Big Cedar Lodge

This is one of my favorite courses in Missouri. With the additions of Ozark National & Payne's Valley locally, people may forget about the OG Buffalo Ridge.... I have played all three and still believe Buffalo Ridge is the favorite (and cheapest) of the three. It is a great layout, with fun holes and scenery. Can be very tough from the back tees though! Great opening hole birdie opportunity as a warm-up before hole two punches you in the face! A must play if you are in the area.

I just had the privilege to play this course recently. With Johnny Morris of Big Cedar resort and Bass Pro Shop fame, taking over this already good golf course had now become exceptional and will continue to only get better. He is committed to make the Table Rock and Branson area a place to go for fantastic golf. This is one course under his umbrella in the area. Ozark national ( also a great test where just opened ), Top of the Rock, Mountain Top and coming soon Payne’s Valley ( a Tiger Woods design) make for quite the golf destination.

I have had the pleasure to visit Kohler, Wisconsin and when all is said and done this will be a golf destination of similar desire.

I am a PGA Professional and will promise you, you will not be disappointed with the golf experience here. The staff is top notch, the conditions are good and getting better. The course is stunning both in views and shot making quality. Play the correct tees and you will have a fun, but challenging day.

With Johnny Morris commitment to excellence this course will only continue to get better. Ad Branson Creek it was among the top courses in Missouri and will only continue to climb in the ranks. The course is both scenic and challenging. Conditions were good and will only get better. The greens were fantastic, fairways superior along with the tees.

Book a trip to this part of the country soon as you will not be disappointed. Played this course along with the newly opened Ozark National and while the two courses are vastly different both are enjoyable and unique. You will have a great time and be challenged yet enjoy.

It was July 2005 and we planned a family reunion for Branson Missouri. I brought my clubs in the off chance I would get to play. With one early morning free, I chose a course in the area called Branson Creek.
It was 7 am, the sun was coming up and it was holding the early morning mist close to the ground. A par 5 that stretched down hill into the distance with just a faint view of the green. It was that early morning walk like you see in commercials on TV that maybe you have never experienced. By the time we reached the first green the mist was almost gone. The fairways were perfect and the greens were rolling an 11. Each hole that greeted me had something unique and Mr. Fazio's design had me getting more excited with each hole to see what lay next.
Most golf courses have one signature hole. This golf course had at least 15.You take your pick. When I finally reached number 18, it reminded me of playing 18 at Pebble. It is a dogleg par 5. To the left are hundreds of yards of treetops that are at fairway height representing the ocean. You play across the corner to a landing area and then back left to the green guarded by bunkers with the ocean of trees that follow all the way to the green. What a finish and probably still not my favorite hole on the course. It is too hard to choose. I have never stopped thinking about this course even though I have been fortunate to play at St. Andrews, Royal Troon, Turnberry, Bandon Dunes, Hilton head, Pebble, Spy Glass and many others. I won't say that any of these courses is more memorable or better than another but Branson Creek left me wanting to return. I am retired now and I take a golf trip every year with 3 other great friends. This year I researched Branson Creek and found it has been purchased and refined and is now called Buffalo Springs Golf Course and is rated the #1 golf course in Missouri. I am not surprised. I have learned of some new great offerings in the area such as Ozark National and soon to open Paynes Valley. Look it up and check out the pictures the website provides and tell me it doesn't get you excited about the challenge that awaits.
I only hope you are so lucky to stumble upon a walk such as this which you will remember for the rest of your life.

(This review requires a date you must select and it did not go back to 2005 so I had to enter July of this year. My review states I was there July 2005 but the memory was like yesterday and from the website, you can see it has only gotten better)

At $150, overpriced for a 9 hole par three but worth it at least once! Course is beautiful and home to the seniors/champions tour. Conditions are great and the course has little play which means you can play a couple balls off each tee to feel like you are getting your money Worth. Would also recommend Osage restaurant over Arnie's barn for dinner... Go at sunset and see the cannons. I take it for granted being local, but it one of the most beautiful places in the world at sunset.... I rank it right up there with Augusta and Jackson hole, Wyoming in my beautiful places book. The chapel on the course is also beautiful and has been home to golf weddings such as matt ginella and scotty mccarron.

Dropped the wife at the Spa and enjoyed one of the most scenic courses ever played. Vistas from every hole. Lots of width and big greens but trouble if you hook or slice. Great condition for a young course. Requires a strong tee shot on most holes but not intimidating.
What Johnny Morris is building here is one of the best kept secrets in the golf world. His eye for detail and no budget approach shows the confidence he has that this will become one of the premier golf destinations in the US.
I will be back!

I think I enjoy what Johnny Morris has done to Buffalo Ridge more every time I play it. Unfortunately I come to expect more from this place as well. For a place that is trying to be top notch, and for the price you have to pay to play here (it’s not family friendly in pricing) there are a few things you don’t expect to see. First, you don’t expect to see lots of poa annua creeping into the nice bent grass greens. That seems to be a problem with a lot of Missouri courses lately...and that’s not a good thing in my opinion. Secondly, you don’t expect to see weeds growing in the sand of quite a few bunkers. Listen, I understand it’s been raining a lot here recently, and there has been nonstop activity for Big Cedars maintenance crews, especially preparing for The Legends of Golf, but removing weeds from bunkers is basic and simple stuff. Again, it’s not something you expect or like to see from a place this expensive and billed as this amazing. Lastly, there were a few spots where creeping Bermuda was getting into the fairways. That has to be stopped because I have witnessed how that stuff takes over zoysia fairways!
Outside of that, I had no problem with the fairways being uncut in certain areas and the greens being a little slow. It has rained a lot here and they probably couldn’t get the mowers everywhere they needed too or at the lowest heighth that they like.
Listen, this course has got a great layout, and some absolutely stunning holes! It brings you into contact with nature and some beautiful scenery. This isn’t a course for minimalists , because there is a lot of landscaping and nature enhancements going on. However I think anyone can appreciate just how much effort has been put into this place to make it over the top and beautiful! I fully recommend playing this course! I just hope they can start putting their best effort back into getting this course in its best possible appearance.

