by MIKE BAILEY
BRANSON, Missouri – With millions of visitors per year, it’s hard to say Branson, Missouri, is an under-the-radar vacation destination. After all, people have been traveling there, especially from places that are under 600 miles away by car or truck, for decades to see shows, get a good meal, and enjoy the splendor of the Ozark Mountains.
As a golf destination, though, it might be a little underrated, even though one of America’s top golf resorts is just minutes away. That would be Big Cedar Lodge, the now six-course extravaganza owned by Bass Pro Shops’ founder Johnny Morris.
The stellar course lineup includes an incredible new 18-hole par-3 course called Cliffhangers right above the Tiger Woods’ designed Payne’s Valley championship course. There are three 18-holers, by Woods, Tom Fazio (Buffalo Ridge), and Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw (Ozarks National), and other two more par-3 courses (Mountain Top/Gary Player and Top of the Rock/Jack Nicklaus).
All are ranked nationally as Top 100 Resort Courses or Top 25 Short Courses by Golf, Golfweek, and or Golf Digest. And two other Branson Golf Destination courses – Branson Hills and LedgeStone – combine with the three Big Cedar 18-holers to claim the top four spots in Golfweek’s “Best in State” compilation, and five of the top seven in Missouri.
Big Cedar Lodge was just named the top golf resort in America by USA Today. While some might take issue with ranking Big Cedar Lodge over Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst, or Boyne, the reason for this lofty status takes everything into account. In the case of Big Cedar Lodge, in addition to the exceptional golf, there is incredible array of accommodations including private log cabins, lakeside cottages, hotel rooms, and glamping sites, There are 11 restaurants, pools and marinas for water recreation (pontoons, canoes, kayaks, water skiing, or bass fishing with a professional guide).
The Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum at the resort’s Top of the Rock and “Arnie’s Barn” – yes, that Arnie – is home to one of the finest private collections of U.S. history and Native American artifacts in the world. Want more after golf choices? There’s an acclaimed spa, other nature exhibits and experiences, archery, skeet, hiking, biking, and fishing and boating on the gorgeous, expansive Table Rock Lake.
Big Cedar is undoubtedly a premium resort, and one could get lost for days on end with its many astounding amenities and activities. But it’s not the only game in town when it comes to after-golf things to see and do, and the area’s golf destination, of which Big Cedar is part. The town has more live entertainment theatres than Vegas or Broadway. Scores of lodging choices, restaurants, Historic Downtown Branson, modern waterfront Branson Landing (with hotel, retail shops, bars, eateries, and family fun activities).
There are five non-Big Cedar courses that include the forementioned, best-in-state-list members, Branson Hills (Chuck Smith design with Bobby Clampett), and LedgeStone. At 7,300 yards, Branson Hills is a brawny, sinewy, lengthy layout that cuts through the Ozarks with natural rock outcroppings, waterfalls, and creeks. LedgeStone (Tom Clark), is a rousing roller coaster of a course, with holes names that include Deception and Sidewinder, foretelling the experiences to come. Thousand Hills is an ingenious par-66 design by Bob Cupp that is relatively short but makes golfers work to earn par through the nuanced architecture. It is one of Branson’s most popular tracks, and a worthy, affordable course to play. Rounding out the destination’s 11-course inventory are Holiday Hills, Branson’s oldest, and The Pointe, a golf club in the Pointe Royale community where many Branson star entertainers have lived and played.
ENJOY BRANSON
I’ve been to Branson a few times and have stayed at Big Cedar Lodge on a couple of occasions. This time around, my group lodged at Thousand Hills Golf Resort, renting a large Reunion Lodge right next to the golf course. We made and ate breakfast each morning as a group in the Lodge, which includes a full kitchen, living room with big screen TV, patio, expansive balcony, and six rooms with private bathrooms. We even had a couple of group dinners there after ordering from local restaurants, so it made for a great base.
While I didn’t get to see any shows this time around, if you have time, I can’t recommend them enough. In 2025, the live entertainment options include music tributes to legends (Johnny Cash, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Beatles, etc.), Rock and Country shows playing iconic tunes from those genres, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, country jamborees, magic shows, family variety and comedy acts, and more.
Other local attractions include Titanic Museum, with remarkable artifacts and experiential displays, and Silver Dollar City. SDC is an 1880s-themed park that offers a mix of history, entertainment, craftsmanship, and rides and roller coasters found nowhere else in the world. There are several ziplines in Branson, including one over the water at Branson Landing, and one at the Hills Adventure Park, where Copperhead Mountain Coaster and historic tours can be enjoyed.
One of the restaurants we ate at was Flaming Margaritas, which comes by its name honestly. The margaritas are enormous and creative (and on fire initially). It’s one of several restaurants at Branson Landing, which features more than 100 retail outlets. It’s also a good spot to watch the nightly Water & Fountain Fire Show adjacent to Lake Taneycomo.
