Just finishing up our annual guys golf trip. We went to big cedar lodge this year. It was actually a last minute decision as our original plans to kiawah fell through (covid).

We ended up playing each course at least once. Payne's Valley was special. Everyone in our group agreed it was one of the best courses we've played. Great views, true greens and exceptionally manicured fairways. The course was fair but tough. Reachable par 5's and even a couple reachable par 4's. But it wasn't easy, it was right in the sweet spot.

Other than that the trip was good. Buffalo and ozark natl we're fine but not at the level of Payne's . Their par three courses were good. Top rock was nice. Seemed to be built to appeal to aesthetics more than golf. I could see non golfers going along and thinking every course in the world should be like it. Seemed like something out of Disney. Mountain top was wonderful. It was a lot like Payne's. Could have been happy playing mountain top and Paynes everyday

Accommodations at BCL were ok. Not what we've come to expect at our guys golf trip. They were dated and the service was sub par. Felt like a B rate summer lodge for families.

I hope they build a hotel over by the golf and that it is at the level of Payne's valley/mountain top... that would be awesome

Thanks for the intel. Might have seen you there today. Played Mountain Top in the morning which was fantastic and Buffalo Ridge Springs in the afternoon. I would kill for more immaculate par 3 courses like Mountain Top across the United States. Buffalo Ridge Springs was in great shape today. Played from the blues but it was much tougher than its' slope rating. Looking forward to playing Payne's Valley in five weeks.

Would you mind sharing pricing on courses, lodging, etc?

Sure.

Lodging at BCL was the only negative about the trip. We had several rooms for our group, I stayed in the Valley View Lodge in a 2 bedroom suite. It was about 500/nt. At the end of the trip I went up and saw a friends room in the Falls lodge. It was much nicer/newer. It was about 550-600/nt I believe. If i was going to stay there again I would stay at the Falls.

There were tons of cabins on property. They were all booked up so we didn't get to even explore staying there. Can't comment on their quality.

If I were to do it again though, I'd prob Airbnb it at a house by the golf courses.

The layout of this place is split in two. There is the original lodge area that has nice grounds and all the cabins and lodges. Adjacent to that is the "Top of the Rock" par 3 course and more upscale Osage restaurant.

About 10 min down the highway is all the rest of the golf. Payne's Valley, Mountain top, Buffalo and Ozark Natl. There are a couple of small neighborhoods there. I would prob find a house to rent there.

THe golf was what you would expect although the "top of the rock" course was pricier than expected. It came with some sort of free pass for a cave exploration tour. The pics looked cool, but we didn't do it. We golfed sun up to sun down.

Here are prices the best I have:

mountain top (13 hole par three) and Paynes valley (same day discount) $249

top of rock 9 hole single play 149

Moutnain top and ozark natl (same day discount) 217

buffalo ridge 101 (same day discount)

top of rock 9 holes double play 238

If I were to do it again, i'd say top of rock is worth one go around. It is designed to impress but over engineered and not great golf. I could see a lot of the wives thinking it is great to ride and watch. It is short and has a ton of features. Waterfalls, rock formations, tunnels, major elevation changes, tons of attention to aesthetics (flowers, etc...). Looks like something out of disney world.

Buffalo had mixed reviews in our group. I think it is a nice course. Hard but fair. I expect it is normally in good condition, but wasn't at its best when we played. (fairways weren't mowed in a couple of days and looked to be dry or going dormant) Greens were recently aerated and I believe a winter rye (or whatever they use in Missouri) was just coming up, just looked hairy and slow. I expect it isn't normally like that. Still a good course and probably a very good course under normal conditions.

Ozark was very good. It was very challenging though. Unforgiving when you missed the fairway. The guys in our group found it on the verge of being too hard. I see what they were saying. I played better on it and shot one worse compared to buffalo which i didn't play well. We institute a rule of playing lost balls like water hazards for our annual outing. It was needed more on this round than any other

Mountain top was everyone's favorite after our first 2 1/2 days. We played it twice and all were surprised that we loved it so much since it is a par three course. It is a legit course and has the best scenery and layout, the best that is until we played Payne's Valley

Payne's Valley is one of the best courses I've ever played and I've had good fortune to play a lot of good ones. It is hard to compare it to some (like hard to compare this to the Ireland/scotland courses I've played) so I won't, but it is simply wonderful. It was the full course version of Mountain Top but better. The other courses out there tend to be up on top of ridges for the most part, this was more down in the valley. It allowed more room to layout a course but still use the natural beauty of the canyons etc... Not only is it beautiful, but it is fun and fair. It was the perfect mix of difficulty but not too hard. You didn't have to be Tiger to score out there, but you were penalized fairly for your risks. I am a 3 hdcp and hit it far enough for my age. I was easily able to hit several of the par 5's and (a personal favorite of mine) hit a couple of the par 4's with my tee shot. This had a much more balanced mix of aesthetics with the natural landscape (which is something the got really wrong in my opinion with top of the rock par 3 course). We have some higher handicappers in our group and they absolutely loved it too. It was just flat out fun. I expect to see it ranked very very hi in the top US public courses.

How was the 19th hole?

19th hole looks awesome. The course is done, but the 19th isn't complete yet and the area around the course is still under construction as well (cart paths down the canyon to the first tee is gravel and you are supose to be escorted for example). We unfortunately only got on at the end of our last day there and only saw the last few holes in the dark. It was actually dangerous driving up the cliff side in the dark for some of the group. Only course i've ever had to sign a waiver for to play. I believe that is just because it is still under construction. I imagine it will not be the case once it is fully complete.

DJ Piehowski from No Laying Up described the whole experience at Payne's Valley like walking around in a Golden Tee

I would agree. There was something very different about it. It wasn't like a normal golf course but better, it was materially different but better. Not surprised to hear it has been described like Golden tee; several of us said at the time that it was like playing a video game in real life. Maybe something about it is lost since you know it is not all natural, all the fake waterfalls, etc. It is worth experiencing though. I'd be curious if some find it off-putting. I didn't personally, but I guess I could see how someone could. It's not like playing Pebble, Ballybunion, or Troon where you are seeing a golf course blend in with a beautiful landscape. Here you are seeing a golf course really go out of its way to accentuate, unnaturally in many cases, an already beautiful landscape.

Supposed to play it last year, but we had to cancel our trip. Now, it looks like we are going to try again this summer to go to Branson.

Looking online it says complimentary food/drink now with your round at Paynes Valley. Curious for those who've played it what that entails exactly?