Branson drives home golf tourism

Branson isn’t just about country music anymore.

In recent years, professionally designed golf courses such as Payne Stewart Golf Club, Buffalo Ridge Springs and Top of the Rock appear to be changing the traveling dynamics in the city of theaters, outlet malls and lakeside thrills.

This month, Bass Pro Shops and Big Cedar Lodge founder John Morris revealed longtime golf professional Gary Player was designing a 12-hole course for families and novice players at Buffalo Ridge Valley – the former Murder Rock Golf course – to open in 2015.

The buzz is spreading in the golf world, according to Matt Ginella, a travel writer for GolfChannel.com and former director of photography for Golf Digest and Golf World magazines. Ginella visited the Branson area for the first time in June for the inaugural Big Cedar Legends of Golf Tournament, a stop on the PGA Champions Tour.

“There is definitely a buzz brought on by Johnny Morris’ passion for the game and what he has done to bring a very direct spotlight onto the area by way of the development of the short course, the hosting of the Legends golf outing and the success that it had not only in showcasing the talents of those legends, but in what the area offers,” Ginella said. “I’ve been all over the world, and in my time in Branson, I had an absolute blast. It went beyond golf.”

Branson probably won’t be on par with national golf destinations Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Augusta, Ga., Ginella said, based on limited demand for golf. That doesn’t mean the area can’t carve out a niche in the golfing world.

“I think Branson is already a golf destination. I just think it will always be a uniquely charming, small golf destination. That’s not a horrible thing, by the way,” Ginella said.

Noting increasing activity at Thousand Hills Golf Resort, a public course in Branson, Golf Director Duke Davidson said interest in the area’s golfing options is growing among travelers. This year, Davidson expects Thousand Hills to host some 24,000 rounds of play, which is up more than 10 percent compared to 2013.

“Now, they’ve put it in their vacation plans that they are going to play golf. I think before, that was not part of the daily regimen of coming to Branson,” Davidson said.  

Ross Summers, president and CEO of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the CVB has spent around $100,000 a year over the past several years to attract more golfers.

“In the last four or five years, or since Murder Rock and the Payne Stewart course came on line, we have tried to promote Branson as a destination for some truly world-class golf,” Summers said. “Of course, the PGA event held here in June went a long way in helping toward that.”

He said the market hasn’t yet realized the impact of national press coverage by the Golf Channel, USA Today and others during the summer Legends tournament.

“You really can’t measure that this early in the game,” Summers said. “The impact of that kind of exposure, I think, will be measured in years and not months. For the truly avid golfers that watch the Golf Channel, it’s going to plant that seed in their minds. They might not come this year. They might not come next year. But eventually, they’ll come.”

Summers believes the Big Cedar courses, coupled with options such as Pointe Royale Golf Village and LedgeStone Country Club, amount to a big draw.

To drum up excitement and stretch marketing dollars, the CVB’s effort to grow the Branson name among golfers has included a program to bring golf journalists to town to expose them to the area’s offerings.

“Just three weeks ago, I went and played a round of golf with a gentleman who writes for a publication with 1 million subscribers,” Summers said, referring to Golf Vacations Magazine senior writer Fred Robledo. “He was here for an entire weekend, so he played Top of the Rock, Buffalo Ridge and Payne Stewart.”

Springfield Business Journal reported in June the Legends tournament generated an estimated $3.46 million economic impact, not including prize winnings or the cost of construction.

“Business has been picking up on a weekly basis,” said Kirk Elmquist, tournament director for the Legends of Golf, declining to disclose round or revenue figures since the Big Cedar courses opened to the public.

Rick Neal, director of golf at Hickory Hills Country Club, said he has visited Top of the Rock, but he has yet to play. While creating excitement, he said the new courses might be cost prohibitive for local golfers.

“I haven’t played yet. I went down there for the tournament, Sunday’s round, looked at the facilities and they were fabulous. Some of our members have gone down there and played; they’ve had dinner down there and thoroughly enjoyed it,” Neal said, noting he’s heard some grumbling about the prices. “I think it is something individuals would do one time. Once they’ve played it, I don’t know that they would do it multiple times. I would say it is surely something that is worth doing one time. But it is a bit pricey.”

According to BigCedar.com, the cost to play nine holes at Top of the Rock is set at $135 and 18 holes runs $175.

Comparatively, Hickory Hills charges $125 for 18 holes. Prices for Payne Stewart, LedgeStone and Thousand Hills range from $59–$99.

Ginella, the golf writer from Orlando, Fla., said he’s excited to visit Branson again.

In town this summer, he spent time fly-fishing and horseback riding with Morris and others, and he also broke away and visited the Payne Stewart course.

“With what Johnny’s creating now, it starts to feel like a place where you could hunker down for three, four, five days and have a golf-buddies’ trip. I write a lot about buddies’ trips. You piece it together with Pointe Royale, (Payne Stewart) and Thousand Hills Golf Resort, there’s enough golf offerings now that you could stay and play,” Ginella said. “Is it ever going to be Myrtle Beach or Scottsdale? No. But it doesn’t need to be.

“Every destination offers something unique. Mesquite, Nev., has Wolf Creek, this very unique place that people come from all over the world to see. Pebble Beach has those seven greatest holes in the world along the water,” he added. “The great news for Branson and for what Johnny has created – that experience with the short course at Top of the Rock and the lodge that was created out of the barn that was nearby and the cave tours – is unique.”[[In-content Ad]]