Lion's Den Golf Club - Major champ John Daly as golf course owner

John Daly, two-time major winner and certainly one of the real "character heads" in professional golf, is regarded as a "man of the people". This reputation was cemented not least by his role in Happy Gilmore 2. At the age of four, Daly moved from California to Dardanelle in Arkansas, where he started playing golf at the Bay Ridge Boat and Golf Club. To this day, he has close ties to the town on the Arkansas River, not least through a charity tournament. But in 2005, the Bay Ridge Boat and Golf Club ran into difficulties - and Daly purchased the course, reportedly at the request of his mother. His goal: he wanted to preserve the opportunity to play golf for the people in the area - after all, he himself had once taken his first swings here.

Anyone who thinks that Daly would have turned the course, which was then known as Lion's Den Golf Club, into a high-class club is mistaken. True to the motto "Man of the People", his aim was to offer the people around Dardanelle an affordable golfing experience. It should go without saying that this cannot go hand in hand with a perfectly manicured golf course. Today, the course is open to all interested golfers - and at extremely favorable conditions: in 2025, the green fee for the 18 holes of the maximum 6,405-yard course was just 40 dollars, and a cart (highly recommended due to the differences in altitude) costs 25 dollars. Daly has also reworked the course a little - he has completely done away with bunkers, which should please many golfers. The numerous differences in elevation not only require precise club selection, but also offer wonderful views of the surrounding hilly forests. The condition of the course corresponds to that of many municipal golf courses in the USA, the so-called "munis": there is little Rough, the Fairways are quite dry, especially in summer, but far from the manicured lawns of well-known private clubs, while the greens are very tidy. Water hazards also come into play from time to time.

The design of the courses is pleasingly varied. The front nine is designed as a Par-37, the back nine as a Par-35. High trees also come into play time and again, often blocking the direct path to the flag. The first two holes lead uphill before a stream separates the green from the Fairway on the downhill par-4 on hole 3. Hole 5 is the second Par-3 of the round - and is not only slightly uphill, but measures a whopping 284 yards from the back tee. Here you can tell that Daly was Mr. Longhitter on Tour for many years. Three doglegs and a straight Par-5 on hole 9 conclude the first part of the round. In the second part, the differences in elevation are even more pronounced. Particularly memorable are the up to 469-yard long par-4, dogleg right, on hole 12, where a pond accompanies the path to the green after the driveland zone on the right, the maximum 327-yard short par-4 on hole 15 with the rock behind the green including Daly's lion's head and the magnificent panoramic view from the tee on the 16th hole. It also leads golfers downhill again before the round ends with a par-3 and a par-5 in front of the clubhouse.

In the clubhouse you will find some memorabilia from Daly's career. With a bit of luck, the staff will grant you access to Daly's collection of trophies and awards and to the bar, which of course also has a stage, as music is Daly's second great passion. Fans of John Daly should definitely visit the facility in Arkansas, but be prepared for significant compromises in the condition of the course. On the other hand, Lion's Den is one of the very few golf courses of great golf stars that is open to the public and, with a bit of luck, you might even meet Daly on his course.