Big Cedar to add family golf course

Bass Pro Shops' Big Cedar Lodge and owner John Morris are partnering with professional golfer Gary Player to build a family-friendly course at the outdoor mecca in Ridgedale.

Expected to open in 2015, the Player-designed, 12-hole course is meant to appeal to novice players and families, according to a news release.

“Our aim is to create an enjoyable course that will pique the interest of those just beginning to play the game, while also creating a unique design that allows the whole family to enjoy," Gary Player Design President Scott Ferrell said in the release.

Morris said he met Player on a trip with his son to Player's ranch in South Africa.

"Gary and I share many things in common and it did not take long for me to realize that we are both nuts about rocks and nature," Morris said in the release. "That is what is going to make this project so fun - our shared passion to get young people outside spending more time in outdoor sports."

Big Cedar took the national spotlight in June with the inaugural Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf Tournament held at courses Top of the Rock and Buffalo Ridge Springs Golf Course. The tournament was a boon for the local economy, as the roughly 14,000 tournament attendees generated an estimated $3.46 million, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.[[In-content Ad]]