Highlands at The Highlands Golf Club

The Highlands Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kansas, was designed by Jim Colbert, a PGA Tour veteran who turned to course architecture after his competitive career. Colbert, who won eight times on the PGA Tour and added twenty victories on the Champions Tour, brought a player's perspective to his design work. The course reflects the practical, strategic approach common among player-architects who understand how courses challenge golfers across different skill levels.

The layout occupies terrain typical of south-central Kansas, where the landscape transitions between the flatter expanses of the Great Plains and areas of gentle rolling topography. The design works with the natural land forms available in this region, incorporating elevation changes where the site allows and creating strategic interest through bunkering, green contours, and hole routing. Water features and native grasses frame several holes, adding both visual definition and strategic considerations to approach shots and tee ball placement.

Hutchinson, located roughly fifty miles northwest of Wichita, serves as a regional hub in this agricultural area of Kansas. The Highlands functions as a daily-fee facility, providing the local golfing community and visitors access to a full-length championship layout. The course offers a straightforward test of golf suited to the Kansas climate and conditions, where wind often becomes a significant factor in club selection and shot execution. The design emphasizes playability while maintaining enough challenge to engage experienced players.