Hit the Tee

IMPROVEMENTS AT LAKE AREA GOLF COURSES

Story by PAUL LEAHY

Summer is in full swing and lots of exciting things are going on at Lake of the Ozarks. Golf continues to be as popular as ever. Tiger Woods is playing golf again and golf clubs are in high demand.

The supply chain issues of 2021 have subsided from a golf club standpoint and the Taylor Made Stealth line of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids have been some of the hottest clubs on the market. Its Carbon Twist Face has replaced the titanium faces that have been the predominant technology for the last 20 years. Golf balls are still an issue however, with the shortage of a product called Surlyn. Surlyn is used in all golf balls, even premium balls such as the Titleist Pro V line of balls. With the shortage of this product golf ball prices have increased and your local range is having a difficult time replenishing their range balls.

Locally, several facilities got a new fleet of golf carts in 2022. The Lodge of Four Seasons, Osage National and Lake Valley all received their new carts. Osage National received a new fleet of EZGO Electric carts with GPS Pace Technology included. New to this version is the incorporation of the GolfLogix technology to the GPS system. Incorporating this technology into the built-in GPS unit on the cart enables the golfer to see a 3D heat map of each green as you approach. What these new maps show the golfer is the slopes and contours of the green complex as you hit your approach and get ready to putt. It has been available on the GolfLogix app previously and now it has been installed onto the cart’s unit. I used it for the first time this summer and it was very cool technology. These new carts can also regulate pace of play by allowing the course to speed up or slow

Osage National received a new fleet of EZGO Electric carts with GPS Pace Technology included.

down a cart during certain course conditions and map out areas of the course that are off limits. If a cart travels into these restricted areas it will automatically shut down the cart and it will have to be placed in reverse to exit the area. The course can also send messages to specific carts, and track pace of play. It provides the course a lot of flexibility and enhances the golfer’s experience. Lake Valley and The Lodge of Four Seasons have GPS units as well on their fleet of carts this season.

Junior golf continues to be an area of importance around the country and in the Lake area. Eldon Country Club and Lake Valley Golf Club continue to offer junior leagues for golfers 14 and under during the summer. This fun, learning atmosphere also has a competitive feel as you compete as a team against other teams in a scramble format. They learn the fundamentals and etiquette of the game in a fun, team atmosphere. Junior golfers can also play in multiple Missouri Golf Association Junior golf tournaments hosted by multiple local clubs throughout the summer. Details can be found at www.mogolf.org.

Lake Valley has hired a new assistant golf professional for the 2022 season. Caleb Ward spent the last several years at Osage National before relocating to Lake Valley. Lake Valley remodeled their clubhouse in 2021 and has been heavily focused on showcasing their improvements by hosting numerous weddings and baby showers. If you need a special place for any occasions, give them a call at Lake Valley. Hank England has returned to the Lodge of Four Seasons as their new PGA Head Golf Professional, after previous stints at Margaritaville Lake Resort and Redfield Golf Club.

Golf instruction and club fitting continues to very popular. Many fine PGA certified instructors can be found in the Lake area. Shane Blankenship at Old Kinderhook does numerous golf schools and gives hundreds of individual lessons each season. His reputation as a teacher is widely recognized and he has students as far away as St. Louis make the trip to gain his knowledge. Tory Hayes, 1996 Gateway PGA Teacher of the Year, has relocated back to the Lake and has brought his talents to Margaritaville Lake Resort this season. Many facilities have also invested resources into golf simulators over the last few seasons to continue their instruction programs and club fitting. Eldon Country Club has two indoor simulators with PGA Professional Michel Cummings heading up the instructional and fitting programs. Osage National is home to another simulator with PGA Professional Derek Akers leading their team of PGA Professionals in their fitting and teaching endeavors. The LOZ Golf Lounge is also available with two simulators to test your game on multiple courses.

Tournament season is in full swing with local charity outings, Missouri Golf Association events and club tournaments being contested in the area. A full list of Missouri Golf Association events can be found at www.mogolf.org. Some of the local MGA events are the Parent/ Child Championship on August 1 at the Club at Porto Cima, and MGA Senior series events on August 15 at Lake Valley and August 16 at the Club at Porto Cima. Old Kinderhook will host a two day MGA Senior series event August 30 and 31. Lake Valley Country Club has three open events coming up: the Ladies Scramble July 9 and 10, a Men’s Summer two-manan scramble August 6 and 7, and their fall couples scramble October 1 and 2. Margaritaville Lake Resort will host their annual Parrot Head Open two-person scramble event August 27 and 28. Details on these and more can be found on the course's websites.

There is always something new and exciting happening at your favorite local course, so get out and enjoy the rest of summer. It will be gone before you know it.

Many Lake area golf courses have upgraded their golf carts and facilities with new technology and improvements. See what’s new at one of the courses this year.