest Associate: The Life and Work of Perry Duke Maxwell, author Christopher Clouser has this to say about Topeka: “The Topeka Country Club is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in the state of Kansas. It is actually the longest standing club in the state at its current location.

The club opened in 1906 with a nine-hole course that had sand greens. In the late 1937, Perry Maxwell came on board to create a new course with 18 holes and grass greens. At the time Maxwell had just completed working on Prairie Dunes over in Hutchinson.

The redesign of the 18 holes was composed of sloping fairways with small undulating greens and some tight greenside bunkering. The course contains no forced carries, but allows players to shoot aggressively or defensively due to the nature of the hazards on the course.

As with almost all courses built during the Depression, trees have grown and started to crowd the fairways of the course. At Topeka, this has only amplified the design. The sloping fairways have become even more of a strategic key as the trees often force the player to make a daring shot or play to a safe area.”