Big Sugar Golf course is hidden gem

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

— Teeing off on one of the five tee boxes of the first hole at Big Sugar Golf course, the second hole remains unseen. At hole two, the cart path ascends around a curve protected by a log-made guardrail and nothing is around but sparse houses, thick woods and then the green. And so begins a day of golf at Big Sugar.

“It’s not a typical course, there’s a lot of elevation changes and it’s a lot more scenic than other courses around,” said KenWinter, one of 11 owners of the golf club with the highest public course rating in Arkansas.

“It’s not a straight-away golf course, you have to be a little bit of a shot-maker,” he said.

Big Sugar opened its fairways in 2002, featuring an 18-hole, par 72 course, a full driving range, a 12,000-square-foot putting green and a club house complete with a golf shop, snack bar and expansive back deck.

For four years, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette voted Big Sugar the number one course in Benton County.

The course is a semi-private course, meaning it’s open to the public but also offers memberships to more frequent golfers.

“The public is always welcome,” Winter said. “We offer memberships for people who want to play a little more often, to save them a little money.”

Golfing is a sport effected by the downturn of the recession, Winter said. But Big Sugar has maintained its number of rounds played. The club has around 125 members.

“Like all businesses, we tried to evaluate (costs), in this economy we (the club) tried to be a little more frugal in what we do,” he said, adding that prices have not increased.

In the peak of the season, mid-summer, the course employs about 50 workers, including students from Pea Ridge High School working summer jobs.

“They help with carts and the mowing and maintenance,” Winter said.

Steve Wilcoxen is the golf course superintendent, keeping the bent-grass greens in excellent condition for the players.

“We get a lot of compliments on our greens,” Winter said.

“The big issue is people think we’re so far away, they don’t realize how close we are to (Interstate) 540,” he said. “People associate Pea Ridge with the battlefield, but we’re the other way.”

The club hosts a multitude of tournaments, fundraisers and scrambles, including an upcoming charity tournament benefiting Victory Walk, Inc.

June 18, and a father/son tournament June 20.

The Tuesday night scramble is one of the most popular events, Winter said. Any ability level is welcome to join a four-man team teeing off at 5:30 p.m.

every Tuesday. The cost is $10 to play, golfers must be registered by 4:30 p.m. that day.

Big Sugar Golf Club offers a variety of membership programs, including annual resident, annual weekday, advantage andcorporate memberships.

Daily rates are also available for nine or 18 holes.

Tee times start at 8 a.m.

seven days a week. To make a tee time, call the club at 451-9550, and remember that proper golf attire is required.

BIG SUGAR DAILY GOLF RATES GREEN AND CART FEES, 9 HOLES MONDAY◊THURSDAY: $20, 1/2 CART;

$25, FULL CART FRIDAY◊SUNDAY: $30, 1/2 CART;

$35, FULL CART GREEN AND CART FEES, 18 HOLES MONDAY◊THURSDAY: $28, 1/2 CART;

$38, FULL CART FRIDAY◊SUNDAY: $38, 1/2 CART;

$48, FULL CART

News, Pages 1 on 06/16/2010