Highland Springs

One might assume the hilly nature of the Ozarks, a mountain range covering southwest Missouri, would provide enough defense for a championship golf course. Robert Trent Jones II, however, has never balked at throwing a few extra hazards at golfers.

At Highland Springs Country Club, that includes more than 70 sand and grass bunkers, as well as a series of irrigation ponds that serve as the backbones for the round’s most pulse-quickening holes. Nos. 9, 12, and 13 (two par fours and a par three, respectively) hug the edge of the ponds for their entireties, while Nos. 8 and 18 (two par fives) feature final water crossings that not even those playing from the tigers will be willing to challenge for an eagle putt (they could always move up a set of tees, however, for some fun).

Still, Highland Springs understands such tough conditions stand to stymie growth of the game, and thus the John Q. Hammons tribute course (named after the club’s founder) will feature new tees to bring the layout to a reasonable 4,100 yards.