This Wilderness Resort in Missouri's Ozark Mountains Was Voted One of the Best Escapes in the American Midwest

"Seconds before my younger brother, Trevor, steadied his stance and launched his golf ball through a curtain of water and into a powder blue Missouri Ozarks sky, I did something that, during most golf rounds, I pride myself in not doing: I pulled out my iPhone, tapped record, and let the camera roll. "When at Big Cedar Lodge," I mused, watching Trevor twirl his left-handed sand wedge beneath a craggy slab of limestone, mist spraying across his backswing."

"Once, in Australia, a helicopter dropped me off at the golf course, parking smack dab in the center of the driving range. Still, nothing prepared me for the third hole at Cliffhangers, the newest thrill in Big Cedar's ever-expanding golf playground. "Well, I can now say I've played golf inside a cave," I joked after hitting my shot through a waterfall, marveling at the tee shot's novelty, an experience that felt equal parts national park and video game."

"Billed as "Golf on the Edge," Cliffhangers opened last July. Before teeing it up, we were required to sign a waiver to play the unconventional 18-hole short course, a nod to its cliff-hugging switchbacks and a maze of showy cart path water crossings. And if the cavernous walk-up to the third tee box wasn't dramatic enough, the welcome sign casually revealed that, during construction, the very spot served as the hangout for a mature mountain lion. ("Continue at your own risk," it concluded.) Such is the lore of a visit to Big Cedar Lodge."

Cliffhangers at Big Cedar Lodge is an 18-hole short course built along cliff-hugging switchbacks with dramatic water features and cavernous tee approaches. The layout requires waivers and includes showy cart-path water crossings and a walk-up tee that passes through a waterfall. Tee shots can feel cinematic, blending national-parklike scenery with thrill-ride elements and panoramic Missouri Ozarks views. The resort sits on the edge of Table Rock Lake and caters to golfers seeking novelty and upscale wilderness amenities. The course blends adventurous design with lore, including a construction-era mountain lion hangout and tongue-in-cheek "continue at your own risk" signage.

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