Riverside Golf Club
My Review
Riverside Golf Club in St. Louis, MO has a lot of personality! It has several par 4’s in the 200 to 300 yard range. Such as hole #13, a 236 yard par 4. The green is protected by a lake in front and a large tree that blocks the entire right half of the green so the safe shot is to lay up with a 170 yard drive. If you can draw your drive, you will be set up well for a birdie. If you can’t you will be staring at a bogie. Many fairways are very narrow, flanked by trees on both sides. This course also offers a great golfing value; the green fees for 18 holes plus a cart are very reasonable. The fairway grasses were OK for the most part but the tees and greens needed a little attention. The grass on the greens were actually pretty good but they looked like Okinawa after the last WWII battle. Repair your ball marks people! It should also be noted that the greens are some of the slowest I have played. If you have never played this course, I recommend that you try it. It may or may not be your cup of tea, but it WILL provide you with a unique golfing experience.
The course also offers a decent par 3 course to work on your short game or to take a beginner.
Pheasant Run Golf Course
My Review
Pheasant Run Golf Course is a par 57, eighteen-hole executive course located just off of the Page extension and Highway K in O’Fallon. What sets this course apart from other courses in the state is that it is well lit for night golf. The course consists primarily of par 3’s with three par 4’s. This is a perfect course for people learning the game, couples, more experienced golfers who want to work on their short game, etc. On the night we played, there was a women’s league playing on the back 9. The greens are fairly large, rolled well, if you could dodge the hundreds of ball marks on each green (fix your ball marks people!) and some had significant slope (see the pictures). There were 3 sets of tees for each hole and each had zoysia grass. This course is not the most pristine course in the state but it is an excellent course for its purpose. In fact, when I got home, I told my wife that she and some of her friends should join the women’s league. Looked like fun to me!
The Legends Country Club
My Review
I spent a lot of time contemplating the overall rating for The Legends Country Club in Eureka/St. Louis, designed by famed golf course architect, Gary Kern. The course layout is absolutely at least a 4 out of 5 but the current condition puts it at closer to a 3.5, particularly since there is some major construction on a small portion of the course. Regardless, this is a GREAT course. Maybe one of the best playing courses in St. Louis. The tips are over 7k yards but offers tees for every playing level. No matter which tees you play this course throws a lot at you. LCC has some of the largest (and most plentiful) bunkers in the region and they are extremely difficult to avoid. On some holes I got the impression that there was more sand than grass (not true of course, but I spent more time in the sand than Omar Sharif). The sand, though, is in good condition. The course also has a lot of large bodies of water, creeks, ditches, OB and some extraordinarily large tiered greens. There is actually a variety of green sizes and undulation, but the odds are good that you will likely 3-putt at least a couple of greens unless your approach game is on target. Also, many of the holes on the 18-hole course are flanked by thick, mature trees, making shot placement critical.
There are 27 holes of golf at LCC. The primary 18-hole course is called the RTJ course, named after its designer, Robert Trent Jones, which has an old-school country club feel. The 9-hole course, The Ridge, was designed by the local legend Gary Kerns. It is much more open and scenic, especially when you get to its namesake hole which sits atop of a large hill overlooking Eureka.
We do not typically rate the green fee value of private courses, but this course/club is one of the best values (initiation fee and monthly dues) in the area. If you put this course east of 270, the initiation fee would be, at minimum, 10 times higher.
The Landings at Spirit Golf Club
My Review
The Landings at Spirit Golf Club is adjacent to the Spirit of St. Louis Airport. In fact, you are able to get a front row seat for many take offs and landings (hence the name of the course) of private jets while playing the front nine. That’s worth the price of admission (green fees) alone. Pair that up with a well-designed and maintained golf course and you have a fun golf experience.
