CS InvitationalBig Cedar · 2027
Your invitation
Aerial view of Table Rock Dam in autumn, spillway open, the White River running out below and the lake spreading between wooded points behind

I.Travel · DFW & Lubbock

Getting to Big Cedar

291 Financial Drive, Hollister, MO 65672. By road or by air, from the two places most of the field calls home.

Photo: KTrimble · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

II.From Dallas–Fort Worth

Eight hours, no tolls

The fastest road through Oklahoma and Arkansas is also the only free one. Flying is an hour and a half in the air and an hour on the ground.

Drive · Route ARecommended

Through Arkansas

Miles
423
Hours, free-flow
8.0
Toll roads
None

Rome2Rio: 7 h 42 min, 412.5 mi · plan on 8.5–9 h with fuel and food

  1. US-75 N, Dallas to Sherman and Denison
  2. US-69 N through Durant, Atoka and McAlester to I-40 near Checotah
  3. I-40 E into Arkansas, to the I-49 junction north-east of Fort Smith
  4. I-49 N to the AR-112 / AR-265 exit in south Fayetteville
  5. AR-16 / AR-265 through Fayetteville, then AR-45 E to US-412
  6. US-412 E by Huntsville to Harrison, Arkansas
  7. US-65 N from Harrison into Missouri
  8. Exit “US 65 Business / CR 165: Hollister”, then Industrial Park Dr to Financial Dr

Tolls. None. No step is a turnpike, tollway or managed lane; US-69 and I-40 are not among Oklahoma’s twelve turnpikes. No tag needed.

FlyNonstop

American nonstop, DFW to Springfield

DFW to SGF

American, operated as American Eagle · 1 h 39 min · 364 mi

Current route list, checked Sept 2026 — confirm for April 2027

  • The obvious airport is Springfield–Branson (SGF): the closest with airline service, and American flies it nonstop from DFW.
  • From SGF it is 54.5 road miles and about 69 minutes to the lodge, by MO-266 / MO-B, MO-360 and US-65 south. No tolls.
  • Love Field flyers: Southwest has no nonstop to SGF or XNA. Its nearest is Tulsa, about four hours short by road with a turnpike, which makes DAL impractical.
  • Fallback: XNA, American nonstop from DFW, then about 105 miles and 2 h 17 min by road.

Sourcesflyspringfield.comWikipedia: Springfield–Branson National Airportflightconnections.comOSRMflytulsa.comflyxna.comOSRM 2

Where to stopRoute A, 6 towns
Stops on Dallas route A
TownMiHours
Durant, OK961.8
McAlester, OK1693.2
Checotah, OKAbout halfway, at the US-69 / I-40 junction2113.9
Fort Smith, AR2775.1
Fayetteville, ARWhere the route leaves I-49332–3426.1–6.3
Harrison, ARLast big town: 30.9 mi, about 41 min, to the lodge4067.7

Miles and hours from Dallas, free-flow, to each town centre.

OSRM’s first choice, and the only one with no tolls. It leaves the interstate at Fayetteville; the last 94 miles are US and state highways. It does not pass through Springdale.

SourcesOSRMrome2rio.complatepay.comOSRM 2

Other routesB through Springfield · C via Tulsa · from Fort Worth or DFW Airport

Route B. Through Springfield

Alternative
Miles
460
Hours, free-flow
8.75
Toll roads
1

About 37 mi and 45 min more than Route A

  1. US-75 N
  2. US-69 N through Durant, McAlester and Muskogee to Big Cabin, OK
  3. I-44 E, the Will Rogers Turnpike, by Vinita and Miami to the Missouri line at Joplin
  4. I-44 E, Joplin to Springfield
  5. MO-360 and US-65 S, Springfield to Hollister

Tolls. Will Rogers Turnpike (I-44). Cashless since November 20, 2024: PIKEPASS, a compatible Texas tag, or PlatePay by mail at the higher rate. Its only mainline plaza sits just north-east of Big Cabin.

