The Alotian Club in Roland has been fortunate to avoid the flooding that has decimated areas along the Arkansas River that runs a short distance from founder Warren Stephens' showpiece golf course.
That's not to say the rain hasn't dished out its lumps on the club as its crew prepares for this week's Arnold Palmer Cup featuring 48 of the best collegiate golfers. Alotian Club director of grounds and facilities Justin Sims said the course has received 45 inches of rain in 2019.
"The weather has caused us to lose several days of course conditioning due to the many rain days we've experienced," said Sims, who's held his current position since June 2012. "It's always a goal to never have to sod anything on a golf course. We have experienced some weather-related damage and, unfortunately, sodding was unavoidable in a couple of areas.
"[Rain] has been our biggest nemesis. Since Jan. 1, 2018, this course has gotten 125 inches of rain, which is astronomical. This has made it incredibly difficult to prepare for the tournament. Overall, I think we are in a very good spot considering the amount of rain so far this year."
One of the major tasks Sims and staff have been tasked with is setting the course up for the men and women representing the U.S. and International teams. This will be the first time in the 23-year history of the tournament that women will play alongside men on American soil.
Sims is no rookie when it comes to course setup, having worked at the Olympic Club in San Francisco and most recently for five years at famed Augusta National Golf Club. The 36-year-old Illinois native got a firsthand look at the combination setup at last year's site, Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
At a glance
23rd Palmer Cup
WHEN Friday-Sunday
WHERE The Alotian Club, Roland
WHO 48 U.S. and International collegiate players participating in a Ryder Cup-type format
TICKETS $50. Good for all three days and are transferable. Can be purchased at arnoldpalmercup.com.
PARKING Shuttles will run from Little Rock Christian Academy at 19010 Cantrell Road.
NOTE A tournament bag policy will be in place. A list of all approved bags can be found at arnoldpalmercup.com. Click the ticket tab.
"For the guys, that's totally in my wheelhouse," Sims said. "Between working here and Augusta National and other places doing tournament setup, I get that. For the females, I do think some of that gets overblown when people say, 'Oh, the course needs to be set up different.' When I think of the females, I think of some of our best member golfers with the exception of our young guys. If you have a 45-year-old male that's really good and shoots par out here, the [Palmer Cup] women are probably around where he is, so I just look at it how you would do it for them. The whole concept is to produce more thought."
The setup this weekend is for the men to play the par-72 layout from the championship tees of 7,500 yards and the women from The Alotian Club members tees of 6,645 yards.
Alotian Club is a Tom Fazio picturesque design overlooking Lake Maumelle and features more than 1oo feet of elevation changes across its zoysia and bent grass layout.
"The first of June is great for bent grass," Sims said. "With zoysia, we're having to nudge it. Zoysia gets really good the end of June. We can be our own worst enemy when we try to push it. Just don't overcook the product or you'll get some self-inflicted damage.
"The week before an event you have a good idea how the course is going to set up. You start with a concept in mind. You can't put 100 percent of your energy into one thing way far ahead of time. If it's rainy, we'll adjust this way, if it's windy, we'll adjust this way. Then the only adjustments you'll have to adjust mid-week is if there is any catastrophic weather event that you can never plan for or if something isn't playing the way you intended."
The Alotian Club has made several changes since its first time on the national amateur stage -- the 2013 Western Amateur -- including installing a new short game area in 2014. Other transformations have included rebuilding three greens (Nos. 6, 17 and 18); rebuilding, deleting or repositioning all bunkers; expanding fairways a total of 25 acres; and constructing four new tees (Nos. 3, 5, 8, and 17).
Aesthetically, there are now more views of Lake Maumelle throughout the course after a loss of 500 trees from a storm last summer and the overall thinning of many more. The landscaping led the club to research promoting wildlife activity, especially quail management, leading to 10 natural coveys for the club's native area.
"You can't get game birds and wildlife to proliferate unless you have something down on the ground for them to eat," Sims said. "There are acorns, but not too many things eat acorns other than deer. It's kind of a win-win situation for us. Mr. Stephens is a massive proponent of quail habitat."
Also, 60 acres of combination native grasses and wildflowers were planted, which Sims says look like weeds but is part of the trend that is a footprint for more and more golf courses.
Sims said there are advantages preparing for a field of 48 golfers compared with the 156 in the Western Amateur, particularly on the greens.
"Setting up for 48 players makes a difference," Sims said. "The chances of the turf getting disturbed or a ball oscillating a bit because of all the foot traffic are cut 60 percent, so I think we have to worry less about traffic patterns. You can rotate [hole locations] and move [them] around at your leisure.
"We have massive greens compared to the average golf course, so we can provide a good golf experience, and they won't have to worry about a goofy hole location."
Sports on 06/05/2019