Holiday Island 18 Hole Golf

Despite a course rating of 70 and a slope of 123 [Max is 155] across roughly 6,000 yards from the "tips," Holiday Island is a uniquely challenging course to play given the amount of strategic shot making that is required on multiple holes due to tight fairways and/or well placed “bends” in the fairways. Holiday Island is somewhat tucked away from the “hustle and bustle” as it’s just outside of Eureka Springs which is a small Arkansas resort town. For all of the "positives" and "challenges" listed below , I'd say a "fair" ranking for this course would presently be a 3 [on a 1 to 5 scale ]. "Positives" 1. Definitely a fun and challenging layout despite being on the shorter side in terms of course length. 2. The Pro Shop is decently equipped and personnel have always been great. 3. Generally speaking, you can obtain a decent last minute tee time on the weekends without a great deal of effort [e.g. prior to 10 AM]. 4. There’s a small restaurant with pretty good food in the same complex as the pro shop. 5. The greens are well maintained but can be challenging due to their elevation changes. 6. The surrounding area of the course is very picturesque. "Challenges" 1. There is NOT a range associated to the 18 hole course. Apparently, there is a range at the executive course which is a small driving distance away. There is a small putting green and a small chipping green that are both in standard shape. In fairness, there doesn’t appear to be any available land upon which to place a full range on the present property as 90%+ of the land is being utilized. 2. When played recently, the fairways were in somewhat poor condition due to heavy rain and it appeared that there was also on going water line installation across the fairways and on the course generally. However, given the elevation changes on a lot of the holes, heavy rains can lead to washout or bare playing conditions in multiple areas. Under normal conditions, we’ve found the fairways to almost always be in an above average shape. 3. Several of the bunkers were in poor condition, not raked to any degree, and need to be refilled with more sand. 4. The carts were a little on the rough side, but were clean and functioned as intended. Electric carts would likely be a better choice for the fleet as opposed to gas but that’s a personal preference. 5. For the above-noted conditions, $70+ for greens fees [including cart] on the weekends is, frankly, way TOO HIGH of a price. A "fair price" given these types of conditions would be more akin to $45-$50 on the weekends until such time that these conditions are remediated. 5. IMO, Holiday Island could [and likely should] also see more general public play with a greater social media presence meant to attract more folks from larger populations areas in NW Arkansas [i.e.the course is only about an hour from Fayetteville and the surrounding courses near Fayetteville are almost always at capacity on the weekends]. There should also be a greater marketing effort towards “stay and play” packages given the course’s proximity to Eureka Springs. 6. With more attractive pricing for weekend play [i.e.$45 - $50] coupled with a “better” social media strategy, the course would very likely see an elevated amount of rounds per year. Folks from the larger metro areas of NW Arkansas just aren’t signing up for a 1 hour drive AND $70+ greens fee as a general rule of thumb and especially for the course in its present condition. On a final note, I recognize that maintaining a golf course is a very challenging endeavor so I've attempted to be fair in my review. However, it's also fair to say that if you're in the golf course business, those challenges are ones faced by literally every course in the area just the same.

The first Major of the here was here on July 31st. Greens were immaculate and fairways were lush. My buddy bash brother john Wilkes Booth won the tournament! Only drawback was that my buddy won because we were forced to drink bud light. Busch light forever!

Very nice golf course. We went there for the World class Chili cook-off competition. Alot of really great chili was eaten!