Big Cedar
Payne's Valley
Big resort / Ozark valley
Payne's Valley is the show. It is polished, scenic, expensive, and built to impress. Play it once, enjoy the limestone-canyon finish, take the photo, and then have the adult conversation about whether it is actually the best golf on property.
Course gallery
3 photos
The take
Payne's Valley is the show. It is polished, scenic, expensive, and built to impress. Play it once, enjoy the limestone-canyon finish, take the photo, and then have the adult conversation about whether it is actually the best golf on property.
Best for
First-timers, scenery, group photos, and the famous 19th hole
Watch out
Paying for spectacle more than pure architecture
How to play it
Must play once
Course intelligence
What you need to know
Strengths
- Visual theater
- Wide corridors
- Dramatic finish
- Group-photo energy
- 19th-hole canyon finale
Watch-outs
- Expensive
- Less strategic than Ozarks National
- Replay value trails the hype
Signature holes
1, 10, 18, 19
Book it right
Cost, access, and timing
Green fees
2026 published starting rates: $425 resort guest / $525 public peak; $250 / $275 shoulder.
Best season
Best window: April-May and September-October Summer reality: Hot, humid, storm risk, and premium family-resort demand Winter: Possible, but not the full Big Cedar golf
Caddies / walking
Big Cedar publishes 2026 caddie rates of $50 per bag plus suggested $30 gratuity for forecaddies, and $100 per bag plus gratuity for bag-carry
Replay priority
Medium
Booking move
Secure Ozarks National, Payne's Valley, and Buffalo Ridge first, then layer in Cliffhangers, Mountain Top, Top of the Rock, lodging, and dinners. For non-resort
Weather read
Pick the right window.
Best window: April-May and September-October Summer reality: Hot, humid, storm risk, and premium family-resort demand Winter: Possible, but not the full Big Cedar golf experience Shoulder
Jan
45F / 25F
Sun Mixed; rain Medium
Feb
50F / 29F
Sun Mixed; rain Medium
Mar
60F / 38F
Sun Good; rain Medium
Apr
70F / 48F
Sun Good; rain High
May
78F / 58F
Sun Good; rain High
Jun
86F / 67F
Sun Hot; rain Medium
Google review
5/5 - 7 months ago
Payne’s Valley is a true 5-star golf experience and was the perfect setting for our annual boys trip with a group of 16. The course itself is stunning, with wide fairways, pristine greens, and unforgettable scenery capped off by the incredible 19th “bonus hole” carved into the cl
Payne’s Valley is a true 5-star golf experience and was the perfect setting for our annual boys trip with a group of 16. The course itself is stunning, with wide fairways, pristine greens, and unforgettable scenery capped off by the incredible 19th “bonus hole” carved into the cl
Read full reviewClose review
Google review
5/5 - 5 months ago
Wow what are you waiting for. Life is about experiences, and this one will last a life time.
Starting with the greatest entrance ever to any registration, how to get off the highway you have to 4 mile along nature trail full of beautiful winding roads to the most beautiful overl
Wow what are you waiting for. Life is about experiences, and this one will last a life time.
Starting with the greatest entrance ever to any registration, how to get off the highway you have to 4 mile along nature trail full of beautiful winding roads to the most beautiful overl
Read full reviewClose review
Google review
5/5 - 2 months ago
Great course and staff. Fairways are hugh and greens were rolling fairly good for a February round. Views were nice and the halfway house food was good (Bison Dogs) and complimentary, but drinks (soda) had to be purchased. All in all, it was a wonderful time and we will return
Great course and staff. Fairways are hugh and greens were rolling fairly good for a February round. Views were nice and the halfway house food was good (Bison Dogs) and complimentary, but drinks (soda) had to be purchased. All in all, it was a wonderful time and we will return
Read full reviewClose review
Keep planning
What should you do next?
Use Payne's Valley as one piece of the Big Cedar trip. Build the routing, compare the destination, or ask how it fits your group.
Keep exploring Big Cedar
Other courses in the same trip.
Must play
Ozarks National
Ozarks National is the smart golfer's answer.
Strong play
Buffalo Ridge
Buffalo Ridge is scenic, fun, and very much part of the Big Cedar identity.
Strong play
Mountain Top
Mountain Top is exactly what a short course should be: quick, scenic, social, and more fun than the itinerary spreadsheet makes it
Strong play
Cliffhangers
Cliffhangers is Big Cedar being Big Cedar.
Strong play
Top of the Rock
Top of the Rock is an experience.
Ask smarter golf-trip questions
Get honest answers. Build smarter trips.
Pressure-test the trip, compare options, or ask what the page is not telling you yet.