Holiday Toy Drive, Ozark Mountains Christmas Highlight Year-End and Special Golf Rates in Branson

(BRANSON, Mo.) – The 24th Ozark Mountain Christmas and LedgeStone Country Club’s annual Toy Drive headline some of the many exceptional golf, destination values and seasonal attractions in Branson.

LedgeStone Country Club – ranked one of the five best golf clubs in Missouri by Golfweek magazine along with Payne Stewart and Branson Creek – kicks off the ideal holiday mix of golf and charitable giving with its annual Toy Drive.

From now through December 22, golfers will receive a free green fee, Sunday through Thursday, with the donation of a toy. All donated toys must be brand new and in their original packaging. Golfers are required to pay $22 per person cart fee.

For over 10 years, the Ozark Mountain Country Love INC branch has coordinated the Stone and Taney County Holiday Assistance program. Each year over 800 families and 1,500 children benefit from food and gifts throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas through programs coordinated by Love INC, including LedgeStone’s annual Toy Drive.

"Our golf course is open to the public and our hearts are open to the community," said Bill Hasler, general manager at LedgeStone. "This is a special time of year in the Ozarks, and each year we work hard to provide children with gifts they may not otherwise receive."

Thousand Hills Enhances Player Friendly Rules for Senior Golfers
Thousand Hills Resort and Golf Club has added more fairway cart accessibility for seniors as it approaches turf dormancy season.

In years past, the golf club only allowed carts with handicap flags to access fairways via the 90-degree rule. Now, seniors will also enjoy that access, a move designed to be more senior-player friendly.

Furthermore, Thousand Hills will reroute its hole order, to begin next spring. The move is in response to player surveys, customer and staff feedback, and testing various routings which determined there is a more intuitive routing that will speed play without compromising the course designers’ intentions.

Par will remain the same on both nines, and Thousand Hills has been consulting with Mike Riley, who was one of the architects of the original design, along with Paul Clute, to maintain the original intent of the landscape and maximize course use.

Give the Gift of Golf This Season
Several Branson golf courses will offer Black Friday specials on select apparel and golf gifts in the last two months of the year.  Local golf professional Chris Meade of Murder Rock Golf Club recommends a lesson or personalized club fitting as the ideal gift this year.

“New drivers fit to a golfer’s swing help improve performance and enjoyment of the game,” Meade says. “Golfers will appreciate the confidence boost, along with a short lesson, at the beginning of the 2013 golf season.”

For a complete list of golf shop phone numbers and web links, see www.explorebransongolf.com/courses.

Holiday Happenings
In addition to golf’s year-round appeal to millions who travel to Branson each year, the destination invites visitors to experience its fifth official season right now: Ozark Mountain Christmas.

Held each November and December, the area-wide celebration brings together a mix of world-class entertainment, recreation and holiday spirit to provide an authentic, holiday experience. This year marks the 24th season for Ozark Mountain Christmas as Branson transforms into a wonderland featuring spectacular light displays, shows celebrating Christmas traditions, theme parks in all their holiday glory and a wealth of special events.

Visit www.explorebranson.com/Christmas for more details.

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