Golf is good to Overland Park

Time and time again we see the positive contribution golf makes to communities and certainly that is the case for Overland Park, Kan. This southern suburb of Kansas City has a golf division that features two of the more popular venues in the metropolitan area that host a vibrant junior program, a First Tee facility, leagues for men, women and seniors and other unique opportunities to enjoy all the sport has to offer.

The golf division also serves as a significant generator of charity funds, including recent events for Marine scholarships, Susan B. Komen Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project and today's event for the benefit of the arts and recreation program in the community, the Council President's Green Space Tournament. Funds from this year's tournament support the Overland Park Arboretum, a 300-acre piece of property that serves as an educational, recreational and cultural resource. The Arboretum offers support for individuals and businesses to evaluate trees and shrubs native to the area.

The golf division, which also includes the nationally acclaimed Overland Park Soccer Complex and the popular Deanna Rose Farmstead, is directed by GCSAA Vice President Sandy Queen, CGCS. He says surveys reveal the residents rank the parks and recreation facilities as the top amenity in the city.

"Our citizens and our leaders put a high priority on the arts and recreation," Queen says. "I am proud of what the golf division offers and also of what we have been able to support through the use of the golf courses to generate funds. Other departments have benefited, but so has the golf division. The (Deanna Rose) Farmstead is extremely popular (500,000 visitors annually). It just goes to show you how golf is truly a community asset that provides a wide array of benefits."