Branson is the official vacation destination of the Kansas City Chiefs, which certainly helps attract visitors from the Super Bowl champs’ city, a 3-hour drive away. Branson does much to honor veterans with the annual parades, airshows, monuments, Veterans Day events, and other homages to our service members past and present. Next year when America celebrates its 250th birthday, Branson – known as “America’s Most Patriotic City” – is going all out for #America250, the country’s Semiquincentennial, with additional events and celebrations.
BIG CEDAR GOLF
The 4,600-acre Big Cedar Lodge resort is the dream and passion project of the award-winning conservationist Morris, who grew up in nearby Springfield, exploring the region’s abundant natural gifts including fishing on Table Rock Lake, where the resort core sits. It’s so vast and far flung however, that Dogwood Canyon, a multi-attraction amenity and nature park, lies 20 minutes from Big Cedar across the state line in Northwest Arkansas.
Morris is dedicated to preserving these natural settings and enhancing the outdoor experiences offered, including golf, for generations to come. To that end, all Big Cedar golf courses are certified by Audubon International for their proactive enviro and sustainability best practices.
Big Cedar Golf is home to the destination’s premier courses, On this visit, I finally got to play Payne’s Valley, which is Woods’ first U.S. design open to the public. It didn’t disappoint. Payne’s Valley is the most recent 18-hole golf course to open at Big Cedar Lodge. It looks like Woods and architect Beau Welling had an unlimited budget for this course that honors the late, great Payne Stewart, who was raised in Springfield, 50 minutes away. It’s also where most people fly into the destination, Springfield-Branson International Airport (SGF), if you’re not driving to Branson or don’t fly by private jet.
Payne’s Valley features one sensational hole after another, routed through exposed 300-milliion-year-old limestone formations with stunning water features, interesting greens, and wide fairways. Adding to the experience is the comfort station that comes into play on a few holes. There you can get complimentary bison dogs as well as non-alcoholic drinks and other snacks. Alcohol is sold at the station.
Named the best new public course in America in 2021 by Golf Digest, it has a terrific finishing stretch. Once you putt out on the 18th, it’s hardly over. Next comes the Cliff Hanger Trail – almost an amusement park-like ride with narration automatically triggered on the golf carts – that takes you to the 19th hole (designed by Morris himself). It’s a 110-yard island green hole known as “The Big Rock at Payne’s Valley.” The water-surrounded green sits beneath towering limestone walls from which flow streams and cascading waterfalls. There’s also a bar there where you can get a refreshing beverage, and the staff will take a picture of your group with this incredible backdrop, and inform you that aces earn a $1,000 pro shop gift certificate.
Conditioning on these courses, which command a premium green fees, is pretty much flawless tee to green, and that includes the bunkers. While Payne’s Valley is a treat, the other two championship courses at Big Cedar Lodge are Buffalo Ridge (a Tom Fazio design with buffalo grazing adjacent to the course), and Ozarks National, a terrific Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw-designed championship test. Both are ranked among the best in the state as well as the nation.
One of my favorite Big Cedar golf experiences, however, is the Gary Player-designed 13-hole par-3 course called Mountain Top (walking only, push trolleys provided). The holes are diverse yet complementary, with a links sort of feel to them, some infinity greens, the ubiquitous limestone formations framing some holes, and a plethora of ways to play shots. The holes range from under 100 yards to near two bills, with highly undulating greens that you don’t want to miss on the wrong side.
Big Cedar Golf might best be known for its other short course, the sensational 9-hole Top of the Rock. It’s the only par-3 course played in a PGA Tour-sanctioned competition (Bass Pro Legends of Golf, a Champions Tour event). The views on this Nicklaus design are breathtaking, as several holes sit perched high above Table Rock Lake. The holes feature lots of elevation change, an island green, and great variety. The first hole plays around the beautiful Garden Chapel, a church where many people choose to exchange vows given the floor to ceiling glass windows facing the lake. Golf celebrities Scott McCarron and Matt Ginella got married there, as have many people.
The course closes with an astounding 9th hole and its Stonehenge-like tee box entrance. You stare at Table Rock Lake on the horizon behind the green, a distracting aesthetic. As is the adjacent Top of the Rock Clubhouse and Arnie’s Barn, constructed of 150-year-old wood barn beams transported from the King’s family home in Latrobe, Pa. It was reassembled by Mennonite craftsmen from the Ozarks and is an incredible edifice.
There are several eateries at Top of the Rock, including an upscale Mexican restaurant in Arnie’s Barn, and the Osage Restaurant, which offers fine dining, fantastic service, and some of the best views you’ll find anywhere in the country. Additionally, Top of the Rock is home to a whiskey and wine cellar, the Buffalo Bar, and a moving Trail of Tears Indian sculpture on an infinity pool facing the lake.
You can’t go anywhere at Big Cedar and not have your mind blown.
(Mike Bailey is a Travel Editor for Pro Golf Weekly. He can be reached at mstefan.bailey@gmail.com)
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Explore Branson
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Big Cedar Lodge
