As you stand on the tee box of the second hole, it’s tempting to take your eye off the ball. In the distance, Table Rock Lake lazily winds its way through the hills. Oversize boulders dot the landscape, a not-so-subtle reminder of the course’s name, Top of the Rock. The perfectly manicured green, ringed with bright rhododendrons, sits 100 feet below.
The scene is postcard perfect. But looks can be deceiving—or at least distracting.
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Though easy on the eyes, the dramatic elevation change from tee box to green isn’t so easy on players. “The wind is always a factor here,” says course pro Eric Smith, adding that the course is situated so that the wind often blows across the fairway or in players’ faces, requiring longer-range irons than usual. Bunkers protect that flawless green. Just behind it, there’s a significant drop-off, a looming threat for any over-struck tee shot.
It’s this combination of charm and challenge that prompted the PGA to bring its Legends of Golf Tournament to Top of the Rock Golf Course (150 Top of Rock, 417-336-2114)—the first par-3 course to host a professional event—and the nearby Tom Fazio–designed Buffalo Ridge Golf Course at Big Cedar Lodge, near Branson. The site already had the pedigree: Jack Nicklaus worked closely with Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris to create the nature-inspired course; Arnold Palmer designed the 16-target driving range; and Tom Watson oversaw the “Himalayan” putting course, inspired by the famous one at St. Andrews. Visitors can even take a 2.5-mile golf-cart ride through Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail, a four-story cave with a waterfall and breathtaking rock formations.
When golf legend Gary Player saw Top of the Rock, he said, “I thought Augusta’s was enjoyable, but this is way better.” (Player is designing a 12-hole family-friendly course near Big Cedar Lodge, and it was recently announced that Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore will design a new 18-hole course nearby.) Other PGA players were equally dazzled by Top of the Rock. “They’re getting their cameras out and taking pictures of a practice facility,” recalls Smith. “I guarantee that doesn’t happen every week on tour.”
In fact, after a round at Top of the Rock, many players end where they began: that one-acre Himalayan putting green, with no shortage of nuanced ups and downs across a 20-foot elevation change. “We’ve had groups out there after playing nine holes for almost two hours,” says Smith. “They spend more time on the Himalayan putting green than they did on the course.”
NEW AND NOTABLE BITES: Arnie’s Barn
The building is the draw at Big Cedar Lodge’s second restaurant. It’s housed in a 150-year-old barn that long sat in Arnold Palmer’s back yard. Local craftsman Danny Schwartz painstakingly disassembled, transported, and reconstructed the barn (which doubles as a pro shop). Arnie’s Barn serves contemporary Mexican cuisine, best enjoyed from the balcony overlooking the links. 612 Devil’s Pool, Ridgedale, 800-225-6343.
