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When landscape architect Tom Clark, a Pennsylvania native, sought a career in golf course design, a mentor offered the following wisdom: “You either get lucky or born into it.”

Maybe Clark has enjoyed some good fortune, but he’s shown plenty of skill in the field of golf course design over a career that spans 40 years and has included hundreds of projects. Clark proudly looks back at all he’s accomplished since starting his career and is particularly fond of what he’s contributed to the state of Arkansas.

“I hope I have [left a mark],” said Clark, who is based out of Marshall, Va. “I’m 99.9 percent sure I’ve done more golf courses than any other architect in the state, living or dead.”

It’s a bold comment about a state that prides itself on its diverse courses and landscapes from the Ozarks to the Delta, but the facts back up his statement. Clark has been involved in the creation of nearly 20 courses in the state with several remodeling projects added to the resume. Some golf architects are lucky to build that many in their career.

But quantity isn’t what has made Clark’s work stand out. Golf Digest continues to rank his courses in its bi-annual Top 10 list for Arkansas. Clark courses took up four spots in the most recent rankings, including three in Hot Springs Village.

Rick Ross, the golf professional of the courses in Hot Springs Village, has nothing but positive words about Tom Clark. After all, with the exception of the DeSoto course, Clark designed all of the courses in Hot Springs Village, including the private club Diamante and perhaps the Village property owners’ brightest gem, Granada.

“He’s done so well in the field, he’s got courses all over the world that are under construction, and he still has time to visit each and every project several times,” Ross said of Clark. “He’s there once a month during the one-year or two-year process. He definitely gives you his undivided attention.”

And it’s the unique details included in each of Clark’s courses that have made Hot Springs Village continue to request his services.

“He works with the land very well,” Ross said. “You can gauge the enjoyment and experience you had by what you remember. You know it’s a good course if you can remember every hole.”

One would be quick to think that Clark would run out of creative ways to design a course, but he has taken advantage of the diverse Arkansas landscape — from the Ouachita Mountains to the flat Delta terrain of Blytheville and its Thunder Bayou course — to consistently produce unique courses. Having crafted courses in just about every part of the state, he has been able to produce unique spectacles from the variety of topographies, soils and rock formations that truly make Arkansas “The Natural State.”

When the mountainous parts of the state called for a course, Clark featured the rock formations that are “not so severe that you can’t build on it like the Rockies,” leading to a variety of shock values that golfers look for in a course.

“A lot of architects do the same thing over and over,” Clark said. “All the courses [Clark designed] are completely different and that’s what people like. It’s the same architect; it’s just a different style.”

One course Clark is particularly proud of is Big Creek in Mountain Home, one of only 24 courses in the country to have a five-star editor’s ranking in Golf Digest. Despite its remote location, it has steadily become a treasure that golfers seek out.

It may have been Clark’s luck that has led to the course’s popularity, but Lang Zimmerman, the managing partner of Big Creek, is ecstatic with the course.

“You can get tired of playing anywhere, [but at Big Creek] you still find new places to screw up and hit it,” Zimmerman said. “The good thing about Tom [is] he makes the hazards where you can see everything in front of you... I can’t wait for the day that warrants we call him again and do another nine holes.”

Clark’s luck, blended with some tremendous skill, continues to be seen throughout the state as golfers indulge in some of the finest courses available. Despite the recent economic downturn and the lack of new course requests, Clark remains confident in his craft and the game of golf.

“I don’t think I’ll ever retire,” Clark said. “I enjoy the work too much.”

Touched Up: Courses With the Clark Imprint

Tom Clark has had a hand in these courses across Arkansas — many were designed by him; others were remodeled or co-created when he was new to the business.

Bella Vista Country Club, Bella Vista

Berksdale Golf Course, Bella Vista

Big Creek Golf & Country Club, Mountain Home

Branchwood Golf Course, Bella Vista

Coronado Golf Course, Hot Springs Village

Cortez Golf Course, Hot Springs Village

Country Club of Little Rock

DeSoto Golf Course, Hot Springs

Diamante Country Club, Hot Springs Village

Granada Golf Course, Hot Springs Village

Highlands Golf Course, Bella Vista

Isabella Golf Club, Hot Springs Village

Kingswood Golf Course, Bella Vista

Magellan Golf Course, Hot Springs Village

Metfield Golf Course, Bella Vista

Mountain Ranch Golf Club, Fairfield Bay

Newport Country Club

Ponce de Leon Golf Course, Hot Springs Village

Rebsamen Park Championship Golf Course, Little Rock

Scotsdale Golf Course, Bella Vista

The First Tee of Central Arkansas, Little Rock

The Highlands Golf Course, Bella Vista

Thunder Bayou Golf Links, Blytheville