HoleInOne_Holly
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- 248
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- Location
- Kiawah Island, SC
Booked Big Cedar Lodge near Branson for the last week of October with three buddies and I'm already second-guessing the timing. Three nights at the lodge, tee times at Payne's Valley, Ozarks National, and Buffalo Ridge. Payne's is running around $280 plus resort fee, which stings, but every single person who's played it tells me to just pay it and shut up. Mountain Top (the short Tiger course) is on the maybe list for a twilight round if our legs are still alive on day three.
My actual worry is weather. Late October in the Ozarks, nobody has given me a straight answer. One guy said 70s and peak color. Another said low 50s with a 20mph wind coming off Table Rock and he was miserable. We're driving down from Chicago so we're not exactly soft, but dropping $900+ on green fees to play in a cold drizzle would hurt. A buddy played Ozarks National in August and said it was mid-90s and cart only, which is its own problem, so I get that there's no perfect window.
Logistics questions for anyone who's been:
- Is the lodge walkable to anything or is it drive-everywhere? Everyone says rent a car and don't count on shuttles.
- How bad is the drive between the courses? I keep hearing Ozarks National is a haul from the main lodge.
- Is Branson worth one evening or is it all dinner shows and mini golf? Not trying to be a snob, just want to know what we're signing up for.
So, two real questions. Is late October the right call or should I push it to early October and give up some color for better odds on temps? And for those who've played all three, what's your ranking? I keep hearing Payne's wins on scenery and Ozarks wins on the actual golf, but I'd like to hear it from someone who isn't a YouTube channel.