An aerial view of Old Kinderhook

Recently, the Lake of the Ozarks area was named "Best Golf Weekend" by AAA's Midwest Traveler magazine in its Best of the Midwest poll. Also, Golf Magazine listed two of the Lake's courses - Old Kinderhook and The Ridge at The Lodge of Four Seasons - among the top five in Missouri for its "Best Courses Near You" rankings. Old Kinderhook, a Tom Weiskopf Signature course in Camdenton, was ranked second among all public courses in Missouri. "It's an honor to receive this recognition from Golf Magazine and it's a true credit to the dedicated ownership and top-notch staff here at Old Kinderhook for keeping the course in such impeccable condition," said Old Kinderhook Executive Director Bob Renken. "It's also an acknowledgment of the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Council for attracting so many high-quality golfers from across the Midwest to experience all of the great golf facilities here at the Lake."

The Ridge Course at The Lodge of Four Seasons

 

The Ridge, designed by Ken Kavanaugh in Lake Ozark, received Golf Magazine's No. 5 "Best Course Near You" ranking. "We are honored to be recognized by Golf Magazine as one of the top five courses in Missouri," said Matt Tausig, The Lodge of Four Seasons Director of Golf. "The Ridge is so unique for the Midwest because of all the elevation changes and hills. Ken Kavanaugh really captured the natural beauty associated with the Lake area."  The Lake of the Ozarks area was one of only two destinations in Missouri to have two courses named in the top five by a panel of Golf Magazine experts.

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Fifteen courses dot the scenic landscape of the Lake area, including several crafted by world-class designers and golf pros such as Weiskopf; Kavanaugh; Jack Nicklaus; Arnold Palmer; Roger Null; Floyd Farley; Robert Trent Jones, Sr.; Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge. Nine courses at the Lake - Old Kinderhook, The Oaks at Tan-Tar-A Resort, The Cove at The Lodge of Four Seasons, The Ridge at The Lodge of Four Seasons, Lake Valley Country Club, and all three courses at Osage National Golf Resort (The Mountain, River and Links courses) - have been rated four stars or higher by Golf Digest in its annual "Places to Play" readers' poll of public courses in the country. The Ridge was the highest rated course at the Lake with four-and-a-half stars, while the other eight received four-star ratings. A rating of four or more stars out of five means that the readers of Golf Digest consider these to be among the country's "must play" public courses.

The Club at Porto Cima at The Lodge of Four Seasons

 

The Lake area is also home to one of the nation's most decorated private courses, The Club at Porto Cima at The Lodge of Four Seasons. Golf Digest ranked the Jack Nicklaus-designed course as the No. 4 Best New Private Course in the country in 2002. Since it opened in 2000, The Club has consistently been rated among the top 10 courses in Missouri by Golf Digest and in 2010 was named by the members of the Missouri Golf Association as the best course in the state.

Osage National Golf Resort

 

Some of the Lake's courses also have been the site of historic PGA and amateur golf battles. Osage National was the site of the 1994 Skins Game between golfing legends Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Missouri native Payne Stewart. Also in 1994, The Oaks at Tan-Tar-A and The Cove at The Lodge of Four Seasons were hosts of the PGA Club Pro Championship, the largest professional tournament of its kind.

The Golf Club at Deer Chase

 

Thirteen of the 15 Lake area courses - Bear Creek Valley Golf Club, The Golf Club at Deer Chase, Dogwood Hills Golf Club, Eldon Golf Club, Indian Rock Golf Club, Lake Valley Country Club, Old Kinderhook, Osage National, The Ridge, Rolling Hills Country Club, Sycamore Creek Golf Club and Hidden Lakes and The Oaks at Tan-Tar-A - are members of the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail.

Hidden Lakes Course at Tan-Tar-A Resort

 

"The Golf Trail is an alliance of courses partnering together with 11 lodging properties at the Lake of the Ozarks to give golfers discounted prices on everything from budget-friendly golf getaways to luxury golf vacations," said Paul Leahy, Director of Golf at Tan-Tar-A Resort and Lake of the Ozarks Golf Council President.

    

For more information about all 15 fun and challenging courses at the Lake of the Ozarks, visit FunLake.com or call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau at 800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253). If you would like more information about the courses and accommodations on Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks Golf Trail, including details about money-saving golf packages, visit GolfingMissouri.com.