Greene Hills Country Club
My Review
Greene Hills Country Club is a perfect rural community course located in Willard, MO, population 5,300. The course was originally built in 1966 and has been private up until 2017 when GreatLife took over. The layout is compact and a relatively easy course to walk, although most members/players ride. The course’s slope of under 120 belies the reality: it is a tough course with fairway and/or green-side bunkers on most holes, strategically placed water hazards (particularly on the back 9), thick and tall natural Missouri grasses which come into play on almost every hole and some very narrow fairways. The greens are on the small side but soft, with minimal complexity, and roll fairly true. Overall, the course is currently a bit scruffy and needs some sprucing up. But, if I lived in Willard I would love playing here. Tina Sims is the GM/pro and was very professional and nice; a great representative of the GreatLife network.
Pomme de Terre’s Shadow Lake Golf Course
My Review
If you live or are making a trip to Pomme de Terre we recommend that you play Pomme de Terre’s Shadow Lake Golf Course in Wheatland, MO. It is the only course within 40 miles and it has some special holes. The current owners, Debbie and Rick Rebek, purchased the course in 2014 and are in the process of bringing it back to its former glory. It is currently a little rough around the edges but the course has good bones and this very nice couple are passionate about the course and will do everything in their power to make it a destination golf course. The greens are relatively small, at about 2,300 square feet, but come in a variety of shapes. The slope rating is too low for course. The length of the course is probably driving the low rating and it actually plays to about a 120 to 126. Ozark woodlands line many of the fairways so if you have an errant shot, you will be taking stroke and distance. Overall, the course needs some improvement but it is worth playing, particularly if you are staying in the area and want to play golf.
Please visit other sections of this website, which includes a list of the Best Golf Courses in the state of Missouri. Feel free to leave any comments about Pomme de Terre’s Shadow Lake Golf Course at the bottom of this page.
Golf Club of Wentzville
My Review
The Golf Club of Wentzville is a fun course a couple of miles south of 70 in Wentzville. There are 4 tees for golfers of all levels. I suppose scratch golfers would find the course too easy but the course offers a challenge for all others. The course is well maintained and had several fun and quirky holes, which I tend to enjoy. Typically, many players on public courses do not fix their ball marks but the greens at GCoW were so nice they almost looked fake. They are a bit slow for my taste but they rolled consistently, with a low level of complexity (no big, sweeping breaks).
Overall, I really enjoyed playing the course and will definitely play it again. The only thing that I did not like was the pace of play which was about 5.5 hours but my understanding is that the course typically plays faster. Just to protect yourself, schedule one of the first tee times of the day.
The staff, lead by Rick, was also very friendly and accommodating.
Bear Creek Golf Club
My Review
Bear Creek Golf Club, designed by one of Missouri’s most prodigious courses architects, Gary Kern, offers a spectacular value in Wentzville, just 30 minutes from Lambert International. They use a dynamic pricing model, but you can play for under $30 on weekdays, depending on demand. $30 for 18 holes on a course of this quality is an exceptional deal. Except for a few areas, likely caused by winter kill, all of the grasses (tees, greens, fairways and roughs) are in great shape. The course challenges you with huge bunkers (many heart shaped) guarding select greens and fairways, water hazards, OB and large greens. The greens are a tad bit on the slow side and have low complexity, thus minimizing 3-putts. Like many Ozark resort courses, most holes at BC, are lined by trees and/or houses and are not contiguous to any other hole. Also like resort-style courses, there is quite a distance between certain greens and the next tee, so walking the course would be challenging . . . although some hardy folk do it regularly. While all holes work together to create a wonderful golfing experience, each hole has its own personality. If you live in west St. Louis county or anywhere within a reasonable driving distance from the Foristell exit on I-70, make a tee time at Bear Creek.
A special thanks to Kirk Porter the PGA pro who manages two great courses, Bear Creek and Sun Valley in Elsberry.
Franklin County Country Club
My Review
Franklin County Country Club is located in Washington/Krakow, MO about 30 miles west of St. Louis. FCCC is as nice a rural country club as you will find in Missouri. Since Washington, MO is so close to St. Louis I am hesitant even calling it a rural club, but I expect that almost every member is from Franklin County.
The course was built on rolling hills with zoysia fairways and tees. The medium-sized greens have some pretty significant breaks and are faster than you typically see on a rural course. They are generally in excellent condition, rolling true. The only trouble spots on the greens are where air flow is restricted. The roughs are a consistent, thick fescue cut short enough that lost balls will be kept to a minimum. All grasses are in excellent condition. Portions of the fairways are very narrow but fairly well groomed. The sand traps, too, are in fairly good condition but, to compete with the nicer clubs in STL, need a little more edging. The course is in excellent condition and is a good value, particularly compared to STL clubs.