Stops on Dallas route B
TownMiHours
Muskogee, OKAbout halfway2334.4
Vinita, OKWill Rogers Turnpike service plaza area2995.8
Joplin, MO3486.7
Springfield, MOBass Pro’s flagship; the SGF airport run joins here4177.9

Miles and hours from Dallas, free-flow, to each town centre.

Take it when the car is stopping in Springfield: collecting someone off a flight into SGF, or visiting the Bass Pro flagship. Longer and tolled, but interstate from Big Cabin to Springfield.

SourcesOSRMWikipedia: Will Rogers Turnpike

Route C. Via Tulsa and the Cherokee Turnpike

Not recommended
Miles
454
Hours, free-flow
8.8
Toll roads
2

Longer and slower than Route A

  1. US-75 / US-69 N
  2. SH-375, the Indian Nation Turnpike, from near McAlester
  3. US-75 N by Okmulgee to Tulsa
  4. I-244 / US-412 E through Tulsa
  5. US-412 E, including the Cherokee Turnpike
  6. US-412 E through Siloam Springs and Springdale to Harrison
  7. US-65 N

Tolls. Indian Nation Turnpike (SH-375, 105.2 mi, fully cashless since November 2024) and Cherokee Turnpike (US-412, 32.8 mi).

Stops on Dallas route C
TownMiHours
Tulsa, OK197.5 mi, 3.9 h short of the lodge——
Siloam Springs / Springdale, AR——

Miles and hours from Dallas, free-flow, to each town centre.

Listed only so nobody follows a phone that suggests it.

SourcesOSRMWikipedia: Indian Nation TurnpikeWikipedia: Cherokee Turnpikeoklahoma.govplatepay.com

From Fort Worth or the airport

447.7 mi · 8.5 h from Fort Worth427.1 mi · 8.15 h from DFW Airport

From Fort Worth, OSRM’s fastest line crosses the Metroplex on the Airport Freeway and SH-121, using TX-121 Express / TEXpress managed lanes and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (NTTA, Grapevine to McKinney), then joins Route A on US-75. From the DFW Airport area it takes the Sam Rayburn with no TEXpress segment. Without a toll tag, those tolls are billed by mail; or tell the navigation app to avoid tolls.

SourcesOSRMOSRM 2Wikipedia: Sam Rayburn Tollwaytxdot.gov

Oklahoma tollsCashless; Texas tags work

All twelve Oklahoma turnpikes are cashless; there are no booths. A PIKEPASS pays the lower rate. Without a tag, PlatePay cameras read the plate and an invoice goes to the registered owner, at a higher rate. Texas tags work: TxTag, NTTA TollTag and HCTRA EZ TAG all interoperate with PIKEPASS, and the TollTag has worked on every Oklahoma turnpike since August 10, 2014. Rental agreements handle tolls their own way; read yours.

Fares change and are not quoted here.

Sourcesplatepay.comoklahoma.govWikipedia: Will Rogers Turnpiketxdot.govoklahoma.gov 2

III.From Lubbock

Six hundred miles, or two flights

By road it is a two-day trip for a Wednesday tee. By air, through DFW, it is a morning.

Door to door, in hours

  1. Fly LBB → DFW → SGFAbout 6.5–7 h

    Saves five to six hours each way. The costs: airline golf-bag handling, the risk of a missed connection at DFW, and needing the Big Cedar airport shuttle or a rental at SGF.

  2. Drive LBB → DFW, then fly to SGFAbout 11 h

    No faster than driving the whole way, and no car on arrival. Only if you are overnighting in DFW anyway.

  3. Drive the whole way11.8 h free-flow; plan on 12.5–13

    Brings a car and keeps the clubs out of airline hands; four to an SUV. Needs a Tuesday (or Monday) overnight to make a Wednesday 1 PM tee.

FlyBest

One ticket on American, through DFW

LBB to DFW

American, the only nonstop carrier · 1 h 18 min, fastest · 281 mi

Current route list, checked Sept 2026 — confirm for April 2027

DFW to SGF

American, operated as American Eagle · 1 h 39 min · 364 mi

Current route list, checked Sept 2026 — confirm for April 2027

  • No airline flies nonstop from Lubbock to SGF, XNA or Tulsa.
  • Best: LBB to DFW on American, connecting to the DFW–SGF nonstop, with golf bags checked through on one ticket.
  • The alternative is United through Denver or Houston–IAH: Lubbock has United Express to both, and SGF has United from both.
  • Southwest cannot get you to SGF.

