Rivercut ranks among state's top public courses

Rick Stonehouse, assistant professional at Rivercut, 2846 W. FR 190, said the magazines’ accolades have added to Rivercut’s popularity.

“Golfweek is read by no telling how many thousands of people. We get calls from Kansas City and St. Louis from people who say they saw the magazine and saw the article. It does help draw golfers from outside our area,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean Rivercut underestimates the importance of the local folks who head to Rivercut to hit the green.

“Rivercut is an inexpensive place to golf because it’s owned by a municipality,” Stonehouse said. “We keep rates low so citizens that pay taxes can afford to play here. Our course depends strictly on local players.”

Rivercut is open from sunrise to sunset, except on Christmas Day. Golf fees are $35 with a cart on weekdays and $43 on weekends for 18 holes. There are also midday and twilight specials. Tee times are required and reservations can be made up to one week in advance.

Master Designer Ken Dye, a nationally ranked golf architect, planned Rivercut. At 7,066 yards, with a par of 72, the greens are large, with significant undulations that golfers find challenging.

According to an announcement from the city of Springfield, rankings are based on ease and intimacy of routing; quality of feature shaping; natural setting and overall land plan; interest of greens and surrounding chipping contours; hole variety and memorability; basic conditioning; landscape and tree management; and a “walk in the park” test that considers the course’s unimpeded feeling of play and open space.

“The course is a good test for the serious golfer,” said Andy Salmon, who frequently plays the course. “There are plenty of challenges on the course, with some sand traps that can be extremely difficult to get out of. I only see the course getting more challenging as the trees and landscaping mature.”

Golfers have steadily increased at the 200-acre Rivercut, which opened in 1997. Golf rounds have increased from 24,000 rounds in 1999 to 35,000 rounds last year. That was up from 32,000 rounds in 2003.

Changing course

Stonehouse said recent additions make the course, which has 87 sand traps, even more interesting and challenging.

“We’ve added stairways on tees and changed the complexion of a couple of holes,” he said. “We’ve added a waterfall on the 18th hole and a fairway that runs across the creek. On hole six we changed the size of the sand trap.”

Junior golfers

Added in 2002 is the four-hole, three-acre Betty Allison Junior Golf Course. All holes are between 50 and 75 yards long. Features include low-maintenance Meyer zoysia grass putting greens and tees, a 2,500 square-foot bentgrass practice, practice sand trap and bunker, landscaping and water display and a four-foot asphalt path for walkers, spectators and wheelchair participants.

The course is free to all beginning youth golfers and has features aiding youths with disabilities. Golf balls, tees and junior size clubs also are provided.

Stonehouse said one purpose of opening the youth course was to get young people interested in a lifetime of playing the sport.

Funded by the Heart of the Ozarks Junior Golf Foundation, the nonprofit entity was created to build the four-hole junior golf facility adjacent to Rivercut’s driving range.

Contributions were secured from various groups, including the United States Golf Association, Missouri Golf Association and tax-deductible donations from individuals. The cost of the project was around $300,000.

“The whole idea is to get kids started golfing,” Stonehouse said. “Kids have a hard time going into a place you can play, learn the game and develop their skills. All we ask is that they be with a parent.”

Pro instruction

Lessons are available at the Connie Morris Learning Center from Rick Grayson, a Golf Magazine Top 100 instructor. It’s the region’s first golf school and is designed for all ages and skill levels.

“Last year we had Tiger Woods’ coach when Tiger was young come out and put on a clinic. We had 300 people out here,” Stonehouse said.

Grayson, also executive director of the Junior Golf Foundation, provides free instruction during certain times.

Rivercut Golf Course is the site for several tournaments, including the Governor’s Cup, a citywide tournament, one of the pro-ams for the Buy.com tournament, the Missouri Golf Association tournament and the Missouri Mid Amateur tournament. Rivercut also is host of the Missouri Valley Conference and state high school championships, said Stonehouse.

Surrounded by homes in the $300,000 to $500,000 range, Rivercut’s amenities include a community center, pool, multi-purpose court, private security patrol and a homeowners association.