Branson Hills Golf Club

Branson Hills Golf Club is a tribute course honoring Missouri golf legend Payne Stewart, carved through the dramatic hills and rock outcroppings of the Ozark Mountains south of Branson. Designed by Chuck Smith and design consultant Bobby Clampett, the 7,324-yard layout features named holes—including Trevino's Tease, Payne's Pit, and Chelsea's Kiss—and a Payne Stewart Museum in the clubhouse displaying personal memorabilia loaned by his family.

Branson Hills Golf Club opened in 2009 as a heartfelt tribute to Payne Stewart, the Springfield, Missouri-born Hall of Fame golfer who won two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship before his tragic death in 1999. The course was designed by Chuck Smith with Bobby Clampett serving as design consultant, and the two architects took full advantage of the rugged Ozark Mountain terrain to create a layout that is both visually striking and strategically demanding. The site sits in the rolling hills south of Branson, where the topography provides dramatic elevation changes, natural rock outcroppings, cascading creek crossings, and lush wooded corridors.

Rather than fighting the landscape, Smith and Clampett shaped the routing to move harmoniously through these features, producing holes that reward creative shot-making and course management. The course stretches to 7,324 yards from the championship Gold tees and offers six rated sets of tees to accommodate golfers of every ability level. Each of the 18 holes carries a name tied to golf history or Stewart's life, giving the round a narrative quality that few public courses match. The routing unfolds across ridgelines and creek valleys, with several holes requiring precise tee shots through natural chutes and careful approaches to undulating bent-grass greens.

Multiple waterfalls and creek crossings add visual drama throughout the round. The Payne Stewart Museum in the clubhouse is among the most distinctive features of any golf facility in the Midwest. Items loaned by Stewart's wife, Tracy, include Ryder Cup bags, championship apparel, shoes, clubs used during his major victories, and other personal memorabilia displayed in a glassed exhibit called Many Faces of Payne. The museum transforms a visit to the club into a genuine tribute to one of Missouri's greatest sporting figures.

Since opening, Branson Hills has accumulated significant recognition. Golf Missouri and GolfWeek have named it the top course in Missouri on multiple occasions, and Golf Channel featured it prominently in regional coverage. The club hosts competitive amateur events and charity tournaments throughout the season. It stands as the signature golf experience in the Branson area, drawing visitors from across the region who combine a round with the area's broader tourism offerings.