Big Cedar Lodge

Tommy

Just a Millennial living in the real world...

Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Kiawah Island, Pinehurst, and the American Club. These are some of the best golf resorts in the world. And now you have Big Cedar Lodge (BCL) as the next great golf destination.

I always take a vacation with my parents once a year. Last year, it was New England and Acadia National Park. This year was a golf trip to BCL in southern Missouri. If you are a huge golfer and foodie like me, then BCL is a must visit! There are also plenty of things to do with the family or you can make it into a romantic getaway too.

The property is very big and hilly. The golf and restaurants are located a good way’s away from the accommodations where you have to drive or take the shuttle. The resort was extremely hilly and it definitely had some windy roads with large drop-offs driving in. The resort was easy to get around once you drive it a few times. We were located in the Lakeside cabins and it was probably a 10 minute walk to the Devil’s Pool restaurant and another 10 minutes to get to Registration where the shops, spa, and the Truman Cafe/Custard Shop was. The lodges and Devil’s Pool cabins were definitely a better location than the Lakeside Cabins as it was a far and hilly walk. They are expanding out near the Lakeside Cottages so hopefully they will add some restaurants/shops over there as it’s pretty isolated. Below is a map of the property.

Top of the Rock, where most of the restaurants were, was probably about a 10 minute drive away and Buffalo Ridge, Mountain Top, Ozark’s National, and Payne’s Valley were about a 20 minute drive away. There are plenty of dining options at Big Cedar Lodge. They are pricey, but we didn’t have a bad meal.

Accommodations & Amenities

There are numerous different types of accommodations at Big Cedar Lodge.

Lodge Rooms: Lodge rooms are located at Spring View Lodge, Falls Lodge, and Valley View Lodge, which are all on property. Rooms in the middle of summer will be priciest as it’s peak season and they run about $400-$500/night for the weekend. Rooms in May start at about $231/night. These have the best location as they are close to everything.
Cottages: The cottages can fit 2 to 12 people and are spacier than the rooms. Some come with a fireplace. They are more expensive than the lodge rooms, but mostly cheaper than the cabins.
Private Log Cabins: We stayed at a 1 room cabin and it ran at about $600/night. These come with full kitchens and private decks with a grill. They are spacier than the cottages and rooms.

Amenities that are included with your stay:

Big Cedar Shuttle Service: The shuttle can take you to your accommodations, attractions, golf, and dining.
Mini Golf.
Pickleball.
Paddle Boats.
Canoes & Kayaks.
Big Cedar Beach.
Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs, Kiddie Pools, and Lazy River.
Fitness Center & 5K Jogging/Walking Trail.
Bonfires.
Horseshoes.
Sand Volleyball.
Shuffleboard.
Playground.
DVD Checkout.
Camp Long Creek Beach.

Activities & Events: Big Cedar Lodge offers events that you can pay for as well.

Morning Yoga.
Painting.
Movie Night on the Lawn (free).
Buzzard Bar Live Music (free).

We arrived at Big Cedar Lodge around 5pm on the night of our check in. The drive it was very windy/curvy with steep dropoffs so it probably took about 15 minutes to arrive at registration from the highway. It was secluded and it built up anticipation, but it was a long/slow drive. The registration building was huge and it had a fast food restaurant, fine dining restaurant, shop, and spa along with the lobby. We checked in and then headed to our cabin.

Above is a photo of our cabin. The cabin was great as it was more private. But it felt very cramped due to the rollout sofa in the middle of the cabin and the room with the toilet was extremely small. The toilet was separated by a door from the tub and the dual sinks. But it was very nice to have the full kitchen and it was more private than the lodge. All cabins also have their own parking space. The walk was a little far/hilly from the restaurants and amenities so we ended up driving. I wish we had a better view of Table Rock Lake as we could pretty much only see trees.

