Big Cedar Lodge unveils 3-acre putting green amid golf boom

In 2026, America celebrated its 250th birthday — its semi quincentennial — and the round number seemed to inspire the country to collectively put a little extra bang into their Fourth of July celebration.

At Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Mo., this Fourth of July was also the grand opening of their new 3-acre putting green, Top of the Rock Putting Green and Putting Course. And for last year’s Fourth of July, they opened the Cliffhangers GC, an 18-hole par three.

Golfdom caught up with Jeff Steen, CGCS, vice president of golf at Big Cedar Lodge, and Bubba Wright, who was recently promoted to senior director of agronomy of Big Cedar, to discuss the challenges of maintaining such a giant green, the popularity of the game and the year-old Cliffhangers 18-hole par three course.

Getting creative

As soon as the Cliffhangers was complete, construction attention turned to the 3-acre putting green. Construction has been a constant in this area, since May of 2015, when a giant sinkhole formed and owner Johnny Morris put crews to work, creating what is now the Cathedral of Nature. 

“We wanted a putting green for our guests, but what type of experience would be unique and unlike anything else out there for our guests?” asks Steen. “Johnny (Morris) wanted to capture the views of the lake and the Cathedral, and all the natural formations.”

Located near the clubhouse, half of the green is a practice putting green, the other half a putting green course. Not just an attraction for golfers, the Top of the Rock Putting Green and Putting Course also welcomes guests from around the world there for the Cave Trail at Top of the Rock and those there for dining and receptions. 

Maintaining the 3 acres of bentgrass falls to Wright and his crew. A team of five dedicated greenkeepers, along with management staff, prepare the green each morning. Mowing, rolling, spraying, topdressing — anything that goes into maintaining a green — is a regular chore. The crew prepares the practice putting green for early morning tee time golfers first, then moves over to the putting green course.

“We’re still trying to figure it out. If I’m being honest, it just opened recently; it’s the first year in service, we’re still getting the green established,” Wright says. “Whether it’s the green rooting or just how we maintain it, there’s a lot of tricky slopes to service. You have to mow certain areas creatively. Other areas require different rolling practices. It’s been tricky to learn it, but the team is doing a great job.”

The green is mowed with John Deere walk-behinds, and work is underway to install lighting on the green, which should be completed in the next couple of months.

“Nothing is flat. We have massive elevation changes here, but it turned out very well,” Steen says. “We’re averaging 100 guests a day, and that’s on top of people playing Top of the Rock (par three course).”

No slowing down

Steen says he’s been blessed to have worked at such great golf courses, both in Canada and the U.S., including 16 years at Pebble Beach. In his 35-plus year-long career, he says he believes this is the most popular he’s seen the game.

“Our director of golf, Greg Thomas, PGA, and I are on a monthly resort forum call; there’s 25-plus resorts, some of the top golf properties in the world … and we’ve talked about this: At this moment, does anybody see this slowing down? And the answer is no,” Steen says.

Wright agrees with Steen and says golf has never been so popular in his career as it is today. He says what is especially encouraging is the amount of youth golfers they’re seeing, often with their parents and grandparents.

“We just keep setting records; Big Cedar is very busy,” Wright says. “Some of the golfers that we wouldn’t see on the (traditional) golf courses, we’re seeing on the par three courses in the afternoons and evenings.”

It’s a stark difference from when he entered the industry in 2007/2008. 

“When I first got into golf, it was a recession,” he says. “I was going to be an assistant, and I was fighting old superintendents for assistant jobs! And now golf is just booming. We don’t even have enough tee times for the demand … it’s pretty impressive.”

While Wright sees a jump in youth golfers, Steen mentions a different demographic that is packing their tee sheets at Big Cedar: dudes. Or, as they call them, “Buddy Groups.”

“It’s a group of gentlemen from eight players up to as many as 20,” Steen says. “That has just quadrupled for us. We’re going to put out 550 Buddy Groups in 2026 alone.”

Heather Hermen, senior vice president/chief marketing and communications officer for Explore Branson, says that the inventory of great courses in the area makes Branson an ideal golf trip for Buddy Groups and others. Golfweek recently ranked Big Cedar’s big three as the top three courses among Missouri’s best: Ozark National (No. 1); Buffalo Ridge (No. 2); and Payne’s Valley (No. 3).

“The continued evolution of Branson Golf’s course inventory ensures unforgettable experiences for every type of golfer,” Hermen says. “Whether visitors are planning a buddy trip, a girls’ getaway, couples’ escape or family vacation, there aren’t many destinations that offer this level of variety and quality so conveniently.”

Ending with a Cliffhanger

The addition last year of the Cliffhangers GC, an 18-hole par three course that was designed by Johnny Morris and his son John Paul, has added a lot of excitement to the resort. The course was originally a driving range for Payne’s Valley, the Tiger Woods-designed course, but one day in 2022 Morris called Steen and told him his idea of turning it into a par three course.

“It was an awesome ride to see this 50 acres, with 400 feet of elevation changes, come together,” Steen says. “John and J.P. would come out practically every day, communicating their vision, and then it was up to the rest of us to turn it into a reality. To see it come together and be so popular is wonderful.”

Wright says the course is “like playing at Disneyland.”

“Whether it’s the water features or the views, it’s not just about golf there,” Wright says.  

“Johnny’s vision of where he saw the game going and what he brought to Big Cedar, and creating that guest experience of getting people out into nature, it’s been phenomenal for Big Cedar guests,” Steen says. “And we don’t see it slowing down — wait until you see what’s coming next.”