Hillcrest’s development stretched from early planning in the 1910s to a formal club opening in 1916. Contemporary local reporting recorded that “Donald Ross…designed the course that would open May 27, 1916,” placing his authorship squarely in the years immediately before World War I.
Secondary compilations of Ross’s work suggest activity beginning in 1912, with completion several years later; a GolfClubAtlas research thread cites a December 2, 1912 notice and later references indicating Ross’s involvement and an 18-hole plan. That thread also notes that Ross “would return in 1921 to suggest improvements,” though the surviving clippings are not reproduced in full in that discussion. Because club minutes and original plan holdings are not publicly accessible, these 1912/1921 details should be treated as provisional pending verification from primary sources.
The course quickly entered the national calendar by hosting the Western Amateur of June 26–July 1, 1922, at 6,424 yards, par 72; Chick Evans defeated George Von Elm, his third consecutive Western Amateur title. This yardage provides a rare fixed snapshot of Hillcrest’s early-1920s setup.
Mid-century, Hillcrest became a regular PGA Tour venue. The Kansas City Open visited three times—1955 (won by Dick Mayer), 1957 (Al Besselink), and 1958 (Ernie Vossler)—with other years alternating among Blue Hills, Milburn, and Swope Park.
In the late twentieth century the club undertook alterations, including a renovation by Bill Amick in 1984, documented by Amick himself and by subsequent commentary from longtime Hillcrest chronicler John Garrity. The precise scope of Amick’s work (he references multiple greens) is not itemized in public ASGCA materials, but Amick has discussed his Hillcrest drawings and work in correspondence quoted by Garrity.
After financial difficulties around 2011–2013, Hillcrest reopened and operated as a public/semi-private daily-fee course. Sports Illustrated’s John Garrity described it in 2014 as “Missouri’s only remaining Donald Ross–designed layout,” underscoring the course’s rarity within the state.
A new chapter began in 2024–2025: site owners embarked on a full transformation led by Tripp Davis, with LinksDAO taking a stake and positioning Hillcrest as a private, golf-only club. Public announcements peg the project cost at roughly $30 million and target reopening in spring 2026. The club’s site and independent reporting stress that many holes will be rerouted, implying a reconstruction rather than a light restoration.
Unique Design Characteristics (as documented)
Even before closure, Hillcrest’s most cited peculiarity was its opening hole—a long, downhill par-3 that locals and touring pros remembered vividly. Garrity called it “the infamous 1st hole, a downhill, 243-yard par-3 that Ray Floyd once called the toughest opening hole he had ever played.” Independent score/yardage sites corroborate a 240-plus-yard first in the late-public era. Whether that exact configuration was laid down by Ross or evolved over time remains unproven without access to original drawings or early scorecards.
The par-5 10th was another signature: contemporary local coverage described it as approximately 620 yards and “the longest hole in the city.” That same account frames Hillcrest’s challenge in terms of elevation and long par-4/5 corridors across the highest ground south of Swope Park—a setting consistent with the name “Hillcrest.” Again, these hole lengths reflect a pre-renovation configuration; the current rebuild anticipates rerouting.
Archival and anecdotal notes point to later-added features not traceable to Ross, including a stone-walled water feature at the par-3 14th, discussed critically by Garrity while he queried Amick about 1984 plans. This is useful mainly to delineate non-Ross interventions that the current project may elect to remove or reinterpret.
The ninth hole offers a rare instance where a Ross element was explicitly “restored” before closure: Garrity reported the club’s effort to recover the original Ross ninth green after an ill-considered change, suggesting that portions of the pre-closure routing still reflected Ross’s corridors even as green pads and hazards had evolved. As with other claims here, confirmation would benefit from plan sheets or annotated aerials.
In short, the clearest surviving exemplars of Hillcrest’s Ross heritage—before the 2024 demolition—were routing choices on the opening stretch and the long diagonal movement into the interior (evidenced by holes 1–2–3 and the long 10th), along with the recovered ninth-green site. But with current rerouting underway, the degree to which these corridors will persist is uncertain.
