Vichy, MO

Ozark Mountain

4.455(based on 11 reviews)
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1 1
korbin
Experience: 4 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Tough, big, fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 21, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Elevation changes play tough. I really enjoyed the scenery and long holes. Not for the faint of heart. Expect bogie golf unless your a pro level player.... even then.

Cons:

Better be in good shape physically

Other Thoughts:

Fun course
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17 0
Three Putt
Staff member
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 29.3 years 152 played 127 reviews
4.50 star(s)

"Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception." - Carl Sagan 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 24, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Ozark Mountain is a very significant disc golf course. When it was installed in the late 90's, it was like nothing else disc golfers in the Midwest had seen. The distances, the elevation changes, the challenge level...all of it set a new standard for challenging disc golf course design. With the passage of 15+ years, few courses rise to the challenge level this course holds.

Many of the shots are memorable. Hole #11 (1-800-Collect) and hole #16 (five hyzers) are often mentioned as favorite holes, but many of the holes here would be signature holes anywhere else. The shots manage to demand distance and accuracy; often a decent looking drive will leave you with no decent follow up if your shot placement is off. The mix of wooded fairways, open bombs, and great use of the elevation changes makes for great golf.

I've found the layout to actually have a decent fun factor despite the brutal beatdown it delivers. The layout is challenging but fair. A lot of the shots just look pretty framed up by the natural beauty of the site. A hole like #5 can just be a pretty sight once you emerge from the elevated tee into the open fairway and spot the basket perched up on the little ledge it sits on. It can help you forget how many strokes you are going to take trying to get it up there.

Purely on design alone, it's the finest course I've seen.

Cons:

The only reason I can't give Ozark Mountain my highest rating is the amenities and upkeep are nonexistent. The tees are painted on the ground or marked with stones. There are no tee signs or distance markers. The natural tees in some places are rocky and/or sloping. The course is cleaned up for two events yearly; outside of those times the course is overgrown and unplayable. If you try to play the course when it is overgrown, you will get a spectacular sampling of ticks and chigger bites to make your round truly memorable. If the course had better tees and was kept in just decent condition, it would easily be a best of the best course.

Because the course isn't marked great and it covers such a large area, navigation can be an issue. You are going to need a guide or a map. On the back OMO, Akita's and Spencer-Davis all sorta exist in the same space so if you just wander looking for another hole you will skip from course to course with nothing really to tell you that you are doing it.

This is not a con in my book, but there are a couple of dogs that live onsite that are going to follow you around. They are pretty friendly, but if you are not a big dog person I could see it being an issue.

Other Thoughts:

With the two additional courses added to the Ozark Mountain site, this a really outstanding place to play disc golf. The terrain is not for the timid. You need to be prepared for a hike, as just making it around 18 holes is a workout.

It should be noted that becasue the tees are just painted and the baskets are not traditionally mounted, it's fairly easy for the course to be changed up. If you go a few years between visits, things are going to be moved around.

In the end Ozark Mountain is hard for me to rate because I want to give it a five. However the amenities and upkeep are so lacking that it's hard to argue that it is "best of the best" quality. Shot for shot, it is fantastic golf. If the golf is what is most important to you, the amenities and upkeep are not going to ruin your day. Basically if you like to rack up birdies in flip-flops, this is not your disc golf. If you crave some of the most challenging disc golf you will play, this is a destination spot you should not miss.
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9 0
Golden Tuna
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.1 years 185 played 31 reviews
4.50 star(s)

EPIC Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 27, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Huge, Long, Technical, Difficult, Elevation Changes, Signature Holes, Beautiful Scenery

Ozark Mountain is the largest/longest of the 3 courses on site, and the most epic. Most holes are extremely wooded, tight, technical and long! The holes are not as tight as Akita's Run, but you still need to carve lines through the trees AND be able to throw long to score well here.
Shortest Hole: 265' - Longest Hole: 886'
Course Par: 72
There is a good mix of wide open bomber holes and tight, technical holes to challenge every part of your game. I think the mental challenge is the toughest part of this hole when you're trying to decide what to throw and then figure out how to get yourself out of the trouble you've just landed in. Smart play wins the round out here

