Indian Rock Golf Club
My Review
Indian Rock Golf Club in Laurie, MO at the Lake of the Ozarks is a diverse course that is supposedly improving by the day. Some holes are wide open; some are like threading a needle. Some of the greens are huge and flat; some are small. Like most of the other Lake courses, Indian Rock Golf Club has it share of hazards: sand, water, OB, trees, etc. The club is a little north and west of most of the premier courses, but you should definitely play the course, particularly if you are staying within a 15 mile radius of Laurie, MO.
Lamar Country Club
My Review
Lamar Country Club in Lamar, MO is a fairly wide-open course with old school rural greens: small and oval-shaped with a significant slope, of at least 2 feet, from the back to the front. Since no one was working at the course when I played, much of the information provided herein has not been confirmed. The tee boxes are in excellent condition and the greens/fairways are in OK condition. The course is adjacent to Highway 49 so the traffic noise is ever present. Lamar CC is not the best rural course I have played but it certainly is a great addition to this community of around 4,000.
Lake Valley Country Club
My Review
After playing “less than ideal” courses over the past few days, Lake Valley Country Club at the Lake of the Ozarks in Camdenton, MO was a welcome relief and treat. The course is right off of 54 (one of the main state highways running through the Lake) and is very well maintained. All grasses were comparable to some of the finest clubs in the state. The greens are very nice; they are fairly flat with a quick and fair roll. While Lake Valley’s location indicates that it is a resort-type course, it does not have resort feel . . . which is a good thing. Lake Valley is just pure golf for golfers; no bells and whistles. For a Lake course, LVCC is very walkable – a rarity around these parts. Todd Nicklas, the course pro, was as professional and accommodating as you will find. All in all Lake Valley Country Club at the Lake of the Ozarks is a wonderful golf course, reinforcing the fact that the Lake, with its many excellent golf courses within a small area, is a great golfing destination.
Bear Creek Valley Golf Club
My Review
My expectations were low going in. Then, I drove up to the club house and it is right on a main drag at the Lake . . . AND, it appeared to be in a strip mall. I was momentarily confused and dazed. Was this a REAL golf course or a mini-golf and go-cart “Lake of the Ozarks” kind of thing? SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!! Yeah, not even close. This may be controversial, but Bear Creek Valley Golf Club at the Lake of the Ozarks is now one of my favorite golf courses in Missouri. It is a little funky but I loves me some funk. This beautifully lush and green course is probably the hilliest in the state, which makes for some very interesting and fun holes. It is also one of the most manicured courses in the state. It looks like they hire meticulous Japanese artists to trim each of the green fringes with tiny scissors. The greens are large with medium complexity. Most holes are not contiguous so dense woods and trees flank each fairway. Because of the massive hills, it would be wise to play with someone familiar with the course who can assist with club selection. Or, just play it again and again and again. It is probably not everyone’s cup of tea but it is worth playing if you are at the Lake.
Wolf Hollow Golf Club
My Review
Wolf Hollow Golf Club in Labadie, MO was full of surprises.
We expected another poorly maintained rural course, because it didn’t seem close enough to a population center large enough to support a high-end golf experience. OK, so we were wrong again! Wolf Hollow is a wonderful (and wonderfully maintained) golf course, designed by golf course architect legend, Gary Kern.
The golf course was characterized by narrow fairways that often wound up or down very steep hills towards small to medium-sized greens. Accuracy, not length, is essential at Wolf Hollow, and without some prior familiarity with the golf course, a player would be at a tremendous disadvantage. There were more blind shots at Wolf Hollow than on a large quail-hunting trip for the visually impaired.
Teeing areas, fairways and greens were neatly manicured and closely mowed. The greens, though slower than usual due to recent rain, stopped on a dime and rolled true. For the money, Wolf Hollow Golf Club is one of the best values in the state. Labadie is right next to Washington, MO and is worth the drive from STL for a very different golfing experience.
