Branson, MO

Payne's Valley Golf Course Hole #4 and #5

10 million things to know about Branson Golf in the SW Missouri Ozarks

That’s right – 10 million visitors traveled to Branson, Missouri lasts year. Why? Dozens of live entertainment shows (more than on Broadway or in Las Vegas), three enormous lakes, 10 award-winning golf courses, plus a plethora of family friendly activities. (explorebranson.com) My trip to Branson was my first, but it won’t be my last. I was impressed with all the things to do, which was evident from the moment I checked into the very fine Hilton Branson Hotel & Convention Center. It is ideally located between historic downtown Branson on one side, and the modern waterfront Branson Landing town center on the other. Branson Landing is a oneblock walk from the hotel, Ozark's National Golf Course Hole #8

and it features too many restaurants and bars to count, clothing shops, a moonshine purveyor complete with samplings, a Bass Pro Shop, and numerous other venues. With a great group of guys from various cities, we enjoyed seven golf courses in four days. The courses were designed by a veritable “Who’s Who?” of golf icons – names like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Bob Cupp, Tom Fazio and Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. They all feature first-class playing conditions, and five of them have earned Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf certification, meaning they’re as environmentally friendly and sustainable as they are inspiring to play. Our group started on Tiger’s Payne’s Valley course with its incredible 19th hole complete with Tiki Bar, waterfalls and hundreds-year-old limestone cliffs with waterfalls cascading down them. Payne’s Valley did not disappoint – the first public Tiger Woods-designed golf course is very well done. With eight different tee combos, it plays from Golf Central • Volume 23, Issue 5

7,370 to 4,957 yards. Winding through the valley, impressive movement and elevation change define the TGR designed layout. After the risk-reward par-5 18th hole - which is a great finishing hole often requiring a player to decide if he wants to try and reach the green in two and bring danger into the equation or play it as a three-shotter and rely on your short game to give you a chance at birdie – awaits The Big Rock at Payne’s Valley. That’s the name of the 19th hole, which was designed by Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris. Morris also founded Big Cedar Lodge, home of five of Branson’s 10 superb golf courses. To reach The Big Rock, you drive your Taking cart through stone pathways and through water features that trundle down across the switchback path. Ahead of you lies the astounding par-3 hole. It can play from 100 to 140 yards. Par is good, birdie is better and a hole-in-one – of which there have been a few – wins you a $1,000 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shops and a few other awards for a feat that many wish for and few ever achieve. Payne’s Valley is rated No. 4 in Missouri in Golfweek’s “Best Courses You Can Play by State” and was named America’s Great New Public Course by Golf Digest when it opened in 2020. The three courses in front of it in the Golfweek list are all located in Branson, too. All told, five of the state’s top 10 courses are in this rising-star golf destination including the top four. After an early morning wake-up call, flight to Springfield-Branson International Airport (SGF) – which is an easy, scenic 45-minute drive to Branson – then 19 holes of golf, we were famished. Lucky for us, dinner was a 2-minute walk from our spacious rooms (including kitchenette, living room, bedroom, and bathroom with shower and tub with water jets in it) at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. With many restaurants to select from, we chose Cantina Laredo in Branson Landing. A full Tex-Mex menu beckoned complete with personalized handmade guacamole at your table. Ironically, our group got a local tip from our driver to ask for the rib-eye at Cantina Laredo, even though it’s not on the menu. Boy, were several of us glad we did. Day Two began with a good cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich from Starbuck’s which is across the street from the hotel. Then Joe Gunnells, our driver for the week from VIP Tours of Branson, drove us to Tom Faziodesigned Buffalo Ridge Golf Course, one of the five Big Cedar Golf layouts. Johnny Morris, Big Cedar and Bass Pro Shops founder, worked closely with Fazio to redesign the course after Morris purchased it. The result is an amazingly pretty course with numerous memorable holes and more eye candy than most courses in the world. Exposed limestone outcroppings, waterfalls, creeks, hills, valleys, and wooden covered bridges are some of the features.

Ozark's National Golf Course

Buffalo Ridge comes by its name honestly. Buffalo roam adjacent to the course including a white buffalo, a former resident of Yellowstone National Park. You see the beasts as you drive up to the No. 1 tee box. It’s a wonderful welcome and unique way to start a round. The course was played as part of the PGA TOUR Champions Legends of Golf tournament for several years, and Buffalo Ridge is currently ranked No. 2 in Missouri by Golfweek and a Top 100 Public Course by GOLF Magazine. After lunch, we traveled to an 18-hole course at LedgeStone Country Club, designed by Tom Clark. Golf Digest describes LedgeStone as “a masterpiece of mountain golf architecture.” And it’s a roller-coaster of a layout for sure. With five sets of tees measuring 4,906 to 6,881 yards and many elevation changes, Ledgestone requires accurate shot shaping and distance control. Several of the memorable, ingenious holes are literally named and others more obtusely. Sidewinder, The Slot, and The Quarry let players know what’s to come. Others like Deception, Temptation, and The Big Chill hint at what’s to come. After 36 holes, we walked to Branson Landing from the hotel again, Branson Hills Par 3 #16 Hole Green

