Big Cedar Lodge ready to open Cliffhangers short course
Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri, will open Cliffhangers, a new 18-hole par-three course, on 4 July 2025.
Cliffhangers was created by resort owner Johnny Morris and his son John Paul and is the third par-three course at Big Cedar Lodge, joining the nine-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed Top of The Rock and the 13-hole Mountain Top, designed by Gary Player’s firm. Big Cedar also has three eighteen-hole courses: Tiger Woods’ Payne’s Valley, Tom Fazio’s Buffalo Ridge and Coore & Crenshaw’s Ozarks National.
Cliffhangers has been built on land next to Payne’s Valley, high among the Missouri Ozarks, with the course offering dramatic elevation changes, panoramic views and holes carved into the site’s limestone cliffs. The cart path route sees golfers travelling under waterfalls and a nineteenth tee located in a cave requires players to hit through the cascading water.
“This is golf on the edge – literally,” said Johnny Morris. “We wanted to create something that celebrates the natural wonder of the Ozarks while delivering an unforgettable adventure for every golfer.”
Morris and his son originally planned for the Cliffhangers site to be turned into a practice facility but after repeated walks of the property decided it would be ideal for another short course. Holes range from 60 to 170 yards, with greens featuring bentgrass and approaches of zoysia.
“Cliffhangers reflects everything we love about nature, adventure, and golf,” said John Paul Morris. “It’s wild, fun, and unlike anything in the game of golf today! We hope you’ll come pay us a visit and play Cliffhangers and experience what true Ozarks hospitality is all about!”
Lauren Thompson, best known for hosting The Morning Drive on The Golf Channel, 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.”
John Paul Morris added: “My dad and I are deeply grateful to the passionate team who contributed their extraordinary talents to help bring our vision for Cliffhangers to life. We are grateful to Jeff Steen, VP of golf operations at Big Cedar, and his whole team for their steadfast support. We also proudly thank Hector Garcia, Todd Scott, Rich Abbott, David Kahn, Tim Jackson, Jose Vivo, Jesse Stofflet, Buck Haynes, Brodsley Whyte ‘Hilton’ and our friends at Audubon International for contributing their remarkable skills to help make our dream a reality.”
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Big Cedar Lodge
Players tee off from a cavern and through a waterfall at the new Cliffhangers short course at Big Cedar Lodge
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The near-island fourteenth green complex
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Big Cedar Lodge
A bunker lies in the centre of the thirteenth green
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Big Cedar Lodge
The eighteenth plays towards limestone cliffs
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Big Cedar Lodge
The twelfth hole sits above the eighteenth, with the nineteenth hole of the Payne’s Valley course in the background
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The seventeenth green features multiple tiers
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The short tenth plays from the edge of the limestone cliff
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Big Cedar Lodge
Cart paths have been routed through a cave system
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Big Cedar Lodge
Big Cedar Lodge owner Johnny Morris describes the Cliffhangers course as “an unforgettable adventure”
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