Golf in Missouri
Overview
Find places
This page explains golf in Missouri. The sorter handles the local question by city or ZIP.
Golf in Missouri
Missouri state parks operate several public golf facilities, and Jefferson City's Oak Hills Golf Center, run by JC Parks, charges $21 for 9 holes and $16 for seniors age 60 and older on weekdays. Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas have numerous municipal and public courses open year-round when weather permits.
Published local price
Randel-Hinkle Municipal Golf Course (Mountain Grove, MO): 18-hole green fee $30 everyday; cart rental $25 additional. Senior citizens (age 65) receive 10% discount. Rates vary by season and tee time.
Published range: $27 to $55.
Randel-Hinkle Municipal Golf Course City of Mountain Grove MO · as of 2026Where to go
Golf score
26th of 51 states for retirement golf
Golf score blends year-round playability (34%), playable access (16%), affordability (16%), course pedigree (12%), and statewide course density (22%).
Courses
A sample of marquee courses across Missouri, with where to play and how to book.
Ozark valley layout closing on a par-3 island green · Tiger Woods (TGR Design)
This is the first fully public course from Tiger Woods, set in an Ozark valley below Branson. The bonus 19th hole drops to an island green ringed by a waterfall.
Opened 2021 · $$$$ · Slope 132
Carved through Ozark hills with rock outcrops and creeks · Chuck Smith
You play through rugged Ozark terrain with natural rock walls, waterfalls, and elevation changes. It has long been rated among the top public courses in the state.
$$$ · Slope 135
All par-3 course on a bluff above Table Rock Lake · Jack Nicklaus
This short par-3 course sits high above Table Rock Lake with waterfalls and an island green. It is an easy walk and a favorite for a relaxed afternoon round.
Opened 1996 · $$$
Rolling Ozark valleys with rock-lined waterfalls · Tom Weiskopf
You wind through 700 acres of Ozark hills at the Lake of the Ozarks, with zoysia fairways and big bentgrass greens. It is often ranked among Missouri's best.
Opened 1999 · $$$ · Slope 133
Forested rolling terrain along the Osage River bluffs · Arnold Palmer
This is the only Arnold Palmer signature course in Missouri, set along the Osage River near the Lake of the Ozarks. Three nines let you mix and match a different eighteen each visit.
Opened 1992 · $$$ · Slope 145
Lake-guarded greens and rolling Northland fairways · Robert Trent Jones Jr.
A Robert Trent Jones Jr. design in Kansas City's Northland, with several greens guarded by water. It once hosted a Champions Tour event and stays a local favorite.
Opened 1999 · $$$ · Slope 139
Open prairie-style holes with native grasses and creeks · Steve Wolfard
This city-owned Kansas City course plays through open ground near a 1800s prairie village, with native grasses framing the holes. It is a well-priced championship layout.
Opened 2001 · $$ · Slope 136
Flat walkable nines among mature trees and lagoons · Robert Foulis
This historic St. Louis municipal course offers three nine-hole layouts inside Forest Park. The Hawthorn nine is flat and easy to walk, so you can play a quick loop close to the city.
Opened 1912 · $
We've mapped 13 courses across Missouri so far.
What Missouri costs
Cost of living
91
BEA index, U.S. = 100
State income tax
~4.0% state income-tax planning rate
Social Security
Not taxed
How people start
Most metros list city-run courses with published fee schedules. Those set the affordable floor before any private club enters the picture.
Many courses post a reduced weekday senior rate and a season pass. The difference between pay-per-round and a pass is the number that usually drives the yearly cost.
In warm states the season runs most of the year; in cold ones it is a few months. The yearly cost is rounds-per-year times rate, plus cart and equipment.
Towns in Missouri
KC Parks operates five public municipal courses including the historic Swope Memorial Golf Course (designed 1934 by A.W. Tillinghast) and Minor Park, where seniors 60 and older receive weekday walking rates of $27 at Hodge Park Golf Course. Jackson County Parks also offers senior discounts at the Fred Arbanas Golf Course Championship Course on weekdays.
KC Parks GolfCommon questions
Missouri state parks operate several public golf facilities, and Jefferson City's Oak Hills Golf Center, run by JC Parks, charges $21 for 9 holes and $16 for seniors age 60 and older on weekdays. Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas have numerous municipal and public courses open year-round when weather permits. Towns like Kansas City have their own local options.
Missouri has a cost-of-living index near 91 (U.S. = 100), about a 4.0% state income-tax planning rate, and does not tax Social Security. The full state guide breaks down property tax, sales tax, and long-term-care costs, each sourced.
Sources
The life your money is for