Once we got settled in on the first night, we ate at Buzzard Bar. Buzzard Bar is a casual bar in the basement of Devil’s Pool and it has your standard bar fare. Also, it has live music every night. I had the Buzzard Bar Club, which was a big portion size. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was good overall. I think Buzzard Bar would be a better place for drinks and the live music instead of dinner as there are better options at BCL.

Top of the Rock

Top of the Rock is where the main attractions are and where the best views in the resort are located as it overlooks Table Rock Lake. You have the Top of the Rock Golf Course, Osage Restaurant, Buffalo Bar, Arnie’s Barn, The Wine Cellar, a museum, and shopping. It was a nice area to walk around. The Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail was also located nearby.

Top of the Rock golf course was one of the coolest golf courses I have ever played! Jack Nicklaus designed it and it’s a par 3 course with 9 holes. The PGA senior tour plays the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at this course and Ozarks National, previously at Buffalo Ridge. The views are magnificent, the course was extremely pristine, and it’s very scenic. There were two tee boxes the black and red tees. We played the black and my Mom played the red. The black tees were actually pretty tough as a lot of the par 3s were 175+ yards, but it was fair.

I was very glad we were able to ride carts as it was very hilly. Plus the weather was extremely hot and humid in Missouri. So it’s always better to play in the morning or around dusk to avoid the heat. It was pretty easy to make a tee time for Top of the Rock as it didn’t fill up during the week. Greens fees were $150/player during peak season, but I thought it was well worth the money and a must play! I would recommend trying to get a tee time right before sunset to avoid the heat and then go eat at Buffalo Bar afterwards as the views were incredible.

Arnie's Barn

After Top of the Rock, we ate an early dinner at Arnie’s Barn. Arnie’s Barn was a Tex-Mex restaurant with a view overlooking the canyon. I ordered the chicken fajitas and I think it was the best meal I had at BCL. They were sizzling and the full of flavor. Also, they gave you a ton of food. The chips and salsa were good as well. The salsa wasn’t overly spicy either. My Dad and I both loved the Table Rock Red Ale as well and that is what we mostly drank while at BCL.

Buffalo Ridge Golf Course

The next day we played at Buffalo Ridge and had a tee time around 1pm. The course was voted as the #1 golf course in Missouri by Golf Magazine and the PGA senior tour previously played the Bass Pro Shop Legends of Golf event at this course annually. The course is 18 holes and it was designed by Tom Fazio. Tee times were pretty easy to schedule during the week and it was $175/player during peak season. Practice balls are included and they have a massive practice facility, which was top notch.

The course had 5 tee boxes and we played the white tees, which were 5,900 yards. The golf course had wide fairways and it was pretty hilly so every shot was pretty much an uneven lie. #1 had a magnificent view and you can see the herd of buffalo overlooking your tee shot. The staff was very nice and the ranger even provided us with water bottle refills and new ice, which was nice as it was again extremely hot. But we had a nice wind that helped keep us cool unlike the day before. Hot dogs were included in the greens fees after hole #5.

I thought Buffalo Ridge was the best value golf course at the resort. It wasn’t as pristine as Top of the Rock or Payne’s Valley, but it offered a good challenge and it was fair. It’s definitely worth a round!

Mountain Top Grill

After Buffalo Ridge, we ate at the Mountain Top Grill for dinner. This is where the pro shop is for Ozarks National, Payne’s Valley, and Mountain Top golf courses was located. It wasn’t too busy during the week and it offered bar food. I ordered the Patty Melt with fries, which was excellent and really hit the spot after a long day on the golf course! The Mountain Top Grill had some great views of the golf courses as well!

Table Rock Lake

On Day 4, we decided to take a break from golf and rent a boat to go out on Table Rock Lake. You can rent a variety of boats at Bent Hook Marina. We rented a speed boat and it was very relaxing to explore the lake. The lake was massive and it was decently busy on a Friday. But it was no where as busy as it would be on the weekend or even at Lake of the Ozarks. We went down to Arkansas to cross that state off my bucket list. I didn’t do any tubing, cliff diving, or water skiing/wakeboarding because of my sinus infection, but that would have been fun. I’m not a huge boat person so I probably wouldn’t do it again as I didn’t think it was very scenic. Kind of like once you see the lake, you don’t need to see it again. I think the lake would have been better for water sports and fishing and it is great for families.

