Missouri wine is kind of a big deal. The state is home to the first American Viticultural Area (AVA), established in Augusta in 1980, a few months before Napa Valley got the same status. Missouri is also home to the oldest, continuously family-run winery in the country, Adam Puchta, now in its seventh generation. The industry pulls in billions to the state in wine sales and tourism every year.
Winemaking in the area dates back to 1837, when German transplants founded the town of Hermann in the Missouri River Valley. They re-created their wine culture on the land, eventually making the city one of the top wine producers in the world. Around the same time, vintners began experimenting with hybrids that combined hearty, weather-resistant Missouri grapes with the nuanced flavors of European vines. Many of those hybrids still fill glasses today.
Then Prohibition hit, shuttering wineries and killing the momentum the Missouri industry had built up. Attention to American wine shifted away from the middle of the country — until recently. With the community growing to 130 wineries and counting, Missourians are proudly reintroducing their work to the world, teaming up with chefs and hoteliers to attract visitors.
Beyond their stunning scenery and friendly folks, vineyards are experimenting with obscure local grapes and low-intervention practices, producing unique wines that taste like nothing else. And, befitting the heartland setting, their food is hearty: Ample farmland produces pasture-raised beef for even the most casual sandwiches; German roots come through in crispy pork schnitzel and spicy bratwurst; and seasonal heirloom tomatoes, patty pan squash, and spring asparagus often take center stage.
Advertisement
Schweineschnitzel with dill Sauce at Stone Hill Winery.Stone Hill Winery
Advertisement
Key food and drink terms for Missouri visitors
AVAs: There are five recognized winemaking regions in the state. Augusta and Hermann are both in the Missouri River Valley directly west of St. Louis. Ozark Mountain includes much of southern Missouri. The Ozark Highlands are southwest of St. Louis. And the Loess Hills District makes up the northwest corner of the state, north of Kansas City.
Advertisement
Vignoles grapes.George Rose
Vignoles: This hybrid grape is “the very best that Missouri has to offer,” says Kansas City-based master sommelier Doug Frost, who co-owns Echolands Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. “It can be made in dessert style or bone dry.” Among other whites, Vidal blanc makes for good sparklers, and chardonel, a French hybrid of Seyval blanc and chardonnay, thrives through Missouri winters.
Norton: The official state grape produces a full-bodied, robust red wine, with flavors of spicy, dark fruit that improve with age. Chambourcin, another popular option, makes for lighter, medium-bodied wines, with notes of red fruit and earthy character.
Advertisement
Missouri Wine Competition: Judges blind-taste wines from all over the state during this annual summer competition, crowning bottles in categories like sparkling or dry red. The best wine overall is awarded the Governor’s Cup.
Acidity: Missouri wines have had a reputation for being too sweet, but that’s a misconception. “I would argue that a lot of the grapes that grow most successfully in this area have fiercely high acidity,” Frost says. “[German] riesling was ferociously tart and acidic, and it was undrinkable unless it had sweetness.” Back blending — adding unfermented grape juice to finished wine — balances out that acidity.
George Husmann: A viticulturist, Husmann is considered the father of the Missouri wine industry, and he published seminal works that winemakers still reference today.
White oak barrels: Wineries don’t have to look far for cooperages, since Missouri is second only to France in production of white oak for wine barrels.
Advertisement
The sprawling property at Noboleis.Noboleis Vineyards
Advertisement
The best wineries to visit around Missouri
Noboleis Vineyards (Augusta)
At Noboleis, Gabe Miller, Tom Marion, and Justin Fullerton are pushing the boundaries of what Missouri wine can do. The trio ages small-batch port in apple brandy barrels, experiments with orange wine, ages their Norton in extra large foeder barrels made in St. Louis, and offers a canned sangria line, Swirl. Find a spot in the tented area outside to take in the view of lush hills while enjoying seasonal flatbreads or pizzas from the on-site restaurant.
Röbller Vineyard (New Haven)
“Röbller is taking a modern twist on Missouri wine,” says Alisha Blackwell-Calvert, beverage director at Madrina in Webster Groves, Missouri. “His soil is one of the reasons that they’re so different.” Röbller sits on a deposit of limestone, making the soil similar to Champagne, Burgundy, or the Rhône Valley. Look for winemaker Jerry Mueller’s pineappley, minerally Vignoles Reserve, which is dry-farmed (the land isn’t artificially irrigated).
