The 9 Hole Golf Course at Margaritaville Lake Resort

Review & Rating of The 9 Hole Golf Course at Margaritaville Lake Resort

Located on a part of the 410 scenic acres and rolling hills within the Margaritaville Lake Resort is what USA Today once ranked as one of the best nine-hole golf courses in the country.  The 9 Hole Course at Margaritaville Lake Resort, previously known as Hidden Lakes, is a par 35/36 course with lush zoysia fairways, tight rolling tree-lined fairways, large bent grass greens, dramatic elevation changes, a couple of water hazards, doglegs left and right, and 30 bunkers – all of which contribute to making a round of golf here scenic, enjoyable, and fair but challenging.

The fairways at The 9 Hole Course meander up and down rolling hills and through some homes that can come into play on three holes.  You need to manage the tight fairways, strategically placed bunkers, the elevation changes, doglegs, and the slope – all of which can have a dramatic impact on your score.  The first cut is playable but if you miss it, left or right, you’re in a back yard or lost in the dense forest and underbrush.  There are 5 tee boxes with yardages ranging from 1860 yards to 3060 yards – don’t bite off more than you can chew and consider leaving the big dog in the bag unless you’re deadly accurate.  The fairways at The 9 Hole Course were in very good condition and cut thin and firm providing some extra roll.    

Some of the holes that we really liked included:

• The #2 handicap 450-yard dogleg right first hole offers a good risk-reward shot off the tee if you think you can carry the 3 bunkers to shorten the hole – miss right and you’re lost.
• #4 is a fun 505-yard par 5 with a slight downhill shot past 2 bunkers where the fairway turns right leading to a big green with bunkers on the left and right side – Lake of the Ozarks forms a beautiful backdrop to the green
• The 485-yard #6 is another fun hole with a tight fairway that doglegs left around 2 big bunkers and then heads uphill past a left side bunker to a green guarded by 3 more bunkers
• #7 is a challenging (#1 handicap) 413-yard par 4 with an elevated tee box, a sharp dogleg right (it’s easy to overrun the fairway and get lost in the trees) and what can be a challenging shot to the green based on your lie.

The bent grass greens at The 9 Hole Course are huge and in near perfect condition.  They rolled true and held the ball well but were a little slow from our perspective – a 7 to 8.  They all had some minor slope but little to no undulation.  Each of the greens had a normal cup as well as an oversized cup which makes for easier putts and significantly reduces the total time on the green – give them a try! 

The bunkers seemed easy to avoid (which is unusual for us!) and 10 of the bunkers are strategically placed on either the left or right side of your tee shot’s landing zone.  The other 20 bunkers guard the greens, which puts a premium on your approach shots.  The sand is a little thin and gritty but very playable.  The lips on the fairway bunkers were small and in a couple of cases, we rolled in and back out.

Bottom line – a very fun, scenic, and somewhat challenging 9 holes that offers a little bit of everything that makes golf interesting and the rates are very reasonable for such a quality course.  Margaritaville Lake Resort has a great stay and play package and lots of amenities to enjoy – check our review of Margaritaville Lake Resort and their 18 hole championship course, The Oaks Golf Club.