Took my fiancé along with me it was her first time. No one was really on the course. It was a blast and great set up. Recommend if you want a nice view and fun short course

The team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have built a near-spotless record of quality golf course designs across the world over the last 30 years. Their latest effort upholds the high standards to which they are justifiably held.

Ozarks National is a tremendous complimentary course to Buffalo Ridge Springs. BRS is a modern resort-style course, with lots of eye-candy features and a cart-mandatory layout. ON is a more classic test that is walkable, wide and firmer than its older sibling. The routing meanders along ridgetops and provides spectacular views as well as a high degree of playability, thanks to its grand scale. When the grandeur of it threatens to overwhelm a player, C&C place smaller tests like the par-3 8th and 17th at critical junctures. It is a golf course one would never tire of playing.

"Golf" has often been thought of in narrow ways, even by the game's more avid players. Big Cedar Lodge's Mountain Top Course succeeds in challenging those preconceptions. It's 13 holes, all par threes, with walking being mandatory. Though a player won't hit many longer clubs than a mid-iron, it is a satisfying golf experience unto itself.

The winding expanse of closely-mown turf knits together the baker's dozen tests, which amble along a ridge top sporting beautiful Ozark views. Limestone outcroppings spring up, creating vistas that might remind golfers more of Sedona, Arizona than Missouri. The greens are undulating and great fun to putt, and there are plenty of opportunities for pars and birdies for golfers of all stripes. Best of all, it's a lovely walk that acts as a great second round of a day, paired with one of the resort's "big" courses.

As the first "big course" to become part of Johnny Morris' Big Cedar Lodge resort outside Branson. Buffalo Ridge Springs was adjusted to fit its overseer's vision. Much like the resort at large, the course is part of an enhanced vision of the Ozarks. When Morris brought Fazio back to touch the course up, several rock outcroppings were revealed and featured, naturalistic water features were introduced to the landscape and the whole course received a refined edge.

The result is an HD version of resort golf, with a ton of fun shots and vistas. The back nine, which tacks counterclockwise around a valley rim and down, before rising back up, is a cracker. It immerses the golfer in a scene that combines natural beauty with a keen eye for landscape enhancement.

This course has some of the most beautiful views you could ask of the northern Ozarks. It historically has been in excellent shape. The course is in the worst shape I’ve seen it. Crabgrass is growing in many of the bunkers. This may because resources are being dedicated to the two new courses they are planning to open next year. Hopefully the they will bring this course back to the condition I have been used to.

Wife and I played this walking only course and had a ball. This is the perfect course to play with your spouse or children that have some golfing experience. You have a choice of where to tee off to make yardage fit your game. Longest hole is just over 200 yards at the tips. Scenery is fantastic and you can see the two new courses being built in the distance. Nice pro shop and restaurant. You know its a great course when the on course restroom had heat and AC!

Very scenic layout with springs everywhere.. The course plays very fairly from the whites. Not too tight, but requires plenty of shot making. You will hit every club in the bag....

For the price of a 18 hole professional golf course, don't expect much more than a glorified putt putt course. The layout and views are spectacular, the pace of play is fast (due to no one being on the course) but the staff is rude and and will nickel and dime you if you want to play. The 1 1/2 hours that it takes to play should be included in a one nights stay at Big Cedar or at least the $25 "riders fee" for a 10 year old to join you on your round.
Don't waist your time or money on this course.

If this is the future of golf, include me out. It is Too perfect. It is Too manufactured. It is not a design of man made and nature. It is 90% man made carved into the Ozark mountains. It is not Golf. It is an enlarged version of miniture golf. The only thing missing are the dinosaurs. I can't believe that Jack desinged this thing. Now, the question is, is it worth the price. Only if the trail ride is included. Don't think you'll be missing something if you never play this 9 hole, all par 3 layout that doesn't have a weed on the entire course.

Some people call it "over the Top of the Rock," but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, I like Disney World, and that's manufactured, and much of Top of the Rock, with its waterfalls, etc.., is, too. But who cares? It's beautiful, and in incredible shape with views of the Ozarks that go on for miles and miles. Each hole is memorable (as is the driving range), making it one of the best, and possibly the most unique, par 3 courses in the country. Great short courses is a trend I'd like to see continue.

I hate to have to give a negative review of this place. But the grounds crew is horrible. The course looks amazing! Be sure to ask about the $10 just to get to the clubhouse. Be sure and ask if all the tee boxes are available. I showed up and no one was ready. There driving range is outstanding but no one was there to tell me where the balls are or what markers to hit from. It is spring break in Branson right now and there is not a full parking lot. I would advise to play the other course. This 9 joker is not for me. $100+ for nine holes and this is what I had to put up with. Hope this helps.

This was my 1st time playing since Bass Pro/Big Cedar had taken over the course. They have turned it into a Outdoorsmans golf resort. The details are fantastic. There are numerous covered bridges blended into the rolling hills of Southwest Missouri. I didn't see them but I hear there are buffalo roaming on the range :-)

Today the wind was gusting up to 20 mph so the course [from the tips] played very difficult but I managed to post a 77 thanks to a hole out and my trusty Swing by Swing GPS app.

The daily rate during the week is going to be close to $150 but I played at the Fall rate of $65... it's well worth the play at that rate... or even at $150.

Go check it out.

Note: this is an un-walkable course :-(