Latest news with #golfresort
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Stunning New Golf Course At USA Today's Best Golf Resort In America
July 4th is America's birthday, and American golfers are getting a great present this year. For the past several years, Big Cedar Lodge in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks has continued to improve and expand its golf offerings, to the point where for the first time, back in April, USA Today readers voted it the nation's Best Golf Resort for 2025 (as a longtime but not current USA Today contributor I was asked to be one of several panelists on the nominating committee but did not vote in the competition). Just a month later, the crew at Forbes Vetted named Big Cedar the 'Best Golf Resort in the U.S. for Families' and one of the nation's '8 Best Golf Resorts.' But those awards, as impressive as they are, both came when Big Cedar 'only' had five courses. On July 4th weekend it will officially open its sixth and most unique layout, Cliffhangers, which has been 'soft' opened for limited preview play the past few weeks, and I was able to go and see it. Here is your first look at a stunning new golf course at USA Today's best golf resort in America. There are more than 38,000 golf courses on earth, making it extremely hard to do anything in golf course design that has literally never been done before. I have not played every course, but I have been covering golf travel, courses and design in deep detail for over 30 years, and I have played many of the very highest rated ones on every inhabited continent. So, I am pretty sure that the third hole at Cliffhangers is the only one on any course where golfers tee off from inside a cave and hit their tee shot through a waterfall cascading over the mouth of the cave to a green far below. There's a course in Idaho with a movable island green in a lake that changes locations daily, an ocean island hole in Mexico you have to take an amphibious cart to putt out, and a 19th hole in South Africa that requires a helicopter to reach the clifftop tee. Cliffhangers instantly joins this pantheon of crazy, unforgettable, one-of-a-kind golf. Or as Big Cedar Lodge owner Johnny Morris calls it, 'Adventure Golf.' Morris is the founder, owner and CEO of outdoor retail giant Bass Pros Shops (which also owns outdoor retail giant Cabela's) and has been called 'the Walt Disney of retail' for his elaborate, theatrical and sometimes interactive in-store displays, which involve everything from live alligators to fishing boats docked in the water—inside one of the world's largest pyramids. Morris is famous for his vision, for seeing things others do not and then sparing no expense to turn them into reality, and the 4,600-acre Big Cedar Lodge resort is his personal pride and joy. He grew up in this part of the Ozarks, loves it, and want you to love it too, and he has done a tremendous amount of work to make sure that happens. While his other courses have involved the world's most famous designers (more below), Cliffhangers was the work of Morris and his son John Paul, who looked up at the precipitous, rocky, cliffside terrain and thought what no one else would: why not build a golf course there? 'This is golf on the edge—literally,' said Morris. 'We wanted to create something that celebrates the natural wonder of the Ozarks while delivering an unforgettable adventure for every golfer.' John Paul added, 'Cliffhangers reflects everything we love about nature, adventure, and golf. It's wild, fun, and unlike anything in the game of golf today' He is right about that. Golfers traverse steep cart trails and drive through creeks, past waterfalls, and through the signature cave. And Johnny Morris so wants visitors to go home with a hole in one as a memory that he built extra tee boxes on holes one and ten and greens fee include a shot from each so you get 20 bites at the apple. That's because Cliffhangers is a par-3 course, which as traveling golfers know, is all the rage in golf right now. The best resorts, from Pebble Beach to Pinehurst to Bandon Dunes, along with Streamsong, Cabot Citrus Farms, Sand Valley and many others have been rushing to introduce new par-3 courses, but none of those are as memorable as Cliffhangers, which is meant to be super fun for both the most seasoned golfers and those new to the game (though with all the water features it is entirely possible to lose more balls here than on one of the resort's three championship eighteen hole courses—all of which are ranked in the nation's Top 100 You Can Play by Golf Digest). Also, while many of the new short courses popping up across the country are only nine holes (or random ten or twelve), this is 18-20, the full deal. Not your usual golf course cart path. Big Cedar Resort Like most of the current crop of par-3 courses, born from the tradition of pitch and putt layouts, holes are on the shorter side and I got through Cliffhangers hitting northing more than an eight iron. But the visual variety is staggering, with an island green, peninsula holes, huge elevation changes, and exposed rock and water everywhere—it is built into and on top of cliffs, after all. The cave tee box and waterfall combo make three an instant de facto signature hole, but really just about every hole out here could be one. I mean, just look at the pictures. All of this overlooks Payne's Valley, my favorite course at Big Cedar and a drop-dead visual stunner with more lakes, more greens, more waterfalls, and beauty as far as the eye can see. Another person who previewed the course in advance was golf personality Lauren Thompson, host of The Morning Drive on The Golf Channel. She said, 'I've played many great courses around the world, and Cliffhangers is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's breathtakingly beautiful, incredibly challenging, and the best thing to happen to golf in years.' Years. Aerial view of the new Cliffhangers course. Big Cedar Resort The resort is so big that it has an extensive free shuttle system to move guests around, as lodging options include a hotel, lakefront cabins, rental homes, a safari-style glamping resort, and new luxury golf cabins out at the Mountain Top clubhouse by Payne's Valley and Cliffhangers. I rode to dinner in a shuttle with a group of retired bank executives who had been