| Branson Hills Golf Club |
Eight performance venues in SW Missouri’s Ozarks destination recognized for excellence by national mediaBranson Golf continues its rise as a top destination in America by traveling players and media, a fact highlighted by the plethora of accolades that member courses continue to earn. The latest accolades include a U.S. Top 10 ranking for Branson Hills Golf Club’s championship course and all three of Big Cedar Resort’s par-3 short courses ranking among the Top 12 nationally in that category (Cliffhangers, Mountain Top, Top of the Rock). With four other 18-hole layouts already earning best-in-kind honors – LedgeStone, Buffalo Ridge, Payne’s Valley and Ozarks National – eight of the golf destination’s eleven courses are widely praised for their high quality.
Designed by Chuck Smith along with former U.S. Amateur champion Bobby Clampett, Branson Hills received a No. 10 ranking in the recently released “Golfers’ Choice 2026 – America’s Top 50 Public Courses.” To determine the list, more than 226,000 GolfPass reviews were submitted by golfers in 2025.
“Big Cedar has catapulted the destination to elite status among traveling golfers, and Branson Hills ranking among the top 10 among US Public courses underlines the many high-quality playing options there,” said Jason Scott Deegan, the editor-in-chief of GolfPass.com, which has reviewed nearly 1,200 courses in 28 countries.
Golfers submitted more than 226,000 reviews of approximately 7,500 courses through GolfPass in 2025. These votes involve several categories, including Value, Conditions, Format, Pace of Play, Friendliness of Staff and Off-Course Facilities, to determine an Overall Rating.
LINKS Magazine this week released its list of “15 Best American Short Courses,” featuring three destination members: Cliffhangers (No. 10; co-designed by Johnny and John Paul Morris), Top of the Rock (No. 11, Jack Nicklaus) and Mountain Top (No. 12, Gary Player).
Explained LEFT in the description of the three short courses at Big Cedar Lodge: “Each course offers a distinct take on the format, starting with Cliffhangers, the newest and most adventurous of the bunch. The 18-hole par-3 course lives up to its name, carved directly into limestone cliffs. Top of the Rock leans more traditional, although the setting hardly plays it safe. The 9-hole course winds through lakes, cliffs, exposed rock ledges and runs down to the water tumbling, below, the route is so revered (and so dramatic in design) that it’s the only par-3 course ever used for a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. Finally, there’s Mountain Top, a hiker-only par-3 course that feels like an ode to the Ozarks.
Golf overview rates the three Big Cedar 18-hole courses among “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” and Golf week rates five Branson Golf destination courses in Missouri’s top 10 in the state (Ozarks National, Payne’s Valley, Buffalo Ridge, Branson Hills and LedgeStone), including the top four. LedgeStone is a creation of Tom Clark, filled with unforgettable holes, named after design aspects that help define them – Sidewinder, The Shelf and The Plunge are examples.
The destination is easily accessible by car thanks to its location in Central America (a third of the population of the US mainland is within an 8-hour drive). Those who prefer to fly can choose from many flights through Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF).
Visitors can create any number of stay-and-play itineraries thanks to the destination’s wide range of lodging options and each course’s proximity to each other. For more information about Branson Golf and a menu of family-friendly things to do in Branson, visit www.explorebranson.com
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