Adam Puchta Winery (Hermann)
The oldest, family-owned winery in the country has been run by the Puchta family since 1855. The winery continues to impress, taking home the award for best white varietal at the 2024 Missouri Wine Competition with a distinctly floral, dry vignoles. The 1855 Cellar Bistro, a small restaurant on the property located in the original wine cellar, serves up a delicious, signature burger made with two wagyu smash patties, cheddar cheese, and a decadent bacon jam.
Hermannhof Winery (Hermann)
Hermannhof, founded in 1858, thrived until Prohibition but really came into its own in 1974, when Jim and Mary Dierberg purchased the estate. The Dierbergs, who also own Dierberg Star Lane Winery in California, blend juice from both states in the Synergy. For something more uniquely Missouri, try the Hermannhof Brut Reserve, a mix of Vidal blanc and chardonel that practically floats with delicate, mousse-like bubbles. The winery operates three tasting rooms downtown.
Stone Hill Winery (Hermann)
Stone Hill is Missouri’s oldest winery, sitting on the largest network of underground, hand-dug, vaulted limestone cellars in North America. Along with views of the rolling landscape and bucolic Hermann, check out the on-site restaurant, Vintage 1847, where you can get schnitzel with German potato salad and braised red cabbage. Over in the tasting room, try the Cross J Norton 2022, which earned the Governor’s Cup Award at the 2024 Missouri Wine Competition.
Advertisement
Barrels in the cavernous vaults beneath Stone Hill Winery.Stone Hill Winery
Advertisement
Chaumette Winery (St. Genevieve)
Roughly an hour drive south of St. Louis, St. Genevieve originated as a French settlement. There you’ll find Chaumette Vineyards, a total package including spacious villas for lodging (below), a pool for lounging, and the Grapevine Grill for dining. The unoaked chardonel, fermented in stainless steel, is beloved for its flavors of green apple and honeydew.
St. James Winery (St. James)
“St. James has been a fixture for decades,” Frost says of the largest winery in Missouri. The brand makes all the classic local varietals, including dry and sweet styles of chambourcin and Norton, and a vignoles layered with flavors of pineapple, papaya, and yellow apple.
Eagle’s Landing Wine (Rosati)
Eric Taylor at Eagle’s Landing takes a low-intervention approach to winemaking, partnering with nearby vineyards that match his philosophies. For his 2021 chambourcin from Edg-Clif Vineyard, for instance, Taylor utilized whole-cluster fermentation to produce a light-bodied wine full of watermelon rind, violet, and herbs. “The first time I tried the chambourcin, I literally said what is this? I thought I was drinking French wine,” says Blackwell-Calvert. “You can really take grapes grown in this region and make them world-class.” Find the winery’s stuff at the Crooked Creek Cellar in St. James or Just a Taste in Webb City.
Terra Vox (Platte County)
Proprietor Jerry Eisterhold was inspired by Thomas Volney Munson, a viticulturist expert in American grape varietals who bred over 300 types of grapes; roughly 75 of them still exist and around 30 grow at Terra Vox. One variety, wetumka, creates an off-dry wine that’s full of pineapple and green pear skin — what Frost calls “an odd little duck.” Other obscure varieties include the albania, captivator, and the delicatessen. Make an appointment for a tasting at the winery or hit the tasting room in Weston, a partnership with Green Dirt Farm Creamery, which specializes in making artisanal sheep milk cheeses.
Advertisement
Les Bourgeois Vineyards (Rocheport)
In 2024, Les Bourgeois Vineyards’ brut won best in class among sparkling wines at the Missouri Wine Competition. Made with Vidal blanc, it’s aromatic and has notes of baked bread, melon, and apple. Pull up a chair at the property’s A-Frame wine garden, where you can enjoy a charcuterie board loaded with Hemme Brothers aged cheddar, Parmesan, and Genoa salami while overlooking the Missouri River. Les Bourgeois also owns a few properties available to rent if you decide you never want to leave.
