2015 Year in Review No. 6: Sinkholes open at Top of the Rock

RIDGEDALE, MAY 21—A hole in the ground near Branson drew national attention from the likes of The New York Times, USA Today, The Weather Channel and ESPN late this spring.

The national sports network broadcast footage of a series of sinkholes that opened up at the recently renovated Big Cedar Lodge’s Top of the Rock golf course. Just a month earlier, luxury Top of the Rock hosted the second annual PGA Tour Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.

Five sinkholes were discovered the morning of May 21 and officials believed their sudden appearance pointed to an undiscovered cave system, saying heavy rains that week likely caused the sinkholes above karst topography.

The largest sinkhole measured roughly 60-by-80 feet and over 35 feet deep. All five holes were near a driving range beyond player areas, and golf play was not impacted.

The collapses are thought to have filled in around the bedrock, with no new sinkholes expected in or around the course, independent investigators said.

In a July 17 study released in August, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources determined the largest of the sinkholes formed and grew through water infiltration from a surface pond near the course’s driving range. The report suggests course staff fill the larger sinkhole with rock to further stabilize it and prevent more collapses in the area, along with the use of a synthetic and clay liner to preserve the pond.

The DNR report also found three known caves in the vicinity of Top of the Rock, with their alignments matching that of the primary sinkhole.

Shortly after the collapse, Top of the Rock officials said because water from the sinkhole ended up in one of the caves – known as the Johnny Morris cave, named after the Bass Pro founder – geologists speculated the sinkhole might be part of another cavern or unidentified cave system. If the sinkhole and caverns are connected, Morris has visions for another geological attraction.

“If there is a cavern, that would really enhance everything we’re trying to do there,” Morris told Springfield Business Journal in a July interview, referencing the his ecotourism developments of a cave tour, nature trail and Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum at Top of the Rock.

At the time, he said the company was conducting seismic testing to determine where a potential shaft might be dug, likening potential development of a new cave tour to that of Blanchard Springs Caverns near Mountain View, Ark.

“That was really hard to access, so the Forest Service put in an elevator shaft down 200 feet and maybe about half-a-million people a year go there,” Morris added. “Maybe that’s something we can do. I’m kind of nuts about caves.”

Morris said the ecotourism opportunity of a newly discovered cave would take the lead over golf at Top of the Rock.

In August, Bass Pro officials said they planned to make an onsite announcement in the coming weeks with regards to future plans for the sinkhole. No further information has been released.