BRANSON, Mo. – Golf isn’t the main attraction in Branson, this rocking town of about 10,000 in southern Missouri. It has a wide range of entertainment options. Golf is just one of them.

Plenty of links-related things have been happening in Branson, however, with most of them tied in some way to Johnny Morris – the billionaire who created Bass Pro Shops. His first such Outdoor World opened in the nearby, much larger town of Springfield, Mo., in 1972.

Morris, a passionate conservationist, built his business empire around fishing, hunting, camping and boating but – in more recent years – he has embraced golf in a big way. That’s why Branson has become a big golf destination that figures to get only bigger in the very immediate future.

Here’s a sampling of what’s been happening golf-wise in Branson and the nearby towns of Ridgedale, Hollister and Reeds Spring. A warning: this could be a bit overwhelming.

Morris acquired Big Cedar Lodge on the outskirts of Branson in 1987. Now it’s a sprawling wildness resort highlighted – from a golfer’s viewpoint – by the Top of the Rock course and the accompanying Arnie’s Barn. (The Big Cedar facility also has multiple restaurants, a spa, chapels, stables and a conference center, among other things).

Top of the Rock is a nine-hole par-3 course designed by Jack Nicklaus. It is — from this perspective of a golfer who has traveled widely in search of playing opportunities for 60 years and been a scribe on the sport since 1968 – the most scenic course in America.

Nicklaus began building the course in 1996, and the work took awhile – over seven years, to be exact. By 2014, however, it became the first par-3 layout included in a PGA Tour-sanctioned competition. The oldest event on the Champions Tour – the Legends of Golf – is partially played there.

Top of the Rock also includes a one-acre putting green called “the Himalayan,’’ which was designed by Tom Watson and has an elevation change of 20 feet from top to bottom.

The overall practice facility was designed by Arnold Palmer and features 16 fully lit target greens. It also, unfortunately, includes five sink-holes that emerged last May. Geologists are trying to deal with them, but they are more of a photo opportunity now. They don’t impact play on the course and the range is still in use.

Palmer’s influence is more evident in the “Barn,’’ which houses the pro shop and an upscale Mexican restaurant. The wooden Barn has a history; it was built 150 years ago in Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, Pa., and was transported piece by piece and reconstructed at Top of the Rock. Included in its bar area is the mounted 1,358-pound black marlin that Nicklaus caught in Australia in 1978.

The course is filled with breath-taking views of Table Rock Lake, waterfalls and fascinating rock formations. After a round golfers have the option of taking a cave tour on their carts and/or visiting the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum. Obviously, a nine-hole round there isn’t you’re ordinary breeze around a par-3 course.

And that’s not all.

More recently the high-quality Branson Creek course, a Tom Fazio design built in 1999, was taken over by Morris. It was renamed Buffalo Ridge Springs, updated by Fazio and now includes free-ranging buffalo. Morris brought them over from his nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. Buffalo Ridge Springs’ 18-holer is the companion course for Top of the Rock in hosting the Legends of Golf.

And that’s not all.

Murder Rock, which had been highly-promoted as a John Daly design, is no more. It will soon be two courses. Gary Player is building a 12-hole family-friendly course there, scheduled to open sometime in 2015, and the well-regarded architectural team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are creating The Ridge Course at Buffalo Ridge, an 18-holer that will open sometime in 2017.

And that’s not all.

The Payne Stewart Golf Club, which had been a Branson attraction with lots of memorabilia from the late two-time U.S. Open and former PGA champion, just parted ways with Stewart’s foundation. The course is now called Branson Hills. Apparently a museum in Stewart’s honor is in the planning stages. He grew up in Springfield.

Those aren’t the only courses in the Branson area, by any means. Holiday Hills, established in 1938, was the area’s original course and its short (5,798 yards from the tips) layout is still going strong. So is Pointe Royale, which is more of a championship layout with its 6,501 yards from the back tees and eight water holes.

LedgeStone, a one-time private facility, rivals the higher-profile Buffalo Ridge Springs and Top of the Rock layouts for attracting serious players and Thousand Hills Golf Resort has a funky (one par-5, eight par-4s and nine par-3s) layout that is loads of fun. Thousand Hills was an especially nice place to stay for us, since it was so close to the evening entertainment venues.

One thing to remember about Branson when you plan a trip there. There’s much more to do in addition to the golf. Our stay included three shows, all high quality but very different. Violinist Shoji Tabuchi is an Ozark entertainment legend who has his own, high-tech theater. “Six’’ features some very musically-talented brothers with a unique story to tell through the course of their performance and “Liverpool Legends’’ is a tribute to The Beatles that had the crowd dancing in the aisles.

