Patrons enjoy a meal at the Back Nine Pub and Grill, which is now open for business at Railwood Golf Club.

April 25, 2018

HOLTS SUMMIT, Mo. --- Don't let a bad round of golf keep you from enjoying a good plate of food.

Here's hoping you can enjoy both.

Even if you don't, Railwood Golf Club is now offering more than just hot dogs and hamburgers to grab after nine holes or after your round, it's offering a full menu at the Back Nine Pub and Grill in the remodeled clubhouse.

When Jim Johnson and Norm Anderson purchased Railwood from football great Justin Smith two years ago, this was the plan all along. It just took a while.

It's finally come to fruition and it comes with a chef, Chris Wettengel.

"You have to make sure you have the right person doing the cooking," Johnson said. "We're real fortunate to get Chris ... it's real lucky when you consider what we wanted to do. He's a great fit for us and he's a great fit for this area."

Wettengel previously worked at the Walnut Street Tap and Kitchen in Columbia, and he'll serve as the full-time chef at Railwood.

There will be a Soup of the Day (the French Onion is a show stopper), and they plan to have a Special of the Week entree' in the near future.

"I haven't had anything that wasn't good," Johnson said. "He handed me something the other day and I asked him what it was."

"It's vegetarian soup," Wettengel said.

"Well, you can take that back."

Obviously, Johnson is secure in his non-veganism.

"But it was really, really good. Delicious," Johnson said.

Prime rib is available Friday and Saturday nights, when Johnson said they're expecting crowds of about 40 a night. Reservations are appreciated, but optional. 

Expect a mix of people when dining, including golfers fresh off the course. Meaning, golf attire is just fine.

"We wouldn't have it any other way," Johnson said.

A Grand Opening for the Back Nine will take place in late May or early June, Johnson said, as the staff continues to iron out the kinks.

"Chris wants to stabilize the menu," Johnson said, "and there are some changes he wants to make to make sure everything's flowing."

There was a "soft" opening on April 6, which was by invitation only. About 80 people were expected to attend but more than 100 showed up, which led to some valuable lessons learned.

"The first thing I learned is that we really made a mistake by having that many people," Johnson said. "The second thing I realized is that it was the best thing in the world that could have happened to us.

"If we would have had 40 people, we would have tweaked this and tweaked that. But after that night, we tweaked everything and it's made a huge difference. Doing 100 people again would be a lot for us, but the other night (Saturday night), we had 50-plus and we didn't have any trouble at all."

Johnson said they plan to have music on Friday and Saturday nights in the near future, and the Back Nine will be serving breakfast on Sunday mornings "soon."

There will still be quick food available for golfers --- hot dogs, hamburgers, and they've added homemade sub sandwiches. Draft beer is now available from six taps, along with "somewhat" expanded wine and liquor choices.

While the menu is full, it's not overly expansive.

"It's a simple and straight-forward menu," said Johnson, who hopes to make the Back Nine a year-round venture.

So, good luck with your round of golf. There's no luck needed, however, with your post-round meal.

Loeffler's Link

Back Nine Pub and Grill now

​open for business at Railwood