Balboa

Balboa is Ault, Clark & Associates's 1987 addition to Hot Springs Village, one of nine courses at the sprawling Ouachita Mountains retirement community, and widely cited as the most challenging of the group. The routing through the Ouachita foothills plays across wide, flat fairways that reward driver off the tee, then defends with fast, well-maintained greens and a strong collection of tricky par-3s. Water hazards and bunkers combine throughout the round, strategic planning matters more than raw ball-striking to card a good score. At 6,725 yards par 72 with a 131 slope, Balboa is sized for a serious round but routed with enough variety to keep walking groups engaged. The course is walker-friendly despite the foothills location. Balboa was ranked #7 in Arkansas by Golf Digest in 2005-2006 and remains one of the most-played courses among visitors to Hot Springs Village. With the Village's nine-course rotation, a group could play Balboa one day, Isabella (the 2000 Ault Clark design) another, and still have seven more to choose from, a genuinely unusual offering in American resort golf.