Cons:

Natural tee Pads, Baskets, Trashcans, Rough

Its pretty tough to list any cons since the complex as a whole is so awesome. However, there are a couple things that could be added that would push this course/complex off the charts.
Concrete or limestone tee pads would be really nice, especially on the longer holes. The baskets are not professional grade. But, a lot of times you're not in a position to run putts because of where you're putting from, fast greens surrounded by large drop offs, water or otherwise dangerous circumstances for missing.
Lastly, there are no bathrooms, facilities or trash cans. None of these are a huge deal as long as you know this going into it. However, this may change as the property is under new ownership and I believe the new owner is looking to update the property with these amenities.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, if you enjoy disc golf, hiking, natural beauty and rugged terrain, the Ozark Mountain Complex is a must visit. Playing Ozark Mountain will provide you with memories and epic disc golf stories that will (almost) always bring a smile to your face. There is literally no other course I've played like it.

Traveler's Tip: Bring lots of snacks and drinks, a good pair of hiking shoes and discs that you don't mind banging up on trees, rocks and possibly loosing in the water. Lastly (please) Pack it in and Pack it out - take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
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12 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Fantastic design! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 27, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a secluded wooded property where you really feel like you're away from civilization. The course plays through a mix of tightly wooded and more open areas, with a great balance between them. Most of the open shots have tricky pin placements that make you really focus on shot placement to set yourself up for a chance at the basket. There's plenty of distance, but it doesn't ever feel like a grip it n rip it course, there's trouble lurking on just about every shot you throw.

The wooded holes offer some great variety. There are a few reachable holes, and plenty of multi-shot holes where you have to hit a landing zone to have a good second shot. You'll need all kinds of different shots, the course plays balanced with a mix of left and right turning shots of all shapes and lengths. The rough is plenty thick to punish errant shots, you'll really pay for trying to bite off too much on this course and missing your line.

The elevation is a factor on many of the shots here. With lots of up- and downhill tee shots and plenty of tricky pin placements you'll always have to be thinking about how your disc is going to land. There are so many signature holes here, with water hazards, elevation, and great natural beauty. This is some of the best par 4 and 5 design I've seen and it makes for a round that keeps you on your toes throughout.

Cons:

The course is only really cleaned up twice a year for tournaments and that shows. The tees are very rough, many are full of rocks or roots and several are steeply sloped. That makes it tough to tee off on some of the big uphill par 4s and 5s when the tee shot feels like an awkward lie fairway shot. The rough is thick enough that you will generally be pitching out, there aren't a ton of opportunities for creative saves after missing the fairway. The temporary nature of the course means that signage and navigation are a bit neglected, you'll definitely need a course map and even then it can be tough to figure out where some of the holes are without a guide.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners will find this course very long and very punishing, it's not designed to be beginner friendly at all. More experienced players will find all kinds of challenges, there aren't any filler holes and there are more multi-shot holes to test your fairway driving skills than almost anywhere else I've played.

The road into the courses can get really rough, it's doable in a passenger car but an SUV or truck makes it a lot easier. Definitely make a stop here, all three courses are worth going out of your way to play and with all three on site it's a fantastic place to spend a weekend camping and playing.
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9 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.7 years 568 played 281 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Expert 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 6, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Course is set in a large, large piece of property that is dedicated solely to discing. The only possible interference might be from wild animals here!
- Par 3s here are fun with good challenge still. #1 is a nice downhill shot, with water in front of the basket to snag short shots. #6 is a slight downhill tunnel shot, with a rolling fairway and some water. #7 is more downhill, with OB and water behind and to the left of the pin; overshooting is easy and punished hard. #15 is the toughest, an uphill hyzer through a gap, and into the woods.
- Par 4s are also top notch. The easier ones include a long dogleg right around the woods on #14, a make-or-break valley shot with a hyzer finish on #4, and a hole with some giant cedars to get around on #17. Tougher ones include some uphill, gap on the right shots like #2 and #3; don't even try getting in the gap off the tee on #2. #5 is a nice downhill tunnel shot OR big ol' hyzer, followed by an uphill upshot over a small creek and into the woods.
- Par 5s are fantastic. #8 is a pretty open straight/right shot to get to a gap, where you then throw over a pond and into a gap in the woods, to a depressed, tree filled green. #9 is an uphill RHBH flex shot (for me at least), with a narrowing tunnel to a well protected basket. #11 is a long, long, narrow downhill bomber, would normally be a grip-n-rip hole if it wasn't for the forest on both sides. Even going over is tough here. #16 is a long, turning, uphill shot with a rocky, sloped fairway. Thankfully, some of the trees have been removed, it's still a tough holes even now. And #18, a big bomber with hazards on the fairway and woods to the side.
- Everything is here. Left/right/straight shots, big uphills, big downhills, long, short, open, wooded, small water, big water, sloping fairways, sloping greens, OB, drop zones, ace runs, uh... did I miss anything?