Advertisement
The Sophia pizza at Noto, topped with fig jam, onion, cheeses, arugula, and balsamic.Noto Italian Restaurant
Great restaurants to hit in between wineries
Root Food + Wine (Augusta)
Chef and owner Philip Day, a 2024 James Beard semifinalist, launched this rustic, farm-to-table restaurant in 2021. Tucked away in Augusta, the spot offers three-, five-, and nine-course prix fixe menus made with local ingredients, including trout from Rockbridge Trout and Game Ranch, chicken from Buttonwood Farm, and produce from Lucky Dog Farm. A recent melon dish featured salted watermelon broth, watermelon salsa, and cantaloupe salad dressed with sesame oil and Volpi prosciutto.
Annie Gunn’s (Chesterfield)
Ideally positioned on the way out of St. Louis, about 30 minutes east of Augusta, Annie Gunn’s is a stalwart champion of Missouri wine. Wine director Glenn Bardgett utilizes local bottles to complement the work of chef Lou Rook III, who creates refined dishes that stick to your ribs, like sauteed foie gras on brioche toast topped with slab bacon confit, and heritage hog chop served with stone fruit bourbon chutney. Do not miss the apple pie for dessert, and hit Smokehouse Market next door to stock up for a wine country picnic of cheese, smoked seafood and meats, and prepared dishes.
Noto Italian Restaurant (St. Peters)
About 30 minutes northwest of Augusta, wife-and-husband team Kendele and Wayne Sieve turn out inventive appetizers and layered pasta dishes — but you’re really here for the pizza. While the marinara is always a wise choice, go bold with the ‘nduja, which is rich with garlic cream sauce, fresh mozzarella, and sweet onion jam. The pies are the only ones in the metro area to be certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana based in Italy.
Advertisement
Downtown Deli & Custard Shoppe (Hermann)
At this Hermann shop, the sandwich menu is filled to the brim with great options, but people come back again and again for the Reuben, made with thin-sliced corned beef, Thousand Island, Swiss, and sauerkraut on toasted marble rye. You also can’t go wrong with the build-your-own burger, made with local meat from Bunkline Beef.
Advertisement
Norton grapes.George Rose
Hermann Wurst Haus (Hermann)
This family-run place makes more than 40 varieties of German sausages, like bockwurst and weisswurst, but it also strays into options like chorizo and boudin. Get the lay of the land with the German Platter, which comes with your choice of bratwurst (go for the caramelized pear and Gorgonzola or the bacon potato cheddar) served with sauerkraut and mustard. You can also take home some house-smoked bacon in a variety of flavors like coffee bourbon or jalapeño, which the shop will vacuum-seal for the journey.
Baba’s Pantry (Kansas City)
If Kansas City is your base, pack a picnic with supplies from this little Palestinian cafe before an adventure into wine country. Try the silky hummus, labneh, or Baba’s Ganoush, all prime for dunking with pita. For a more substantial lunch, the cafe also offers beef and lamb kebabs, falafel sandwiches, and vegan shawarma made with jackfruit.
Hayley’s Eatery (Weston)
The Saturday brunch at Hayley’s features hearty breakfast burritos and massive drop biscuits with chorizo gravy. For lunch, there are a few sandwiches, including roast beef made with pasture-raised beef from Green Grass Cattle Company. Also be on the lookout for the pastries, like the cinnamon sugar Pop-Tarts, tender banana coffee cake, and gigantic cinnamon roll.
Advertisement
Kusina Filipino (Rolla)
About 15 minutes west of St. James, Kusina Filipino is a small, fast-casual spot in the little college town of Rolla. Start with the lumpia before diving into classics like pork adobo, pancit, and lechon complete with a bronzed, crackling crust. Should you require some revitalizing soup after one too many glasses of wine, the shop also serves up dinuguan, a dark, savory stew that’s spiked with pig’s blood, garlic, and vinegar.