Those shows are just a small offering of the available night-life. The Branson area has 41 theaters offering about 100 shows, depending on the time of the year. There’s also a wide variety of lodging and dining options. And, soon there will be a youth baseball complex that will have replica versions of Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium.

But, if you still need at least a taste of golf after nightfall, you could try the wide range of miniature courses. They seem to be everywhere and some are of a very elaborate nature.

CAMDENTON, Mo. – There never was a doubt about the quality of The Course at Old Kinderhook. The Tom Weiskopf designed layout has ranked among the top three public courses in Missouri and the top 20 in the state overall since its opening in 1999.

In the last four years, though, this scenic place in the Missouri Ozarks, has undergone some major changes that have only made it better – much better, in fact.

Climaxing a series of upgrades initiated by executive director Bob Renken was the completion of the 84-room Lodge at Old Kinderhook, an upscale hotel that also includes a banquet center, indoor swimming pool and fitness center. Its creation also led to some outdoor enhancements that broadened the activity offerings at the facility and impacted one hole of the golf course.

Now adjoining the new lodge — which had its grand opening in April during the last Masters Weekend — are two courts for outdoor volleyball, a saltwater outdoor pool with a waterfall and a cabana and bar.

Guests are just starting to enjoy most of those outdoor facilities, but the volleyball area was already a big hit during the winter months. It was transformed into an ice rink that drew an average of 300 skaters per day.

Kenny Morrow, a member of the United States’ gold medal-winning hockey team in the 1980 Olympics, built the rink — the only one in the Ozarks. The closest other ones are in Jefferson City, Springfield and Columbia. Not only did the Old Kinderhook rink attract casual ice skaters to an area that only rarely sees snow, it also became a venue for competitive pond hockey leagues two nights a week.

The outdoor attractions required space and some adjustment in the other buildings on the property, but more notably they necessitated changing a course that really didn’t need any changing. It was popular just the way it was – but there’s a good chance the revised No. 15 hole will make it even better.

Weiskopf’s original design had it as a par-4 that required a layup off the tee. Since the outdoor expansion it’s being played as a temporary par-3, but soon it will be a par-4 again – one that’s 40 yards shorter but more challenging.

“We want it to be our signature hole,’’ said Old Kinderhook all-purpose staffer Paul Hannigan. “Now it’ll be a drive-able par-4, and a risk-reward hole for longer hitters.’’

The hole ranges from 344 yards from the back tees down to 291 from the front. When played at full yardage the course is 6,797 yards with a rating of 72.8 and slope of 137.

The change from the current temporary par-3 will take a few weeks, as the fairway is being moved 20 yards to the left, in large part to take some of the golf villas out of play. It was a necessary tweak that promises to enhance an already quality layout, one of the best of all Weiskopf creations.

Old Kinderhook has only one 18-holer, albeit the best one in the Ozarks, but visitors to the area have other golf options. The Ozark Golf Council has 13 courses on its Golf Trail, all within a 30-minute drive of each other. One of them, Lake Valley, is across the street from Old Kinderhook.

The work done at Old Kinderhook over a 16-month period came at a cost in excess of $11 million. The result was a more full-service gated facility that spans over 700 acres. Old Kinderhook’s investment group took an aggressive approach during an economic downturn that particularly impacted the golf industry both in the Ozarks and nation-wide. There were also some positive upgrades made in the town of Camdenton during that period.

“Camdenton and Old Kinderhook were willing to grow during the period,’’ said Hannigan. “We also built 20 (housing) units, and they sold in less that two years. Now we’ll be adding rental boats and jet skis.’’

That bold approach, the ownership expects, will lead to more home sales, lodging rentals and general activity year-around.

ERIN, Wis. – Erin Hills has gotten nothing but better since its opening in 2006. That was clearly evident when the facility on the outskirts of Milwaukee conducted what has become an annual outing leading into its ultimate showing – as the site of the 2017 U.S. Open.

Jim Reinhart, general chairman for the big event, was presented with a good opportunity to compare Erin Hills with a similar facility. Chambers Bay, in Washington, hosted a U.S. Open that wasn’t without controversy a week before Erin opened its doors to about 50 media members from around the Midwest.

Reinhart tried hard to steer clearly of controversy in making comparisons.

“Both courses are in new areas that had never hosted a U.S. Open,’’ said Reinhart. “Both have incredible community support. Both areas are naturally beautiful, but Chambers Bay was manufactured on a gravel pit while Erin Hills’ architects took advantage of a more natural area. Both have fescue fairways, and both play long. Erin Hills is not a true links-style course. Chambers Bay is much more a links style. We have eight times as many trees – we have eight!’’