Sourcesflyspringfield.comWikipedia: Lubbock Preston Smith International Airportflightconnections.comflightconnections.com 2

Drive · Route ARecommended

Wichita Falls, Oklahoma City, Tulsa

Miles
648
Hours, free-flow
11.8
Toll roads
3

Rome2Rio: 11 h 02 min, 644 mi · plan on 12.5–13 h with stops

  1. US-62 / US-82 E and TX-114 out of Lubbock
  2. US-82 E to FM-369, into Wichita Falls
  3. I-44 N (US-277 / US-281) to the Red River, then the H.E. Bailey Turnpike through Lawton
  4. I-44 through Oklahoma City on the toll-free Will Rogers Expressway
  5. I-44 E, the Turner Turnpike, to Tulsa, then the Skelly Bypass
  6. US-412 E, including the Cherokee Turnpike
  7. US-412 E through Siloam Springs, Springdale and Huntsville to Harrison
  8. US-65 N to Hollister

Tolls. H.E. Bailey (I-44, 86.4 mi), Turner (I-44, 86 mi) and Cherokee (US-412, 32.8 mi). All cashless: PIKEPASS or a compatible Texas tag, or PlatePay by mail at the higher rate.

How those hours add upThe basis of each figure
Fly LBB → DFW → SGF
About 3 h in the air (fastest LBB–DFW 1 h 18 min, DFW–SGF 1 h 39 min), plus the DFW connection, getting to LBB early, bags at SGF and 69 minutes to the lodge. Our estimate; Rome2Rio’s fly-and-bus itinerary is 6 h 42 min.
Drive LBB → DFW, then fly to SGF
5.9 h to DFW Airport, about 2 h parking and security (assumed), 1 h 39 min in the air, about 30 min for bags (assumed), about 1.15 h to the lodge.
Drive the whole way
Lubbock Route A on OSRM. Rome2Rio: 11 h 02 min.

Sourcesflightconnections.comflightconnections.com 2flyspringfield.comrome2rio.comOSRMOSRM 2bigcedar.com

Where to stopRoute A, 5 towns
Stops on Lubbock route A
TownMiHours
Wichita Falls, TX2103.8
Lawton, OKAbout halfway2624.7
Oklahoma City, OK3486.2
Tulsa, OKThe sensible overnight: 3.9 h short of the lodge4538.0
Springdale, AR56110.1

Miles and hours from Lubbock, free-flow, to each town centre.

OSRM’s fastest line. Staying on I-44 through the Will Rogers Turnpike to Joplin and Springfield, then US-65 south, is 677.4 mi and 12.05 h, with a fourth toll road: 29 mi and about 14 min longer.

SourcesOSRMOSRM 2rome2rio.comWikipedia: H. E. Bailey TurnpikeWikipedia: Turner TurnpikeWikipedia: Cherokee Turnpikeplatepay.comtxdot.gov

Other routesB by Amarillo · C through Dallas

Route B. Amarillo and I-40

Alternative
Miles
679
Hours, free-flow
12.15
Toll roads
3

About 30 mi and 20 min more than Route A

  1. I-27 N to Amarillo
  2. I-40 E, Amarillo to Oklahoma City
  3. I-344, the John Kilpatrick Turnpike, around Oklahoma City
  4. I-44 E, the Turner Turnpike
  5. US-412 E and the Cherokee Turnpike to Harrison
  6. US-65 N

Tolls. John Kilpatrick, Turner and Cherokee. It skips the H.E. Bailey and adds the Kilpatrick.

Stops on Lubbock route B
TownMiHours
Amarillo, TX1232.2
Oklahoma City, OKJoins Route A on the Turner after the Kilpatrick——

Miles and hours from Lubbock, free-flow, to each town centre.

For interstate driving west of Oklahoma City, or a pickup in Amarillo.

