Ozark National Golf Course in Branson Courtesy of Big Cedar Lodge
Missouri has nearly 400 golf courses across the state as of 2024. That includes approximately 200 public, 68 municipal courses, and nearly 100 private courses.
The Show Me State has such a variety of courses as well. There are courses cut through the Ozarks Mountains, some resting on bluffs, others with lakeside holes, and even links style courses. If you love a particular type of golf, then this is the state for you to play.
When it comes to the best public golf in Missouri, the Branson area rules. The number (and quality) of courses that have been built over the past decade has been staggering.
A large part of that success lies with Bass Pro Shops’ founder Johnny Morris. In fact, when Tiger Woods decided to build his first public course, he teamed up with Morris to build Payne’s Valley in honor of southwest Missouri native Payne Stewart.
Of course, any list like this will be met with a debate. So here is how we came up with this “Best of the Best” list. We crunched the rankings from the most recent surveys by publications like Golfweek, GolfPass, Trip Advisor, and others. I was surprised at some of the rankings as there are many courses I would rank higher… or lower. But this is the way the numbers came out.
That said, I don’t think I’ve had a bad day of golf! I love all kinds of courses, even the sand greens I learned to play on in Belle and Fayette. So anytime I have actual grass to put on, I’m pretty happy.
| Course | City |
|---|---|
| 1. Payne’s Valley | Hollister |
| 2. Ozarks National | Hollister |
| 3. Buffalo Ridge | Hollister |
| 4. Old Kinderhook | Camdenton |
| 5. Swope Memorial | Kansas City |
| 6. Branson Hills | Branson |
| 7. Missouri Bluffs | St. Charles |
| 8. Pevely Farms Golf Club | Eureka |
| 9. Ledgestone | Branson |
| 10. Innsbrook Country Club | Wright City |
| 11. Stone Canyon | Blue Springs |
| 12. Creekmoor | Raymore |
| 13. Shoal Creek | Kansas City |
| 14. Osage National | Lake Ozarks |
| 15. Golf Club at Deer Chase | Linn Creek |
| 16. Bear Creek Valley Golf Club | Osage Beach |
| 17. Mozingo Lake | Maryville |
| 18. Forest Park Golf Course | St. Louis |
| 19. The Oaks are Margaritaville | Osage Beach |
| 20. L.A. Nickell Municipal Golf Course | Columbia |
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Public and Resort courses are really very different categories. The top of your list is primarily resorts with large maintenance budgets and relatively high green fees.
A better distinction would be Best Public AND Best Resorts.
Tanglewood in Fulton, run by the City of Fulton would certainly be a good add.
Good point! But these are just the compilation of lists, so that would be hard to break down. That said, if anybody wants to go play all 400 with me so we can rank them personally, then I'm in!
Pointe Royale Golf Course https://pointeroyalegolf.net/
I do love Pointe Royale!