Advertisement
The Inn at Hermannhof.The Inn at Hermannhof
The best hotels in Missouri for food and wine lovers
The Inn at Hermannhof (Hermann)
Whether you’re booking a luxury suite or a private cottage, this boutique hotel is a go-to. The historical buildings, dating back to the mid-1800s, are decorated with charming four-poster beds and fireplaces. If you stay at one of the rooms located on First Street, you can pop across the road to Downtown Deli (above) or Hermann Wurst Haus. Nearby you’ll also find Doxie Slush, which pours a lineup of frozen cocktails, including a pineapple bourbon sour made with falernum and grilled pineapple. Rates start at $219/night
Ritz Carlton (St. Louis)
About 50 minutes east of Augusta and about 90 minutes east of Hermann, the Ritz still works as a luxe option for people just visiting those two AVAs. Located in Clayton, Missouri, a western suburb of St. Louis, the hotel has large, comfortable rooms and a spa. Don’t be fooled by the posh vibes of Casa Don Alfonso, the hotel’s Southern Italian restaurant; the best dish on the menu is the humble Neapolitan-style Margherita pizza, topped with gooey fior de latte cheese on an impossibly pillowy crust. Rates start at $764/night
The Inn at Meadowbrook (Kansas City)
Spacious rooms, comfy beds, a pool, and personalized service are a few reasons to book at the Inn at Meadowbrook. The property includes the casual Market (breakfast sandwiches, burrito bowls, sandwiches), the upscale Verbena (seasonal dishes like sweet corn tortellini with roasted tomato butter and ricotta salata), and Miss Ruby’s food truck (sandwiches like fried Baja fish with pickled jalapeño aioli and cilantro lime slaw). The Inn is located just south of Kansas City, making it a good home base for visiting Terra Vox, about 50 minutes away, as well as meadery Pirtle and urban winery Amigone. Rates start at $269/night.
Advertisement
Chaumette (St. Genevieve)
The villas at Chaumette vary in style and size, accommodating two to six guests, but they’re all priced the same. The hotel’s Grapevine Grill offers an eclectic menu covering burgers, pastas, and wraps at lunch, and moving onto Berkshire pork cassoulet with stewed lentils at dinner. You can also take the hiking trail over to Charleville Brewery & Winery, where you can pour your own wine, soda, and beer (charged by the ounce) and enjoy sweeping views. Rates start at $200/night.
Lindenhof Bed and Breakfast (Augusta)
This quaint bed and breakfast has nicely sized rooms, as well as a communal hearth area and a charming patio. In the morning, breakfast might include French toast stuffed with cream cheese, pancakes, and shirred eggs with spinach and cheese. Lindenhof is located in the heart of Augusta, close to Montelle Winery and Mount Pleasant, and right near Root Food + Wine (above). Rates start at $159/night.
Meera Nagarajan is a freelance journalist. She is obsessed with restaurants, travel, and cats. Follow her @meera618. Copy edited by Laura Michelle Davis
Big Cedar Lodge, the Bass Pro Shops resort above Table Rock Lake, has assembled the densest collection of big-name golf design in the Midwest, with courses by Tiger Woods, Tom Fazio, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and Jack Nicklaus all within a few minutes of one another. That Ozarks cluster anchors one of Missouri’s three golf regions. St. Louis brings a 1914 Charles Blair Macdonald layout and two Robert Trent Jones Sr. courses with deep championship history, while the Lake of the Ozarks splits the middle of the state with Nicklaus and Weiskopf designs on opposite shores. The eleven courses below each cover architect, yardage, green-fee range, and access notes for visiting golfers.
Ozarks National
Built on the bones of a defunct course, Ozarks National is the work of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who widened the fairways and routed new holes across the limestone ridges south of Branson. The par-71 layout opened on May 1, 2019, stretches to 7,036 yards with a 73.9 rating, and includes a 400-foot wooden bridge that carries golfers 60 feet above a creek between the 13th tee and fairway. It was named a Best New Public Course for 2019 and has held a place among the country’s top 100 public courses every year since. Holes ride along ridgetops and out onto fingers of land that fall into wooded ravines, and the tilt of those holes puts a premium on shaping shots off the tee.
Green fees run roughly $190 to $275 by season, and play is tied to a Big Cedar Lodge reservation. The resort covers more than 4,600 acres above Table Rock Lake, with lodging that spans lodge rooms, cottages, the four-bedroom Buffalo Ridge cottages added in 2021, and the remodeled Angler’s Lodge near the water. Six pools, marinas, the Cedar Creek Spa, and horseback riding fill out the grounds. Springfield-Branson National Airport is about 45 minutes north, and the practice facility beside the clubhouse also serves Payne’s Valley and the resort’s par-3 courses. Conditions are cleanest from April through October.