SourcesOSRMplatepay.com

Route C. Drive to Dallas, ride with the DFW car

Not recommended
Miles
747
Hours, free-flow
14.0
Toll roads
1

About 2.2 h more than driving straight there. Lubbock to Dallas alone: 324 mi, 6.0 h

  1. US-82 / TX-114 E
  2. TX-199 / I-820 into Fort Worth, then I-820, SH-121/183, SH-183 TEXpress lanes and I-35E into Dallas
  3. Then Dallas Route A

Tolls. TEXpress managed lanes through Fort Worth on OSRM’s line. The Dallas leg is toll-free.

Stops on Lubbock route C
TownMiHours
Dallas–Fort WorthOvernight, then Route A from Dallas3246.0

Miles and hours from Lubbock, free-flow, to each town centre.

Worth it only to fill an empty seat in a DFW SUV, or when already in DFW. In practice it costs a night in the Metroplex.

SourcesOSRMOSRM 2txdot.gov

Oklahoma tollsCashless; Texas tags work

All twelve Oklahoma turnpikes are cashless; there are no booths. A PIKEPASS pays the lower rate. Without a tag, PlatePay cameras read the plate and an invoice goes to the registered owner, at a higher rate. Texas tags work: TxTag, NTTA TollTag and HCTRA EZ TAG all interoperate with PIKEPASS, and the TollTag has worked on every Oklahoma turnpike since August 10, 2014. Rental agreements handle tolls their own way; read yours.

Fares change and are not quoted here.

Sourcesplatepay.comoklahoma.govWikipedia: Will Rogers Turnpiketxdot.govoklahoma.gov 2

IV.The airports

Four fields, one answer

Springfield is the airport. The other three are here so nobody is surprised by them. Current route list, checked Sept 2026 — confirm for April 2027.

SGFSpringfield–Branson NationalSpringfield, MOPrimary
In the air
DFW 1 h 39 min · 364 mi
To the lodge
54.5 mi · 69 min
  • DFWNonstop · American
  • DALNo; no Southwest service
  • LBBConnect at DFW, DEN or IAH

By MO-266 / MO-B, MO-360, US-65 S.

Cars. Eight companies on airport property, Lot D: Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Dollar, Hertz, National/Alamo, Payless, Thrifty

Ground. Big Cedar airport shuttle, ten days’ notice · Uber and Lyft · Taxi · Hotel shuttles, limousine, car service

The closest airport with airline service. SGF’s nonstops also include Denver and Houston–IAH on United.

XNANorthwest Arkansas NationalBentonville / Highfill, ARFallback
In the air
DFW 1 h 28 min · 280 mi
To the lodge
104.9 mi · 137 min
  • DFWNonstop · American
  • DALNo
  • LBBConnect at DFW

By AR-642, AR-112, US-412 E, US-62 / US-412, US-65 N.

Cars. Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Thrifty (the airport does not say whether counters are on site)

Ground. Uber and Lyft · Jim’s Express Shuttle & Taxi, by baggage claim 1 · Pinnacle Car Services, at the escalator

Eleven minutes less in the air than SGF, twice the drive. Big Cedar’s shuttle page names only SGF and BKG.

TULTulsa InternationalNot recommended196 mi · 237 min to the lodge

The only case for it is Southwest from Love Field, and the four-hour drive from Tulsa undoes the flight.

  • DFWNonstop · American
  • DALNonstop · Southwest
  • LBBNo

In the air from Dallas. DFW 1 h 24 min · DAL 1 h 05 min · 237 mi

By I-244 / I-44 E, US-412 E with the Cherokee Turnpike, US-62, US-65 N; Cherokee Turnpike toll.

Cars. Not researched

Tulsa, OK

BKGBranson AirportNo airline service7.9 mi · 17 min to the lodge

No scheduled passenger service as of 2025; Sun Country’s seasonal flights ended after the 2024 season. Private and charter aircraft only.

