Woods’ first public course in the U.S. will stretch to 7,400 yards from the tips. Not included in that yardage is the par-3 19th hole—a bonus for golfers’ greens fees and a way to settle any tied matches. Woods joins the list of acclaimed designers under the Branson, Mo. resort’s umbrella that includes Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and Tom Watson, who created an 18-hole natural-grass putting course.
It’s been a very good year for Tiger Woods. He just won his 82nd tournament, moving into a tie for all-time first place, and while he is also second in major victories to only Jack Nicklaus, he closed that gap too with a dramatic comeback win at the Masters, Forbes reported. Now Tiger is stalking Jack in another profession, course design.
Admittedly Nicklaus has a much bigger lead here, having done more than 400 courses to Tiger’s handful—most of which are in far-flung parts of the world and still quite a ways from their grand openings, Forbes reported. But in this case it looks like Tiger might actually be off to the better start.
When Nicklaus first turned to design, his courses had a reputation for being extremely difficult, and it is always a question whether someone as good as Tiger, exceptionally long and arguably the best ball striker in history, can understand the game from the perspective of the average golfer and build courses a recreational player could enjoy. Having just toured his first public course in the nation, Forbes reported, the answer in equivocally yes, he can. He just did.
Payne’s Valley may be the highest-profile domestic golf course opening of 2020, and justifiably so, Forbes reported. It is the third 18 by a top-tier designer at the Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Mo. Big Cedar is the proud fantasy child and pet project of billionaire Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, who is obsessed with sharing his love of the Ozarks, where he grew up, with everyone. He has been putting his money where his mouth is here for years, and in the process, has quietly turned Big Cedar into one of the top golf resorts in the country, though a lot of golfers still have not heard of it.
C+RB spotlighted Big Cedar Lodge as a cover feature in 2014.
Buffalo Ridge Springs, the first marquee 18 here, was designed by Tom Fazio. The newer Ozarks National, by the design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, just opened this year and rivals their work in places like Bandon Dunes and Streamsong. It will likely become the state’s number one when it is rated next year. Tiger’s course, Payne’s Valley, is opening in the spring and is the best of them all, Forbes reported.
“One of the trademarks Tiger wanted to have here was wide playing areas where it was difficult to lose a ball,” Todd Bohn, the resort’s Director of Agronomy said. For example, Fazio’s Buffalo Ridge, which is a fairly playable course with plenty of room, has 50-acres of fairway grass, more than many courses. Payne’s Valley has 85, which is exceptionally high, plus another 45 acres of short, non-penal rough, featuring a variety of grass specifically chosen to slow down and hold balls from running through.
Besides the vast areas of grass where you can spray your tee shots, there is amphitheater style mounding around several green complexes which further contains errant approach shots, Forbes reported. Tiger wanted players to be able to putt from off the green, as is common in the British Isles, so there is little in the way of penal rough around putting surfaces.
With the exception of the dramatic island-green par-3 there are no real forced carries, but there are plenty of risk/reward opportunities tempting better players, Forbes reported, and if looking for a stiffer challenge, golfers can simply tackle the par-72 design from the tips—at 7,400 yards.
Of course, neither the par nor the yardage includes the unique 19th hole, a bonus for golfers’ greens fees and a way to settle any tied matches, Forbes reported. The extra finale is the first hole you see coming down the hill from the clubhouse overlooking the course, and a dramatic one, a 125-yard par-3 to a green set at the base of towering cliffs with a waterfall tumbling down, like Vegas golf on steroids. But this is just one of many waterfalls, and one of many clever uses of exposed limestone cliffs, on the course.
In the tradition of one of the most renowned architects of all time, Donald Ross, who was a big believer in a gentle, welcoming opening hole, Tiger delivers with a downhill par-4 that has a generous landing area and is attractively but not punishingly bunkered and points straight at the mountain range behind the green, Forbes reported. Once you’ve gotten the nerves out of the way, Tiger delivers, building a crescendo of fun, interesting and visually dramatic holes using the site’s vast quantities of limestone ledge to frame fairways and backstop greens.
The course is also full of elevation changes and Disney-esque water features, a specialty of Morris’ retail empire, Forbes reported, built by his same team of specialists who create elaborate aquatic ecosystems in the Bass Pro Shops. There are tumbling streams, waterfalls and all of it has a bit of a fantasy feel—but with great golf holes.
The fourth is one of many possible signature holes—a short par-5 that is definitely reachable in two but has a creek in front of the green, fed by waterfall pouring down the rocks to the right of a green complex, Forbes reported. These kind of risk/reward decisions are found all throughout, and this especially memorable hole is immediately followed by the island par-3.
The Woods course is scheduled for a June grand opening and will likely have a soft opening in May, but should definitely be ready for full speed ahead by July 1, Forbes reported. Currently the highest priced peak time at the resort is $195 for Ozarks National. The Woods course is still being debated internally but will be either the same or slightly higher, in the $195-$220 range. As a bonus, both Ozarks National and Payne’s Valley feature complimentary comfort stations, little snack huts along the way, where everything from hot dogs to peanuts to ice cream sandwiches and soft drinks is free, included in the greens fees.
In addition to the three 18-hole, championship golf courses, Big Cedar Lodge also offers two par-three courses—the 9-hole Top of the Rock by Jack Nicklaus and the 13-hole Mountain Top by Gary Player, Forbes reported. There is also an 18-hole natural grass putting course designed by Tom Watson.
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