Of all the golf courses you hear about at the Lake of the Ozarks, The Golf Club at Deer Chase is a well kept secret.  South of Osage and just North of Camdenton, Deer Chase is off the beaten path, but worth the drive to enjoy some of the smoothest greens and dramatic elevation changes the Lake has to offer.

Both nines begin and end with very dramatic holes that weave around two small lakes that force approach shots that either cross directly over or get very close to water.  Once you make it past holes 1 and 10 the course offers some exciting risk reward holes.  Hole number 4 offers a layup to 150 yards or cut the dog leg right for a pitch shot to the green with driver, but don’t miss right or you will have forest to navigate.  The short par 4 6^th offers one of the more dramatic greens from back to front and a cavernous bunker on the left side of the green that you must avoid to have a shot at par.  Then you reach the par-3 8^th hole which looks like a beast from the main tees at 200+ yards, but pay attention to the sign for the upper tees as there is a well hidden tee box presenting a beautiful elevated shot to the green at just 150 yards.  A must play.  The 9^th hole finishes off with a dramatic drop from tee to fairway, but choose the right club to avoid water long and left to leave just a mid-iron to a very deep green over the pond.

Hole 10 begins the back nine with a great risk-reward par 5 that is reachable with a good tee shot but forces you to a green tightly tucked against a lake so even if you carry the water, getting it close can be a challenge.  Holes 11 and 12 take you up the hill and 13 gives you another choice off the tee.  Go for the green tucked to the right past the trees or just lay up to 100 yards and have an extremely up hill and blind shot to the pin.  The 14^th hole is one of the tougher short par-3’s I have played because of a well protected and shallow green.  With a bunker right and severe drop off left hitting this green from 130 yards is no simple task.  Miss right or left and par will be a real challenge.  One of my favorite holes on the course is 15.  A downhill then back up the hill, short par-5 that challenges you off the tee as one of the tightest driving holes and then challenges you to select the right club back up the hill.  The 2^nd shot rises as much as the tee shot drops so even from 150 yards you have to club up significantly.  A very wide green is protected by some exposed rock behind the entire green so if you go long you could have a very interesting shot to make birdie or par.  The 16^th hole provides yet another elevated tee shot that  most golfers love on par-3’s, but then hole 17 puts you right back in focus as you have the longest par 4 with OB right and the forest to the left.  For this hole, length off the tee is nowhere as important as accuracy.  Make the fairway and you have a difficult green with a large plateau in the middle right that will move approach shots to the back left if you are using a long iron.  The 18^th hole is a great finishing hole.  Rip it and watch it fly.  A well struck driver will leave you just a wedge to the green but does bring in trouble off the tee with the lake being reachable if you pull if left just a bit.

Deer Chase is a great ‘Ozark’ layout taking advantage of the rolling terrain beautifully, but what I enjoy most is the smooth greens that allow you to really have a chance to make putts throughout the round.  Designed by one of the St. Louis area’s best Superintendents Roger Null, Deer Chase provides a good test, beautiful scenery and high quality putting surfaces to round out the experience.  Next time you are visiting the lake, drive the extra 15 – 20 minutes to visit Deer Chase, you will not be disappointed.