Since the land is flat, the course designer used the best tool available besides his/her creative mind . . . a bulldozer. The finished product is a well-sculpted golf course with a plethora of mounds, interesting bunkers, clumps of ornamental grasses and undulating greens. Two of the greens service four separate holes. While the zoysia fairways are somewhat narrow, the ample roughs are not too punitive; you just cannot spray the ball too erratically, otherwise you will lose your ball in the very thick natural Missouri grasses adjacent to most holes. When you play The Landings you will notice that there are no water hazards. Any guesses why? I had no idea until the Director of Golf Operations, Paul Gerson, explained it to me. Since the course is next to a major airport, water hazards are not allowed because they attract birds. And, as Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger III can attest, birds are bad, very bad for airplanes.
All in all, the The Landings is a great course and well worth the drive to west St. Louis county. You’re welcome.
Lake St. Louis Golf Course
My Review
Lake Saint Louis Golf Course is a wonderful par 3 course in the heart of Lake Saint Louis. It is a community course reserved for residents and it is an excellent perk. All aspects of this course are very nice, including the wicked greens. They are small but have a high level of complexity, which is something you just don’t see every day. If you do not play here consistently (and even if you play here daily) you will undoubtedly 3 putt a few greens. Interestingly, the fairways are lush zoysia grass, which is also something you don’t see every day. This is likely to accommodate beginner golfers who have a difficult time getting any distance on their tee shots. While the third hole is 197 yards, the average hole is 122 yards. That’s fairly short. So, if you live in the LSL area, get out here and play this course. It is perfect for beginners and for more skilled players who want to work on their short game.
BTW, the 2.5 overall rating is strictly because it is a Par 3, nine hole course. Put this quality of grasses on a regulation-length course and you will have a 4 out of 5 balls course.
Lake Forest Country Club
My Review
Lake Forest Country Club is a beautiful country club in Lake St. Louis. The course is well manicured and is in wonderful condition. It was designed by renowned local architect Gary Kern and opened for play in 1985. If you are not hitting straight, you will undoubtedly find trouble in the form of 35 year old trees, very large sand traps a little smaller than the Mohave Desert protecting the wide and plush zoysia fairways and greens, lakes, creeks, OB, etc. If you are hitting reasonably straight you will have some success because all of the grasses are in excellent condition and you will have consistent lies. 3-putts will regrettably be common on the LFCC greens because some are very large, measuring up to 120 feet wide, with medium complexity and are pretty slick. On the day we played they were running at about a 10. Also, like many top-tier clubs, Lake Forest accentuates the course with many plants, flowers, natural grasses and landscaping. The club is also reasonably priced for a private club. If you live in the Lake St. Louis area and are looking for a golf, tennis, pickle ball and swimming home you need to visit the club.
Hidden Valley Country Club
My Review
We have not had the opportunity to play Hidden Valley Country Club in St. Louis / Eureka, MO. As soon as we have, we will add it to all of the other reviews of Missouri Golf Courses. Our goal is to provide useful information to golfers around the world about the 500 golf courses in Missouri. We will also take several photographs of the course and replace those posted here so that you will have a good understanding of the course and everything it has to offer. 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 Hidden Valley Country Club at the bottom of this page.
Heritage of Hawk Ridge
My Review
Heritage of Hawk Ridge is a Par 3 course in Lake St. Louis, MO. We rated it 2 out of 5 stars exclusively because it is a Par 3 course. But, if it were an 18 hole course, we would have rated it a 3.5. It is actually a nice and very playable course. This Par 27’s tees (Zoysia) and greens (Bentgrass) are in excellent and consistent condition. The fairways are irrelevant because it is a Par 3 course. Regardless, the fairways are comprised of a mix of short fescue/blue and are in reasonable condition. Heritage of Hawk Ridge is probably not worth too long of a drive to play . . . but, if I lived in the area I would love to play here, particularly if I wanted to work on my short game. Also, do not consider this a push-over Par 3. There are 7 traps and a you will have to hit over a fairly large lake at least twice (from the Blue tees).
Family Golf & Learning Center
My Review
Family Golf & Learning Center in St. Louis, MO is a Par 3, driving range and practice facility. Family Golf is not the most pristine course in the region, nor should it be but, if you need to improve your short game, this is the place to go. The current owner, Adam Betz, is a PGA teaching pro and he has big plans for the Center. The facility is a little off the beaten path but it is just off of Big Bend a little west of 270.