Payne's Valley

So I was told that Payne’s Valley and Ozarks National tee times were very hard to get as you have to book months in advance. That was definitely the case as we looked into tee times when we booked the cabin, but we were only able to make tee times for Top of the Rock and Buffalo Ridge. Nothing was available during our stay for Ozarks National and Payne’s Valley. You can make tee times online and they are cancellable up to 24 hours in advance. When we arrived on Tuesday night, I checked online again and lo and behold I saw a tee time for 4 players available at 12:20pm on Saturday morning. So I went ahead and booked a twosome immediately after I saw that since I knew we could cancel 24 hours in advance. So that’s the story of how we got lucky and we were able to book a tee time at Payne’s Valley.

Payne’s Valley is the first ever public golf course designed by Tiger Woods. Tiger played a round with Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose at the inaugural Payne’s Valley Cup back when it opened in September 2020. The greens fees were $325/player during peak season. Expensive, but still not as expensive as Pebble Beach or Whistling Straits. We were paired up with a father-in-law and son-in-law who were great playing partners as they were very laid back and fun to play with. The father-in-law was about my skill level and the son-in-law was pretty good. But it’s nice to play with similar skilled players.

There are 5 sets of tees fitting every skill level and we played from the white tees, which were 6,100 yards. But the tips go all of the way back to 7,400 yards. The golf course was actually easier than Buffalo Ridge. In terms of the degree of difficulty, the staff said that Ozarks National was the hardest, then Buffalo Ridge, and then Payne’s Valley. And I would tend to agree. The fairways were the biggest fairways I have ever seen and I rarely played from the rough. But the rough was thick so it was punishing. The greens were pretty tough though as they were decently fast and very large. You could easily 3 putt on some of them. But they played true and were easy for me to read. I shot a 98, which is pretty good for me especially on a new course and I had 4 straight pars on the front 9.

Overall, Payne’s Valley was one of the best golf courses I have ever played. It was extremely pristine and the views were incredible! The 19th hole was a very cool touch. I loved that it was an easier course so I was able to have a lot more fun and enjoy the round. Even though I shanked my tee shot into the water on the 19th hole… I would actually call it good value with how good of a golf course it is and it’s well worth a play!

Osage Restaurant

After a fantastic round at Payne’s Valley, we went back to the cabin and got ready for dinner at Osage Restaurant. Osage Restaurant is a steakhouse at Top of the Rock. Reservations were recommended and we were able to book one for 7pm on a Saturday night. We booked it when we booked the cabin and I would recommend doing the same as you can always cancel. Osage Restaurant, Buffalo Bar, and the Wormon House are probably their most popular restaurants and I would recommend getting reservations. We sat in the circle room that had a fireplace in the middle and great views of Table Rock Lake. Unfortunately, it was raining and cloudy so we didn’t have a good view of the sunset. The sunset would have been spectacular at Osage Restaurant and Buffalo Bar. The ambience was very cool, quiet, and dimly lit. Definitely good for a special occasion. I dressed up in a button down and khakis, but we saw people in jeans and even shorts/sandals so there wasn’t really a dress code.

We ordered a shrimp cocktail to start, which was great. It was large and the cocktail sauce was solid. The bread was good as well. I ordered the filet mignon and it came with a side of veggies. We shared some sweet potatoes and asparagus as sides. The sweet potatoes were great and the asparagus was solid as well. I ordered my steak medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. It was a solid cut of meat, but not the best I’ve had as it was a little tough. It had solid flavor though. The food was very good, but I am spoiled with living in Chicago where there are some amazing steakhouses so it didn’t really top any of those. Prices were very expensive as it’s a resort so it wasn’t good value. I mean $20 for an Old Fashioned! I haven’t even seen that in Chicago. Service was great though. I probably wouldn’t do Osage Restaurant again as Buffalo Bar pretty much has the same menu and it’s slightly better value, but it’s probably louder. If you are looking to have a nice quiet intimate dinner with a great view, then Osage Restaurant is for you!

