photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Construction crews work on the Twin Oaks Golf Complex along Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence in July 2023.

Earth-moving equipment on a golf course isn’t a standard sight (although filling the pond in before you hit is wise due to the difficulty of getting a good swing with the scuba gear on). Regardless, there is a growing amount of equipment on a driving range and small golf course east of Lawrence.

The owner of the Twin Oaks Golf Complex along Kansas Highway 10 between Lawrence and Eudora confirmed to me that the work underway there is in preparation for a reopening of the facility.

Golfers, though, shouldn’t get too eager. Owner Brandon Yates told me the golf course and driving range likely won’t reopen until next year. In the meantime, motorists driving by the location — which is at the intersection of K-10 and County Route 1057 — should expect to see even more construction activity at the facility.

“They are going to see some dirt moving here pretty soon,” Yates said.

Yates bought the facility in spring of 2022, saving the course from the threat of closure. The previous owners had reached a deal to sell the course to a local group that wanted to build at the location a high-tech indoor/outdoor driving range similar to a Top Golf business. The project had difficulties winning approval from the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission, and ultimately the deal fell apart.

That left longtime owner and operator Jeff Burey uncertain whether the course would reopen for the spring season. Then came Yates, who leads an electrical contracting company in the Kansas City area. When he bought the course, he told me his kids were becoming active in golf, and he had seen the potential of Twin Oaks, which under Burey placed a heavy emphasis on teaching kids the game of golf.

The facility operated for a while after Yates purchased it, but it has been closed for many months, leaving golfers to wonder about its fate again.

Yates said he decided to temporarily close the facility in order to undertake a variety of maintenance tasks at the facility. Those include the installation of a new irrigation system, which is underway. He also has reseeded all nine greens on the short, par 3 course, which has made the golf course unplayable while the grass is taking hold.

Yates said it might have been possible to leave the driving range open during the construction, but he decided against it.

“There is just going to be a lot of construction activity out there, and I wasn’t sure it was going to be compatible to have the two mixed together,” Yates said.

Yates said earth-moving equipment soon will be on the driving range part of the facility. He is planning to regrade the driving range to eliminate a problem of standing water on the range during periods of rain.

“We are going to fix all that,” he said. “We just want to get to the point where we can operate like a modern driving range and not be out there hand-picking balls all the time.”

Yates didn’t have a firm opening date for the facility, just saying that it would be during the next golfing season. He said he is committed to reopening the facility, and has learned that it has a strong following with area golfers.

“We have a lot of people who really love the place,” Yates said. “I think it is a great facility with a lot of great potential. It just needed some work after 30 years.”

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The Twin Oaks Golf Course along Kansas Highway 10 east of Eudora is shown in July 2023.