OFT: Hidden Valley’s hidden gem #18

CLEVER, Mo–We welcome in another week with another installment, of Ozarks First Tee.

KOLR 10’s Chris Pinson concludes his signature hole segment with a stop in Clever.

As Chris discovered, the 18th hole at Hidden Valley is a hidden gem.

Chris Pinson: “Hey there! Welcome to week six of Ozarks First Tee. Today, I’m down in Clever at the true hidden gem, known as Hidden Valley. Where I’m joined today by General Manager Mitch Behnen. Who’s gonna tell us all about what makes the the 18th hole their signature hole. So Mitch, what is it about 18?”

Mitch Behnen: “Chris, this property used to be a dairy farm, and hole 18 has one of the only remnants of the dairy farm, and that’s a barn on the left side of the fairway. For our signature hole we’ll be using hole number 18 with the barn.

The hole is a medium length par 4 which can be a fun finishing hole, which can also present some challenges. Your tee shot has to carry the large pond and to have a clear approach to the green it needs to stay between the barn on the left and the trees on the rightside of the fairway. The longer you hit your drive the narrower the landing area is.

For the approach shot to the green, if you’ve been successful keeping it in the middle of the fairway, it’s pretty straightforward. However, this green is somewhat narrow and very deep. The key to this shot is good distance control because the front 2/3rds of the green slope back to front and can make a challenging putt from the shots which end up behind the pin.

Those putts can roll out quite a ways past the hole, but if you’re short, depending on the pin placement on the green, you could be left with a long putt up hill with a lot of break in it. If you make par or better it could be a great way to end your round at Hidden Valley.”

“Mitch, thank you so much for the great insight on this hole. It’s so cool it used to be a dairy farm and man, you guys have turned it into a beautiful golf course,” said Pinson.

“Thanks a lot for coming down today, Chris. You’re welcome anytime,” said Behnen.

“Trust me, I plan to be here. Well do me a favor, if you enjoyed this week, make sure you tune in next week for the real fun on Ozarks First Tee it’s Pinson vs. The Pro. You won’t want to miss it. Reporting down here in Clever, at Hidden Valley, for Mitch Behnen, I’m Chris Pinson, KOLR10 Sports.”

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