Cons:

- Course is definitely rough around the edges; teepads are designated with spray paint, and can be sloping, rocky, slippery, etc. Definitely helps to have the map as well.
- Private and temporary, got to time it right to enjoy this one.

Other Thoughts:

- Top notch course; the only thing lacking are the details - pads, signs, etc. Beginners should stay far away from here, and intermediate players better bring their A-game. Experts will relish the challenges here.
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15 1
AirMcNair
Experience: 16 years 82 played 8 reviews
4.50 star(s)

AMAZING 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

First I would like to say this is an AMAZING course design. Dave did an awesome job designing this very long and challenging course. For being 10,000 feet it flows really well. This course has every shot you will ever encounter in your disc golf life. With the front nine there are a lot of birdie chances if you hit you lines. The back nine offers a lot of open long bombs with super tight and hilly holes mixed in.
For some hole highlights.

Hole 4 is a straight shot across a gully with the gully being close to 200' below the tee pad. Then if you make it to the middle of the fairway and nice upshot to finish with a birdie (hopefully).

Hole 5 is straight down hill then through a field then up to a basket sitting on top of a hill with 20' circle of landing space.

Hole 8 is a masher that has a 150'-200' pond in the middle of the hole you have to throw across to finish at the basket.

Hole 11 (800 collect) is a 800' straight down the power line cut out with about a 3-400' elevation change with thick pines on each side of the fairway to the basket in the clearing.

Hole 16 (5 Hyzer) is a long wooded hole the has 5 doglegs with a hill to the left that you do not want to go down ending with a basket on top of a rock covered in moss.

Hole 18 is a wide open long bomb. It is a par five and you will need every one of those shots to get there.

These are just a few of the holes that I really liked and seemed to be the best holes out there. This place is awesome and if you can, make a trip out there.

Cons:

There are not many and the cons are really picky but there are a few. 1. There is no place to sit on any of the holes so if you have a chair bring it because you will need it. 2. If you are playing it for the first time and you don't have anyone that has played it before you may have some issues navigating if the paint is gone. 3. Natural tee pads, on a course like this I would like to see something (carpet, rubber matts) on the ground.

Other Thoughts:

This course is only opened for the spring tournament and then for about 5 weeks until everything grows back up and then in the fall for the last tournament. If you do get the chance to play it you will need to bring lots of fluids and food because this is a day long affair.
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8 1
giddyup
Experience: 13.8 years 9 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 26, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is the course Paul Bunyan would play if he played disc golf. Chiseled out of the Ozark Mountains, this is as rough of a course as you'll find. You'll want to bring heavy duty walking shoes or boots, some snacks, and plenty of fluids 'cause this baby will wear you out. But the course is definitely worth the effort! I've not played a ton of courses, but from what I can tell, the rugged, scenic, and technical elements of this course are unmatched. One hole, you're overlooking cow pasture with hay and burrs neck high. The next, you're driving uphill into dense trees and underbrush. The next you're standing at the top of a mountain looking at an 800 ft. drive and a 500 ft. elevation change to boot. It's awesome! But don't worry, there are a few "regular" holes in there to give you a breather now and then. And the putting approaches are the same way. From most tee boxes, you can't see the baskets. Lots of dog legs, lots of baskets teetering on the edge of cliffs, and lot's of trees!

