Mystic Creek Golf Club
Arkansas’ nickname is the “Natural State,” and if you drive around it, you can easily see why. From the Ozark Mountains to Hot Springs National Park, and to the Mississippi River, lakes, and natural wetlands, it’s easy to see why outdoor enthusiasts have flocked there for decades.
Many will pull campers or boats, of course, but more and more probably have their golf clubs in tow when they come to Arkansas. After all, a great natural environment is the perfect canvas for terrific golf, and Arkansas has plenty of that for everyone.
Admittedly, the best golf in the state is probably of the private variety, like The Alotian Club or the Blessings, which rank among the finest golf courses in the country. But you don’t have to look too hard to find some exceptional public golf as well. The top daily fee venues are spread around the state, so no matter where you’re coming from, especially if you’re driving, you can play some pretty memorable golf courses.
They are also a bargain, relatively speaking, when you compare them to similar quality courses in other locations around the United States, especially the east coast or California. Here then is a look at our top five public facilities in the state of Arkansas:
Mystic Creek Golf Club, El Dorado
It’s only been open since 2013, but it’s already starting to reach legendary status. Designed by Kennth Dye Jr. (no relation to Pete Dye) and owned by Murphy USA, which is based in El Dorado, the course is a 7,500-yard, championship-level masterpiece. It is home of the Epson’s Tour’s Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout, one of the top events on the LPGA feeder circuit, but more importantly, it’s a visually stunning golf course with impeccable conditioning that will challenge every level of player.
Located in southern Arkansas just above the Louisiana border, the course runs over naturally rolling terrain, with a variety of water features, deep white sand bunkers, doglegs and sloping greens that are sure to befuddle first-timers. They can get the greens speeds pretty high on the Champion Bermuda putting surfaces, so rollouts on missed putts are often to uncomfortable lengths. The course begins and ends with two terrific par 5s, the last one finishing under the balcony of Mystic Creek’s new clubhouse, which was made from local timber and blends flawlessly into the natural cathedral pines that line the fairways. Among the highlights is the par-3 12th that seems to be a mirror copy of the famous 12th at Augusta National. Azaleas that bloom in the springtime will help draw that comparison as well.
Though there are no accommodations yet at Mystic Creek, there are packages available through local hotels in El Dorado which locals will tell you rhymes with “tornado” for proper pronunciation. And speaking of El Dorado, it’s a pretty interesting town with terrific restaurants, historical buildings and statues, lots of festivals, and the Murphy Arts District, which features an entertainment venue that has drawn some of the biggest names in music and comedy.
Mystic Creek Golf Club
The Ridges at Village Creek, Wynne
About 50 miles west of West Memphis, Ark., is Village Creek, the second largest state park in Arkansas and home of The Ridges at Village Creek. This is a 27-hole signature course by Andy Dye, who is related to Pete and Alice Dye (he’s their nephew and son of Roy Dye).
Simply put, this latest addition to the Natural State Golf Trail is stunning.
Located atop Crowley’s Ridge, a unique landform in Northeast Arkansas, the course opened in 2012 and offers three championship-level 18 hole combinations. The course, which can play as long as 7,400 yards in one of its configurations, features dramatic elevation changes, water on a dozen holes, and terrific conditions. The holes are imaginative and visually pleasing with twists and turns at every corner.
And since it’s a state park, there are plenty of other things to do as well, like hiking, tennis, and fishing and boating on its two lakes. There are also cabins available for rent as well as nearly 100 campsites.
The Ridges at Village Creek
Big Creek Golf & Country Club, Mountain Home
Located not far from the Missouri border, Big Creek Golf & Country Club is set in the southern Ozark Mountains. Designed by Thomas Ault and opened in 1999, the course is laid out over 200 acres with four lakes and the namesake creek that comes into play on several holes. With zoysia fairways, bentgrass greens and pure white bunkers, this 7,320-yard par 72 is a visual feast and great test of golf.
The course offers a great variety of holes, from short and long par 4s that range from the 325-yard 16th to the 491-yard seventh, to picturesque par 3 holes with some good risk-reward par 5s. The course has outstanding practice facilities that include separate putting and chipping greens, practice bunkers, and a 400-yard grass range.
Mountain Home is only 90 minutes from Brandon, Mo., so anyone making a golf trip there would be wise to consider a day trip down to Big Creek. The area also offers great trout fishing on the North Fork and White Rivers as well as boating and fishing on Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes.
Big Creek Golf & Country Club
Hot Springs Country Club, Hot Springs
The courses at Hot Springs Country C.C. go back to the 1800s with the original Willie Park Jr.-designed Park Course being built in 1897, while the William Diddle-crafted Arlington Course has been around since 1927. These are two classic courses you don’t want to miss, plus they are in Hot Springs National Park as well as the city of Hot Springs, which is one of the top tourist destinations in the state. The area is also a hotbed for golf with lots of terrific golf courses, both public and private in the area, especially in nearby Hot Springs Village, a popular retirement spot.
The Park Course has great views surrounding lakes and mountains with bentgrass greens, and water on several holes. This 6,852-yard parkland course received an extensive renovation in 2001 by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The 6,690-yard Arlington Course features narrow Bermuda fairways and difficult, undulating bentgrass greens. It, too, was renovated by Coore-Crenshaw, just a few years earlier in 1994.
Both courses at this semi-private club are open to the public. Outstanding practice facilities and an elegant clubhouse with exceptional dining complete the package.
Hot Springs Country Club
Mountain Ranch Golf Club, Fairfield Bay
An amenity of the resort community of Fairfield Bay, Mountain Ranch is a 6,780-yard Ed Ault design carved out the natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains..
The site of numerous state championship tournaments, this is one of the courses that eases you in from the beginning and gets progressively harder. The back nine is definitely the tougher of the two sides and is highlighted by the par-5 14th, which has a tee that’s 80 feet above the fairway. That’s followed by the uphill par-4 15th, which plays nearly 400 yards from the back tees and is considered one of the toughest holes in the state.
Very reasonable golf packages with the Summerhill Condos at Mountain Ranch are also available, and golfers can also play nearby Tannenbaum Golf Club, a terrific John Floyd design located on nearby Greers Ferry Lake. Tannenbaum is known for its par-3 12th, which features a tee box 120 feet above the semi-island putting surface.
Mountain Ranch Golf Club