doing an annual golf trip together for 31 years, and had been all over the place, to many regions and golf resorts. They told me they had just played Cliffhangers and one of them confided, 'It was as much fun as any 'real' course I have ever played.' I loved it too, and it is a perfect short 20-holes to get in before tackling one of the bigger courses at Big Cedar, because in addition to getting you in a great mood, it will help dial in your short game, as the fast bentgrass greens are similar in speed to those on the full-sized layouts. Short courses do not need to have grass this good, but Morris does not cut corners, and those playing Cliffhangers even get to stop into the fancy Payne's Valley halfway house during their round, where all the snacks are free, including the signature premium bison hot dogs, from a herd he raises in a nature reserve near Big Cedar. I recommend you try to make a morning tee time at Cliffhangers before a round at Payne's Valley, for a near-perfect day of golf. As good as it is, golfers are not likely to make a trip to Big Cedar just to play the new par-3 layout, but they might be curious how it became the Best Golf Resort in the U.S. So here's the Big Cedar golf overview in a nutshell. The highest rated course in Missouri is Ozarks National, by the legendary design duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The second highest rated course in Missouri is Payne's Valley, the 19-hole effort by Tiger Woods. It is the only public eighteen by Woods in the country, and it is fabulous. I think the magazines always favor Coore and Crenshaw designs, but I firmly believe the Woods course is even better. I played it the day it opened in 2019, I have played it since, and wrote this story here at Forbes, 'Tiger Wood's First Public U.S. Golf Course is Awesome.' It is fun, extremely playable, has some great risk/reward holes so it appeals to all caliber players, and it is visually stunning. It is telling that they sell more tee times at Payne's Valley than on any other course. The third highest rated course in Missouri is Buffalo Ridge, a Tom Fazio design that has bison grazing next to its fairways (not the ones that make the hot dogs). All three eighteens are ranked in the Top 100 in the U.S., a feat only a handful of resorts have ever achieved. On top of this, the facilities, service and conditioning are first rate, and the concept of standout Midwestern hospitality is very much evident. Big Cedar also has caddies, forecaddies and extensive practice facilities, including a putting course inspired by the Himalayas in St. Andrews, Scotland and designed by 8-time Major Champion Tom Watson. Then there are two stunning 'regular' par-3 courses, not shortened versions, but all full-length holes, up to 221-yards. The Gary Player designed Mountain Top is a walking-only 13-hole stunner carved through rock formations and rolling terrain. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Top of the Rock 9-holer is the only par-3 course ever used in competition in a PGA Tour sanctioned event, the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf, which used to be played here and on Buffalo Ridge. These par-3 courses are so good that you could make a trip to Big Cedar just to play them and Cliffhangers, though I would not pass up the 'big' courses. But as one-shotters go, both Mountain Top and Top of the Rock are as good as anything I have seen on earth. Golf Magazine finally added a ranking of short courses to its more famous Top 100 in the U.S. and Top 100 in the World lists, before Cliffhangers. It ranked the 25 Best Par-3 Courses in the World, but unlike the Top 100, courses were not ranked in order, just the best 25. The vast majority are at the world's top ultra-private clubs, like Augusta National, Pine Valley and the Olympic Club. Less than ten of the world's courses on the list are public, and both Mountain Top and Top of the Rock made the cut. That means until Cliffhangers opens July 4th, every one of the five golf courses at Big Cedar has made the most important 'Best' lists in the industry, and that is no coincidence. In addition to the stunning new golf course, for fishing fans, Big Cedar Lodge sits right on 43,000-acre Table Rock Lake, host of a professional bass tournament and renowned as one of the best fishing spots in the country. Being owned alongside Bass Pro Shops, it is no surprise that Big Cedar has two different state-of-the-art marinas equipped with the newest boats and gear, and it is arguably the best freshwater fishing resort in the country as well, though USA Today does not rate those. Yet.
CTV News
12 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Water quality advisory issued for Trestle Creek Golf Resort Beach
Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued a water quality advisory for Trestle Creek Golf Resort Beach due to high levels of fecal bacteria. At current levels, gastrointestinal illness may result from consuming the water. There is also a possibility of skin, ear and eye infection if exposed to the water. People are advised not to swim or wade at the beach area. The Trestle Creek Golf Resort is approximately 92 kilometres west of Edmonton.
NHK
23-05-2025
- Business
- NHK
Vietnam breaks ground for Trump luxury golf resort
A family firm of US President Donald Trump has started developing a luxury golf resort in Vietnam. Hanoi may be hoping for special treatment from Washington amid the threat of high tariffs from the Trump administration. Trump's son Eric, who is Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, together with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Hung Yen province near the capital Hanoi on Wednesday. Their plans are for an upscale golf resort, worth about 1.5 billion dollars. Chinh said, "This project will contribute to promoting Vietnam-US relations to go deeper and become more substantial and effective." He welcomed the venture and urged local authorities to give it maximum support. The US's trade deficit with Vietnam is its third largest after those with China and Mexico. Vietnam had been bracing for a 46 percent tariff before it was put on hold. A US civic group has slammed the resort development, saying it illustrates how Trump's administration takes advantage of foreign governments to gain special treatment for his business.