Cons:

It's a little tricky to navigate. The course is marked with spray paint. Make sure you grab a map, and you should be able to find your way. Loosing discs is never fun. Chances of it are higher here than other courses if you get off the fairway. And the course is on private land, so you have to keep an eye on when events take place to get a chance to play it. Lucky for me, I know a guy who knows a guy...

Other Thoughts:

If you get a chance, play this course. I wouldn't want to play it everyday, but it's definitely got a mystique that sets it apart.
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7 1
Pwingles
Experience: 18.2 years 72 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Wow 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 17, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Super difficult, great mix of terrain and elevation. This course will test your abilities as a disc golfer. It will take turns beating you down mentally and physically.
Overall a great experience though. We had 4 people in a group, we carded 11 3's and 1 2 in a full round, get used to writing the number 6. So breathtaking holes on this course for sure, just make sure to look left up the path on 8, you throw over the pond, not up the path, the basket is over there, trust me.

Cons:

at times the wooded areas were a little thick, but if you see how much land is out there you could easily understand how impossible it would be for a handful of people to keep it perfect. Some holes seemed like they were hard just for the sake of being hard (not always a bad thing)

Other Thoughts:

As others have said, bring lots to drink, something to snack on, and a couple discs you dont mind losing. Also hiking shoes and attire would be best. This is more like an expedition with some disc golf thrown in lol.If its not too hot wear pants, too many thorns and sticky things on plants will be annoying if you have shorts and you get off the fairway a lot. STAY ON THE FAIRWAY, no really do it. This course takes a good amount of time to play, if you havent played it before allow like 6 hrs just to be safe.
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11 0
cooktastic
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.5 years 83 played 15 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Very Challenging Course... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 21, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course was THE longest course I have ever played. It is almost 10,000 feet...so get out your drivers...you'll need them. It is one of the most picturesque courses I have seen. Beautifully wooded courses...very rocky cliffs and nice streams and even some ponds play into the course. Some of my favorite tunnel shots that I have ever played are here. Not repetitive at all...each hole is very unique...some very cool greens to putt on.

Cons:

The course was a bit tough to navigate...and we had a map. A hole was flooded and not playable (that was because of torrential rain a couple nights before.) There is no signage and the teepads were a little tough to get your footing in places.

Other Thoughts:

This was without a doubt the most challenging courses I have ever played. There are a lot of courses where you use every shot in your bag....this course forced me to use some shots I didn't know I had in my bag. Dave McCormmack really did a great job designing a very challenging yet fun to play course that is true to the Ozarks mountainous terrain. A must play.
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13 0
odysseus81
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 26.8 years 99 played 35 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Holy Crap! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 21, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is by far the most diverse and difficult course I have ever played. Words cannot express how difficult it is. It is probably twice as tough as the next closest course in difficulty. The course has extreme elevation changes. I have never seen so many tunnel shots in my life. There are a ton of very memorable holes. Most holes play in or around the woods and there are no two holes that are even similar on the course. Hole number 16 borders on ridiculous. It is a 600 foot uphill hole that plays in pretty thick woods. If you fall off the fairway...you can forget about it. Hole number 8 has a 200' pond in the middle of the hole that really tests your courage to go for it on your approach. The basket is just on the other side of the pond. Bring some cleats or shoes with good traction because this is the closest thing to a mountain that you will play in the midwest.

Cons:

There is no signage and there are multiple holes that required quite a bit of wandering to find them. The tee pad situation is all natural so if you don't like that sort of thing...this will not appeal.

Other Thoughts:

This is disc golf as nature intended it. It is a very earthy and natural course that will push your ability to its limits and beyond. I have never been so challenged on a disc golf course and don't imagine I ever will play a tougher course in my life. If you can master this course then just quit your day job and go pro.
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0 12
stuster
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

10,000ft 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 25, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

some of the holes are parible if you stay on the fairway. and you will love or hate each hole. this is a must play course.

Cons:

the only three cons that there are, its hard, long, and not enough tournaments.

Other Thoughts:

theres only one thing to say, pack a lunch because your going to need it. ok theres more, stay on the fairway.
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