Inevitably, though, the subject of Chambers Bays’ perceived shortcomings came up. Players didn’t like the bumpy greens there and the course wasn’t spectator-friendly.

“You have to put it in perspective. It’s a U.S. Open, and they bitch,’’ Reinhart said of the player complaints, the most notable coming from Billy Horschel and legendary competitor Gary Player. “That’s what the USGA does. It gets into their heads. There was a lot of grumbling out there. We took notice of some of that but, when they get out here in two years, they’ll be blown away.’’

Given the history of the U.S. Open, however, it’s unlikely that players will unanimously be in love with Erin Hills. U.S. Open courses always get tough setups, and Erin Hills will, too.

On the spectator side, though, things should be much, much better than they were at Chambers Bay.

“This golf course, overlooking Holy Hill, will be mind-boggling,’’ said Reinhart. “At first I was a little scared (after the criticisms started to build about Chambers Bay), but then I thought `This is going to be super for us.’ We’ll knock the ball out of the park here.’’

No argument there, especially when you consider the spectator space available throughout the course and especially on the last three holes.

“Nos. 16, 17 and 18 coming down the stretch will be filled with spectators who will have a perfect view of the most important holes of the entire championship,’’ said Reinhart. “It’ll be an absolute home run.’’

As for the facility and tournament update, Reinhart reported that the U.S. Golf Assn. would put staffers on the premises full-time beginning in July. Corporate hospitality sales for 2017 have begun, and are way ahead of schedule. Recruitment of volunteers will begin soon.

Since the previous year’s update outing Erin Hills has changed the green on the No. 3 hole, put in a beautiful short game area, created a new practice putting green near the No. 1 tee and created several new tees. Some of those were built to enhance daily play, but those at Nos. 2 and 15 created reachable par-4s that should appeal to USGA executive director Mike Davis.

Scott Walker, Wisconsin governor and presidential candidate, was also on hand to predict an “incredible’’ U.S. Open and laud the growth of the sport in his state, which has about 500 courses.

“I’m not a golfer,’’ he said. “The reason I’m here is because of the green on the greens.’’

Citing a 2008 report, Walker said golf puts 38,000 people to work in Wisconsin and has a $2.4 billion economic impact. His projections for the 2017 U.S. Open called for an economic impact of between $140 and $170 million.

Here’s an even more interesting stat. Erin Hills’ biggest event so far has been being the main course used for the 2011 U.S. Amateur, won by Kelly Kraft. That was only four years ago, but the contestants since them have accumulated $38,450,796 in prize money as professionals, won eight tournaments, had 75 top-10 finishes and 152 top-25 finishes. Those stunning numbers should indicate the caliber of play coming in August at Olympia Fields, site of this year’s U.S. Amateur.

Jordan Spieth, who won at Chambers Bay, didn’t win at Erin Hills when he was an amateur. He lost in the quarterfinals.

“He’ll have good memories of Erin Hills,’’ predicted Reinhart.

More memories will be built at the course this season on the local level. Erin Hills will host this summer’s Wisconsin State Amateur.

For the record, the course can now play as long as 7,812 yards from the back tees, where is has a 77.9 rating and a slope of 145. Green fee at the walking-only course is $245 for public play. In 2017 there won’t be any public play until after the U.S. Open is over.

ROSCOMMON, Mich. – The idea is at least intriguing. Tom Doak has designed a golf course that will have 18 greens and fairways but will play in two directions.

The No. 18 green will always be the No. 18 green, but one day you play around to that green from a clock-wise direction, and the next day you do it in a counter-clockwise direction. Michigan’s respected Forest Dunes will get two new courses while building only one.

Think about that — and a lot of people have.

“Most people are over-thinking this,’’ said Todd Campbell, the general manager at Forest Dunes. “Some, even executives, think people we will be hitting into each other. No!!!! We’re smart individuals. This is going to work out.’’

After touring the property with Campbell I think it will, too. But, you have to see it to understand it. Hopefully this description will help in that regard.

Forest Dunes’ first course, designed by Tom Weiskopf, opened in 1998 and is a gem. It’s long been listed in America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses and last year golfers came from 34 states and seven different countries to play it. Thirty-eight percent of the rounds played there were from non-Michigan residents.

The problem for Campbell and Lew Thompson, the course’s Arkansas-based owner, was keeping players around after they’d played Forest Dunes once. They built a lodge and other lodging options. That helped, but still there was just that one great course in a relatively remote area of Michigan.

“Our ownership wanted a national destination,’’ said Campbell. “People weren’t staying here. We were seeing money drive out of the parking lot.’’

