Big Cedar - Refugee Meetup (10/23 - 10/25) - Official Thread- In Memoriam to all the Trees

[chrismarz]

Hey All - Because we all need something to look forward to - moving this Planning Activity from the Midwest “Roll Call” threads to its own spot.

The guys at Big Cedar are throwing us a great deal and waiving any deposits, so its the perfect (risk-free) activity to get hyped about.

All the details are in the this Google Doc

Summary:
2 Date Options (Oct 16-18 or 23-25) with slightly different price points
Golf Itinerary = 18 Friday (Buffalo Ridge), 13+18 Saturday (Mountain Top + Payne’s Valley), 27 Sunday (Ozark National + Top of the Rock)
*We are limited to the first 20 confirmed

Lodging is TBD for now - there are a plethora of houses for rent in the area - its off-season for most the home owners. There are also a number of hotels in the area.

Looking forward to this thread!

[RangerB]

woah! my folks and brother live in Springfield. Seems obvious to seriously consider making the trip back to ozarks for along weekend!

[BaxterMSP]

Love the idea. Where does a guy fly into for something like this? Springfield?

[RangerB]

Springfield/Branson… big time infrastructure there

[chrismarz]

SGF airport - its very close to Big Cedar.

[Christian]

Oh boy, we like this. Definitely in. Last time I played golf in Branson it was before the Big Cedar expansion with only one course.

[Hosel.Rocketeer]

Just signed up. Springfield is probably the best airport to fly into, but if you fly Frontier Airlines they fly directly into BKG (Branson airport) which is next door to the Big Cedar courses.

[DingleJones]

Good tip. Cleveland has frontier flights so hopefully I can fly direct.

Edit: also don’t know if I can go, but this is a good first step for research

[IlliniGolferHack]

Dingle you have to come!

[DingleJones]

Honestly I gotta crunch some numbers, but this trip seems like a winner. I’ve really wanted to visit the ozarks and this resort so we’ve got a “two birds one stone” situation. Also curious to check out tigers course here.

[Hosel.Rocketeer]

Played Buffalo Ridge a couple weeks ago and you can see Payne’s Valley from some of the property. Looks unreal. Can’t wait to play it. Branson golf is already on the map, as it should be, but with the addition of PV it will elevate it’s status in golf destinations to the top tier.

[Hosel.Rocketeer]

Just thinking about the meetup this morning, and I wanted to add a couple things. The Branson area is actually very spread out around Table Rock lake so make sure to check the map when booking an airbnb or hotel. Example: Branson West is a good 35 minutes from the golf courses. Just a note to be careful of because they will ALL say “Branson Area” or “right on the lake”. Also, the best whiskey bar in the area is at top of the rock, if you guys want to have a quality cocktail with some of the best scenery not on a mountain or a beach. The restaurant is very upscale, and great for a dinner with your woman too if she’s coming. If you’re bringing family, they will def have plenty to do in Branson while you golf, Silver Dollar City, outlet malls, more shows than I could name, and the Branson Landing to name a few. The landing is a very nice area with lots of mid to upscale shopping and some good restaurants. I’m really looking forward to this meetup.

[chrismarz]

Its awesome that someone is as excited about this as me! Could be the quarantine wearing on me… I think we all need something to look forward too.

When we get a little closer (and a firm date established) we’ll start figuring out lodging. I was looking into some VRBO’s that have 6+ bedrooms that can serve as a host for many, if not most, between 1-2 houses in near proximity (I was looking near Table Rock Lake… many of the houses I see seem to be off “Clevenger Cove Road” (I honestly don’t know the area but from the maps). That locale seems to be like 15 minutes from the big courses and 10 from Top of The Rock.

I do realize that VRBO’s might not be for everyone and the guys at Big Cedar also recommended some hotels too if some prefer that, we can reserve a block. And if folks have family members coming, we can look for rooms or smaller houses for them too. I want to help as much as I can on this front, but realize everyone may have their own situation, which is totally fine!

Obviously, doing any of this without some sense of clarity on the COVID situation is foolish as it will have a big say in if the house option is even viable, so we’ll wait to see if this is demystified in the coming weeks.

[RangerB]

Was in Branson mid Oct last year and had a tee time on Ozark National that Saturday. It was 40 degrees and pouring! Hoping 2nd time is the charm.

[Hosel.Rocketeer]

@chrismarz I was wondering if we had locked in a date yet? If people are going to fly in, flights are pretty cheap right now

[chrismarz]

Not locked in anything yet. Trying the balance the line between getting the planning too far over our skiis with uncertainty still abound and absolute radio silence. The good news is I don’t think airlines are jacking up prices with any urgency right now… but once things begin to get lifted, demand will probably dictate price bumps.

For now, let me check back in at Big Cedar to ensure nothing is changed from their end.

[chrismarz]

So, followed up and I’m informed that groups are pushing back to the Fall in droves right now, so its probably wise to get on the books here quickly.

My lean is the 10/23-10/25, which of the responders on the google doc seemed fully inclusive (I know everyone was a trending “tentative”).

So if no objections - I’ll reach back out and have them pencil us in. Sound good?

[lazyjk]

Do it!

[Nickygifts]

Yeah let’s do it

[jbpayne32]

Was kinda hoping 10/16-10/18 as UGA plays Mizzou in Colombia on the 17th…but, I would still be in regardless.