Golf-cart motors must strike a delicate balance, humming quietly enough to avoid distracting players but loudly enough to intimidate ball-hoarding birdies. Ward off airborne thieves with today's Groupon: for $49, you get 18 holes of golf for two with cart rental at The Links at Dardenne in O'Fallon.

The lavish, rippling greens of The Links at Dardenne challenge club wielders with a links-style design, expansive fairways, and an arsenal of hazards. Each hole comes equipped with multiple sets of tees that cater to players of all abilities and the signature par 5 18th hole provides a majestic countryside view for dimpled spheres before they are caught by dual water hazards and baseball-glove-touting wildwood. Cruise the course's quaint contours and spot the preserved habitats of indigenous waterfowl and deer, masterfully avoiding stepping on cracks that break mothers' backs by rolling over them (mothers, that is) in the included golf cart. After rounds, players can absorb a panoramic view of the manicured battlegrounds from The Links' spacious clubhouse.