Advertisement
Payne’s Valley
Payne’s Valley was the first public-access course Tiger Woods designed through his TGR Design firm, and it carries the name of Springfield-born major champion Payne Stewart. The par-72 layout runs 7,170 yards over wide fairways and large greens, and it ends on a bonus 19th hole designed by Johnny Morris, an island green ringed by streams and waterfalls spilling down exposed rock. Its grand opening in September 2020 was marked by the Payne’s Valley Cup, an exhibition pairing Woods and Justin Thomas against Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. The course ranks consistently among the best in the country.
A round requires a Big Cedar Lodge reservation, with green fees around $325 and forecaddies on hand through the season. A memorial to Stewart, the two-time U.S. Open champion whose life ended in a 1999 plane crash, sits on the property. The resort’s lodging, restaurants, Cedar Creek Spa, and three other championship layouts make this the simplest one-stop golf trip in the state, with Springfield-Branson National Airport the nearest commercial gateway. The course holds up best in April through June and again from September into October, since the Ozarks bake at midsummer.
Buffalo Ridge
Tom Fazio first laid out this course in 1999 as Branson Creek Golf Club. After Johnny Morris bought it in 2013, he brought Fazio back for a 2014 redesign that added waterfalls, water features, and exposed rock. Now called Buffalo Ridge Springs, the par-71 layout plays 7,036 yards on zoysia fairways with a 73.4 rating and 130 slope, and a herd of North American bison grazes the pasture beside the opening hole as the routing threads limestone outcrops with not a single house in sight. From 2014 through 2019 it co-hosted the PGA Tour Champions Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf alongside Top of the Rock.
Advertisement
Green fees generally run about $135 to $275 by season, with the best value off-season. Buffalo Ridge keeps its own clubhouse and practice area about 1.5 miles north of the main Big Cedar campus, and stay-and-play packages open up lodging across the resort. The clubhouse handles food and beverage and houses a pro shop. Springfield-Branson National Airport is roughly 45 minutes out. Late spring and early fall play firmer and cooler than midsummer, though it is worth checking for the March and September aeration weeks before booking.
Top of the Rock
Jack Nicklaus finished Top of the Rock in 1996 as a nine-hole par-3 course on a bluff above Table Rock Lake. When the PGA Tour Champions Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf moved to Big Cedar in 2014, the layout became the first par-3 course ever used in a Tour-sanctioned event. Its holes reach beyond 200 yards across lakes, cliffs, and rock ledges, and the complex sits next to an Arnold Palmer practice range and a Tom Watson-designed Himalayas-style putting course covering more than an acre. The grounds hold Audubon Signature Sanctuary status, and the par-3 hosted the Legends through 2019.
The course is open to the public, with green fees around $125 for lodging guests. Dining happens at Arnie’s Barn, a 150-year-old structure moved from Arnold Palmer’s backyard in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, that now holds his memorabilia and the pro shop. The Palmer range lets players hit into the cliffside terrain before a round. Springfield-Branson National Airport is the nearest commercial option, about 45 minutes north, and the season runs April through October, with golden hour over the lake making late tee times worth chasing.
Branson Hills Golf Club
Advertisement
Chuck Smith designed Branson Hills with PGA professional Bobby Clampett as his consultant, and the course opened in June 2009 as Payne Stewart Golf Club before taking its current name. The par-72 routing runs 7,324 yards from the championship tees across six tee sets, with the forward set at 5,323, over A-4 bentgrass greens and Meyer zoysia fairways, and the opening tee shot falls about 130 feet to the fairway below. Each of the 18 holes carries the name of a moment from a Missouri golfer’s career, with tags like Trevino’s Tease, Payne’s Pit, and Chelsea’s Kiss.
Green fees generally land between $175 and $225, with tee times bookable 60 days out. The clubhouse holds the Many Faces of Payne sports bar and the glassed-in Payne Stewart Museum, which displays items lent by Tracy Stewart, among them five Ryder Cup bags and clubs from his biggest wins. Branson Hills sits inside a 1,200-acre gated community about seven minutes from the Branson Convention Center, and visiting golfers tend to stay at Branson Landing’s Hilton properties or in community rentals. Springfield-Branson National Airport is 45 minutes north, and the course is at its best from April through October.
