I'm heading there with a pretty large group for the first time next spring. we'll be there for 4 days/5 nights but are only planning to play one of the 18 hole courses and one of the par 3s.

looking for any reviews, advice etc from people who have been there, especially related to the courses. thanks in advance!

It's an absolute no brainer

Play paynes valley as your 18 and mountain top as your pat 3 course, and man I'm tellling you it is not even close

The other 18 hole courses are good but not great. Paynes valley is like being immersed in golden tee.

And mountain top is an absolute fabulous golf course, not just fabulous par 3 course but all around good course

When we were there we played paynes valley last and it wasn't sure we'd get on (it was actually opening weekend, tiger and co were all there and just finishing up their inaugural events)

When we finished up playing all the other courses I was prepared to say mountain top was the best course there

Then we got a spot on paynes valley and no doubt, it's the best course but mountain top beats all the others

Played Buffalo Ridge, Payne's Valley and Ozark National. All three are great. Had a free place to stay. Brother has a business partner that lives on BR. Thought BR was the harder of the three. Payne's Valley is not all that difficult from the resort tees. Lots of tee times and they need to keep pace iof play moving.
Not a lot of nightlife unless you are into the Branson stuff. It was all golf for us.
Place is beautiful with some great views. The ride back up to the clubhouse from 19 at Payne's is like being on Disneys Splash Mountain.
Would go back in a heartbeat.

If I had to kick one to play, it would be Payne's. That clubhouse view!!

Perhaps I'm in the minority but Payne's Valley is architecturally not as appealing as Ozarks National. Both are great courses but I enjoyed ON more. Mountaintop as a par 3 is a must. Absolutely outstanding course.

Mountain Top was freaking awesome

Payne's valley I thought was really fun because of how open it was,

Ozark national had a great layout and was pretty thought

Skip top of the rock, gorgeous but over priced for what u get I feel like

You can't really go wrong with Paynes Valley or Ozarks National. You should really try and play both since you're staying there and can take advantage of the extended tee time window and discount.

If you just do one I'd probably lean towards Paynes Valley. It's actually a really easy golf course IMO. The finishing stretch 15-18 is tough but the fairways are wide and there's very little rough. You also get the experience of the 19th hole which is pretty freaking awesome.

Ozarks National is a way better overall golf course though. Much more naturally scenic and a more balanced group of holes. Especially for a better player. Paynes Valley is all brute force construction, which is cool in its own right, while Ozarks looks more natural in its routing.

Get a forecaddie if you play Ozarks National as there's some blind shots and the need for some expertise. You don't need one for Paynes Valley unless you suck at reading greens. It's all in front of you at Paynes Valley.

OZ NAtional is a better course than Payne's. I think Payne's is meh at best with some really nice views. No trees and the holes all start to look the same to me. If you remove the view from the clubhouse, the 19th chip shot hole, and the splash mountain ride back up, it's a far inferior course to OZ National. That being said if you are only playing one course and you want the "experience" and not the best golf course, go Payne's.

edit to say you can always eat at the clubhouse and/or play mountain top to get the same "experience" as payne's from a views stand point and then play OZ Nat.

Payne's Valley was probably the best conditioned course I've ever played when I played it last fall. Beautiful scenery as well!

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Perhaps I'm in the minority but Payne's Valley is architecturally not as appealing as Ozarks National.

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agree. I was fortunate to be by myself at ON, on like a Tuesday morning and I saw two other golfers there. It is phenomenal

OP, here is my write up from last May if you want some additional info and pics

https://texags.com/forums/60/topics/3290369

appreciate all the responses! we've booked rounds for Mountain Top and Ozark National based on the feedback in this thread.

pb488 said:

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appreciate all the responses! we've booked rounds for Mountain Top and Ozark National based on the feedback in this thread.

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good deal, you won't disappointed. one thing to know is everything is pretty spread out and far from each other, so plan on PLENTY of time for the shuttles... this isn't Bandon and the shuttles aren't swiss trains, like at Bandon. That's probably my only gripe with the place... the unpredictable shuttles coupled with large distance between the courses and the lodge. have fun!

BTW, there are a couple of pretty good golf courses in the area that are not in the Big Cedar Lodge area:

Branson Hills

The Pointe

Ledgestone

I haven't played them, but the pub is pretty good. Branson Hills is ranked as one of the best in state by most of the golf magazines.

We played Ledgestone and it's a very good course. Condition wise it isn't as good as the big cedar courses, but still very nice. Tons of elevations, and some fun holes that meander along a stream through the cliffs/mountains/big hills. If you're on that side of Branson it is worth the play.

Big mistake not playing Paynes