Branson is an Ozarks Golfing Paradise
By Tom Lang
In my early adult years, Branson Missouri built up a national reputation for featuring some of the best Country Music shows and performer-owned theatres that put on world-class entertainment.
While some of that still exists yet on a smaller scale, the Branson area has been transformed to be a centerpiece of the Ozarks for golf and natural wonders – the likes of underground caves to explore, and Table Rock Lake offering water sports and tours. While there is something for everyone, including a Titanic Museum, an amusement park and outdoor activities like hunting and fishing, we’ll focus here on the golf.
Oh boy, the golf.
Bass Pro Shops founder and owner Johnny Morris has made a huge commitment to the region. He supports any activity that gets people to enjoy the great outdoors in whatever manner they love. And while that is wonderful for hikers and bikers, for nature explorers and for those who hunt and fish, and boat and swim – Morris did not neglect golfers. In fact, one could say he makes them a focus.
Morris’ properties at Big Cedar Lodge include three of GolfWeek’s 2023 four best courses in the state: Ozarks National (No. 51 nationally, designed by Core/Crenshaw), Buffalo Ridge (No. 77 nationally, Tom Fazio/Johnny Morris) and Payne’s Valley (No. 93 nationally, Tiger Woods). All are Audubon International certified for their best environmental and sustainability practices.
Additionally, Big Cedar landed two nationally-ranked short courses on GolfWeek’s first-ever list for the category:
No. 8 – Top of the Rock, the 9-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, is the first-ever par-3 course to be included in a professional championship (PGA TOUR Champions Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf.)
No. 19 – Mountain Top, the 13-hole, walking only course designed by Gary Player, showcasing stunning Ozark views amid diverse, dramatic holes that wind around 300-million-year-old limestone formations.
My personal 18-hole favorite is Buffalo Ridge. I played it years before Morris bought it and added it to the Big Cedar stable, but that transaction only made it better now. It’s one of those courses that is as much fun to play as it is to take photos of and send them to your friends to make them jealous. They might scream back through the phone; “where are you, and why didn’t you invite me ?!”
The course is tree-lined (but they are not intrusive unless you go way off line) – stunningly appointed with beautiful rock and water features. That said, the entire region can be described that way, but at Buffalo Ridge it really stands out on many holes.
I feel the two best holes are 14-15. Hole 14 is a par 5 with a creek on the right and cutting in front of the green on the approach to a green on the right that is perched up against a hill. A very scenic covered bridge frames the hole’s left side at the green. The bridge takes golfers to the 15th fairway after an elevated tee shot over water. The entire right side of the 15th fairway is a waterfall cascading down the rocks, as golfers go at another perched green – this time on the left up against a rock faced wall.
Although Buffalo Ridge is my favorite, every person in your foursome will each likely pick one beloved course from the other at Big Cedar.
Perhaps the top-rated course in Missouri – Ozarks National will be your favorite. The course has several deep valleys and gorges to cross over or avoid. Many fairways feel like they are floating as there are some big drop offs along the edges. It has more than its fair share of blind shots but follow the advice given and you’ll be fine. While Big Cedar is known for water features – think 19th hole at Payne’s Valley and Table Rock Lake – only one small pond can be found on this layout, far left of the 16th green, which used to be the water source for the family mountain top farmhouse still standing there for golfer refreshments.
Payne’s Valley is the course most people anticipated with the Tiger Woods name on it. It’s named after Missouri’s most famous golfer, the late Payne Stewart. The course lays out there in front of you without many tricks and could be considered a golfer’s dream and a superintendent’s nightmare (meaning SO much grass to cut).
Most fairways are massively wide, with lots of run. Because of the runout, most greens are easier to reach in regulation, but they are not easy to putt. Hole 4 is a shorter downhill par 5 followed by a beautiful par 3 with its peninsula green. Both require shots to the green over the same water source. And Payne’s Valley is the course with the famous 19th hole island green to settle final bets. My par felt as huge as the 100-foot-tall rock walls surrounding the green.
Branson Hills is another public course in the region that was originally built to also pay homage to Stewart. It is ranked the 3rd-best design in the state and is located in the city limits of Branson. The course has six sets of tees ranging from 7,324 yards to 5,323. It is the tightest of the courses we played in Branson, and it shares a lot of great history about Stewart hanging on the walls of the huge clubhouse. I liked the 9th hole with its 90 degree turn from the 150 marker to the green complex on the other side of a natural flowing creek. The back 9 also required more carry over water and some cavernous areas to clear. The 15th green has a fun saddle shape to it. The 18th hole is as tough of a closing uphill par 4 as you’ll experience anywhere.
LedgeStone is another top-rated GolfWeek “Best Courses You Can Play” course in Branson’s collection, but I didn’t try it in October. While Big Cedar has great lodging and food options, The Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel and Level 2 restaurant offer terrific options for lodging and food, located between the historic downtown and modern waterfront area called Branson Landing Town Center. Either location you cannot go wrong.
Branson is a one-of-a-kind family vacation destination nestled in the lakeside beauty of the Ozark Mountains — featuring wonderful value — with dozens of live performance theatres, three pristine lakes, an international award-winning theme park, dozens of attractions and museums, a Historic Downtown district, a Town Center-style shopping complex, a full range of dining options, and a host of hotels, motels, resorts, RV parks, campgrounds, sports venues, and meeting and conference facilities.
The small-town feel downtown with its hustling and bustling atmosphere adds to the unique feel visitors can choose to experience. With its middle America location, Branson is less than one day's drive for one-third of U.S. residents. For more information, visit ExploreBranson.com and BigCedar.com.
