Branson Creek at Grand Ridge to open back nine in August

by Bryan Smith

SBJ Staff

Later this month, golfers will have nine more holes to play on in Branson.

Branson Creek at Grand Ridge will open its back nine for play sometime around the middle of August.

The course is located just south of Hollister off of U.S. 65 in an area formerly known as Branson Glades. The development comprises 3,600 acres and will open its first phase in the northwest corner of the site. It is owned by Patch Development Ltd.

Tom Fazio did the design work for the course. Fazio already has 22 of Golf Digest's top 100 golf courses to his credit.

"He's probably one of the most sought-after designers in the nation," said Perry Leslie, Branson Creek's general manager.

Leslie, who served as the golf pro at Highland Springs Country Club in 1995, said the front nine holes of the course should open by Oct. 1.

The course is set on 266 acres of land, and it is slightly more than 7,000 yards long. It will be a championship course and par for the course is 71.

The course was constructed by Wadsworth Golf Construction, and Troon Golf, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., is in charge of management for the course.

The course is the project of 14 investors from The Quarry at LaQuinta, Calif. Bill Morrow, who developed The Quarry, is the managing partner of Branson Creek.

Branson Creek will be a public course, and will offer individual and corporate member-ships.

The individual membership allows a golfer to pay for greens fees, carts and other amenities all at once.

"It's a single-payment membership," Leslie said. "You pay $50,000 at one time and you don't pay again."

In addition, the club's corporate membership will cost $100,000 and provide access for two, offering the same benefits as the individual membership.

Branson Creek is the first part of phase I to open up, but John Hannah, who is in charge of developing the project for Patch Development, said residential development is upcoming.

That development will take place alongside the Branson Creek golf course.

"Around the golf course are going to be developer parcels," Hannah said. "We have divided the surrounding property into different sizes."

Plans for one parcel are already set. Patch Development will set up a residential subdivision of 45 homes.

Hannah also said another parcel may be developed into golf villas.

The developers are working on basic infrastructure, such as water systems and roads. Hannah said they want to finish their work for the residential areas and the golf course in the next couple of months.

Once that process is finished, Hannah said, Patch Development will have put $30 million into the project.

Patch Development submitted a land use proposal in 1995 to Taney County, which accepted the plans. Since then, the group has had to resubmit a proposal to accommodate minor changes related to the design of the golf course.

Hannah emphasized, though, that the new proposal is almost exactly the same as the one submitted in 1995.

Those plans include another golf course, which is now in the works.

"The golf course investment group wanted to build this course (Branson Creek) first," Hannah said. "They do have intentions to build another one."

Around 46 percent of the land will be open space, which includes the golf course, natural areas and preserved historic areas such as the Plott Homestead. Another 38 percent will be residential.

About 15 percent of the land will be commercial, including a recording studio, equestrian center and a dude ranch.

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