Here is a few photos of a recent round at Isabella GC, here in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It is a Tom Clark design (Ault, Clark, & Associates). He has designed a total of 9 courses here in the Village. For what its worth we have 3 of the top 10 rankings in Arkansas. They built 18 holes in 02 and added 9 more in 05. Most of the older courses here are very tight. The land they had for Isabella is more subtle and the result is a beautiful golf course with wide landing areas. It is a residential type golf course but the amount of land they gave the golf course is amazing. It is a walkable course but there are a few long transitions between holes. My biggest gripe with the design of all of the courses here, is around the greens there are lots of slopes but you can rarely ever use any of them to funnel the ball onto the greens. They have tried their best to keep as much water off the greens as possible. Which is understandable (35 inches over for the year this year), but they could have done it in a way that would have protected the green and allowed for some sideboards and backboards. The photos are from the Santa Maria 9 (newest) and the Nina 9 (the original front 9).
Hole 1 - 412 yd par 4,
Hole 2 - 530 yd Par 5, up hill dogleg left. The closer you skirt the trees on the left the closer your 2nd shot will be.
They did a good job on othe par 5's with 2nd landing area bunkering, this one is 60 yards short of the green and sits in the fairway. Makes you think before just bombing your 2nd up towards the green.
Hole 3 - 438 yd par 4, straight away hole here.
Hole 4 - 158 yd par 3, slightly down hill
Hole 5 - 580 yd par 5, stright away and up hill.
Hole 6 - 444 yd par 4, slighly up hill, a bunker less hole.
Hole 7 - 210 yd par 3, slighly down hill
Hole 8 - 371 yd par 4, hard dog leg right, fairway and green gaurded by water. a lay up hole.
Hole 9 - 487 yd par 4, up hill and probably the hardest par 4 on the course. Cross bunkering in the fairway makes the tee shot be precise.
This is a good example of what I was talking about earlier, the green sits next too a huge hillside. But you are unable to use that hillside because there is a swale and basins between the green and hill (makes the green feel unattached to the hill)
Hole 10 - 541 yd par 5, down hill tee shot to a wide fairway. Fairway starts to narrow and water start on the left for your 2nd and 3rd shots.
Hole 11 - 325 yd par 4, Reachable par 4, green is well guarded by sand on the right and hollows to the left.
Hole 12 - 454 yd par 4, level tee shot to a wide fariway guarded to the left by rough hollows and a lone bunker to the right.
Hole 13 - 175 yd par 3, bunkerless par 3 with hollows left and right
Hole 14 - 510 yd par 5, uphill dogleg left to a green that is perched. 2nd shot is a choice to lay up or you must clear 2 cross bunkers that appear to be greenside but ar 70 to 80 yards short.
Hole 15 - 413 yd par 4, striaght away par 4
Hole 16 - 431 yd par 4, downhill tee shot to a dogleft left hole. 2nd shot is up hill to a perched green.
Hole 17 - 185 yd par 3. Down hill par 3 guarded by water to the left.
Hole 18 - 452 yd par 4, dog leg right with an up hill tee shot. down hill 2nd to a well guarded green.
