Balboa Golf Course

Golf Travel Guide To Hot Springs Village

An Interview With Dannet Botkin, Marketing Director

By Brian Weis

Looking to plan the perfect golf trip to Hot Springs Village? Planning a buddies trip or a romantic golf getaway can be a full time job not to mention pressure filled to deliver a memorable experience. Below is an interview with Dannet Botkin, Marketing Director who shares some insider information about golfing and traveling to Hot Springs Village, must play courses, a sample itinerary and where you can go for more planning tools.

Give our readers an overview of your destination and why they should consider it for their next golf trip?
Come explore Hot Spring Village nestled in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, North America's largest gated community.

Home to nine world-renown golf courses, over 30 miles of hiking and biking trails, 11 lakes, tennis and pickleball, beaches, over 20 restaurants and community activities for all ages, plus bocce ball, softball and lawn bowling, a farmer's market, RV park, dog park and more... Hot Springs Village offers something for everyone.

What are the must play courses in Hot Springs Village?
Balboa Golf Course
Practice your swing on Balboa Golf Club's walker-friendly course. Designed by Ault, Clark & Associates, Balboa's wide fairways and few elevation changes offer walkers a great place to take a stroll while getting in a game. Water hazards, bunkers and par 3s offer some challenges. Balboa's 18-hole golf course includes a driving range, putting green and short game area.

Coronado Golf Course
Short on time, but still want to play golf? Then Coronado Golf Club's executive-length par-62 golf course is just the place. Designed by Ault, Clark & Associates, it is the only executive length course in Hot Springs Village. Although Coronado does not have sand bunkers, the course is as challenging from 150 yards as any other HSV course. Coronado also offers a putting green.

Cortez Golf Course
Cortez Golf Club, designed by Ault, Clark & Associates, offers elevation changes, water hazards and five sets of tees that will keep most players happy. Cortez's No. 10 is considered one of the toughest holes in HSV and No. 17 is breathtaking. The course features a driving range and putting green.

DeSoto Golf Course
DeSoto Golf Club is a great choice for families. The course, which was recently renovated, opened in 1972 as Hot Springs Village's first golf course. Designed by Ault, Clark & Associates, the 18-hole course has three finishing holes and includes two par 5s and a par 4. DeSoto also includes a driving range and putting green.

Granada Golf Course
Ranked as one of the 10 best golf courses in the state by Golf Digest, Granada Golf Club is also known to be one of the most beautiful courses in Hot Springs Village. Enjoy the view of the waterfall meandering along the fairway of No. 18. The course, designed by Ault, Clark & Associates, includes par 3s, 4s and 5s. Granada also has a driving range, putting green and short game area.

Isabella Golf Course
Isabella Golf Course in Hot Springs Village was Designed by Ault, Clark & Associates. The course is fun for both novice and professional, offering three nine-hole rotations - Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria - for a total of 27 holes of play. Ranked as the No. 1 course in Arkansas by Golf Digest, Isabella has plenty of twists, turns and elevation changes to bring challenges to the game. The course also has a driving range, putting green and short game area.

Magellan Golf Course
Magellan Golf Club is one of the best practice facilities in Hot Springs Village. Magellan was originally opened as a three-hole golf school and includes an 18-hole golf course, a large driving range, putting green and several short game areas.

Ponce de Leon Golf Course
Consistently ranked in the state's top ten courses by Golf Digest and Arkansas Business Journal, Ponce de Leon Golf Club is a favorite among golfers. Ponce's 18-hole golf course also includes a putting green and short game area.

What is the hidden gem and/or best value course?
153 Holes of Fantastic Golf
Hidden Gems include Granada Golf Course with its beauty and challenging course, Ponce de Leon Golf with it's old style classic course for the low handicapper, Isabella Golf Course with it's 27-holes and lots of variation of play, and, Balboa Golf Course with the best greens in the Village.

Can you provide our readers with an ideal itinerary for a long weekend?
Ideal Itinerary in Hot Springs Village, AR

Friday Afternoon: Play Granada Golf Course, Dine at Tanner's Neighborhood Grill for Dinner

Saturday: Play Balboa or 18-Holes on Ponce de Leon Golf Courses, Eat Breakfast at Mulligans on Ponce and Dine at Beehive for Dinner and Live Music or Charlie's for Pizza & Beer

Sunday: Tour the Village with RE/MAX to discover all the community has to offer, Eat Lunch at JK's at Isabella (restaurant on the course) then play Isabella Golf Course

After golf, what are the "must do" things or attractions to see?
Oaklawn Gaming & Racing
Shop and Dine Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs

What is the best time to travel?
The best time to travel to Hot Springs Village, AR is in March - October. The mild climate makes outside adventure perfect this time of year, and, during summer months visitors enjoy our 11 lakes, 2-full service marinas, and 3 beaches as well as Lake Ouachita and Lake Hamilton nearby.

Anything else you would like to share about the Hot Springs Village?
Hot Springs Village proper, located in west central Arkansas, just 20 minutes from historic Hot Springs and 45 minutes from Little Rock, offers a gated environment encompassing 9 golf courses, 11 lakes, 2 full-service marinas, 3 beaches, 30+ miles of hiking and biking natural trails, fitness center, 14- court pickleball center, dog park, 13- court tennis center, performing arts, farmer's market, community events, over 20 restaurants and much more with Mt. Biking Trails, Crystal Mining, Lake Ouachita, Oaklawn Gaming & Racing, Garvan Gardens, Magic Springs Theme Park, shopping and spas nearby.

Where can golfers go for more information to research and plan their trip?
In Hot Springs Village, you can play a different golf course every day of the week... no two courses or holes are the same! And, Arkansas' temperate climate offers year-round play. Call RE/MAX of Hot Springs Village to find out more: 501-922-3777. Ask about our nightly rental homes, area coupons, free Village map, and no pressure community tours. Swing thru our championship golf courses today! Hot Springs Village 501-922-3777

Revised: 03/01/2021 - Article Viewed 12,822 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.