LedgeStone Country Club
Tom Clark’s LedgeStone opened in 1994 inside StoneBridge Village, about 15 minutes from downtown Branson. The par-71 layout reaches 6,881 yards from the back tees and 4,906 up front, with bentgrass greens, tree-lined zoysia fairways, and the steep elevation changes that Ozark mountain golf tends to demand. The signature 15th drops sharply downhill to a three-tiered green and counts among the steepest holes in the state.
LedgeStone is open to the public under the StoneBridge Village Property Owners’ Association, with green fees of about $80 to $120 by season and time of day. The clubhouse sits beside a water feature and houses the pro shop and the LedgeStone Grille. The club runs no lodging of its own, but StoneBridge Village offers third-party rentals, and Branson’s hotels and the Hilton properties at Branson Landing are within 25 minutes. Springfield-Branson National Airport is the nearest commercial option, and April through October brings the best weather.
Advertisement
Bellerive Country Club
Robert Trent Jones Sr. completed Bellerive’s championship course for a Memorial Day 1960 opening, and the club hosted the U.S. Open just five years later, where Gary Player beat Kel Nagle in an 18-hole playoff in 1965 to complete the career grand slam. The course measures 7,547 yards from the championship tees at par 72, dropping to par 71 for tournaments with the 10th played as a par 4, and carries a 76.3 rating and 141 slope. Rees Jones renovated it in 2006 and again in 2013, swapping his father’s bunkers for his own style, lengthening the routing, and rebuilding the bunker complex. The major-championship roll call is long: the 1992 PGA (Nick Price), the 2018 PGA (Brooks Koepka, whose 264 set a record), the 2004 U.S. Senior Open, the 2008 BMW Championship, and the 2013 Senior PGA, with the BMW returning in 2026 and the Presidents Cup booked for 2030.
Bellerive is private, with membership by invitation and access generally limited to members and guests outside tournament weeks. The clubhouse handles dining on several levels, and practice facilities and event space round out the property. The club sits about 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis and 25 minutes from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and visiting golfers tend to choose between downtown hotels and Clayton-area boutiques. May through October plays best, when the zoysia fairways and bentgrass greens hit their stride.
St. Louis Country Club
Charles Blair Macdonald designed St. Louis Country Club in 1914, with Seth Raynor handling construction, which makes it one of only a handful of Macdonald-Raynor courses anywhere and the architect’s westernmost work. The par-71 layout plays a modest 6,542 yards but leans on the template holes Macdonald gathered on a research trip to Scotland, including a Redan from North Berwick, a punchbowl from the Old Course at St Andrews, and a blind approach drawn from Prestwick. A restoration led by Brian Silva from 2000 onward reintroduced Macdonald’s original features. The course hosted the 1947 U.S. Open, where Lew Worsham edged Sam Snead in a playoff, plus the 1921 and 1960 U.S. Amateurs, the 1925 and 1972 U.S. Women’s Amateurs, and the 2014 Curtis Cup.
Advertisement
The club, founded in 1892 as a polo club, is private and invitation-only, and the USGA counts it among the first 100 clubs in America. A full-sized polo field still hosts matches in front of the clubhouse and doubles as the driving range. Bentgrass fairways set it apart in a transition zone where most clubs run zoysia or Bermuda, and the course favors spring and fall. It sits 10 miles west of downtown St. Louis in the Ladue suburb, about 20 minutes from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, with visiting golfers clustering around Clayton and downtown hotels. Late April through October plays best.
Old Warson Country Club
The second Robert Trent Jones Sr. course in St. Louis County, Old Warson opened on April 15, 1954, a year after construction began on 180 acres bought by a group of local businessmen. The par-71 layout plays 6,946 yards from the back tees with a 74.5 rating and 144 slope across undulating, tree-lined ground, showing off the elevated greens, runway tee boxes, broad bunkers, and repeated doglegs that Trent Jones counted as his signatures. The short par-4 14th is one of the most praised holes in the state, its elevated tee shot carrying a lake to a narrow landing framed by water and sand. Old Warson hosted the 1971 Ryder Cup, where the United States beat Great Britain 18.5 to 13.5 in the last edition to feature Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Trevino on the same side, along with the 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur, the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur, and the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur.
