Payne’s Valley Is Tiger’s Fitting Tribute To Stewart

Last seen trying to defend his 2019 Masters title at Augusta National, Tiger Woods continues to compete on the PGA Tour. But health issues associated with multiple knee and back surgeries prevent him from playing nearly as often as he once did. Which is likely one reason why the 44-year-old father of two is devoting more of his time these days to golf course design.

His first course in the United States, at the private Bluejack National Club and Community outside Houston, Texas, came online in 2016 to largely rave reviews. And the El Cardonal layout he fashioned among giant dunes at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, is regarded among the best in that golf-rich region. Now comes Payne’s Valley, a sort of tribute track to his old friend Payne Stewart that is located in the Ozark Mountains of southwestern Missouri. The late golfer once called that part of the Show Me State home, and the public-access course that bears the name of the three-time major championship winner who died in a 1999 plane crash is part of th...