Did Tiger Woods contribute to the new Big Cedar Lodge course? Here's what we found
Woods unveiled it during the "Payne's Valley Cup," a made-for-TV event that also featured Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, while also showcasing Big Cedar Lodge to a national audience.
Five years later, a new course opened adjacent to Woods' course, leading some to wonder whether the 15-time major champion had any involvement in its creation.
The answer? He did not.
"Cliffhangers" is a new par-3 golf course that opens to the public on July 4, and it was designed by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and his son, John Paul Morris.
More: Johnny Morris, Big Cedar Lodge give first look at stunning 'Cliffhangers' golf course
The pair said they initially set out to build a best-of-its-kind driving range to complement Payne's Valley in the space where they ultimately built the new course.
"A lot of it was just me and dad just driving our team nuts making changes," John Paul Morris said. "Over the years, with all of the courses and even working with Tiger, my dad loves views. He's not a giant golfer, but he loves nature and the views."
John Paul Morris said he and his dad worked with the golf designers to maximize the views, trying to conceal the different cart paths with the golf construction personnel they had on site to work on it.
The 18-hole course was unveiled during a private event on Tuesday, June 26, offering chances to tee off from several holes and drive around the course.
"We just hope people come and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience," John Paul Morris said. "We hope they make some happy memories that they'll never forget."
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Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Major League Fishing, RFD-TV Join Forces to Bring Bass Fishing to National TV
MLF's Team Series to Air Live on RFD-TV Beginning Aug. 24 BENTON, Ky., August 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a landmark move for outdoor sports and Rural Media Group, Major League Fishing (MLF) and RFD-TV announced today an exclusive broadcast partnership that will bring live tournament coverage from the MLF Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops to a national television audience for the first time. Starting Sunday, August 24, RFD-TV will air the final period of all 24 Team Series matches live – delivering the most intense, high-stakes moments of MLF competition straight into living rooms across the country. Final-period broadcasts will air from 2:30 to 5 p.m. ET, and unlike any other televised bass tournaments, the winner of each match will be crowned live as teams strive to survive and advance to the championship round. In addition, RFD-TV will kick off its coverage with a special full-day broadcast of Day 1 of the opening Team Series event of the season, the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup from Port Huron on Michigan's Thumbcoast, airing live from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 24. This partnership is more than just a programming decision. It's a bold step forward for both organizations. It marks MLF's first live presence on a linear television network since Emmy-winning announcer Joe Buck, baseball analyst Bob Brenly and Forrest L. Wood called the action live on FOX during the 1999 Ranger M1 Millennium, the first time a bass fishing tournament appeared live on linear TV. The historic Nov. 7, 1999, broadcast reeled in more than 2 million viewers. The 2025 MLF Team Series heralds Rural Media Group's return to live sports broadcasting, building on a legacy that once included over 600 live rodeo events annually. "This partnership is a major milestone for Major League Fishing and for the sport of professional bass fishing," said Jim Wilburn, President of Sales for MLF. "Our fans will now be able to watch live tournament action unfold on a national broadcast television network. RFD-TV's reach and commitment to rural and outdoor programming make them the perfect partner to help us bring the excitement of the Team Series to more households than ever before." Raquel Gottsch Koehler, Chief Marketing & Creative Officer and Co-Owner of RFD-TV, sees the partnership as part of a broader mission. "This is about more than live sports. It's about honoring tradition while embracing what's next," Koehler said. "At RFD-TV, we've always been committed to amplifying voices and stories that too often go unheard, and the story of professional bass fishing is one of grit, strategy and relentless passion. We're extremely proud that RFD-TV will bring that story live to a national broadcast audience." The 2025 MLF Team Series is made up of four Cups – the Challenge Cup (Aug. 24–29), Heritage Cup (Sept. 14–19), Patriot Cup (Oct. 22–27), and Summit Cup (Nov. 16–21) – each featuring six action-packed matches with Bass Pro Tour anglers paired in two-man teams. Designed for television, the format delivers nonstop action, dramatic swings, and SCORETRACKER® leaderboard shakeups that make for compelling live viewing. Each live broadcast will be produced by MLF's award-winning production partner, Winnercomm, in HD and delivered to RFD-TV, ensuring the same standard of excellence fans have come to expect from MLFNOW!® livestream coverage. RFD-TV will hold exclusive linear broadcast rights during the live airing window, while fans can also stream the final periods live on the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps, RFD-TV Now, Game & Fish TV, and Rumble. the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps, and Rumble will stream the entirety of each event. Post-produced episodes of the Team Series will continue to air on the Outdoor Channel, Discovery and Vice. The agreement also includes a dynamic mix of promotional support from both partners, including tune-in spots across MLF digital and linear platforms, dedicated features on RFD-TV's Market Day Report and Rural Evening News, and a one-hour "MLF 101" special airing from RFD-TV's Nashville studios in August. "This collaboration embodies what's possible when tradition meets innovation," Wilburn said. "We're not just broadcasting bass fishing – we're elevating the platform for anglers, sponsors and fans alike, and we're doing it together." For complete details and updated information on the MLF Team Series, visit For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF's social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. About Major League Fishing Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world's largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America's living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and Game & Fish TV, and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world's top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care. About RFD-TV Launched in 2000, RFD-TV is the flagship television network of Rural Media Group, Inc., and the only 24-hour network dedicated to serving the needs of rural America. An independent, family-owned and operated media network, RFD-TV features a mix of agribusiness reporting, equine programs, rural lifestyle shows, and traditional country music. The network produces more than six hours of live news every weekday from state-of-the-art studios located in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards in Texas and on iconic Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. RFD-TV is available nationwide via DISH, DIRECTV®, AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, Charter Spectrum, and other major providers, as well as online at and through RFD-TV Now, Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, and Sling TV. View source version on Contacts MEDIA CONTACT:JOE OPAGER SR. DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, MLFp: 218.434.0748e: JENNIFER ST. CLAIR COMMUNICATIONS, RFD-TVp: 323.481.6841e: jennifer@ Sign in to access your portfolio
USA Today
28-06-2025
- USA Today
Did Tiger Woods contribute to the new Big Cedar Lodge course? Here's what we found
RIDGEDALE, Missouri — About five years ago, Tiger Woods walked the Ozark Mountains to showcase to the world "Payne's Valley," the first fully public-access course that he designed. Woods unveiled it during the "Payne's Valley Cup," a made-for-TV event that also featured Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, while also showcasing Big Cedar Lodge to a national audience. Five years later, a new course opened adjacent to Woods' course, leading some to wonder whether the 15-time major champion had any involvement in its creation. The answer? He did not. "Cliffhangers" is a new par-3 golf course that opens to the public on July 4, and it was designed by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and his son, John Paul Morris. More: Johnny Morris, Big Cedar Lodge give first look at stunning 'Cliffhangers' golf course The pair said they initially set out to build a best-of-its-kind driving range to complement Payne's Valley in the space where they ultimately built the new course. "A lot of it was just me and dad just driving our team nuts making changes," John Paul Morris said. "Over the years, with all of the courses and even working with Tiger, my dad loves views. He's not a giant golfer, but he loves nature and the views." John Paul Morris said he and his dad worked with the golf designers to maximize the views, trying to conceal the different cart paths with the golf construction personnel they had on site to work on it. The 18-hole course was unveiled during a private event on Tuesday, June 26, offering chances to tee off from several holes and drive around the course. "We just hope people come and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience," John Paul Morris said. "We hope they make some happy memories that they'll never forget."
Forbes
20-06-2025
- 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.
