National Golf Club of Kansas City
Parkville, Platte County, Missouri · Kansas City Metro golf market
- Access
- non equity
- Holes
- 36
- Architect(s)
- Tom Watson
Thinking About Living in National Golf Club of Kansas City?
Get connected with a local real-estate specialist who understands National Golf Club of Kansas City and the surrounding Kansas City Metro golf market.
The National Golf Club of Kansas City occupies wooded bluffs and rolling countryside above the Missouri River in Parkville, roughly 20 minutes northwest of downtown Kansas City. It is built around two Tom Watson-designed golf courses -- the original National course and a second course known as The Bluffs (also referred to as "The Deuce") -- giving it 36 holes total, an unusually large private-club footprint for the Kansas City metro. Since a 2021 acquisition by ClubCorp (rebranded Invited in 2023), the club has operated as part of the large national Invited network, which gives members reciprocal access to other Invited clubs nationwide. The club is physically ringed by residential development: the on-course "The National" subdivision and "The Deuce" neighborhood sit directly against the two courses, while the separately platted, 107-lot River Hills Estates sits just to the south on the Missouri River bluff, close enough for golf-cart access to both the club and downtown Parkville.
Golf & Course
Both courses were designed by Tom Watson, the Kansas City-born World Golf Hall of Famer, giving the club a genuine architectural pedigree distinct from Loch Lloyd's redesign story -- The National and The Bluffs are original Watson designs built for this property rather than a later Watson renovation of an existing course. The club has been recognized among Travel + Leisure Golf's Top 100 Golf Communities nationally, described in club-adjacent marketing as the only Midwest community to receive that designation (this specific claim traces to club/community marketing copy and was not independently re-verified against Travel + Leisure's own published list, so it is flagged as marketing-sourced rather than independently confirmed).
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Membership is private, paid, and administered by Invited separately from any home purchase in the surrounding neighborhoods -- a real-estate source covering the National Golf Club neighborhood explicitly states club membership is 'not automatically included with home purchases.' The club publishes named membership categories (National Full Golf, National Limited, Social Athletic per Invited's own membership pages) but does not publish pricing publicly; prospective members are directed to contact the club. River Hills Estates residents are described as able to access club amenities via a separate 'Activities Membership,' reinforcing that access is sold, not deeded.
Living in National Golf Club of Kansas City
Three distinct residential pockets cluster around this one golf anchor, a pattern worth modeling explicitly rather than flattening into one relationship: the on-course "The National" subdivision and "The Deuce" neighborhood (named for the second course) sit directly on the fairways, while River Hills Estates is a separately platted, smaller (107-lot) enclave just south of the course on the river bluff, described in its own marketing as golf-cart-accessible to the club and to downtown Parkville rather than literally on-course.
Lifestyle & Amenities
Beyond golf, Invited's club materials describe racquet sports, a fitness/aquatics complex, dining, and a full calendar of member social and family events, plus reciprocal access to other Invited-network private clubs nationally.
Location & Surrounding Area
Parkville is a historic river town in Platte County on the Missouri River, roughly 20 minutes from both downtown Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City International Airport, giving the club's surrounding neighborhoods a distinctive river-bluff, small-town setting relative to more suburban KC-metro golf communities.
Interested in Homes in National Golf Club of Kansas City?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Kansas City Metro market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Current initiation fee and dues figures (not publicly published; contact the club directly).
- Whether the Travel + Leisure Golf 'Top 100 Golf Communities' / 'only Midwest community' claim can be independently confirmed against Travel + Leisure's own published list.
- Whether any of the three surrounding neighborhoods (The National, The Deuce, River Hills Estates) carry deed-recorded club-access language beyond the general 'membership sold separately' pattern found here.
Notable
- The club has 36 holes across two courses, both designed by Kansas City native Tom Watson.
- ClubCorp acquired the club in 2021; ClubCorp rebranded to Invited in 2023, so current materials operate under the Invited name.
- River Hills Estates, a 107-lot neighborhood adjacent to (not on) the course, sells lots in the roughly $500,000-$2,000,000+ range.
Nearby Golf Communities Worth Comparing
Related Comparisons
Considering a Move to National Golf Club of Kansas City?
Whether you're comparing National Golf Club of Kansas City with another Kansas City Metro golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.