Country Lake Golf Club
My Review
Country Lake Golf Club in Warrenton, MO is one of two great courses in the Warrenton area, both with very different personalities. CLGC is a beautiful course, particularly for a rural Missouri. Winter Kill had an impact on the course’s fairways, but this will be rectified with better weather and time. The greens are medium size with some undulation and roll true. The course was built in 1993 and is therefore fairly mature, with large trees flanking most fairways. If you live in west St. Louis county or within 30 miles of Warrenton, you should make the trek to Country Lake Golf Club for a great test of your golf skills.
Warrenton Golf Course
My Review
Warrenton Golf Course in Warrenton, MO was designed and built by the Luecke family on their farm in 1971 and they are still intimately involved in the day-to-day management and maintenance of the course. In fact, this prominent Warrenton family’s matriarch still lives on the course grounds. While many courses throughout the country are struggling to keep the doors open, WGC is profitable and runs a great business. Look at the picture of the course’s schedule for the next several months. This course knows how to do it. They have numerous leagues, events, tournaments and play. There is also a very strong sense of community with this course. It seems like one of the social hubs for the Warrenton area.
The course itself is fairly easy but a lot of fun to play. There are more doglegs here than a Chinese restaurant. Consequently, you need to be able to work the ball to optimize your scoring potential. The Luecke family takes good care of the course too. It is well manicured, particularly for rural course . . . and not too awfully far from the St. Louis metro area. There are minimal bunkers but water comes into play on a few holes. The greens are medium size with minimal break, except for a slope from one side to another for drainage. Like a handful of courses throughout Missouri, the par 4 6th hole has a large tree right in the middle of the fairway about 150 yards from the tee. This obstacle, however, should not pose too much of an issue since there are no lower branches with which to navigate around. All of the fairway and rough grasses are mowed short so lost balls will be kept to a minimum, keeping the speed of play moving at a brisk pace.
Viburnum Golf and Country Club
My Review
Playing almost 350 courses so far throughout Missouri, I have determined that you typically need a population of at minimum 1,000 to support a golf course. Obviously, the larger the city, the more (and quality of) courses it can support. Viburnum, MO has 625 people but it still has a golf course, Viburnum Golf and Country Club. So, considering the economics, the course should have sand greens and fairways consisting of mowed weeds. So you would think. In actuality, Viburnum Golf and Country Club is actually a nice rural golf course. The zoysia fairways are fairly lush and the ball sits up very well. The greens are small to medium size, and like many rural greens, are very flat with significant slope from back to front. And, they are slow so 3-putts will be kept to a minimum. The course is fairly easy and has no sand traps and minimal water hazards. All in all, VGCC is a respectable course and club located in the heart of Mark Twain National Forest. It is probably not worth a long drive to play but, if you are in the area, it is definitely worth playing.
The pro shop manager, Nell Kennedy, is a lovely lady and as sweet as a homemade Missouri cherry pie. She is an extraordinary representative of the course.
Rolling Hills Country Club
My Review
Bottom line: Rolling Hills Country Club is a great course, located in Versailles – at the Lake of the Ozarks. I don’t think it will make the list of the top 5 public courses in the state but it is definitely one of my personal favorites. It is a beautiful rural Missouri course that is well maintained with lush turf, particularly for a rural course. This course will provide quite a challenge to the average golfer and will provide a major test of skills for a lower handicap player. Many of the fairways are flanked by mature trees that narrow dramatically in spots. To score well, you will need to sculpt and shape your shots. There are major doglegs to the left which require a draw and doglegs to the right which require fades. Then you have greens tucked away behind a group of trees requiring positioning your ball in a 20 yards wide area. There are sand traps and a few lakes. The greens are small to medium round with a fairly significant slope. This is a course I would love to play again and again. A special call out to Ross Carbonell who is the club house manager. Ross turned 80 recently and shot a 79 on his birthday. And, that was a bad round for him. He said he shot a 71 last week.
Unionville Country Club
My Review
Unionville Country Club in Unionville, Missouri has a very different vibe. The course is very unusual and has some fun holes but needs some TLC. Besides the numerous blind shots, two of the more interesting shots are the drives on 3 and 5 where your ball will land on a severely sloped fairway; it is difficult to hold the fairway. The course is very hilly and the tee boxes are quite a distance from the preceding green. There is at least a quarter mile between the 6th green and 7th tee box. So, unless you are a glutton for punishment, take a cart. Of special note is Crew Klingner, an 11 year old who hosted and organized a tournament at UCC on the day I was there to help offset the costs of his golf instruction for next summer. What kid does that? If you have a company in Unionville, hire Crew . . . now (for when he graduates from college). This young man is going places. Also, a special thanks to Mindy Blue, the course’s manager, for her northern Missouri hospitality.