The club is private and invitation-only, and Hale Irwin, the three-time U.S. Open champion and a member since 1977, is the most prominent name on the roster. The course is at 9841 Old Warson Road in the Ladue area, about 20 minutes from downtown and 25 from St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Practice facilities are extensive, the clubhouse covers dining and events, and members’ guests typically stay at Clayton boutiques or downtown St. Louis chains. April through October offers the most reliable conditions.
The Club at Porto Cima
Advertisement
Jack Nicklaus’s only signature course in Missouri opened in July 2000 on the western shore of the Lake of the Ozarks. The par-72 layout plays 7,060 yards across five tee sets, with seven holes running along or over the lake and a four-hole closing stretch that hugs the shoreline. The 15th is a hard par 5 whose green juts into the water, forcing an approach decision few Missouri courses can match. It has held a top-10 spot among the state’s best courses every year since opening.
Porto Cima is private and run by KemperSports, and membership opens the course, the 17,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style clubhouse, and the neighboring Yacht Club, a 118-slip marina with a pool, fitness area, tennis and pickleball courts, and a poolside cabana. The Grille Room, Sandtrap Lounge, and a patio over the 18th green handle dining. The club is about three hours west of St. Louis and two hours south of Kansas City, with the Lodge of Four Seasons 20 minutes east providing lodging for invited guests. May through October plays best.
Old Kinderhook
Tom Weiskopf routed Old Kinderhook in 1999 on the west side of the Lake of the Ozarks as the centerpiece of a 700-acre planned community. The par-71 course plays 6,726 yards over zoysia tees and fairways and bentgrass greens, working valleys, waterfalls, hills, and water hazards into the surrounding Ozark terrain. It welcomed its first round in May 1999 and has hosted more than 300,000 golfers since, and it ranks among Weiskopf’s stronger solo designs.
Green fees generally run $65 to $115 by season, the resort plays year-round, and an 84-room lodge overlooks the course. The Trophy Room serves dinner and the Hook Cafe handles breakfast and lunch, with the lodge 10 minutes from the Ozarks Amphitheater. Amenities include three saltwater pools (one indoor), a private boat ramp on the Big Niangua arm of the lake, a winter ice rink, and Spa 54. Daily-fee tee times open 30 days out, and lodging guests book first. Camdenton Memorial-Lake Regional Airport takes small craft, while commercial flyers come through Springfield-Branson or St. Louis Lambert. April through October plays best.
Advertisement
Planning Your Trip
The Big Cedar Lodge complex, with Ozarks National, Payne’s Valley, Buffalo Ridge, and Top of the Rock, plus the nearby public LedgeStone and Branson Hills tracks, fits comfortably into a four or five day trip from a single lodge or cottage base, with arrivals through Springfield-Branson National Airport. St. Louis Country Club, Old Warson, and Bellerive sit close together on the west side of St. Louis around Ladue, Town and Country, and the Clayton corridor, served by St. Louis Lambert International. The two Lake of the Ozarks courses, Old Kinderhook and Porto Cima, split the middle of the state and make a natural halfway stop on a road trip between the two metros.
Green fees span a wide range: under $100 at LedgeStone and Old Kinderhook, about $325 at Payne’s Valley, and various points in between. April through October is the broad season, with the Big Cedar courses holding up best from late spring into early fall and the St. Louis tracks peaking in May and again from September into October. With this much golf packed into a few tight clusters, Missouri rewards a trip built around one region at a time.
Transfer portal drama, specifically. The kind inspired by last week’s Texas Tech-Florida softball series, which comfortably could have aired on Bravo.
For those who missed out on the fun, former Florida second baseman and current Texas Tech star Mia Williams — the daughter of former Gators point guard “White Chocolate” Jason Williams — was hit by five pitches over the course of the series by her former team.
Advertisement
Florida’s coach was ejected during the fiery Super Regional. The Gators’ players declined a handshake line after the Red Raiders clinched the series and a Women’s College World Series berth behind two Mia Williams home runs in the finale. Jason Williams was spotted Gator-chomping in the direction of the Florida dugout after a home run, and a UF fan was ejected after a reported altercation between Jason Williams and Mia Williams’ sister.
Woah!
College football has some potential for high-octane reunions. Our undivided attention on Sept. 19, for instance, will be on Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, Mississippi, with LSU.
Let’s turn local: Does the opportunity for some not-so-amicable reunions exist with Missouri football this year?
