Ridgedale, MO
Designer royalty in the Ozarks — Tiger, Coore-Crenshaw, Fazio, Nicklaus and Player on one mountain.
Johnny Morris of Bass Pro Shops built Big Cedar Lodge into the Ozarks' great wilderness resort, then hired the biggest names in golf to cover its ridgelines. Payne's Valley — Tiger Woods' first public design in America — finishes with a bonus par-3 in a rock cathedral. Ozarks National brings Coore and Crenshaw's ridge-running artistry, Buffalo Ridge is Tom Fazio's answer down in the valley, and two of the world's most scenic short courses — Jack Nicklaus's Top of the Rock and Gary Player's walking-only Mountain Top — fill every spare hour. Cabins, smokehouse dinners and Table Rock Lake round out a trip that feels half national park, half major venue.
| Course | Designer | Notes | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payne's Valley | Tiger Woods (TGR Design) | Tiger's first public U.S. design — wide, playable and finishing at the rock-cathedral bonus par-3. | resort |
| Ozarks National | Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw | Ridge-running artistry with long Ozark views — the architecture crowd's pick. | resort |
| Buffalo Ridge | Tom Fazio | The valley-floor championship course, complete with roaming bison nearby. | resort |
| Top of the Rock | Jack Nicklaus | The cliff-edge par-3 course above Table Rock Lake — golf's best sunset hour. | resort |
| Mountain Top | Gary Player | A walking-only 13-hole short course — barefoot-spirit golf between the big rounds. | resort |
The resort
Timber lodges and private cabins across the wilderness property — fireplaces, lake views and shuttles to every course.
◆ The private house
A Table Rock Lake house fifteen to twenty minutes out — dock, boat slip and a big deck for the nightly debrief when the crew wants its own roof.
5-6 BR · sleeps 10-12 · ~$800–$2,500/nt
AM Travel morning — into the Ozarks by early afternoon.
PM Check in, walking skins on Mountain Top, smokehouse dinner at the lodge.
AM Fazio's valley course to open the big rounds.
PM Bass boat or lodge pools; Top of the Rock sunset loop with drinks.
AM The Coore-Crenshaw ridge ride.
PM Diehards add Mountain Top; cave tour or spa for the rest. Steak dinner.
AM Tiger's course for the team match — settled, if needed, at the rock-cathedral 19th.
PM Trophy dinner at the lodge; cigars over Table Rock Lake.
AM A dawn Mountain Top lap or a big lodge breakfast, then the trip home.
No property in America has assembled a designer roster like this: Tiger Woods' first public U.S. course, a Coore-Crenshaw stunner, a Fazio favorite and short courses from Nicklaus and Player — all draped over Ozark ridge and lake views with Bass Pro-level polish everywhere.
Book lodging and tee times as one package — course access prioritizes resort guests and peak dates go early. Schedule Top of the Rock at sunset; it is the postcard the crew will frame.