Hot Springs (Park)

The first recorded documentation of what is now Hot Springs Country Club is found in The Official GOLF GUIDE of the United States and Canada from 1899: “The links were marked out in January and were opened for play March 8. The fair green offers good going, and when the greens have had a little more time it will be a very interesting course, as the ground is broken and undulating.”

In 1909, land on the Cooper Farm was acquired, and preparation of the grounds made by “underbrushing the entire property by cutting out all the small trees, vines etc. and trimming the lower limbs from the larger trees in order that the courses could be laid out”. William Anderson from the St. Louis Golf and Country Club then set out the course on this 130-acre site.

By 1924, there were twenty-seven holes in play, with Willie Park Jr. credited as the architect of this layout which comprised a “championship course” and a “third nine”. Two years later, another nine was added to form two 18-hole tracks, with plans in place to develop an adjacent 147-acre property as a third course.

William Diddel then redesigned the newer 18-hole layout which became the Arlington course in 1932 and it’s more than likely that he also carried out modifications at the same time to the original Majestic course, which has since been renamed the Park course. Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw have renovated both courses in more recent times.