‘Changing our mindset’: Free golf course in KC’s urban core aims to break barriers
When Chris Harris first laid the groundwork for his dream of a golf course in a once-blighted section of Kansas City’s Ivanhoe neighborhood, he started out with a corner of property near his house at 40th Street and Wayne Avenue.
Now, after years of building and fundraising, he’s bought up the entire block.
The final phase of construction, a 30-by-30 foot building that will house bathrooms and storage, broke ground last year near the south end of the golf course.
But the changes have gone much further, Harris and others say, transforming the feel and potential of the whole neighborhood, and helping break down old barriers of racial segregation. Improvements in the area are also reflected in an increase in home prices and property values.
The project began with the creation of Harris Park, a sprawling green space with a basketball court, playground and beds of blooming tulips. The development of the golf course unfolded over several years, with Harris tearing down his own home in the middle of the block, getting a job at a local golf course so he could learn the ropes and eventually gaining the support of the PGA.
Harris, 52, said having the golf course in the neighborhood is expanding people’s expectations of who the sport is for and reducing hesitancy about what it costs to learn. As a kid, he showed interest in golf but that quickly waned without access or knowing if there was even a place where he would be welcome.
“It’s like a stereotype or a boundary that I’m trying to break of saying ‘Hey this is not private, this is public and you can come on out and play,’” he said.
Harris said the golf course, which encompasses the east side of Wayne Avenue, has several purposes including showing that the sport can be accessible to anyone who wants to learn and that the neighborhood can have nice amenities.
The area has been changing in recent years, with several homes near the park undergoing renovation and property values on the rise. In addition to being the driving force behind the park, Harris also has developed properties in the area.
In the past year, home values have increased by 8.6%, according to Greg Fitch, owner of Fitch Appraisals. Homes in a one-mile radius of the area near the park are being sold for more than $220,000.
“Clearly this neighborhood is being revitalized,” he said. “I see a lot of home renovations and a mixed, diverse group of people.”
The negative stigma about areas east of Troost has faded, Fitch said. The park and golf course provide an additional boost.
Last week, Erving Gross, 32, wheeled his 7-month old son through the golf course in a stroller as he and a friend putted around.
“Whenever the weather is nice, we’re out here,” he said.
Gross, 32, lives a few blocks from the park and works as a barber. Growing up, he viewed golf as “a rich man’s sport.” But he recently got into golf after watching the Masters Tournament. Having the park nearby has only motivated him more.
It’s inspiring, Gross said, to have an African American man make so much positive change in the neighborhood.
“It’s wonderful, honestly, with us just now trying to get into golf and stuff, to be able to have something like this here is beautiful, especially to be owned by someone that looks like us and that is doing something for the community,” he said.
Hundreds of people have played the course, Harris said, including youth through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Use of the course and equipment is free.
When people come to the neighborhood, they leave with a different perspective, Harris said.
And it’s given local residents a sense of pride.
“It’s changing our mindset and it’s completely educating us as a community that we can have nice things,” Harris said. “We don’t have to go other places, we can have nice things right here at home.”
Decades-long dream
Harris’ vision for the park dates back to 1994, when he was a successful college athlete and wrote a paper about teaching life lessons through sports.
He recalled the blight in the neighborhood he grew up in — abandoned stoves and refrigerators, abandoned houses and cars. He thought about the impact he wanted to have.
After his father started purchasing some of the properties on the block, Harris began buying them himself in 1998, clearing the land and cutting down trees in order to get the basketball court established. The park continued growing with the addition of mini-golf holes, an exercise area and park benches.
He had always wanted the pitch-and-putt area, but at the time, he didn’t have the resources. So he got a job at Mission Hills Golf Course to learn how to maintain a golf course and started making connections with people like Kansas Golf Hall of Famer Frank Kirk.
Once he began breaking ground and trucking sand in, he started garnering attention. After The Star wrote about him in 2017, a group of golfers in Mission Hills took notice. Soon, he got a call from the PGA.
When it came time to knock down the house he had lived in to make room for the second green, Harris saved a tree his family had planted in the 1960s, which remains standing midway down the east side of the block.
The course opened in late 2018.
Now when kids walk outside, there is a golf course that is open to them. The course features sloping hills with nine tee boxes across three greens.
On sunny days, people from the neighborhood and beyond amble around the course with clubs, playing a combination of 18 different holes. Putters, chippers and balls are available to use.
Though the golf course is in its last phase of construction, the park’s work isn’t done. Harris said he wants to continue bringing resources to the park through educational programs on topics like health and wellness.
As the weather warms, Harris said he encourages everyone to come out and play a round.
He offered a tip for beginners: pay attention to your form and hit the ball as straight as you can.