Historical Significance
Hillcrest is consequential in Ross’s corpus for at least three reasons. First, it is (or was) Missouri’s only extant Ross course; both Sports Illustrated and widely consulted compilations list it as such. Second, it hosted elite events early and late: the 1922 Western Amateur—won by Chick Evans over George Von Elm—anchored its Golden Age credentials, and the 1950s Kansas City Open brought multiple PGA Tour fields to the property. Third, the course’s survival into the 21st century, despite financial distress, kept a Ross layout in public/semi-public circulation in Missouri for more than a decade, which shaped the local understanding of Golden Age design in a way that private clubs sometimes cannot.
Current Condition / Integrity
Integrity to Ross’s original is presently in flux. By August 2024, reporting described Hillcrest as “demolished” in preparation for a high-end renovation; by February 2025, LinksDAO confirmed a Tripp Davis–led reconstruction and private relaunch. The Fried Egg noted that “many of the holes [are] to be rerouted,” while questioning how prominently one should invoke Ross’s legacy if the majority of his ground features are replaced. The club’s site states “Opening 2026,” implying the course is not playable during construction.
Prior to closure, the course had undergone significant non-Ross alterations, including Amick’s 1984 work on multiple greens and later water/stone-wall features (e.g., the current 14th). In that phase, yardage stretched to roughly 6,763–6,774 yards, par 72, depending on source. Without original plan sheets or a verified early scorecard, it is not possible to quantify precisely which green pads and bunkering were still Ross’s. The Western Amateur’s 1922 record (6,424 yards, par 72) does, however, establish a baseline playing length for the earliest competitive configuration.
Going forward, any claim of “restoration” versus “reconstruction” at Hillcrest should be measured against primary evidence. The public materials emphasize a wholesale transformation; thus, it is most accurate, as of September 2025, to say that Ross’s routing and features at Hillcrest are under active reinterpretation, with the extent of surviving original ground forms to be determined when construction documents and as-builts become available.
Citations and Uncertainty
Primary club records (original Ross plans, construction correspondence, board minutes) are not publicly accessible. The GolfClubAtlas research thread references early newspaper clippings (1912; 1921) but does not reproduce them in full; the 1921 “return” should therefore be cited as reported but unverified. The long-par-3 opening hole is well attested in modern accounts but cannot yet be confirmed as an original Ross decision absent an early scorecard or routing map. Various online scorecards disagree slightly on total yardage; those differences likely reflect tee-pad changes and late-era adjustments prior to closure. Finally, current owners’ materials and independent reporting agree on the scope and timing of the rebuild (Tripp Davis; $30M; 2026 target), but specific design details have not been released in technical form.
Sources & Notes
“Country club with lively past faces uncertain future,” The Kansas City Star, May 16, 2014 (notes Ross as architect; club opening May 27, 1916).
Western Golf Association, Western Amateur Records & Statistics Guide (multiple editions; confirms 1922 Western Amateur at Hillcrest: 6,424 yards, par 72; winner Chick Evans).
“Kansas City Open Invitational,” Wikipedia (host years and winners list showing Hillcrest as host in 1955, 1957–58).
John Garrity, “Back on Course,” Sports Illustrated, June 2, 2014 (context on Hillcrest’s survival; identifies Hillcrest as Missouri’s only remaining Ross design).
John Garrity, Top 50 blog posts on Hillcrest (discussions of 1984 Amick work; comments on 14th and restoration of original ninth green).
Bill Amick, ASGCA profile and site (documents his remodeling/renovation work at Hillcrest, Kansas City).
WeekendKC blog feature (local historical narrative; cites opening May 27, 1916; long No.10 at ~620 yards; quote attributing difficulty of No.1 to Raymond Floyd). Use cautiously as a secondary community source.
Golf Digest, “LinksDAO announces its first U.S. property, a Donald Ross…” (Feb. 11, 2025) (states $30M transformation; ownership move).
Club & Resort Business, “Hillcrest GC Demolished for High-End Renovation” (Aug. 19, 2024) (demolition/renovation scope).
LinksDAO/Hillcrest pages (project overview; private model; “Opening 2026”).
GolfClubAtlas forum thread “Reunderstanding Ross” (secondary compilation noting 1912 start and 1921 Ross return; needs primary confirmation).