Golf Digest ranks Ozarks National, Payne’s Valley, and Buffalo Ridge among the top 10 in its list of “America’s Greatest Courses by State, 2023-24.”
All three are amenities of Big Cedar Lodge, the sprawling luxury wilderness resort in the Branson Ozarks. This marks the debut of Payne’s Valley (Tiger Woods design) on the exclusive list.
To determine its “America’s Greatest” rankings of Missouri courses, Golf Digest panelists play and score courses on these eight criteria: shot options, challenge, layout variety, distinctiveness, aesthetics, conditioning, character, and fun.
Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and Tom Fazio with Johnny Morris, respectively, Ozarks National and Buffalo Ridge join Payne’s Valley at the heart of the burgeoning 10-course-and-growing Branson golf destination.
An 11th course named Cliffhangers is under construction adjacent to Payne’s Valley.
“We love it when our courses win awards from Golf Digest – their third-party critical endorsements provide ideal credibility,” said Lynn Berry, Explore Branson, Director of Communications.
These aren’t the first top rankings for those courses or others in the destination. Branson Hills, Ledgestone, Mountain Top, Thousand Hills, Top of the Rock, The Pointe, and Holiday Hills join them in having accumulated numerous “best-in-kind” accolades collectively.
For more information about Branson and its golf destination, visit www.explorebranson.com/golf, Instagram (@ExploreBransonGolf) or Facebook (@BransonGolf).