Explore Branson for Late Summer, Fabulous Fall Golf Getaways in the SW Missouri Ozarks By Brian Weis

Explore Branson for Late Summer, Fabulous Fall Golf Getaways in the SW Missouri Ozarks

10 Courses, Great Weather, Lakes, Live Entertainment Theaters, Restaurants, Resorts Welcome Visitors

By Brian Weis

Late summer and fall are glorious times to play golf in Explore Branson's highly acclaimed destination. Ten courses - many of the mind-blowing, award-winning variety - sun-kissed weather, three lakes, hundreds of restaurants and lodging options abound.

Branson is within one day's drive - 12 hours or less - for 50 percent of the U.S. population (one-third is within 8 hours), and five of the state's top 10 courses are here (including the top four). For travelers who love mixing after-play activities with their golf, Branson reigns supreme.

The vibrant town of 15,000 residents draws approximately 10 million visitors annually, a testament to the remarkable number and variety of leisure options found here.

At the center of Branson's golf universe lies Big Cedar Lodge and its five courses - Payne's Valley (by Tiger Woods), Ozarks National (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw), Buffalo Ridge (Tom Fazio), Top of the Rock (Jack Nicklaus), and Mountain Top (Gary Player). The last two of those are par-3 short courses that beautifully complement morning rounds on the 18-holers with afternoon play.

Other 18-hole options in the destination include Branson Hills (Chuck Smith), LedgeStone (Tom Clark), Thousand Hills (Bob Cupp), The Pointe, and Holiday Hills. Branson Hills is a Top 10 ranked course in Missouri and earned a No. 32 ranking nationally from Golfpass and Golf Advisor players. LedgeStone and Branson Hills are particularly popular thanks to their creative designs, undulating Ozarks terrain, and their player friendliness.

All 10 Explore Branson golf courses are open to the public and range from luxury resort to daily fee options. Located close to one another, the courses are situated near iconic Silver Dollar City theme park, museums (Titanic and Ancient Ozarks Natural History), wineries, distilleries, and countless other attractions without losing their idyllic settings amid the Ozarks' natural bounty.

Branson is annually voted a TripAdvisor community top U.S. destination, ranking No. 3 in 2021.

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Revised: 08/24/2022 - Article Viewed 788 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.