0.jpeg
Big Cedar Lodge owner Johnny Morris hand-paints many signs seen throughout the property. His handiwork welcomes golfers to Ozarks National.
Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor
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The opener at Ozarks National is a shortish par five that meanders to the right. Right off the bat, it's a test of a golfer's brain. Play aggressively and bring the second fairway bunker into play or lay back to the wider expanse?
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
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The second is an uphill par three whose modest length seduces golfers into playing at the flag, which can be very dangerous.
Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor
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The third hole is a short par four that drifts uphill. Some of the meanest greenside bunkers on the golf course guard the two-tiered green.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
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The long par-4 fourth is a statement that more than the conventional set of golf skills will be required. It takes trust in both oneself and the architects to use the half-punchbowl slopes that direct balls down onto this ridgetop green.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
5.jpg
Number five is a splendid short par four with options aplenty. The direct route is available, but fraught. Play out to the left, though, and you'll want to take care not to hit your tee ball too far, lest you be blocked out by a tree. Gorilla golf will be punished here.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
6.jpg
The longish sixth is a stately introduction to a wonderful set of par threes.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
7.jpg
The short par-5 seventh represents a chance to reclaim a lost shot, but only after two solid full swings. The front-left hole location seen here is the epitome of a sucker pin. Anything that misses to the left ends up in the bunker or worse.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
8.jpg
After a big, almost overwhelming opening stretch, the little one-shot eighth is a bit of a visual palate-cleanser, but it still requires a confident swing.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
9.jpg
The winding ninth, an uphill three-shot par five, closes out an entertaining front nine with three par threes, fours and fives each.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
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Number 10 kicks off Ozarks National's long, challenging back nine.
Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor
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A tall pine complicates the second shot at the shortish par-5 11th. Though the greenside bunkers make the right look like the worst miss, mounds and slopes left can funnel balls into worse trouble.
Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor
12.jpg
The 12th at Ozarks National is one of the best long par threes built in recent years, and should take an honored place in the Coore/Crenshaw portfolio.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
13.jpeg
The 13th anchors the course's toughest stretch, greeting golfers with an intimidating carry across a canyon to an undulating fairway. A tee ball up the left - near trouble - shortens the hole considerably.
Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor
14.jpeg
Hole 14 glides over a ridge and marches down toward a massive, 55-yard deep green. Slopes to the right can help kick the ball toward the pin.
Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor
15.jpg
The uphill tee shot on the par-4 15th is unusual, with a necklace of short-range bunkers presenting options for tee shot positioning. Some holes have infinity greens; this one has an infinity fairway.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
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The par-4 16th features the only water hazard at Ozarks National. It doesn't come into play so much as accent the scene. The bunkers guarding the elevated green are more perilous.
Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor
17.jpg
After a run of long holes, the penultimate test at Ozarks National barely tops 130 yards, even from the tips. The view is one of the best on the property.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
18.jpg
The course leaves golfers with a big statement in the form of a sweeping, long uphill par four where picking the correct line off the tee is essential, despite the width of the fairway.
Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
19 Images
Ozarks National at Big Cedar Lodge: hole by hole
Take a visual tour of the newest Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw design
Ozarks National is the hotly-anticipated brand-new golf course on the grounds of Big Cedar Lodge outside Branson, Missouri. In short, it establishes Big Cedar as a destination worthy of nationwide attention from golfers. In the podcast below, Tim Gavrich and Matt Ginella discuss their first impressions of the new design.
You can view more photos of the course, taken during the fall preview season of 2018, below.
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![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National photo gallery]()
Big Cedar Lodge owner Johnny Morris hand-paints many signs seen throughout the property. His handiwork welcomes golfers to Ozarks National. Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 1]()
The opener at Ozarks National is a shortish par five that meanders to the right. Right off the bat, it's a test of a golfer's brain. Play aggressively and bring the second fairway bunker into play or lay back to the wider expanse? Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 2]()
The second is an uphill par three whose modest length seduces golfers into playing at the flag, which can be very dangerous. Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 3]()
The third hole is a short par four that drifts uphill. Some of the meanest greenside bunkers on the golf course guard the two-tiered green. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 4]()
The long par-4 fourth is a statement that more than the conventional set of golf skills will be required. It takes trust in both oneself and the architects to use the half-punchbowl slopes that direct balls down onto this ridgetop green. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 5]()
Number five is a splendid short par four with options aplenty. The direct route is available, but fraught. Play out to the left, though, and you'll want to take care not to hit your tee ball too far, lest you be blocked out by a tree. Gorilla golf will be punished here. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 6]()
The longish sixth is a stately introduction to a wonderful set of par threes. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 7]()
The short par-5 seventh represents a chance to reclaim a lost shot, but only after two solid full swings. The front-left hole location seen here is the epitome of a sucker pin. Anything that misses to the left ends up in the bunker or worse. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 8]()
After a big, almost overwhelming opening stretch, the little one-shot eighth is a bit of a visual palate-cleanser, but it still requires a confident swing. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 9]()
The winding ninth, an uphill three-shot par five, closes out an entertaining front nine with three par threes, fours and fives each. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 10]()
Number 10 kicks off Ozarks National's long, challenging back nine. Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 11]()
A tall pine complicates the second shot at the shortish par-5 11th. Though the greenside bunkers make the right look like the worst miss, mounds and slopes left can funnel balls into worse trouble. Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 12]()
The 12th at Ozarks National is one of the best long par threes built in recent years, and should take an honored place in the Coore/Crenshaw portfolio. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 13]()
The 13th anchors the course's toughest stretch, greeting golfers with an intimidating carry across a canyon to an undulating fairway. A tee ball up the left - near trouble - shortens the hole considerably. Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 14]()
Hole 14 glides over a ridge and marches down toward a massive, 55-yard deep green. Slopes to the right can help kick the ball toward the pin. Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 15]()
The uphill tee shot on the par-4 15th is unusual, with a necklace of short-range bunkers presenting options for tee shot positioning. Some holes have infinity greens; this one has an infinity fairway. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 16]()
The par-4 16th features the only water hazard at Ozarks National. It doesn't come into play so much as accent the scene. The bunkers guarding the elevated green are more perilous. Mike Lowe/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 17]()
After a run of long holes, the penultimate test at Ozarks National barely tops 130 yards, even from the tips. The view is one of the best on the property. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor -
![Big Cedar Lodge Ozarks National 18]()
The course leaves golfers with a big statement in the form of a sweeping, long uphill par four where picking the correct line off the tee is essential, despite the width of the fairway. Tim Gavrich/Golf Advisor
Tim Gavrich is a Senior Writer for GolfPass. Follow him on Twitter @TimGavrich and on Instagram @TimGavrich.
