Woodland/Prairie at Tapawingo National Golf Club

Tapawingo National has three nine-hole courses. We always try to include the Woodlands nine because this is the most picturesque nine. We played the Woodlands/Prairie nines. It has many moguls on sides of fairways and greens. Difficult to walk when it is carts on path and you can fall if the grass is wet and going downhill.

Let’s first talk about the good things about the course.

The greens were fast, firm, and smooth. I think the fastest I’ve ever seen them. They do have a mixture of bent and poa annua grasses on the greens. Right now, the poa annua grasses have a yellowish color to them.

I saw the beverage cart at least 5 times which will be more important on the warmer summer days.

It has a large and beautiful clubhouse. The pro shop is very appealing to the eye. They also have the best hot dog in town. They split an all-beef hot dog, grill it, and then placed it in a toasted hoagie style bun. Delicious!

They had two people in the pro shop helping players pay for their green fees. Rarely seen.

Now, let’s talk about the issues with the course.

The tee boxes are in desperate need of attention. Almost every tee box had bare spots and the worst being the tee boxes on the par 3, 6th hole on the Woodlands. There are also numerous bare spots throughout the course – near hills and some greens.

The price of $72 on a Saturday morning is too high considering the shape of the tee boxes. You can play two better designed golf courses, which are in better shape in the area for the same price. Annbriar ($70) & Gateway National ($75). I have not played Spencer T. Olin yet this year, usually in great shape and an even better green fee rate.

I think the course needs a starter with more of a pleasant personality. Overly obsessed with the cart numbers of the carts, instead of saying “Welcome to Tapawingo – hope you enjoy your round.”

I’ve always felt the zoysia fairways have always been on the thin side when compared to other courses with zoysia.

Our pace of play was not good. We waited about 5 minutes on every shot. There was a course ranger, but I don’t think he was doing anything about it. I saw a five-some on the course with the 5th person standing and riding on the back of the cart. Something, I don’t want to see when pace of play is an issue.

The course has a large population of Canadian geese which have had numerous babies. With the parents hissing at you when you pass. They do have a fake coyote on the 8th hole of the Prairie nine which seemed to help because there were no geese in that pond. Maybe they need more fake coyotes or dogs to chase them away.

In summary, there are better choices in the area to play that are in the $70-$75 price point.

Great course

Especially the woodlands has very interesting and challenging holes

Course was challenging but couldn't appreciate because I got behind 4 women that wouldn't let me p[ay through

Even the Hot Deal price was too much for the conditions of this course. The greens were spotty and bumpy, and the fairways and rough were overgrown and in need of TLC. Obviously not enough help on the greens keeping staff. We play a lot of courses in the area that charge a lot less for a better experience. We are not in a hurry to return anytime soon.

I arrived at 7:45 am shortly before tee off. The staff is great, filled me in on conditions, got the bag to the cart and to my suppose there was someone with a cart to take me back to the clubhouse once I parked. Finished under 3.5 hrs. Greens are fairly fast and the rough and fairways in good condition. Sant traps were the only inconsistent thing I count. Some hard packed from ? Others perfect. Great well stocked pro shop!

Course was wet from two days of rain. Charged full price when greens were aerated, they never told you at booking this was the case. Tee boxes were okay, for early in season. Pace was slow. Had foursome twosome foursome then twosome. Doesn’t make sense to me.

It’s still somewhat early in the season, but the course seems to be a bit behind in getting into shape compared to some others in the area. A lot of rain 2 days prior, but the course was sopping wet still. Casual water in most areas of the fairways, mud all over the place and club had to be wiped dry after even just setting the club on the ground. I felt bad the course was getting hacked up by fat shots by all the groups resulting in pulling up turf trouts the length of a loaf of bread and 2-3 inches deep. Greens were just plugged, so the ball rolls incredibly inconsistent and “plankos” it’s way to the hole. Of course, they didn’t tell anyone so everyone paid full price for what was playing as a regular ol municipal course after a rain delay given the greens and mud conditions. It was a $20 course on this particular day.

Course layout calls for creativity, shot shaping, and good mix of long and short holes. More trees on front 9 (woodlands) and more open on back (prairie). Distance can be a big challenge from gold or black tees. Blues are the whites here, but golds played to my sweet spot. Also, wind will either make a hole bet getable or very regrettable. If the wind is forecasted at 15 that day, don’t be surprised to see it will be 25, unabated, out on the course.

I had big hopes with all the hype it gets in the area. You can see the potential for sure, and the surroundings and houses are beautiful. I’m confident when I come back in the later spring or summer months it will be in a much nicer condition to play in. If I were you, I’d wait another month before giving this place a go for nearly 100 bucks. Maybe by May or June we will get the true Tapawingo feel and challenge of the highest slope rating in STL!

We tee’d off at 9:15 on a Saturday morning and didn’t finish until 2:30.... painfully slow. The group in front of us was looking in the wood for balls on almost every hole. Also, as far as I know, we paid normal weekend rates and had newly aerated greens on many holes, which were almost impossible to get a true roll on any putt less than 10 feet. I don’t spring golf with aeration, but 1) I want to know in advance it was done, and 2) I’d expect to pay less since I’m losing 1-2 shots per hole without putting on good greens.

The Meramec 9 was flat with water in play on 7 holes. Water off the tee is hidden on holes 4 & 7. The greens on this 9 had recently been aerified, which would have been nice to know. The Woodlands was a much better 9, imo. The holes were more interesting, and had more elevation changes. The greens on this 9 were not aerified, but had bad poa annua infestation on a number of greens. Course was soaking wet due to recent rain, which led to cart path only and a grinding pace of play. I'd play it again, if I could be guaranteed Woodlands/Prairie 9s, but I don't think golfnow lets you know which 9s you'll play.