Golf's Ozark Mountain Oasis
A fine, refreshing spray wafted over us as we viewed the towering waterfall from inside the "Lost Canyon Cave" next to Top of the Rock Golf Course when the "Eureka!" moment hit me. This enchanting natural wonder has cascaded for centuries and was probably as mesmerizing to Native American Indians as it was to our group.
A similarly inspiring realization hit me as we sat in the Welk Resort Branson theatre watching Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash do their legendary thing in the excellent "Million Dollar Quartet" musical play - destinations are infinitely better when they've got after-golf activities the likes of this boutique town in southwest Missouri.
Branson is so unexpected, so eclectic and so good that you should consider it next time you're looking for a fun, different getaway. It is a rising-star golf destination to be sure, but its many off-course options make it a complete "place," where there are interesting things to do and see around the clock.
In Branson's case, these include entertainment and outdoor recreation, thanks to dozens of theatres, as well as museums, lakes, shopping venues and family-friendly activities. This is a place where leisure choices are plentiful and diverse.
The Golf
The number of Branson golf courses is expanding quickly thanks to Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris. He owns two - Top of the Rock and Buffalo Ridge - and is building two others, all amenities of highly acclaimed Big Cedar Lodge. The first two were designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio, respectively, and the two to come are being "authored" by Gary Player and Coore & Crenshaw.
If the first two are any indication, the next two will be jaw-droppers; virtually everything Morris builds is first class, with no stones left unturned and exceptional experiences par for the course.
My group of six golfers played Top of the Rock and Buffalo Ridge. The first is a par-3 course perched hundreds of feet above Table Rock Lake. The views are stunning and the golf is professional grade; the Champions Tour players who compete on it each spring in the Legends of Golf tournament routinely give it top marks.
While the layout is both challenging and fun - with views as fine as exist anywhere - the practice facility is equally enthralling thanks to a spectacular, all-synthetic turf driving range designed by Arnold Palmer. A Tom Watson-conceived putting course called "Himalayas" - due to the mounds and undulations that comprise it - completes the facility, all capped with first-rate customer service from arrival to departure.
A multi-use structure that houses restaurants, wine and whiskey bars, golf and merchandise shops - even the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum - ensure that everyone leaves knowing that they experienced a special, unique place.
Buffalo Ridge and Top of the Rock are complementary in the extreme. Where TOR requires a series of precise shots, mostly irons, Buffalo Ridge is 18 holes of yawning fairways and large greens. Players who drive the ball well on this brawny layout will appreciate the benefits that affords their game, and everyone appreciates the ingenious design that includes waterfalls, creeks and acres of undisturbed terrain surrounding the course. There are even Buffalo that range adjacent to the course and can be seen from quite close.
The Branson/Lakes Area offers a number of other worthy golf venues - all open to the public - including LedgeStone, Branson Hills, Thousand Hills, Pointe Royale and Holiday Hills.
LedgeStone Country Club features tree-lined fairways, undulating terrain with significant elevation change, and large greens with speedy, true putting surfaces. Each hole is named and they form a compelling collection with great variety. Temptation, Sycamore, Deception, The Slot, Tough Love, The Quarry, Sidewinder, The Wall... the names are more than just catchy monikers, they're descriptive enticements that pay homage to the defining characteristics and decisions to be made.
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