Mozinga 

This is a very good course about 10 miles east of Maryville Mo., just over 2 hours from Omaha. We visit Mozinga annually for a family golf trip with 8-12 players.  Lodging, golf and restaurant are all on site.

The entire recreation area is owned by the city and includes a large lake, camping areas, picnic areas and cabins as well as a hotel and convention area.. Great scenery on the entire golf course.  Get out early and you will likely see deer, especially on the back 9. You are definitely in the country with the lake visible on most of the holes.

Mozinga has been rated by others as a top 10 Muni in the state of Missouri. Golf course winds around one side of the lake and is championship level at over 7100 yards with 4 sets of tees. The course is wide open with boundaries of long grass and woods, as well as the lake, around many of the holes.

Golf is economically priced, with a very good bar-restaurant attached to clubhouse. Price varies by day, but we could get 36 holes a day for around $60. Fairways are a little thin by the late in the year, but overall, a bargain course. Greens were a little slow in September, but lightning fast when we came back in May of 2024. We found the staff is always friendly and helpful. They were very accommodating when making tee times 2 months in advance so we could plan our golf trip.

Driving range is nothing special, but a good place to warm up with full shots. Bunkers in great shape this year with plenty of new sand. They just need more players to rake bunkers after playing.  They do have restrooms on each 9 and adequate water for those hot days.  You wont see a beverage cart, so stock up before you go out.

The course is a full par 72, high-lighted with three par 3s over water, but not too long. Pin placements have a lot to do with the difficulty of the holes.

The par 5s are not long, and offer opportunity for birdie for all levels of players. Hole 7 is one of the toughest par 4s running along the lake. It is long, tight, and a green with a lot of slope.  If the pin is in the front right you can easily putt off the green from behind the hole.

The last three holes promise to challenge you to keep that good round going. Hole 16, par 4, at 420 yards, often a blind shot, you aim at the windmill behind the green.  The green runs away from you and has bunkers on both sides. 17 is short, but has a split fairway with long grass in the middle, and strait up the hill to a small green you can barely see when approaching.

18 is another long par 4, usually playing into a south wind.  Second shot over a ravine into a tricky green. If you can par the last three holes, you probably have a very good round. Head up to the bar and celebrate.

In the last ten years they added a walking-only executive course, called the Watson nine.  You can guess the Kansas City native who designed it.

My criticism of the course is limited. Hole number 9 has a fairway bunker that has been GUR for years.  Not sure what the plan is for it. Later in the summer you often have to play it up because the fairway turf is not great. 2024 is the first time I have seen a golf ranger, so I hope that can help moderate slow play. They don’t always have their web site updated with events.  You will need to call in advance to verify there isn’t an event on the day you want to play.

Overall, this is a very good destination course for people from Omaha, Des Moines or Kansas City. There aren’t very many 18 hole courses in NW Missouri or SW Iowa. With a couple options for lodging on site, you can have a fun golf trip on a budget. You have to plan far ahead if you want a cabin, since they sell out well in advance.