PHOTOS: Tiger Woods’ first public golf course design is almost finished

Tiger Woods’ golf course portfolio continues to grow, and now his first design that will be open to the public, Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge, is close to being completed.

Earlier this week, Woods paid a visit to the course that has been under construction by his TGR Design company since 2017. Located in the Ozarks in Missouri, the 7,300-yard layout is named in memory of late PGA Tour pro and Hall of Fame member Payne Stewart.

Woods reported his visit on Twitter, writing, “I was on-site earlier this week at @GolfBigCedar and finalized grading on the remaining five greens and surrounds to be grassed at Payne’s Valley, @tgrdesignbytw’s first public golf course. It’s a beauty, and I can’t wait for all of you to see it.”

The 15-time major champion also shared a few photos from his visit, which you can see at the bottom of this page.

GOLF.com spoke with Woods after getting a sneak preview of the course in early 2018. At the time Woods said the new course would be defined by its bunkering.

“We’re going to really flash up the bunkering,” he told GOLF.com. “If you look at Augusta National, how the bunkers are pretty flashy, some are in play, some aren’t, but they’re eye-catching. If we do it right, the bunkers here will be eye-catching — but then again, I want your eyes to be pulled to the scenery, pulled into the trees and the surrounding areas.

“That’s the trick that’s going to have to happen, using a lot of the rock that’s already existing here. The rocks are natural and indigenous and while we’re dynamiting some of it in order to create some holes, I don’t want to get rid of it all. The rocks will make for eye-catching design features.”

As with other Woods designs in Houston and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, among others, he wants this course to play firm and fast, with contours that move the ball around.

“Brown is okay,” Woods says of the turf conditions. “It doesn’t have to be perfectly green. I want the ball running, I want it traveling, I want it moving on the ground. We have some amazing elevation changes, some amazing slopes and I think we can create some interesting options and enjoyment for a lot of players.”

Payne’s Valley was originally scheduled to open at Missouri’s Big Cedar Lodge sometime in 2019, joining four other courses at the property.

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