There was plenty of land available, however. Having 1,320 acres to work with was a good thing.

Thompson, who is in the trucking business and is also part of the investment group that owns the Jack Nicklaus-designed The Bridges course in Colorado, and Campbell wanted a second course at Forest Dunes — one designed by a Michigan architect that would be much different than the first course – and they’ll certainly be getting it.

There won’t be any course in the country, if not the world, like the radical Doak design when it opens. Hopefully that will be in late fall, 2016, but the course won’t likely be in full swing until the spring of 2017.

Doak has said he considered building a reversible course for about 30 years, and insists it’s not unprecedented. Several European courses – even the famed Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland – were played in reverse in their early years in an effort to minimize the wear and tear from divots.

In these modern times, though, there aren’t any such courses and the anticipation for this one has been building.

“Tom will build a great-experience golf course that will be fun,’’ predicted Campbell. “And, it will look different.’’

Doak, whose Renaissance Golf is based in Traverse City, last designed a course in his home state when Black Forest opened in Gaylord in 2002. He also designed Lost Dunes, in Bridgman, before creating 31 courses around the world including five recognized in America’s Top 100. Most recently his renovation of Medinah’s No. 1 course in the Chicago area opened in 2014.

To create the reversible layout Doak needed flat property with few trees, sandy soil and an owner who could think outside the box. He found all that at Forest Dunes and groundbreaking was held last October amidst much fanfare.

“We can pull this off,’’ said Campbell. “We’ll have two golf courses wrapped into one, and people will stay multiple nights. And this will only enhance our other golf course.’’

The key to the reversible course’s success will be tee placements, and there’ll be many of them. Tee box areas will be defined, and each hole will have multiple tees, but the staff will have lots of flexibility in their use.

While there’ll be just 18 greens and 18 fairway complexes, there will be two courses thanks to the positioning of the tees. Both layouts are expected to be par-70s, but one will play about 6,700 yards from the back tees and the other will be about 100 yards longer.

“There’ll be two different golf courses,’’ stressed Campbell. “They’ll play completely different. The wind will be completely different. Some greens that you hit into will be for a par-3 one day and for a par-5 the next.’’

There’ll be no water holes and the fairways will be extremely wide and lively. There won’t be much in the way of flowers, and grass from the tee boxes all the way to the greens will be mowed at the same height but there will be some fescue in evidence. None of the tee boxes will be elevated, and the present design calls for 41 sand bunkers and about 40 grass bunkers.

“We want a completely different golf experience than we have over (at the existing course),’’ said Campbell. “There’s no other place in North America where you can find a bentgrass golf course and a fescue golf course 100 yards apart.’’

The existing Weiskopf design was a $12 million project. The Doak layout will be considerably less, though Campbell declined to offer a cost estimate. The Weiskoopf layout was built on 500 acres, the Doak will need only 200. The Weiskopf course is connected to some real estate development. The Doak course won’t be.

Cost for the Doak course was impacted by the fact that it’s being built basically in house. Forest Dunes owns the equipment being used, irrigation comes from a nearby pond and, said Campbell, “We think it’s kind of sexy that the green mix is all from the property.’’

A tornado that struck the area before work began last October turned out a blessing. It reduced the number of trees. Then still more were removed to expose the sand. The arrival of Brian Slawnik, Doak’s lead representative on site, and the hiring of Brian Moore as course superintendent triggered the grassing process. It’s to be completed by Labor Day.

Moore, 33 arrived in May to take what he considers a “dream’’ job. His resume includes a brief stop at Philadelphia’s famed Merion and a three-year stint as first assistant superintendent at Chicago Golf Club, America’s first 18-hole course.

The new course isn’t all that’s being built at Forest Dunes.

“For us to build this without more lodging would be suicidal,’’ said Campbell. “We struggle with lodging just for the existing course, and we need to triple our accommodations. We have about 50 beds and will need 135 to 150 – enough accommodations for our guests to play both golf courses..’’

One villa is under construction and another six to 10 will likely follow. Several members are also building homes on the property that will be put into the rental program.

Maybe by then Campbell will know what to call the course that Doak is creating.

“I’ve been working on a name for 18 months, and I’m ready to tear my hair out,’’ said Campbell.

Staff members, which included head professional Chad Maveus and first assistant Patrick Bloom, all participated in the naming process but they couldn’t come to an

agreement. Forest Dunes has 20,000 golfers in its database, so Campbell contacted them for some “idea-sourcing.’’

That didn’t work, either, though he received 600-700 responses and some even included suggested logos for the new course. The list of possible names is now down to about 20. Names will also be needed for the direction of the layout used; Campbell doesn’t want to “clock-wise’’ or counter clock-wise.’’ There should be something more appealing than that.