  • DFWNo scheduled service
  • DALNo scheduled service
  • LBBNo scheduled service

Cars. —

Ground. Big Cedar airport shuttle, ten days’ notice

Hollister, MO

Basis and sources

Nonstops are each airport’s published list, fetched September 22, 2026. Drive miles and minutes to the lodge are OpenStreetMap routing estimates with no traffic; SGF and BKG match the figures on the lodge page.

Sourcesflyspringfield.comWikipedia: Springfield–Branson National Airportflyspringfield.com 2flightconnections.comOSRMbigcedar.comflyxna.comWikipedia: Northwest Arkansas National Airportflightconnections.com 2flyxna.com 2flyxna.com 3OSRM 2flytulsa.comWikipedia: Tulsa International Airportflightconnections.com 3flightconnections.com 4OSRM 3Wikipedia: Cherokee TurnpikeWikipedia: Branson Airport

V.Timing

Tuesday night, or a very early Wednesday

Cars go straight to the course on Wednesday: the first tee comes three hours before the lodge hands out rooms. Arrive by about noon.

  1. Be there byAbout noonWednesday, dressed to play
  2. First tee window1:00–2:30 PMOzarks National
  3. Rooms openAfter 4:00 PMAngler’s Lodge, April 14
  4. Sunday checkoutBy 11:00 AMApril 18

Tuesday night Better

Dallas
Drive the whole way Tuesday and sleep near the lodge, or stop Tuesday night in Fort Smith (5.1 h in) or Fayetteville (6.1 h in, leaving about 2 h for Wednesday morning).
Lubbock, driving
Leave Tuesday morning and push through, or leave Tuesday afternoon and overnight in Oklahoma City (6.2 h in) or Tulsa (8.0 h in, then 3.9 h on Wednesday morning).
Lubbock, flying
Fly Tuesday. A missed DFW connection on Wednesday morning costs the first round.
Wednesday morning insteadNo margin
Dallas
Leave by about 3:00–3:30 AM; from Fort Worth, 2:30–3:00 AM. No margin for delays.
DFW, flying
Possible, on a flight that lands at SGF by late morning — about 10:30 AM leaves time for bags and the 69-minute drive.
Lubbock, driving
Not realistic: nearly twelve hours free-flow before a 1 PM tee.

SourcesOSRMrome2rio.comOSRM 2Wikipedia: Central Time ZoneOSRM 3

VI.Once you’re there

Leave the car at the lodge

Big Cedar’s complimentary shuttle serves Angler’s Lodge and every off-site course; golfers pre-book rides on the same dispatch line. A car is optional once you are there.

Big Cedar airport shuttle

417-339-5104

Springfield (SGF) and Branson (BKG) · at least 10 days’ notice

Big Cedar arranges airport transfers from Springfield and Branson. Book through its private-transportation link, or call dispatch at least ten days before you arrive. No price is published; ask when you book.

Big Cedar’s page does not mention XNA or Tulsa. Assume no transfer from either unless Big Cedar confirms one.

Sourcesbigcedar.com

To the first tee, and every one after

The field
Big Cedar’s shuttle from Angler’s Lodge to each course.
Your bags
Moved course to course by Big Cedar staff.
Transport for the field · arranged

Carpool. Four golfers and four bags is a large-SUV load. One car per foursome is plenty; the shuttle does the rest.

Carpool and cargoSuburban vs Tahoe
Cargo, cubic feet
VehicleBehind 2nd rowBehind 3rd row
Chevrolet Suburban93.841.5
Chevrolet Tahoe72.525.5

Cargo volume in cubic feet, behind the second row (third row folded) and behind the third row. The source gives no model year.

  • Dallas: one Suburban-class SUV per foursome on Route A needs no toll tag and splits the fuel and the driving four ways. Swap drivers at McAlester or Checotah, and again at Fort Smith.
  • If the car already carries a TxTag or TollTag, Route B through Springfield needs nothing extra.
  • Lubbock: a foursome that drives needs a Tuesday overnight. A Lubbock player joining a DFW car adds about 2.2 h of driving and, in practice, a night in DFW.
  • One car per foursome is plenty. The shuttle does the rest.

No source measures how many golf bags fit. Four bags plus luggage in a Suburban with the third row folded is a reasonable expectation, not a tested one.

