Meramec/Prairie at Tapawingo National Golf Club

We had the second tee time out and didn’t wait on any tee boxes. It had just rained the night before so it was a little sloppy on the Woodlands nine, but by the time we hit the Meramac nine it was perfect. Greens were in great shape this early in the season and so were the fairways. It’s a good value as the nines are different but the course is always in great shape.

The tee-boxes, greens, and course is average however it's the beginning of May and they have "no ball washers" no water on the course" and no refreshments or cart girls on the course.
My foursome and I were thirsty enough on the front nine and with group behind us we didn't want to go in the clubhouse and get refreshments and mess up our place in line for the back nine.
We proceeded to the back nine and by the time we got to hole #18 we were all so doggone thirsty that we came in the club-house and each of us ordered (2) drinks each!
Since the course has (4) nine hole courses the "clubhouse" gets to choose which of the (2) nine hole courses you get to play and only when you get there! You cannot choose the courses you want to play at anytime! You may get lucky and get to play the 2 courses you want however in most cases the clubhouse tells you what 2 you will play.

Each one in our foursome agreed that this course will certainly not be one of our first choices when looking to play...........

Used to be in excellent shape but last three times I played there it appears as it's getting worse and worse each time I go back.Greens in really bad shape,overgrown tees are some of the issues.Looks like it's been neglected for the last two months.
Again, used to be one of my favorite courses and always in reality good shape, not sure what's happening lately. They don't quite charge like some of the best course around here but still too high for the conditions.

Tapawingo is a nice course that has a semi-private vibe to it. Hadn’t visited there in a while and played on the Meramec/Prairie courses. The staff was very welcoming.

Overall, the course is in good shape but there are a few places that the grass was bare. A few tee boxes were thin, but most were lush. The fairways were nice but on a couple of collars on greens, they had to put down sod and it hasn’t grown in. There were a number of seams on the edges of greens.

The greens themselves were decent while a few had bare patches. The bunkers were terrible and either had little sand or were just mud. For such a high-end course, I would have expected better conditions. Not sure why so many fairways were cart-path only as it has been pretty dry.

I think if you wait a few weeks, the conditions will be much improved and more worthy of the price.

course is in great shape. Fast and undulating greens. Challenging but fair course. Consistent quality over the years

Poorly maintained
No ball or club cleaners along the course
No marshals
We had to wait at every hole

There are some good and bad things about playing Tapawingo (Woodlands/Prairie). Let's start with the bad:

The tee boxes are awful. Many of the tees had weeds growing on them. Many had no grass. The grass around the tees were not mowed on the first few holes.

They are struggling with fringes and the grass next to the fringes. They have many sodded areas and the nearby grass is brown and looks dead.

The bunkers were not raked.

The greens were ok but nothing special.

For a weekend price of $68, I expect more.

The good things about Tapawingo...

The pro staff and restaurant staff are excellent. One of the best hot dogs you can have.

They are allowing more holes you can take a cart out to the fairways.

They have put in a directional pole for the tee shot on hole 5 (Woodlands)

I love the design of the Woodlands course except hole 8. The Prairie has some quality holes but some quirkiness.

Another great experience at Tapawingo. Course conditions were good overall, but some of the greens were slower than others due to fall overseeding last year. Aside from speed issue, putts rolled true. Green surrounds and collars in good shape, with some undergoing transplants/sod.

Staff was friendly and helpful, especially the starter and cart guys. Food at the clubhouse is very good, made quickly and fresh. Best breakfast sandwich in STL.

Highly recommend Tapawingo.

Save your money! I just played the Woodlands and the greens were terrible! Please do your research before spending your hard earned money to play here. The greens were very long and bumpy. These courses need to be held accountable for the conditions for the money they are charging. Prime rates should = prime conditions!

Layout good, some holes in better shape than others. But holy cow he greens are visibly different - one furry one bare and something in between.

Literally the most inconsistent greens in the area in 2024 so far.

Have played Tapawingo many times. The course and surrounding areas are top notch. Love that they have as many as 6-8 tee boxes on most holes which really makes you feel you are playing totally different golf holes. Great staff helpful and very polite. Nice practice facility, always open for the most part.
One complaint is the bunkers. Like most courses, they do not keep the bunkers up nearly as good as they could be. Greens and fairways were very good, but lots of sand and I was in it 3-4 times and just very unpredictable and some extremely hard to use.

Second time to play! Course is fun and well kept! The Woodlands nine is a bit tricky, but fun!!

We played the woodlands nine was very challenging but fun! Need to play again to learn it better!!