CENTRAL MISSOURI

The Golf Club At Deer Chase • Linn Creek, Mo.

hen you combine stunning courses designed by some of the big-W gest names in golf with a beautiful lakeside resort setting, you have the makings of one of the best golf destinations in the Midwest. And, that’s just what golfers will find at Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail.

The Golf Trail’s 13 superb courses appeal to golfers of all skill levels. The well-manicured courses are carved from the rolling Ozark hills, and feature tree-lined, undulating fairways and impressive elevation changes with some beautiful views of the shimmering water of the lake. And, each course offers its own unique setting and set of challenges that bring visitors from across the country to central Missouri.

According to Paul Leahy, president of the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Council and director of golf at Margaritaville Lake Resort, the Lake of the Ozarks rivals any golf destination in the country. “When you consider that we have more than a dozen outstanding courses crafted by some legendary golfers and designers and at some of the most affordable rates you’ll find, it’s hard to beat what the Lake area has to offer for golfers and their families,” Leahy says. “It’s the quality, convenience and affordability that make the Lake of the Ozarks the go-to place for golf.”

Recognized as the “Best Golf Weekend Getaway” by AAA’s Best of the Midwest magazine, the Lake of the Ozarks has a well-earned reputation for providing top-notch golf and accommodations year-around. “We’ve heard time and time

BY KYLE WAYNE STEWART

SPECIAL TO DG

again from visiting golfers from all over the U.S. that they had considered going to Florida, California, Arizona or Alabama, but when they looked at the travel time and expense, the Lake of the Ozarks made the most sense. For many, it’s the perfect fit,” says Leahy.

The courses are spread throughout the lake area yet conveniently located within a five to 30-minute drive from one another. That makes it easy to play two different courses in a day, or all 13 over an enjoyable extended stay.

For a golf getaway of any length, the golf trail’s lodging members specialize in booking moneysaving golf getaway packages where all a golfer has to do is make one phone call to the accommodation of his or her choice to have their lodging and tee times booked for them — all for a price that’s lower than booking golf and lodging separately.

And, when the round is over, there’s plenty of fun and entertainment to be had at what USA Today named the “Best Recreation Lake in the Nation.” With over 200 restaurants and bars, there really is no shortage of options when it comes to dining and nightlife.

For more information on the courses and accommodations along the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail, or to start planning your Golf Trail Getaway today, visit lakeoftheozarksgolftrail.org.

Osage National Golf Resort • Osage Beach, Mo.

Old Kinderhook • Camdenton, Mo.

e’re no doubt missing a few important details from the story, W but the Old Kinderhook Resort, five miles west of Camdenton, Mo., basically got its distinctive name thanks to a connection with the eighth President of the United States. Martin Van Buren, the former Vice President and Governor of New York, and a co-founder of the Democrat Party, was born in 1782 in Kinderhook, N.Y. In an attempt to gain his favor, the Show Me State more or less named its entire southern half Kinderhook County (apparently the attempt to woo the President wasn’t terribly fruitful, however, as Kinderhook was renamed Camden County just two years later).

The resort’s original developers chose to link their project to that time in the area’s history, and the 750-acre playground at the southern end of the 93-mile Osage River Channel that forms the major part of the Lake of the Ozarks, has retained the name ever since it opened in 1999.

And it’s a name that, in the last year, has reached more corners of the country than ever before. “Obviously, when the pandemic began and things started to shut down it didn’t look good,” says Old Kinderhook’s Director of Hotel and Marketing Jasen Jones. “But when we re-opened bookings just soared. I think when people heard we were open they saw us as a little oasis of normality. They just wanted to get away.”

Throughout 2020, Old Kinderhook welcomed travelers from places rarely represented on the visitor list. “We saw a lot of people from Chicago, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota,” says Jones. “Places from where we traditionally don’t see a lot of business. Our group bookings have dipped a little because of health restrictions, but our transient business is up 30 percent.”

It’s the same story on the golf course, a Tom Weiskopf design that scores a 95 percent approval rating with readers at GolfPass.com, and which Golfweek recently named the fifth best publicaccess course in the state.

At just over 20 years of age, the course was beginning to show its first signs of wear at the beginning of 2020. Head Superintendent Charlie Boldreghini together with his maintenance team and the pro shop staff under Head Professional Jason Woods, took the opportunity to rebuild a dozen bunkers and remove a few more during the slow period in March and April when rounds were significantly down. “The course has held up really well and is invariably in great shape,” says Woods. “The fairways are a nice, tight zoysia and the bentgrass greens are some of the best in the state. But some of the bunkers weren’t looking their best.”

The region around Old Kinderhook can get its share of heavy rain — sometimes as much as an inch in 30 minutes — and steep bunker faces don’t fare well in a downpour. “Some of the bunkers were being washed out,” says Woods, “and getting them back in playing shape every time proved expensive and took a lot of time.”

So Woods identified the bunkers that saw the most play, and got to work. “We dug them out, fixed the drainage, and softened their faces,” he says. These modifications were well-received and reviews support the tweaks.

Old Kinderhook recorded 28,000 rounds last year — a very impressive figure for any course in a remote location (180 miles to St. Louis, 150 to Kansas City, and 75 to Springfield), but especially true for one that saw so little play in the first five months of the year. “We started to pick up again the middle of May and really haven’t slowed down since,” says Woods, echoing Jasen Jones’s words.

Jones is bullish on this summer’s prospects. “I think people are more eager than ever before to take some time away from everyday life,” he says. “Whether they come for the golf, boating on the Niangua Arm, a day at the spa, or a meal in our award-winning restaurant the Trophy Room, they are assured some relaxing downtime.”

And there’s plenty more to see and do outside of Old Kinderhook’s gates. Just five miles southeast of the resort is the Ha Ha Tonka State Park described as a geological wonderland featuring sinkholes, caves, a huge natural bridge, a large spring, and the ruins of a turn-of-the-century castle. Built by Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder, the castle was gutted by fire in 1942 and purchased by the state in the 1970s since when it has been a popular feature of the park.

Then there’s the Ozarks Amphitheater, which has some great shows lined up, hundreds of miles of trails, Ballparks National — an amazing fivediamond baseball/softball tournament facility that opened in September 2020, and Bridal Cave at Thunder Mountain — an ancient underground cave system near Camdenton that’s steeped in Native American folklore and where over 3,000 weddings have been performed. “Actually, my wife and I are renewing our vows there later this year,” says Jones.

This year would be a great time to renew your association with the Lake of the Ozarks region, and the fabulous Old Kinderhook Resort in particular. And, if you’ve not been before, go to OldKinderhook.com and begin your journey.