We've all seen the lovable, but troubled talents of PGA Tour Jekyll-Hyde John Daly mesmerize and confound us with his roller-coaster life.  And we've seen him sporting an Arkansas Razorback hat or golf shirt.

Well, it was right here in "The Natural State" that Daly decided to dedicate a summer in the late '80s to sharpen his game, and hang out at Mountain Ranch Golf Club in Fairfield Bay. That summer he worked diligently on his game, sold shirts and green fees, and even worked the driving range. Soon after he headed for the Hogan Tour (now Nationwide), and then graduated to the big-time, winning the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in Indiana.

Let's take a tour of golf in Arkansas, a state resplendent in zoysia fairways and bent-grass greens.

Mountain Ranch Golf Club - Fairfield Bay, Arkansas
Daly's training ground, Mountain Ranch, is part of the 13-course Arkansas Natural State Golf Trail. It covers the timberlands of the Ozarks, Ouachitas and the delta. It is scenic, hilly, beautifully manicured and in unbelievably affordable. Don't expect to see any triple-digit green fees here.

"In this economy we are up about 20 percent," said Mountain Ranch general manager and head golf pro Rory Bradley. "We generate business by collecting information from everyone who walks through the door. We use e-mail blasts and market ourselves. But I think what brings people back is the mountain scenery, the conditions, our timeshares and just the special deals we offer."

Mountain Ranch, ranked No. 1 resort in Arkansas by Golf Digest, is an Edmond Ault-design, par 72, that stretches out to 6,780 yards and offers a gentle, sloping front nine and a back nine that requires precision and strategy. No. 12 is a risk-reward beauty, only 315 yards, but sand encircles the green. Long hitters go for the green when the wind is trailing.

Tannenbaum Golf Club - Drasco, Arkansas
Sister course to Mountain Ranch, Tannenbaum is laid-back hospitality and beautiful. It spotlights the Ozark Mountains and is actually a peninsula surrounded by the waters of Greers Ferry Lake.

Tannenbaum measures 6,608 yards at par 72, but every hole is tree-lined, demanding drives in the fairways. Two par threes are picturesque and demanding. No. 2 is 203 yards from the back and guarded by water and stacked rock. No. 12 at 195 yards drops 130 feet downhill to a semi-island green carved from the mountainside.

The John Floyd-designed course was rated by Golf Digest as one of the best places to play in 2005-2006. Tannenbaum also offers a 10-acre practice facility with driving range, putting and chipping green and practice bunker. Tannenbaum is handy for fishermen-golfers-it is close to world-record trout fishing on the Little Red River, recreation on Greers Ferry Lake, arts, crafts and shopping and other Natural State Golf Trail courses.

Greystone Country Club - Cabot, Arkansas
After your first tee shot at Greystone Country Club, only 20 minutes outside
Little Rock, hopefully you have reached the fairways and can view a perfect lie on zoysia grass. There are two scenic, rolling courses with bent-grass greens here - Cypress Creek (7,392 yards, par 72) and Mountain Springs (7,051 yards, par 72).

Mountain Springs finishes with a waterfall hole and Cypress Creek has played host to the Arkansas Open and a Hooters Tour Event. It is a long and challenging layout with hazards on 12 of the 18 holes and an island green on the 16th.

Harbor Oaks Golf Club - Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Water features on seven holes makes Harbor Oaks Golf Club one of the top 10 public courses in Arkansas. It features a par 72, 7,010 yards, with Tifton 419 Bermuda fairways with bent-grass greens. The practice range includes 25 hitting stations, a chipping green, putting green and practice bunker.

There's a noteworthy restaurant and lounge with views of the 9th and 18th greens. Harbor Oaks also boasts a 600-seat conference center ready for any occasion and full-service golf shop with top quality merchandise. Other sights include the Delta Rivers Nature Center, a railroad museum, arts and science center, seasonal festivals and concerts.

Another course on the trail to check out is the Red Apple Inn & Country Club in Heber Springs, situated on a peninsula surrounded by Greers Ferry Lake. Also, look into Big Creek Golf and Country Club in Mountain Home; The Course at Eagle Mountain in Batesville; Glenwood Country Club in Glenwood; Eagle Crest Golf Course in Alma; Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs; Sage Meadows in Jonesboro; Stonebridge Meadows in Fayetteville; and Thunder Bayou Golf Links in Blytheville.

More excellent golf can be found at Hot Springs Village, which totals nine golf courses in America's largest gated community. We played Granada, the newest nine that measures 7,115 yards at par 72 and rolls up and down creating striking views of creeks, pine forests and a lengthy waterfall cascading down the 18th hole to a pond right in your drive landing zone. Perhaps Hot Springs Village should have its own golf trail.

Your visit to Arkansas might not include a round of golf with John Daly, but it will be memorable.  In the fall when the trees are turning colors might just be so enticing you may decide to come back year after year driving the highways and the fairways.


Natural State Golf Trail
www.naturalstategolftrail.com    
1-866-2-GOLF-AR

State of Arkansas information
www.arkansas.com    

David R. Holland is author of The Colorado Golf Bible, and a former sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News.
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