Trip Notes
Big Cedar Lodge: A Golfer’s Disney World for Your Group
Where to play, what to skip, and how we’d plan a group golf trip to Big Cedar Lodge in the Missouri Ozarks.
Trip Notes
Where to play, what to skip, and how we’d plan a group golf trip to Big Cedar Lodge in the Missouri Ozarks.
The first thing you notice at Big Cedar is how much golf there is. We got bussed in toward the courses on day one, and it was just vast amounts of golf everywhere you look. An amazing practice facility, and staff answering every question I had and hyping up the resort the whole ride. It's a golfer's Disney World. They do a lot more than golf, but you can tell golf is the anchor.
We brought a 12-man group here in September for a Ryder Cup style trip. Here's what I'd tell any group thinking about going.
Make it Ozarks National. The front nine starts off with some wider fairways, but when you get to the back, it becomes a real challenge. The course is set out on a series of ridges, and some of the holes look like they just drop off into the abyss. It's a sight to see.
We saved it for our final day of one-on-one match play and took the last tee times of the day. As we closed in on 18, the sun was setting. Awesome way to finish a trip.
Payne's Valley is the signature course, and the one most people have seen. I'd call it more resort style, with big fairways, which makes it great for a group with a mix of skill levels. Plus you get the bonus 19th hole, where the whole group gets together to hit tee shots onto the island green. Just a great time.
Buffalo Ridge was another amazing course. Several times we saw wildlife right on the edges of the course.
One really cool touch: every course gives you its own bag tag at the start of your round. Six courses, six different tags. Worth collecting all of them.
If you're coming as a group, do not skip the par 3 courses. For us they were a break from the Ryder Cup, but there was still plenty of competition. We put some of the prize pool toward closest to the pins and played skins, all tracked on our scoring app. It also gave everyone a chance to play with everyone on the trip, not just their foursome.
Each one has something to offer. Cliffhangers is the one you've probably seen on social media. Unique tee boxes set on the cliff's edge and cart paths carved through the waterfalls and ledges make for a once in a lifetime golf experience. Top of the Rock was the most wow of the par 3s for me, with really beautiful holes set high on top of the property. Mountain Top is a 13-hole walking course with great views. If your whole group isn't comfortable walking and you've got a long weekend ahead, that's the one to skip.
Our first evening, the last group was finishing up Mountain Top with the rest of us watching from the Mountain Top Lounge down below. Seamus has a putt for birdie, and he has no idea there are 10 holes of carryover skins riding on it. He drains it. Everyone is disgusted, and he doesn't even know why.
Well, Seamus, it's because you just won $400.
Big Cedar makes it easy to keep a big group together. Their buses move everyone at once, so no one gets separated. Big reservations at the restaurants and lounges are easy to put together, so the whole group can hang out as one unit. That matters more than people think. On the course you're only playing with three other guys, and you might not see the rest until everyone catches up at the end. The stuff you do together off the course is what makes the trip.
On our first day of golf there was a big sign waiting for us: Welcome Ribeth Group. At the end of the weekend I had everyone sign it, and now it's up on my wall. Just another thing Big Cedar does to make your weekend feel special.
It would also make a great spot for a bachelor party, with fishing, boating, Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, and a new shooting experience on the way.
We spent a lot of evenings at Tall Tales Bar & Grill, right next to our hotel. Great food, sports on the TVs, good beer. We also spent a lot of time at the Mountain Top Lounge. We never even ate in the restaurant upstairs. Great staff, good food, and close to all the courses.
We wish we'd had time for Arnie's Barn, Harry's Cocktail Lounge & Bar, and End of the Trail Wine Cellar. Next time.
We had a reservation at Osage Restaurant on our last night. We were running late after 36 holes and decided against a formal dinner. If I were structuring the trip again, I'd play the 36-hole day on the first full day and keep the last full day laid back, with a big closing dinner at Osage.
No regrets, though. We ended Saturday at the bar behind the pro shop at Ozarks National, right off 18, having drinks and reminiscing about the trip while the sun set. Staff, like always, was amazing. A really special way to end a trip on the golf course.
This isn't the cheapest trip we plan. I feel the value is there, but it's not a cheap resort by any means. Food, drinks and green fees are typical resort pricing.
It's about an hour's drive from Springfield-Branson National Airport, and not a bad one. There were no direct flights from any of the major Northeast airports, which was a bummer.
One tip to save on green fees: catch the tail end of their aeration schedule. Our green fees came in around 30% off, and by the tail end it's hard to even tell they aerated. Sure, the greens might not be at full speed. The savings were worth it for us.
The weekend can also be fast paced, because there's so much to fit in. A group looking for a more relaxed golf trip might be better off somewhere else.
Most groups we send to Big Cedar already know they want to go. They've been watching things like the Internet Invitational, they've seen the crazy holes, the par 3 courses and the facilities, and it's hard not to want to check it off the bucket list. When a group comes to us and says, "We want to go to Big Cedar. How would you structure the trip?" that's who we're sending here.
And it's no surprise. It is a beautiful place to come play golf.