Crystal Highlands Golf Course
My Review
Crystal Highlands Golf Course was closed for many years and reopened August 2, 2021. I had played it back in the 80’s and do not remember much about it. But, the course is actually quite fun and a well-maintain course located in Festus, MO, about 30 miles south of St. Louis just off of Highway 55. The course is very hilly with a significant amount of design elements for architectural texture. The fairway grasses are mix of Bermuda and zoysia and the roughs are cut low so that lost balls (in the primary rough) should not be an issue. But, the course has a significant amount of mature trees and wooded areas that come in to play quite often. The large greens are of medium complexity and many have multi-tiers. The green on the 3rd hole is very steep from the back to the front. If the pin is on the lower tier and your ball is on the upper tier, forget about it. Your ball WILL roll off the green. The change in slope is probably 8’. There are also a large number of traps strategically placed on every hole; some are quite large.
Crystal Highlands is definitely much nicer than I remember. The new owner and his GM, Josh Heulsing, did a wonderful job of bringing this old course back to life. Congratulations! I can’t wait to make the trek down to Festus again to play at a leisurely pace (3.5 hours) to absorb all that your course has to offer.
Cardinal Hill Golf Club
My Review
Regrettably, Cardinal Hill has closed for business.
Cardinal Hill Golf Course in Liberty, Missouri is owned by William Jewell College and used to be called Claycrest. Since I grew up playing this course, I am very partial to it. When my dad died in 2012 we donated a park bench to the course in his honor which, I believe, is to the left of the front door of the pro shop. This is a fun course to play for all levels. Some very challenging holes. Everytime I play I complain about hole number 5. There is a big tree on the left side of the fairway, guarding the green, which makes this hole ridiculously hard. They need to trim the right side of the tree. Update: the tree has been trimmed and the (Liberty) golf world is rejoicing.
Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club
My Review
Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club in Bolivar, MO is one of the “must play” courses in Missouri. The course is the rural version of a dessert mirage. It is surrounded by farmland and seems out of place. But, the course is immaculate. Everything is very well maintained and groomed. On the day I was there, the greens and tees were frosted over (hence, the reason they look white on the pictures). The superintendent came out from the brush with twigs sticking out of his hat and his face painted camouflage (not really, but he was very passionate about his course) and asked if I was walking on his greens – which you should never do when they are frosted over. It is a newer course so there are not a ton of mature trees particularly on the front nine. On the back, they carved the fairways around and through wooded areas so many of the holes on the back nine have a much different vibe. Many of the greens have subtle double tiering which, paired with their quickness, leads to some large sweeping breaks.
All in all, Silo Ridge is a wonderful course and is worth the drive from anywhere in the state. It is private so, if you belong to a private club, have your pro call theirs. If you do not belong to a private club, pretend you have a website that reviews golf courses . . .