Branson MO Golf Weekend - Fat Guy's Guide to Golf, Beer, Wings, and Life

Branson MO Golf Weekend

(SW corner of Missouri, 4 hours SW of St. Louis)

www.golfbranson.com; www.branson.com; www.explorebranson.com; www.bransonshows.com

Research compiled by Fat Guy

Fat Guy's not much of a country music fan, so I've never been to Branson, but my Mom has friends who have a lake house in the area and she's visited several times. If you'd like some mountain golf with a side of downhome country music and tourist entertainment, here's how to do Branson boys' golf weekend right.

Branson History: I often wonder how places like Branson got started. Three local events combined to form the foundation of what Branson has become today.

Apprently back in 1959, a local group of four brothers called The Baldknobbers began performing a country music and comedy show at a roller skating rink on Lake Taneycomo. Then in 1960, the Herschend family built a small old-time Ozarks village tourist attraction called Silver Dollar City (www.silverdollarcity.com) near the tours for local Marvel Cave. In just 3 years, Silver Dollar City became Missouri's top tourist attraction, and the Beverly Hillbillies even filmed 5 episodes in the park in 1967. (Later, they expanded to include a water park, showboat, and theme park. Today the park is a multi-million dollar entertainment complex.) Then local family The Pressely's started their own music show in 1963, and built the area's first music theater in 1967.

Through the 1970's, both local and national country acts came to town to perform with The Baldknobbers, who also built their own theater in 1976. The '80's brought water parks, and several lower-level national level acts started theaters, looking to get off the road and ease into retirement, including Roy Clark, the Hee Haw Show, and Box Car Willie, among other local theaters that popped up. Still, Branson was just a regional tourist destination, until a 1991 60 Minutes feature declared it the "live music capital of the universe." That national feature story brought an explosion of growth (including numerous new theaters, resorts, theme parks, shopping complexes, museums, retirement developments, and a new airport) that didn't even begin to slow until around 2009.

Where To Play: Branson is more of a family vacation kind of a spot, so you may be limited to one round while you're here. If so, it's gonna be a tough choice, because Branson has a nice selection of both great quality upscale courses and good value tracks. That also makes it perfect for a boys golf getaway weekend.

The top-tier courses include the Payne Stewart Golf Club (www.paynestewartgolfclub.com). This course is a tribute to Missouri native and favorite son Payne Stewart, though he didn't design it (it was laid out by architect Chuck Smith with consults from former PGA pro and CBS golf analyst Bobby Clampett). It features isolated holes with some great scenery in the Missouri hills, and rock walls are a main feature. It was also voted the #3 public course in Missouri by Golf Week. Payne Stewart GC's greens fees top out at $79 during high season prime time, so it's a slightly better value than Branson Creek GC (www.bransoncreekgolf.com) which has prime time fees of $99. But that extra $20 might be worth the vistas at this highly visual Tom Fazio routing, which features the same Missouri hills, rock walls, and sparkling creeks, and has won several awards including Golf Digest and Golf Magazine Best New Course nominations in 2000, and GD's #1 public course in Missouri. There's also Murder Rock GC (www.murderock.com, Hollister, $80 prime time). Legend has it the site was where Civil War bushwacker Alfred Bolin and his gang were known to ambush travellers. A 2010 John Daly signature design, the layout is a manageable 6,600 yards from the tips, routed through farmland, wetlands, and Ozark Mountain vistas. Murder Rock was named to Golf Week's Best New Courses of 2010. StoneBridge Village's LedgeStone Course (www.stonebridgevillage.com/ledgestone) is listed as a private course, but it's open to guests of the resort, and they also list "Outside Guest Fees" ($90) on their website. Stay on-site or check with your hotel to see if they might be able to get you access to this course that Golf Digest called "a masterpiece of mountain golf architecture", with a waterfall par-3 15th.

Less strenuous, better value Branson options include Pointe Royal GC(www.pointeroyal.com/golf), a nice Ault/Clark design for just $49 prime time. Thousand Hills GC (www.thousandhills.com/branson-golf) is a Golf Digest 4-star course by Bob Cupp. It's a decent value at $59, though it's a bit cramped with just one par-5 and nine par-3's. There's also Holiday Hills R&GC (www.holidayhills.com), a par 68 short course that's $59 to play.

Best Bar Nearby: Nightlife in family-oriented tourist destinations like Branson typically takes on a tamer slant. I can't claim to have any local knowledge, so here's Yahoo's list of Top 10 Branson area bars: Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar (505 Branson Landing Blvd) for a good party, Tsunami ultra lounge (3265 Falls Pkwy) for fun crowds and live music, Time Out Sports Bar & Grill (1335 W 76 Country Blvd) for catching the game, Dillons Pub (136 Carter Rd) is a local's dive near Holiday Hills, Outback Pub--NOT the steakhouse chain (www.outbackbranson.com, 1924 W 76 Country Blvd) has good food, Garfield's (1221 Branson Landing Blvd) has a nice menu, Clear Lounge (3027 E MO 76) is also near Holiday Hills, Charlie's Steak Ribs & Ale (3009 W 76 Country Blvd) does its namesakes well, and Jester's Pub (24 Downing St, Hollister) is near Murder Rock GC. Or check out www.bransonontherocks.com.

As for Gentlemen's clubs, Branson has been working hard to keep up its family-oriented image. There was only one G-Man's club in town, and the town council recently tried pass a law to force them to change the name from "Branson's Best Entertainment" (625 Hwy 165). I can't seem to find a current listing for it since then. Or try Spank's, a half hour NW in Reeds Spring.

Where To Grub: My Mom has close friends who have a lake house down in these parts, and they're regulars at Danna's Bar-B-Que & Burger (963 Missouri 165 or 15 Hope Rd, Branson West, www.dannasbbq.com). Mom brought me home a bottle of their sauce, and I can vouch that the sauce makes Danna's worth a visit.

I scoured the internet for local recommendations on good wings in Branson, but for a town that's a couple thousand miles from Buffalo, any local nods should be taken with a grain of salt. Locals recommended the wings at Fat Daddy's (Branson West), Shorty Small's, Rowdy Beaver, Time Out Sports Bar, and Charlie's Steak Ribs & Ale. Seeing as how that list encompasses half the bars in town, I'll narrow the list by saying Shorty Small's and Time Out were the only spots I saw mentioned twice.

Where To Stay: Branson is crawling with the usual chain hotels. For something with more local flair, check out the Grand Oaks Hotel (www.grandoakshotel.com), or Big Cedar Lodge Wilderness Resort(www.bigcedar.com), and eat at Big Cedar's Devil's Pool Restaurant & Buzzard Bar, a casual rustic experience in a log building with a 100-year-old mahoghany bar. If golf is your main focus, StoneBridge Village, Thousand Hills, and Holiday Hills also have lodging on-site.

Further Distractions: There are upwards of 40 musical theaters in town, plus theme parks, water parks, shopping, etc. It's a tourists' paradise, with too much info to detail here. Check the websites listed at the top of the page for more detailed info.