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Trump Organisation to break ground on golf club in Vietnam amid trade talks
HANOI, May 21 — The Trump Organisation and its local partner will hold a groundbreaking ceremony today for a luxury golf resort close to Vietnam's capital Hanoi, according to invitations to the event seen by Reuters. Vietnam's government approved the plan last week and the ceremony will be attended by US President Donald Trump's son Eric Trump, organisers said. The event comes as the South-east Asian country negotiates with Washington to avoid punitive tariffs. Its developers have said the US$1.5 billion (RM6.41 billion) project will include when completed in 2027 three 18-hole golf courses and a residential complex, and could be followed by additional multi-billion-dollar investments. Local authorities of the Hung Yen province, where the golf club will be built, have also invited Vietnam's leaders to the event, including the head of the ruling Communist Party To Lam, who was born in the province, according to the invitation. It is unclear whether he will join the event. Vietnam's state news agency said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will participate in a groundbreaking event today in Hung Yen, without specifying for which project. Apart from the ceremony, Eric Trump is also set to meet Ho Chi Minh City officials tomorrow to explore plans for a possible skyscraper in Vietnam's southern business hub, according to an internal schedule seen by Reuters. 'Vietnam has tremendous potential for luxurious hospitality and entertainment,' Eric Trump, who is a senior vice president of the Trump Organisation, said in October when the president's family business announced a partnership with Vietnamese real estate firm Kinhbac City. 'We are incredibly excited to enter this dynamic market.' The strategic collaboration, whose terms are not public, 'will focus on developing 5-star hotels, championship-style golf courses, and luxurious residential estates and unparalleled amenities in Vietnam,' the consortium said in a statement in October. It is unclear how the two partners share costs and revenues, and what conditions have been set for use of the Trump franchise. Trade pledges Vietnam has made multiple pledges to the White House to avoid 46% 'reciprocal' tariffs that would kick off in July after a global pause if no bilateral deal is reached. They include lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers, an intensified fight against trade frauds and counterfeiting, and favourable conditions to Starlink, owned by Trump's close ally Elon Musk, to roll out satellite internet services in the country. Organisers said the project in Hung Yen, a few kilometres south of Hanoi along the Red River, rapidly obtained approvals from local authorities, noting that it was the result of earlier work by Kinhbac City on the plan which preceded the announcement of the partnership with the Trump Organisation. Trump handed over the leadership of the organisation to his children after he won his first term as US president. The Trump Organisation has luxury golf projects, existing or under development, in countries from Indonesia to the Middle East. — Reuters
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump Organization to break ground on golf club in Vietnam amid trade talks
HANOI, May 21 (Reuters) - The Trump Organization and its local partner will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for a luxury golf resort close to Vietnam's capital Hanoi, according to invitations to the event seen by Reuters. Vietnam's government approved the plan last week and the ceremony will be attended by U.S. President Donald Trump's son Eric Trump, organisers said. The event comes as the Southeast Asian country negotiates with Washington to avoid punitive tariffs. Its developers have said the $1.5 billion project will include when completed in 2027 three 18-hole golf courses and a residential complex, and could be followed by additional multi-billion-dollar investments. Local authorities of the Hung Yen province, where the golf club will be built, have also invited Vietnam's leaders to the event, including the head of the ruling Communist Party To Lam, who was born in the province, according to the invitation. It is unclear whether he will join the event. Vietnam's state news agency said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will participate in a groundbreaking event on Wednesday in Hung Yen, without specifying for which project. Apart from the ceremony, Eric Trump is also set to meet Ho Chi Minh City officials on Thursday to explore plans for a possible skyscraper in Vietnam's southern business hub, according to an internal schedule seen by Reuters. "Vietnam has tremendous potential for luxurious hospitality and entertainment," Eric Trump, who is a senior vice president of the Trump Organization, said in October when the president's family business announced a partnership with Vietnamese real estate firm Kinhbac City ( opens new tab. "We are incredibly excited to enter this dynamic market." The strategic collaboration, whose terms are not public, "will focus on developing 5-star hotels, championship-style golf courses, and luxurious residential estates and unparalleled amenities in Vietnam," the consortium said in a statement in October. It is unclear how the two partners share costs and revenues, and what conditions have been set for use of the Trump franchise. Vietnam has made multiple pledges to the White House to avoid 46% "reciprocal" tariffs that would kick off in July after a global pause if no bilateral deal is reached. They include lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers, an intensified fight against trade frauds and counterfeiting, and favourable conditions to Starlink, owned by Trump's close ally Elon Musk, to roll out satellite internet services in the country. Organisers said the project in Hung Yen, a few kilometres south of Hanoi along the Red River, rapidly obtained approvals from local authorities, noting that it was the result of earlier work by Kinhbac City on the plan which preceded the announcement of the partnership with the Trump Organization. Trump handed over the leadership of the organization to his children after he won his first term as U.S. president. The Trump Organization has luxury golf projects, existing or under development, in countries from Indonesia to the Middle East.