Nehai Property Owners Country Club
My Review
Nehai Property Owners Country Club in Keytesville, MO is not a viable golfing concern. It is simply a 9 hole course for residents of this private lake community. It did not earn the lowest rating because the course actually has Bent grass greens, as opposed to sand green courses like another lake community a few miles to the north (Lake Thunderhead). The greens, tees, fairways, etc. are all in terrible condition. If you ever get the chance to play this course, I wouldn’t waste your time.
MariMack Golf Complex
My Review
MariMack Golf Complex in Kearney, MO is a great community course. They have many golf-related activities and tournaments scheduled to involve as many residents as possible. MariMack even offers free club rental to encourage people to try the sport. Even though it is a par 3 course, most players will end up using the majority the clubs in their bag, even the driver – since the first hole is 220 yards. The course is not in great condition but it is a viable option for the area’s residents who want to play some golf but do not want to make the trek to Excelsior Springs or Liberty. This little course has one of the hardest holes maybe in Missouri. Number 6 is a 140 yard downhill hole with a tall tree protecting the entire right half of the green and thick weeds/woods on the left. It is too tall to go over and, unless you can slice your iron around the tree, you are best served hitting a soft, controlled shot just to the left of the tree, playing it as the shortest par 4 in the state (see illustration in pictures to the left). It is a crazy hole, but I love crazy holes. The course’s name comes from the founder of the club, Mack and Mari Porter. A special call out to Carol Lea Smith, who is the course’s number 1 fan.
Unity Village Golf Course
My Review
If you live in Kansas City you have undoubtedly noticed the beautiful tower right off of Highway 50/350 a little north of Lee’s Summit. Growing up in KC, I had heard of Unity Village but had no idea what it was. Well, now I know. Unity is the world’s premier resource for spiritual support. I believe they used to have a college of some sort but now their claim to fame is providing prayer and spiritual support for those in need. Plus, they have a 9-hole golf course. Who knew?
Unity Village Golf Course is fairly short and is in transition. James Burrow, the course new GM, came from Hidden Trails Golf Course in Dexter, MO and has big plans for the course. I actually talked with James while playing all of the courses in SE MO a couple of years ago. He is a very nice young man. James has aggressive plans to dramatically improve the Unity course. An irrigation system is being installed and will be complete by the end of 2018. This will be a huge improvement. While the and tee boxes are in need of water, the greens are in superb condition. They are small and flat with a slope from the back to the front, typical of rural courses. They roll true and are surprisingly pretty darned quick. There are a several sand traps and a few other opportunities to get in trouble (like the 2 large trees right in the middle of the fairway of the very short 185 yard par 4) but this is one of the easier courses in the state. The slope rating is 88 to 109. By the way, the famous Unity Tower over looks the first hole so you have the opportunity to get up close and personal with this famous KC landmark. That’s worth the drive to Unity Village to play their course by itself.
Teetering Rocks Golf Course
My Review
Teetering Rocks Golf Course is located in Raytown, MO, a suburb of Kansas City. This course may be one of the funkiest and quirkiest courses in our great state. First of all, it is a par 66, 36 on the front and 30 on the back. Secondly, it has several very oddly-shaped greens like the 3rd hole’s green which is shaped like a heart, even with the point at the bottom (see picture). Thirdly, it has some sort of Loch Ness Monster overlooking the 10th tee (see pictures). Then there is the 313 yard, fishhook-shaped par 5 (yep, you read that right 313 yard par 5) . . . and it really deserves to be a par 5 because there is almost no way to reach the green in 2. As you approach the green, the fairway fishhooks sharply to the right around thick woods. To have a chance of even getting on the green in 3 you have to leave your ball almost exactly 80 yards from the pin. If your second shot is not far enough to make the sharp right turn around the trees you will have to lay up again.
Quirkiness aside, the course is in fair condition but I wouldn’t let that stop me from playing here, at least once. It is a fun and challenging course but you had better bring your short A-Game; you’re going to need it to position your ball if you want to score well. As short as the course is, however, I would not recommend walking because of the extreme hills and the extreme distance between some of the greens and next tee.