[Buck Wolter]

Some inetersting tidbits about gof in Branson, MO. I hadn't heard anything about either course. Hard to find but the Payne Stewart Golf Club looks to have been designed by Bobby Clampett.


http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/travel/story/D9624EBFB94EBB078625741E006858D9?OpenDocument

Allen grew up in Springfield, Mo., where he was friends with Payne Stewart, the pro golfer who died in a plane accident in 1999 at the age of 42. Now, Allen is the club pro for Branson Hills Golf Co., which is putting the finishing touches on the Payne Stewart Golf Club, a tribute to his friend.

"Each hole of the course tells a story about Payne's experience on the tour," Allen said. "The golf course is $27 million, with five sets of tees from 7,400 yards. We can host national events, everything from Tiger to little tigers."

He led the way through the clubhouse, which has dark wood paneling, an outdoor pool and an area that will display memorabilia, including trophies won by Stewart and pairs of his signature gold-toe golf shoes. Everything in the clubhouse will be linen, crystal and silver — "no paper plates and Styrofoam cups," Allen said. "It's all going to be tip-top, Payne would be proud."

The public golf course will be the 12th in the Branson area — joining John Daly's Murder Rock as the latest additions — and cements Branson's role as a golf destination.


Check out the charter members at Murder Rock
http://www.murderrockgolf.com/about.cfm

[Tom_Doak]

Damn.  I was hoping Richard Branson was getting into golf courses.  He would be my kind of client.  But even with the obvious naming advantages, he wouldn't be caught dead in Branson, MO.

I think this is the project that Payne Stewart and Bruce Borland were going to look at when they died.  If so, I remember that a couple of Borland's friends, including Rick Jacobson, vowed at the time to finish the course in Borland's memory ... too bad they forgot to include any of THEIR names in the press releases.

[tlavin]

I heard that everthing around Branson is country this and country that, except spelled with a kitschy "K", like Kountry Kafe.  So all it needs now is Branson Kountry Klub.  Interested, Mr. Doak???

[Jeff_Brauer]

Damn.  I was hoping Richard Branson was getting into golf courses.  He would be my kind of client.  But even with the obvious naming advantages, he wouldn't be caught dead in Branson, MO.

I think this is the project that Payne Stewart and Bruce Borland were going to look at when they died.  If so, I remember that a couple of Borland's friends, including Rick Jacobson, vowed at the time to finish the course in Borland's memory ... too bad they forgot to include any of THEIR names in the press releases.

Tom,

That is not true.  Stewart and Borland were flying to Dallas to meet with a developer about a course across the street from my Trails of Frisco.  Stewart was actually to meet me later in the day and pick between us to design the course.

I was also involved in the Branson Creek course at one time, having routed it out and done some preliminary engineering.  When financing came from another source, and it included a friend of Clampetts, somehow they decided to let him design the course, and it was good PR.  It was a very difficult engineering job and I always wondered if Clampett had the technical skill to pull it off.   I don't know how it came out.  I know the new owner had some troubles paying the contractor.  If it ended up at $27 Mil I can see why.

Like everything else in Branson, its hilly and underlain by solid rock.  Also, the holes had to follow the valleys for surrounding real estate and in my preliminary estimates, they needed huge pipes down the length of the fw.  $27 Mil sounds high, but if it includes clubhouse, etc. it might not be out of the ball park. 
The owner wrote me a nice letter absolving me of any blame should the course drown out or flood away since I was no longer involved. 

[Doug Ralston]

Odd. When I hear about Branson golf, one of the 1st words I hear is Fazio. Wasn't his course also called Branson Creek?

Two courses with same name there? Or is someone's attribution missing here?

Confused;

Doug

[Jeff_Brauer]

Fazio did do Branson Creek, south of town. The Payne Stewart golf course is the centerpiece of Branson HILLS on the north side of town, right off 65 as you come south from Springfield Airport.

[Tom_Doak]

Jeff:

Thanks for the correction.  What ever happened to the golf course in Dallas that they were going to look at?  You didn't mention if it ever got built or not.

[Craig Van Egmond]

I have been to Branson on a couple of occasions and as far as the golf goes, its like the cops say on tv... "move along, nothing here to see".

[Doug Ralston]

I have been to Branson on a couple of occasions and as far as the golf goes, its like the cops say on tv... "move along, nothing here to see".

He he;

Craig, you do know, don't you, that most of the time they say those word, it is because there IS something to see. Or is that what you meant?

Jeff;

Thanks for that correction.

Doug

[Craig Van Egmond]

Good point Doug,

      but in this case, there really isn't anything worth driving a long ways for.

[Buck Wolter]

Some pics of Murder Rock -- looks interesting

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