Sourcesbobhowardchevrolet.combigcedar.com

Clubs on a planeAmerican and Southwest bag rules

American

Every recommended itinerary

  • One golf bag may hold clubs, balls, tees and one pair of golf shoes.
  • Standard checked-bag fees up to 50 lb; the standard overweight fee from 50 to 70 lb. Oversize fees do not apply.
  • American is liable for damage only when the equipment is in a hard-sided case and the outside of the case is visibly damaged. Anything else flies as fragile.

Travel in a hard case if you want American to answer for it.

Sourcesaa.com

Southwest

Only a Love Field–Tulsa trip; it flies neither to SGF nor XNA

  • Sports equipment pays standard checked-bag fees, and checked bags are no longer free on most fares.
  • Oversize charges are waived from 63 to 115 linear inches; overweight charges apply above 50 lb.

Sourcessouthwest.com

The last milesFrom SGF, and from Arkansas
From SGF
MO-744 (Kearney St), I-44 east for about 6 mi, then US-65 south for about 45 mi through Springfield and past Ozark and Branson. Leave at “US 65 Business / CR 165: Hollister”, then Industrial Park Dr to Financial Dr.
From Arkansas
From Harrison, US-65 north (signed with US-62 / US-412 at first) into Missouri, to the same Hollister exit: 30.9 mi, about 41 min.

SourcesOSRMOSRM 2

How these figures were madeMethod and 35 sources · checked September 22, 2026

Road miles and hours are free-flow figures from the public OSRM router (OpenStreetMap data), with no traffic, construction or stops, cross-checked against Rome2Rio. Where a range says “plan on”, it is our own padding for fuel and food, not a sourced figure. Flight times are current scheduled block times from FlightConnections, not April 2027 timetables. Nothing here quotes a price.

Airline routes: current route list, checked sept 2026 — confirm for april 2027. No flight numbers, times or fares are given because none are published for April 2027.

Checked September 22, 2026. Lake photograph from Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons licence: Photo: KTrimble · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

  1. project-osrm.org
  2. rome2rio.com/s/Dallas/Hollister-MO-USA
  3. rome2rio.com/s/Lubbock/Hollister-MO-USA
  4. platepay.com
  5. oklahoma.gov/ota/media/newsroom/2024/november/final-segment-of-sh-375-indian-nation-turnpike-will-go-cashless-.html
  6. oklahoma.gov/ota/media/newsroom/2014/pikepass-interoperable-with-ntta.html
  7. txdot.gov/discover/toll-roads-managed-lanes/txdot-toll-roads/central-us-interoperability.html
  8. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_Turnpike
  9. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Nation_Turnpike
  10. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Turnpike
  11. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._E._Bailey_Turnpike
  12. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_Turnpike
  13. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Rayburn_Tollway
  14. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Time_Zone
  15. flyspringfield.com/destinations
  16. flyspringfield.com/parking
  17. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield%E2%80%93Branson_National_Airport
  18. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubbock_Preston_Smith_International_Airport
  19. flightconnections.com/flights-from-lubbock-lbb
  20. flightconnections.com/flights-from-lbb-to-dfw
  21. flightconnections.com/flights-from-dallas-dfw-to-springfield-sgf
  22. flightconnections.com/flights-from-dallas-dfw-to-fayetteville-xna
  23. flightconnections.com/flights-from-dallas-dfw-to-tulsa-tul
  24. flightconnections.com/flights-from-dallas-dal-to-tulsa-tul
  25. flyxna.com/destinations
  26. flyxna.com/rental-cars
  27. flyxna.com/ground-transportation
  28. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Arkansas_National_Airport
  29. flytulsa.com/travel/flights/nonstop-destinations
  30. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_International_Airport
  31. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branson_Airport
  32. bigcedar.com/shuttle-information
  33. aa.com/i18n/travel-info/baggage/specialty-and-sports.html
  34. southwest.com/html/customer-service/travel-fees.html
  35. bobhowardchevrolet.com/tahoe-and-suburban-cargo-space-benchmarks

Each OSRM route query is linked beside the figure it produced.