Probably not to the degree of any of the examples listed above, but there are multiple former Mizzou players on the Tigers’ schedule this season. Missouri also has several projected starters set to face their former teams, too.
Advertisement
More: Who has best offense Missouri football will face in 2026? Our rankings
More: Who will pose the toughest test for Missouri football offense in 2026?
Here are the former Missouri football players who the Tigers will see on the opposing sideline this upcoming fall, and the current Mizzou players who are going to face their former teams:
Which former players will Missouri football face this upcoming fall?
Marquis Johnson, WR, Mississippi State: Johnson is expected to be a starting wide receiver for the Bulldogs’ when Mizzou visits Starkville. The wideout, who flashed as a deep-ball threat as a freshman, spent three seasons with the Tigers but never managed to top his rookie-year receiving production. He lost his starting job midseason last year.
Advertisement
Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss: Lacy spent the 2024 season with Missouri and has since emerged as one of the better running backs in the college game, rushing for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Rebels last season. This has been a little bit of a ‘Sliding Doors’ moment, because Mizzou signed Ahmad Hardy two days after Lacy went into the portal.
That’s worked out just fine for both teams, we’d say. If Hardy can make a storybook comeback this year, which this matchup pits two of the best tailbacks in the college game next season.
Horatio Fields, WR, Ole Miss: Fields technically was a Missouri player for a moment, although it may be the shortest stint in program history. He officially signed with Mizzou from Auburn on Jan. 8 but was back in the portal, after MU added multiple more transfer wide receivers, a little more than two weeks later.
Brandon Solis, OT, Kansas: Yes, there was a transfer across Border War lines in football, as well as basketball, this offseason. Solis did not play for Mizzou over three seasons in Columbia and appears likely to be a backup offensive tackle for the Jayhawks.
Advertisement
Courtney Crutchfield, WR, Arkansas: Crutchfield spent one season with Mizzou in 2024 and caught one pass for 26 yards last season with the Razorbacks. He is projected as a backup for Arkansas next season.
Mark Manfred III, CB, Kentucky: Manfred was a three-star freshman last season, entering the transfer portal and joining the new Kentucky staff in December.
Which current Mizzou players take on their former teams?
QB Austin Simmons, WR Cayden Lee and CB Chris Graves Jr. vs. Ole Miss: Three of Mizzou’s most-important offseason transfer additions will return Oct. 17 to Oxford and will almost certainly have a major say in whether or not the Tigers can stage a midseason road upset.
These parting of ways appear to have been quite harmonious. Ole Miss, for what it’s worth, does have a more notable defector from this past year currently residing in Baton Rouge.
Advertisement
Cayden Green, OT, Oklahoma: Green’s December 2023 transfer to Mizzou from OU upset the Sooners fanbase at the time, and the left tackle has previously spoken about leaving social media because of the backlash. But, the move is yet to boil over on the field, so Green’s last outing against the Sooners should be mostly drama free.
Luke Work, Zach Owens, OLs, Mississippi State: There is a chance that two of Mizzou’s starting offensive linemen when the Tigers play Sept. 26 in Starkville are former Bulldogs. Owens is competing for Mizzou’s starting spot at left tackle, and an injury to Josh Atkins means Work is a candidate to play at right tackle.
Darris Smith, DE, Georgia: Smith spent two seasons with Georgia out of high school before transferring to Columbia. He is expected to be Missouri’s top pass rusher this season, as the Tigers try to replace the massive production of Zion Young and Damon Wilson II.
Nick Evers, QB, Oklahoma: Evers, who will compete with Matt Zollers for Mizzou’s backup QB position behind Simmons, started his college career as a four-star prospect in 2022.
Naeshaun Montgomery, WR, Florida: Montgomery will compete for a rotational role in Mizzou’s wide receiver room this fall. He isn’t likely to start ahead of Donovan Olugbode or Caleb Goodie on the outside, but he could see the field against the Gators, where he spent his true freshman season and caught three passes.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25612327/Schweineschnitzel_with_Dill_Sauce.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25612076/Vignoles__credit_George_Rose_.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25612333/_DSC0646_copy.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25612384/IMG_3889_2.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25612077/Pizza_Sophia_093020_6.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25612361/Norton_grapes__credit_George_Rose_.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25612072/The_Inn_at_Hermannhof_2.jpg)
