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.

More Information »

Revised: 08/24/2022 - Article Viewed 1,273 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying 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), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.