About Sand Creek Station
Ritchie Development and J. Russell Communities, two premier developers, have partnered to create a unique lifestyle experience around Sand Creek Station. Over more than two decades Ritchie Development Corporation has built some of the most sought-after communities in the region, including Wichita’s Lakepoint, Wilson Estates and Tallgrass. Also since 1987, Jay Russell has created neighborhoods like Hickory Creek, Auburn Hills and Ridgeport in settings that combine natural beauty with comfortable amenities. Ritchie and J. Russell communities are designed to become established neighborhoods that increase over time in desirability and value. The combined force of the Ritchie and J. Russell brands brings solid planning, innovation and a passion for detail to the Sand Creek community.
The Golf COurse
Sand Creek Station is one of the areas finest championship golf course that is publicly owned by the City of Newton. It's designed by nationally acclaimed golf course architect Jeff Brauer of Golfscapes in Austin, Texas. The course is a unique golf experience with state-of-the-art features, including:
- Bent grass greens, bent grass fairways and tee boxes, with Fescue roughs and other Native grasses.
- Elevated tee boxes with undulating fairways and well bunkered approaches
- 8' wide concrete cart paths throughout
- 11 lakes and ponds add beauty and excitement to the course, and Sand Creek with trees and nature trails adds to the ambiance of this beautiful course
- Four or Five sets of very generous tee boxes with manicured bent grass insures that you can find a distance to suit your playing style
- All new turf equipment
- All new golf carts
- Vibrant green bent grass does not go dormant and invites you to play year round
- Beautiful clubhouse facility in the style of old train station
Practice Facility
A complete practice facility features blue grass driving range, practice bunkers and practice green.
Course Construction & Maintenance
The course was constructed by Wadsworth golf Construction Co., the premier golf construction company in the world - Wadsworth has constructed over 622 golf courses worldwide and they brought their expertise to Kansas to create a fantastic golf experience. Operated and managed by Kemper Sports Management, a highly acclaimed and experienced golf course management group.
The History of the Railroad/Course
The course plays on the town’s railroad history, and many holes are, as they say in Scotland, “hard by the cinders,” continuing a century’s old tradition of golf bordering railways. We have also recreated the famous Road Hole green on our 16th Hole, which once sat adjacent to a railway. Another replicates the famous “Redan” from North Berwick, Scotland. Other holes have characteristics of early American holes, which also fronted railways at one time. The 12th hole for example, is similar to the fourth at the National Golf Links of America, one of our early classics. The ninth features a small platform green; typical of early American courses while the green on the par 5 fourth has some wild contours, seldom built these days.
Despite playing on these old style characteristics, the course is thoroughly modern in other ways. The 10th is a long par 5 requiring negotiation of water on all three shots. The 18th is a long par 4 requiring a tee shot to a narrow fairway between flanking fairway bunkers. On the front nine, the long sixth may be the toughest hole.
It will have an unlimited water source, so it can always be one of the best-maintained and greenest courses in Kansas. It has back tee yardage of over 7200 yards, which, combined with the ever-present breeze and holes routed in a variety of direction, will make it one of the top challenges in the state. With five sets of tees, it will be negotiable by all golfers.
The course also makes use of the site’s best natural features, with holes 1, 2, 8 and 9 bordering Sand Creek itself. We also took great care to utilize every existing tree to enhance golf holes strategy and character. Several ponds have been built to enhance aesthetics and a few influence play.