Forest Dunes, once the Doak course is completed, will be more of a golf destination, but still not a resort. The golf season will still be a short one, but golf can be played until nearly 10 p.m. most nights during that season.

Like Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Whistling Straits in Wisconsin and Streamsong in Florida Forest Dunes doesn’t have much of a local market but Campbell expects the expansion will have benefits locally.

“What we’re doing is great for everyone in the state,’’ he said. “We have a cat by the tail. We just don’t know how big that cat will become.’’

GLEN ARBOR, Mich. – The Homestead is located in the heart of Michigan’s best golf areas, but it’s difficult to consider it a golf destination. There’s so many more attractions there, most notably Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. In 2011 ABC’s Good Morning America labeled that area “the Most Beautiful Place in America.’’

It’d be pretty hard for a golf destination to compete with “America’s Most Beautiful Place,’’ wouldn’t you agree?

The Homestead welcome sign doesn’t even focus on golf. Instead, it proclaims itself as “America’s Freshwater Resort.’’

Still, there’s good reasons to link The Homestead with golf. The facility has a 19-year history with the sport, dating to the creation of a nine-hole 1,200-yard par-3 course called Mountain Flowers. Bob Kuras, The Homestead’s owners, was one of its designers.

Kuras was part of the ownership group then and golf was in a big growth period nation-wide. Consideration was given to building an 18-hole course then, but the idea was eventually rejected.

Mountain Flowers, though, worked out just fine in providing guests with a golf option during the warm weather months (it was also in use for skiers in the winter). The short course had multiple tees, water hazards, sand, bunkers and trees. A fieldstone bridge replicating the 13th hole at Augusta National’s Amen Corner was included. Kuras had a romantic attachment to the beauty of ancient courses, visual aesthetics and a commitment to the environment. It showed in the course’s creation and – most important – it was fun to play.

In 2004 Kuras took things a step further in expanding the golf options to include the Dave Pelz Scoring Game School. It was located away from Mountain Flowers and had its own unique atmosphere around the Firefly Lodge.

Pelz’ schools are held across the country, but the one at The Homestead is more elaborate. It includes classroom, locker rooms, club storage and an amphitheater for outdoor instruction. The hitting bays are also covered so that instruction and practice can go on even in inclement weather. Golfers can come for a variety of schools to enhance their chipping, putting and bunker play.

By 2009 Kuras, now sole owner of The Homestead, took an even more dramatic step. He purchased The King’s Challenge, an Arnold Palmer-designed 18-holer 10 miles away in Cedar. It needed, and received, upgrades and was eventually renamed Manitou Passage in honor of a shipping route that ran through the property, most notably by the No. 8 tee box and fairway. That elevated spot produces the most spectacular view on the course.

Remnants of a once-thriving ski area, Sugar Loaf, remain on the golf course though skiers haven’t been there for about 15 years. The second course that was part of the Sugar Loaf complex is being operated as a public course known as the Old Course at Sugar Loaf.

This Old Course has no connection to Manitou Passage, which has kept ahead of the changing times through the guidance of general manager and former IBM executive Bob Summers.

“I do things a little differently,’’ Summers is quick to point out. He refused to get involved in price-cutting, as so many other course operators have done in recent years. Instead he kept the upscale Manitou Passage at the upper end of the fee schedule while increasing the services offered his players.

Most notable in that regard was the installation of a new phone app, Pace Setter. Golfers use their I-Phones or Androids to get course information and about any other information they might want. Pace Setter keeps track of their statistics all year long. Users can book tee times, learn if they’re on or off pace on the course, order food and beverages and be advised of upcoming events at the course.

Summers believes that Manitou Passage is the first course in Michigan to use Pace Setter, but he’s had inquiries from no less a facility than Oakland Hills regarding its performance. In barely two weeks about 250 golfers had loaded Pace Setter, and Summers had set a goal for 1,000 by the end of the year. He also is offering golfers weekly and monthly play passes.

Manitou Passage also introduced a six-hole loop on holes 10 through 15 this year to stimulate youth and family play. The full course, though, can be all the challenge you could want from the back tees – a layout that measures 6,668 yards

All that means that serious golfers have Stay & Play visit options. They could include top-level instruction at the Pelz School, on-course sharpening on Montain Flowers and a serious challenge at Manitou Passage. At the same time they – or family members — can explore the beauty of Sleeping Bear Dunes, taste the delights of Nonna’s – a fine Italian restaurant on The Homestead property, play some serious tennis on courts equipped for exhibition play and relax in Spa Amira at Little Belle.