Golf Course Overview: Tan-Tar-A Resort Golf Club By Brian Weis

Golf Course Overview: Tan-Tar-A Resort Golf Club

Insights From An Insider With Paul Leahy, Director of Golf

By Brian Weis

Local and traveling golfers love to research courses before playing them, whether it is to gain some local knowledge or to set an expectation before their upcoming round. Below is an interview with Paul Leahy who shares some valuable insight about the property, its most talked about holes and the signature dish/drink to consume at the 19th hole.

How Does Your Course Differ From The Others In The Area? Our courses are some of the oldest in the area and were constructed using the natural terrain of the area. Some of the newer courses in the area are built on flatter pieces of property that do not give you the full beauty of the Ozarks.

For someone who has not played the course in awhile, has there been any new changes/renovations to the course or property?
Numerous trees have been removed for circulation and for play ability of the course. Many areas where the trees have been removed or trimmed have been sodded for better playing conditions. A new water feature was added to the 4th hole and construction of a bridge over the water feature on #9 for pictures has been added.

What is your course's answer to Amen Corner? (Describe your best/hardest 3 back/back/back holes)
I would say our amen corner is 12,13,14. Twelve is a short downhill par 4. The best play is to hit something about 200 yards so it leaves you 120 to 100 yards so you can have a full shot to the narrow elevated green. Get it to close to the green and you can't see the flag and you are hitting a half shot. Thirteen is a tough, narrow par 4 where the green sits in front of the Lake of the Ozarks forming a spectacular back drop. A creek runs the entire right side and from the back tee you are forced to hit driver or 3 wood to reach the fairway. Fourteen is a long Par 3 with the lake of the Ozarks boarding the green on the left and the back. Keep the ball to the right as everything runs toward the water on the left. Enjoy the views on these 3 and take some scenic photos.

What is your course's claim to fame, or is there a little known fact that golfers should know about the property?
The Oaks Golf Course was built on the site of the Tan-Tar-A Ski Slope, hence why the Golf Shop resembles a ski resort with its pitched roof line. The driving range, pond in front of hole #8 and beyond hole number 8 was the ski run until the course opened in 1980. The Hidden Lakes 9 Hole Golf Course opened in 1969 in preparation for the 1970 August National Governor's Conference. President Richard Nixon was an avid golfer and wanted to make sure golf was available for the attendees.

What tournaments/events have you (recently) hosted or will be hosting?
Annual Norm Stewart Celebrity Golf Classic to raise funds for the Coaches vs Cancer Charity

Besides golf, what other amenities do you offer if a golfer wants to spend most of the day at your facility?
The resort offers many recreational activities to enjoy from, a full service marina, bowling alley, indoor waterpark, spa, fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, miniature golf, tennis, basketball and more. Several dining options are also available at the resort and it is perfect for large and small meetings and conferences.

Contact Course
Tan-Tar-A Resort Golf Club 1524 State Road KK Osage Beach, MO, 65065 573-348-8522

www.tan-tar-a.com

Revised: 04/16/2018 - Article Viewed 18,910 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.