Other Things to Do

Dining: We didn’t eat at all of the restaurants. The Worman House Bistro, Devil’s Pool, and Buzzard Bar. We ate breakfast at Thurman Cafe and it was solid. The custard was awesome though!
Golf: We didn’t play at Ozarks National and Mountain Top. I’ve heard Ozarks National is amazing and it’s rated in the top 30 best public courses for Golf Digest. Mountain Top is walking/push cart only, but it was very popular. I think the views looked spectacular and it was also the cheapest greens fees at BCL.
Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail: Scenic cave and nature trail where you drive golf carts at BCL. Great for the family and apparently there is a cave bar where you can grab a drink.
Shooting Academy: Skeet shooting is a lot of fun and this would have been a fun activity to do.
Fishing: Table Rock Lake was huge and would be great for fishing. There were some fishing spots on the property.
Dogwood Canyon Nature Park: If I had more time I would have loved to gone hiking here.
Explore Branson, Missouri. Lots of shops and restaurants along with an amusement park at Silver Dollar City.

Conclusion

The big question is would I come back? I would want to come back to go play Ozarks National and Mountain Top Golf Courses, go shooting, and go hike Dogwood Canyon Nature Park someday. I’m not sure if I would do Table Rock Lake again as there wasn’t much to see and I am not much of a boat guy. Even though it was quite fun driving the speed boat. The lake is better if you want to go swimming, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, or cliff jumping. I would recommend staying in the lodge or somewhere closer to the restaurants and registration as it’s easier to walk the property.

I loved the one-room cabin as it was very quaint and felt homey! My only complaint is that it was really cramped. The bathroom was claustrophobic and the roll out bed made the open floor plan feel very cramped as well. The kitchen was nice and we brought our own breakfast supplies.

The price was also very expensive. I realize that it is a luxury resort, but the prices were outrageous, especially the food ($25 Old Fashioned). The food was good to very good, but living in Chicago, I am spoiled and grateful for all of the amazing food. I could definitely find better food in Chicago at a cheaper price, but again this is a luxury resort/maybe tourist trap.

Customer service and hospitality was very average and not what I expected for the price. The front desk people were ok and I didn’t think they were very welcoming. We asked some questions about getting a tee time at Payne’s Valley at the concierge and he didn’t have a clue and I knew more than he did, which was unsatisfactory. The service at all of the restaurants was only ok. Our best server was our waitress at Osage Restaurant and made us feel welcome. The best service we experienced was probably the rangers/pro shop employees at all of the golf courses. They were all very courteous, friendly, and welcoming. Don’t even get me started with the starter at Buffalo Ridge; literally telling us his entire life story of himself and his son, which delayed us for about 15-20 minutes. It felt like an hour and it came off as very narcissist or full of himself…

Overall, Big Cedar Lodge is an amazing golf destination for golfers around the world and great for families with young children. The main attraction is definitely the golf, which was definitely a 5 star experience with exception to the Buffalo Ridge starter. There are plenty of activities to do with the family and it’s a great escape into the wilderness. It’s probably better value when you have a big party of like 12+ people where you can maybe save some money on accommodations. I saw a family reunion visit and that is a great idea!

Like I said above, the golf is 5 stars. The accommodations were nice, but very small. The food was probably a 3, good not spectacular. The property was so big and hilly that you definitely had to drive places. We did not use the shuttle bus as we drove, but would definitely recommend using it. Customer service was definitely substandard to average. Price was outrageous. On a ratings scale, it was probably a 3.75-4 out of 5. Though with everything being said, this family vacation was a blast and Big Cedar Lodge is definitely worth checking out!