Is Top of the Rock a full 18-hole course?

No — it's a nine-hole par-3 course (par 27, about 1,420 yards), part of the Top of the Rock complex at Big Cedar, which also includes an Arnold Palmer practice range and a Tom Watson putting course.

Who designed Top of the Rock?

Jack Nicklaus designed the par-3 course (the current layout debuted in 2014). Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson designed the range and putting course respectively.

What's its claim to fame?

It's the first par-3 course ever used by the PGA Tour for a championship — the PGA Tour Champions' Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf was contested here from 2014 to 2019.

How much does it cost to play?

Roughly $90–$175 depending on season and resort-guest status — premium for a par-3, but the setting (and the carts, included) is extraordinary.

Top of the Rock

A nine-hole Jack Nicklaus par-3 perched on an Ozark bluff over Table Rock Lake — waterfalls, cliff-edge greens, and the only par-3 course the PGA Tour ever used for a championship.

By American Tee Box · Ridgedale, Missouri · 5 min read

Some par-3 courses are an afterthought. Top of the Rock is a destination. Jack Nicklaus draped nine short holes across an Ozark bluff 100 feet above Table Rock Lake — cliff-edge greens, waterfalls, a carry over open water, and one of the great golf views in the country. It’s part of a larger complex with an Arnold Palmer practice range and a Tom Watson putting course, and it made history as the first par-3 layout the PGA Tour ever used for a championship.

How it plays

Short on the card, big on drama. The nine holes run from flick wedges to genuine mid-irons, each framed by rock, water, or a lake-and-mountain horizon that makes club selection the second thing on your mind. It’s eminently playable for all levels — the kind of round where a beginner has the time of their life and a scratch player still has to flight a few shots — and at roughly an hour and three-quarters, it’s an easy add to any Big Cedar day.

The pedigree

From 2014 to 2019, the PGA Tour Champions brought the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf here, making Top of the Rock the first par-3 course the Tour ever used for a championship — a genuine piece of golf history on a course anyone can play. Add the Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail, the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, and the lakeview Osage restaurant, and it’s as much an experience as a round.

Plan your visit

It’s at Big Cedar Lodge near Branson, perched above Table Rock Lake. Book through the resort, go late in the day for the sunset over the lake, and pair it with the big courses — Payne’s Valley, Ozarks National, Buffalo Ridge — for the full six-course property. Carts are included; bring a camera and a few extra balls for the water holes.

Book a tee time →

Who should play here

Everyone at Big Cedar, honestly — families, beginners, and serious players alike. Top of the Rock isn’t a championship test; it’s a joyful, jaw-dropping hour and a half of golf with real history and an unbeatable view. Don’t treat it as a warm-up. Treat it as one of the reasons you came.

Top of the Rock, quickly

Is Top of the Rock a full 18-hole course?: No — it's a nine-hole par-3 course (par 27, about 1,420 yards), part of the Top of the Rock complex at Big Cedar, which also includes an Arnold Palmer practice range and a Tom Watson putting course.
Who designed Top of the Rock?: Jack Nicklaus designed the par-3 course (the current layout debuted in 2014). Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson designed the range and putting course respectively.
What's its claim to fame?: It's the first par-3 course ever used by the PGA Tour for a championship — the PGA Tour Champions' Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf was contested here from 2014 to 2019.
How much does it cost to play?: Roughly $90–$175 depending on season and resort-guest status — premium for a par-3, but the setting (and the carts, included) is extraordinary.

We may earn a commission on the tee-time link above — we only point you where we’d book ourselves. Scorecard figures are illustrative.