Getting To Know: Tan-Tar-A Resort Golf Club By Brian Weis

Getting To Know: Tan-Tar-A Resort Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Paul Leahy, Director of Golf

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Paul Leahy who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
The 18 hole course "The Oaks" was open in 1980. It was previously a working ski slope and night club. The 9 Hole Course "Hidden Lakes" was open in 1969. The Bruce Devlin/Robert Von Hagge Oaks course is built out of the natural wooded hilly Ozark terrain. Numerous water hazards and and bunkers line the course and no hole is the same. While playing the Oaks you will feel like the only ones on the course as no hole runs side by side to one another. The small undulating green complexes as well as the narrow fairways makes scoring difficult. With a course record of 65 this track will challenge the best of players, but with six sets of tee boxes it is enjoyable for all skill levels. The 9 Hole Hidden Lakes course is a challenge of its own. Winding about the Tan-Tar-A Estates this par 35 regulation length course is quick and fun to play. Similar to the Oaks shot making is at a premium and the short, straight hitters will have the advantage.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
The Oaks and Hidden Lakes are both main stays in the area. The beautiful foliage and views of the Lake of the Ozarks make these must plays when visiting. Crafted in an old school fashion the courses demand accuracy or power and the Zoysia grass fairways make for perfect playing conditions.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Both courses demand accuracy and I would fine tune my ability to hit shots from varying lies. Uneven lies are the norm as the natural undulations of the Ozark hills make for beautiful scenery but can be a challenge if your not used to hitting shots from varying uneven lies. Uphill, downhill and side hill lies are a plenty so bone up on these shots before you play, you will be glad you did.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
Numerous trees have been trimmed or taken down for air circulation and ease of play. New water features in the form of fountains have been added as well as a walk bridge on the 9th hole, which is perfect for that perfect picture with the 9th hole water fall as your backdrop.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
2017 Gateway PGA Merchandiser of the Year.
Host Course of the 1994 PGA Professional Club Professional Championship (The worlds largest professional golf tournament with 360 participants.)

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
#9 at the Oaks is the most talked about and photographed hole on the course. A Challenging Par 5 you must lay up either far up the hill leaving a 130 yard shot or more over water or hit it farther down the hill and leave yourself under 100 yards but having to hit from a severe downhill slope across the water. The green is vary narrow and long so there is not much room for error. A Water Fall feature was added in 1989 and it has been the signature hole ever since. Many wedding, prom and family pictures have been taken over the years with the water falls as the backdrop.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My Favorite hole is the Par 3 14th at the Oaks. It is a 177 par 3 with a very narrow long green. The left and back side of the green is surrounded by a cove of the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. Many days you will be staring at a 36 or 50 foot cruiser anchored in the cove enjoying the lake as you hit your tee ball. At the green you can see up the cove and out to the main channel of the Lake. When playing the hole everything runs left toward the water so if you miss the green make sure it is to the right. 3 is a great score and don't forget to take your camera for a great shot up the cove.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Ron McDougal Shot 65 in the second round of the 1994 PGA Club Professional Championship. The course was saturated with rain and it took 3 days to complete his round. Playing 1 hole on the first day, 16 on the 2nd and birdieing the very difficult 18th hole at dawn on third day it was an impressive 65 to say the least. Difficult scoring conditions all week led to a 3 way play-off at 1 over par and Sammy Rachals came out victorious on the second play-off hole over Darrel Kestner and McDougal.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 71
Yardage: 6432
Slope: 134
Rating: 72.1

More Information
Tan-Tar-A Resort Golf Club 1524 State Road KK Osage Beach, Missouri, 65065 5733488522
www.tan-tar-a.com

Revised: 04/16/2018 - Article Viewed 18,900 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.