this time to Black Oak Grill. Scanning the menu, we went from fried pickles and goat cheese, to seared Ahi Tuna, to an “Ozark Burger” with bacon and a fried egg. Grilled meatloaf, pot roast, ribeye’s, and grilled salmon were other choices. Our next round was a delight – that is, if you like nature, history, and natural beauty. Top of the Rock is a 9-hole short course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Like Buffalo Ridge, it was played as part of the Legends of Golf event, making it the first par-3 course to be included in a professional tour event. Perched high above Table Rock Lake, flowing waterfalls, wondering creeks and bass filled ponds proliferate, as do giant boulders and flowering trees and bushes. Located next to the first hole is the Chapel of the Ozarks and a Civil War-era cabin that was transformed into a luxurious lodging option. While a short course with nine par 3’s, Big Cedar is a stout test of golf, as was evidenced during the tour event when even the world’s best players often had their work cut out making par on many holes given the swirling winds,

LedgeStone Country Club Hole #16

multitude of hazards, and tricky greens. After golf we ventured into Arnie’s Barn for lunch amidst 150-year-old wood beams that were relocated from Arnie’s backyard in Latrobe, Pa., to Branson, Mo. As you walk to your table you will see pictures and other memorabilia from Arnie’s life all over the cavernous barn that was reassembled and enhanced by Mennonite craftsmen. The menu features Texas BBQ and fine Mexican cuisine coupled with fine wines and other tasty beverages. Top your day off with a spectacular dusk firing of a Civil War-era cannon as a bag pipesman in authentic Scottish attire plays and the sun sets on Table Rock Lake. We started Day Three at Branson Hills Golf Club. A Chuck SmithBobby Clampett design rated by GolfPass and Golf Advisor as one of

the “Top 50 Courses in the U.S.”, the challenging course tests your game unrelentingly from start to finish. On the first tee you are greeted with a 130-foot drop from tee to green as you begin your round through the carved Ozark Mountains’ layout. Branson Hills has six sets of tees ranging from 5,323 to 7,324 yards. On several holes, you may want to take an extra club to reach the immaculate greens. Several holes could be called “signature holes” as many have such distinctive features that they qualify. For instance, the par-5 fourth hole is a risk-reward tantalizer that requires a 200-yard-plus carry over water on the approach shot to get home in two. And the 175-yard 16th hole is a gorgeous par-3 with narrow green guarded by sand bunker in front, water on the right, and fescue covered hill behind the slim putting surface. You’ll work up an appetite playing Branson Hills. Fortunately, there’s Level 2 Steakhouse inside the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. This is a steakhouse for connoisseurs, the type where personalized knives are kept at the restaurant for frequent visitors. An expansive menu ranging from Grilled Ahi Tuna Steak to infrared grilled filets, ribeye’s, Kansas City Strip, and Wagyu. Don’t skip dessert here as the vanilla bean Crème Brûlée, 7-layer chocolate cake, and mind-blowing “Missouri Mess” (an over-the-top-sweet butter cake) are some of the choices. On our final full day, after watching the sunrise, our group walks a couple blocks through historic downtown Branson to Clocker’s Café. Explore Branson’s Lynn Berry, Director of Communications, is our host as we hear fascinating stories about the town’s history Branson and that of the region. You never know who will be at Clocker’s Café – from locals to national celebrities/ entertainers – who love the quaint café filled with interesting artifacts. Our morning round was at Ozarks National, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and named Best New Public Course by Golf Digest when it opened in 2019. Like Buffalo Ridge, it is rated a Top 100 Public Course by GOLF Magazine. Two-time Masters Champion Crenshaw said Ozark National is “gorgeous” given the panoramic views in every direction. Known for their minimalist designs, Coore and Crenshaw let the Ozarks terrain dictate the course’s “flow” and a mesmerizing flow it is. Blind shots, winding fairways, and elevated greens are some of the defining features. After lunch, we capped our week of golf on Gary Player’s Mountain Top Golf Course – a 13-hole, walking only short course. Like several Big Cedar Golf courses, exposed limestone formations are strategically woven into some holes. Not only are they visually stunning, but they inspired Player to label them as “beyond belief.” Both renowned conservationists, Morris and Player combined their love for nature and golf to create this brilliantly routed course that tests the finest players but is playable for beginners and families. Before leaving, make sure to challenge your friends on Missouri native Tom Watson’s putting course. Designed with creative avenues to each of the 9 holes, World Golf Hall of Famer Watson authored a fun, dramatic exclamation point to begin or end your day at Mountain Top. I’ve been to many courses and golf destinations around the globe, and I have to include Branson as bucket-list worthy. The golf is great as is the afterplay things that golfers care about most – restaurants, great lodging choices, and lots of mountain and water views. For more information, visit ExploreBranson.com/golf, Facebook @bransongolf, or Instagram @explorebransongolf.

Buffalo Ridge Springs Mountain Top Hole #2 Par 3 uphill 185 yards