This week, one of my friends moved from the West Coast to the East Coast. He asked if I wanted to tag along on his drive and play a little golf. Of course you know the answer to that! I took a couple days off and flew out to Dallas, Texas to meet him there.

We went a little out of the way to get into the southern part of Arkansas to play Mystic Creek Golf Club, which was a course I had my eye on from the time we started planning the trip! Depending on the article you read you’re likely to find Mystic Creek mentioned as one of the top public courses in the state. The course is the host of a Symetra Tour event, the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout.

Ken Dye designed Mystic Creek and his name caught my eye as he also designed Paa-Ko Ridge, one my personal favorites. I liked Paa-Ko so much because of the stunning setting! Mystic Creek isn’t in the mountains but it still occupies a gorgeous piece of property.

After hitting range balls we headed out for one of the quietest rounds that I can remember. The course’s remote location, pine-tree-filled property and lack of nearby homes were all ingredients for the stillness that makes golf such a great game. The course works its way through a pine forest with some elevation change, ponds and stunning bunkers. You could literally drop the course into the Carolinas and it would fit in perfectly.

The course is a home run for modern architecture with one eye-popping hole after another. Bunkers always help with the look, but here many green complexes are guarded by hazards, which are lined with impressive stonework. The bermuda is starting to go dormant this time of year, so I can only imagine how awesome this place looks in the spring. The best examples of just how good Mystic Creek looks are probably the 10th and 12th holes.

The 10th is one of the course’s many longish par-4’s. The hole slides right, around some water, so it sets up best for a fade. If you fan it out to the right on either the drive or the approach then you’ll be dropping somewhere. As you exit the green there is some mounding and I’d suggest taking a moment to stand on that and look back towards the tee. The reflection off the water was pretty sweet.

The 12th is the shortest par-3 at Mystic Creek. It has water in play and the green angles from front right to back left. There are some bunkers around the green and when combined with the water, those features hint at the 12th at Augusta National! Of course, the greens angles the “wrong” way, but when you look at my pictures you’ll see what I’m trying to say.

We played the white tees which are 72.6/133/6723. From there the distance was noticeable, especially on a damp course. We even played two sets of tees up from the tips, which can stretch to over 7,500 yards. It wasn’t just the distance either that made Mystic Creek tough as nails. The bunkers are deep and the water hazards are very much in play. Throw in the borderline crazy green complexes with tons of slope and I left Mystic Creek feeling a bit dejected about my score.

The conditions at Mystic Creek were outstanding. The area had received some snow recently so things were soft, but Troon golf management always does a great job from my experience. The tees and fairways were cut short and were like carpet. The greens were pure and very fast so all I was trying to do was lag it close. The bunkers had a heavy sand. We paid $35 each and it was a complete steal.

I don’t normally rave about a course that is extremely tough for amateurs, but if you are anywhere close to Mystic Creek I think you need to check it out! For those golfers in Little Rock, Texarkana or Shreveport do yourself a favor and try to play here at least once.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):