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Welcome to Alotian
"I'm a little concerned about people carrying bags in hot and humid weather on a course this hilly," Stephens said. When Arkansas weather is cool enough for lugging bags up and down the hills, the likeliest caddies should be in school, he said. The steepest of the holes is No. 6, with a 100-foot elevation change from the 200-yard championship tees to the green, linked by a serpentine cart path sporting rock retaining walls. Drainage is an all-important concern on the undulating terrain at Alotian. The course received a serious challenge during an early evening rain storm on July 30. The course weathered what was described as a four-inch deluge. The only visible signs of damage on the course during our Aug. 3 visit was some dark erosion washed into a white sand trap on the 15th hole and an exceedingly muddy pond nearby. Stephens and world-renowned course designer Tom Fazio fell in love with the property in 2001 and embraced the challenges presented by the topography. "We saw the land, and you could see how excited Fazio was about the possibilities," Stephens said. While scouting the property they discovered an old deer stand near what is now the 10th hole. Despite the business suit he was wearing, Stephens climbed up for a look-see and was impressed by the view of Lake Maumelle, whose sheer size he had never before appreciated. "We have gotten some views here you won't believe," he reported back to his companions. For the most part, Stephens turned Fazio loose to work his design magic on Alotian. But he helped make suggestions and where one feature of the course was concerned, Stephens forced the issue on how things would be. "I was really interested in the creeks, and it took a while for Tom to get interested in it," Stephens said. Fazio's interest in the creeks was heightened at the insistence of the man paying the bills. In recounting his influence on the design of the 14th hole, Stephens said he was initially rebuffed about creating a flowing creek that wraps around half the green. Fazio's crew pointed out that if there was a creek bed running through the area, a natural drainage would require repositioning its channel by a few yards to the detriment of the green. Stephens pooh-poohed the overly strict adherence to naturally occurring elements, and in the end, the creek was constructed where he wanted it. "There's nothing natural about a golf course, really now," he said, adding that a golf course is a man-made creation that has to be maintained or else nature will reclaim it. At times, nature proved an ill-tempered adversary during construction. One of the biggest struggles was keeping Zoysia sod on the 12th fairway. Untimely rains forced the grass to be completely replaced twice and partially redone a third time. Dan Snider, director of golf at Alotian, is supervising course construction. He is pleased that this battlefield is under control. Snider is mothering the 12th hole to help it catch up with near-immaculate condition of its mates. He joined Alotian two years ago, after Stephens him hired away from his position as the high-profile golf instructor at the Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. Stephens concedes he could've built Alotian most anywhere. But since his prime motivation was getting to enjoy playing the course, it only made sense to build it close to Little Rock. "I wouldn't want to do it anywhere else," he said. "This is home. I guess it never occurred to me to do it somewhere else." Stephens started talking about building a golf course as far back as 1992. "As we got close to 2000, I really started thinking about doing it, and I just decided to do it," he said. "I wanted to do this when I could enjoy it." Stephens started golfing when he was 10 or 11 years old, but he got away from the game during his college years. He returned to golf after a few years and has stayed with it ever since. His fondness for the game is intertwined with abiding memories of golfing with his dad, Jack Stephens, who is no longer able to play. "We spent a lot of time together playing golf," the younger Stephens said. How often does he play these days? "As much as I can," Stephens said, which translates into about once a week most of the year and more during the summer months. Warren Stephens confirmed a reliable source's report that he has already achieved the most elusive of golf experiences on his new Alotian course: a hole-in-one on the 175-yard, par three 11th hole on July 16. Other members of the foursome included Jon Zieske, Alotian's head golf pro; Matt Fraser, assistant pro; and Bill Clark, president of CDI Contractors LLC of Little Rock. Clark, whose firm is still working on the Alotian clubhouse and three eight-bedroom guest cottages, recalls Stephens' one-shot masterpiece: "He just hit a perfect shot with a seven iron on No. 11 that hit near the flag and rolled a few feet into the hole. There was nothing fluky about it. That was really special for him because this project is such a labor of love." Last month's round at Alotian marked the second time Stephens enjoyed a hole-in-one. The first occurred when he was 13 years old at a sports camp in Virginia. Asked which was the most enjoyable, Stephens paused to savor the two memories. "I'd have to say the one here," he said. "I didn't see the first one go in the hole, but I did see the one out here."
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Contrary to popular notion, and despite Stephens' belief that caddy programs are important to the game, Alotian will be a carts-only course out of consideration to the topography.
