Holiday Island 18 Hole Golf Course
Holiday Island 18 Hole Golf offers a strategic challenge through tight fairways and elevated greens in a peaceful setting near Eureka Springs. While modest in length, this layout demands precision and thoughtful play, making it a rewarding round for all skill levels.
Course Overview
Holiday Island 18 Hole Golf offers a distinct blend of challenge and natural beauty just outside the resort town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This 18-hole, public course strikes a balance between strategic play and accessibility, presenting a layout that demands precision more than brute length. At roughly 6,000 yards from the back tees, it’s a course that rewards thoughtful shot selection, with several holes featuring tight fairways and well-placed bends that test accuracy off the tee.
The terrain is marked by modest elevation changes that influence both drive placement and approach shots. The greens, noted for their subtle undulations and elevated sections, provide a stimulating challenge to putters, requiring an attentive read of pace and break. Despite its shorter yardage, Holiday Island encourages golfers to think carefully about club choice and trajectory, as hazards and tight landing zones dictate more than raw distance.
Set within a tranquil environment removed from heavy traffic or urban noise, the course creates a peaceful backdrop that complements a focused round. The absence of a driving range on-site focuses preparation on the course’s putting and chipping areas, which maintain good conditioning. Golfers seeking a quick tune-up before tee-time will find these facilities adequate.
While recent course conditions have varied with weather and maintenance projects, fairways generally hold up well and the greens receive consistent care. Several bunkers protect the greens and strategic fairway locations, demanding an element of caution to avoid difficult recoveries. The club’s pro shop offers a selection of equipment and apparel, supported by attentive staff who assist with tee times and course navigation.
Visitors will appreciate the convenience of the small restaurant located within the clubhouse area, offering a chance to relax and refuel post-round. Accessible pricing and generally steady weekend tee availability add to the course’s appeal for both spontaneous rounds and planned visits.
Holiday Island 18 Hole Golf encourages a thoughtful approach to each hole, rewarding golfers who embrace its subtle demands. Its balance of scenic calm and tactical testures makes it a worthwhile stop for players exploring the golfing landscape of Northwest Arkansas.
Course Highlights
Holiday Island features tight and strategically designed fairways that challenge shot placement and course management. Elevated, fast greens test putting skills, while bunkers are positioned to protect key scoring areas. The course’s quiet setting near Eureka Springs offers scenic views without the distractions of urban development. Though lacking a driving range, the course provides well-maintained practice putting and chipping greens. The clubhouse restaurant provides convenient dining after your round.
Frequently Asked Questions
Guest Reviews
William Claesen
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.
Kansas Garden Man
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!
Keith Doom
Very nice golf course. We went there for the World class Chili cook-off competition. Alot of really great chili was eaten!
Chris LaCerra
The clubhouse staff was friendly and helpful. The course was great condition. There are several tight tee shots. The greens were outstanding! I’m looking forward to playing here again the next time I am in the area. I highly recommend playing here.
Stephen Shoemate
Looks like a nice place, but I'm not a golfer. The grounds look well cared for. We went to pick up a truck bought at an online auction. Dealing with Gary Martin, the fire chief, was a pleasure. He was a great help, when the truck experienced difficulty, just a few miles away. We got everything taken care of, and had no further trouble. Not bad at all, for a truck sold as 'inoperable'.
Todd Dempsey
Vince Kardack
Damn, it’s gone down hill….. make trip and go to Cassville golf course.
William Claesen
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.
Pedro Negrete
George Pendergrass
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Course Details
Access & Location
1 Country Club Dr, Eureka Springs, AR 72631, USA
Clubhouse with pro shop and small restaurant
Walking encouraged; course terrain is moderately hilly so comfortable golf shoes with good support are recommended.
Open to the public with tee times available online or by phone; no advanced reservation typically needed for early tee times.
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