The third Simmons Bank Championship runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 1 at Pleasant Valley Country Club. The PGA Tour Champions calendar moved it one week later than in 2024 and 2025, so the second round now falls on Saturday, Oct. 31. That one change puts three things in the same morning on the course. Gates open at 7:30 a.m., the College Gameday Tailgate runs from 8 to 11 a.m., and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports a Halloween costume contest with trick-or-treating around the Pleasant Valley grounds.
All of it happens under the rule the tournament repeats on its spectator page: no parking at the club or in the surrounding neighborhood during tournament week. In the first two years, the busiest days of tournament week were just golf days. This year the biggest one is also Halloween, and anyone who lives around the course will need to plan the whole day.
Why the calendar shifted
The move came from the weather. The Democrat-Gazette reports that players "endured hot late-October days in 2024, then had to deal with early fog and a pesky rain throughout the 2025 tournament," and that officials hope the later dates bring better conditions.
The new slot also fixes the tournament's place in the playoffs. The top 72 money-winners play the Stifel Charity Classic in St. Louis on Oct. 23–25. Only the top 54 come on to Little Rock, and the top 36 after Pleasant Valley advance to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club on Nov. 12–15. That means the weekend on our course is also a cut line for the season-ending event, and the Halloween round is one of the three rounds that set it.
Saturday, Oct. 31, in order
Times from the tournament's spectator information page, which notes that tee times are approximate:
- 7 a.m. Shuttles start running from the Saturday lot.
- 7:30 a.m. Gates open.
- 8 a.m. First group tees off, and the College Gameday Tailgate opens at the Arkansas Children's Family Fun Zone, to the right of the driving range. A videoboard shows the Golf Channel broadcast, and you can watch players warm up on the range from the same spot.
- Through the day The costume contest and trick-or-treating on the grounds take place on Saturday, according to the Democrat-Gazette. The schedule doesn't post a set time for them.
- 11 a.m. The tailgate wraps up.
- 5 p.m. The last shuttle back to the lot.
Children 15 and under get free grounds admission with a paid adult. That makes the Halloween round the cheapest family outing of the week. One adult ticket covers a costumed kid, the Family Fun Zone, and the Arkansas Children's Kids Viewing Areas at the 2nd and 15th greens, which are set aside for the youngest fans.
The parking lot moves on Saturday
The general lot is in one place on Friday and another on Saturday and Sunday.
| Day | Lot A location | Shuttle hours |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 30 | Immanuel Baptist Church, 501 N. Shackleford Rd. | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | Premier Medical Center, 10915 N. Rodney Parham Rd. | 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | Premier Medical Center, 10915 N. Rodney Parham Rd. | 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Parking costs $10 and the shuttle is free. Cars left overnight in a general lot will be towed at the owner's expense. Accessible parking is in the same Lot A on each day, and a state permit hang tag or license plate is required.
If you're looking up directions from last year, double-check the address. Coverage of the 2025 tournament on KARK gave a different Rodney Parham number and different shuttle hours. The 2026 page lists 10915 N. Rodney Parham Rd.
Rideshare drivers and anyone dropping off or picking up guests should head to 1 Pleasant Valley Drive. Entry there is allowed only from the corner of Pleasant Valley Drive and Rodney Parham Road, and drivers should follow signs and law enforcement directions. On Halloween, that corner will handle both tournament drop-offs and any families getting dropped off for trick-or-treating on the grounds. Restrooms are listed at the walk-up entrance next to 14 Green, along with spots near the main entrance and at the Family Fun Zone.
The rest of the week, sorted by who can attend
The Halloween Saturday sits inside a seven-day schedule. Tournament director Michael Cataldo told the Democrat-Gazette it is "a seven-day week long event with a ton of events layered into it." Several of those days are closed to the public:
- Monday, Oct. 26. The practice round is closed to the public. Separately, the day includes the Women's Leadership Summit presented by Baptist Health and the First Tee Junior Clinic presented by FIS.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27. The practice round is closed. At 5 p.m., the Caddie Shootout presented by Saracen Casino Resort is a ticketed event for guests over 21, with live music and on-course entertainment. The Democrat-Gazette says it returns "under the lights for a second season."
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Thursday, Oct. 29. The pro-ams are not open to the public.
- Friday, Oct. 30. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. The Folds of Honor Friday Opening Ceremony presented by Silverado starts at 8 a.m. with an appearance by The Patriot Parachute Team, and the tournament asks fans to wear red, white and blue. The first group goes off around 9 a.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1. Gates open at 7:30 a.m., with the first tee time around 8 a.m. The trophy presentation on the 18th green follows the end of play, around 4 p.m. depending on pace of play.
Spread across the course on the three public days are the Expo Zone by the practice putting green and 1st tee, a Food Truck Village between holes 11 and 14, the Flynco Autograph Zone behind 18 Green, and a public grandstand at the Arkansas Hunger Reliance Driving Range presented by Entergy, near the 15 and 9 greens.
What a ticket costs this year
General admission is $30 for a ticket good on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, $35 for a Good Any One Day ticket, or $85 for the three-day weekend package.
The biggest price change is at the 15th Green open-air shared hospitality venue. It costs $125 a day in 2026. When tickets went on sale in 2025, the same venue was $300 a day or $850 for the weekend. Food and drinks there are sold separately.
Active, reserve and retired military members and veterans can request two complimentary Good Any Day tickets and buy up to four discounted tickets. Eligibility is verified through GovX, and the free tickets are limited. All of this is on the tournament's ticket page.
Who will be on the course
Steven Alker comes back as defending champion. In 2025 he won by seven shots, leading wire to wire, and shot an 11-under 61 in the first round, beating his own course record. At the Sept. 29 media day, the Democrat-Gazette reports, he called Pleasant Valley "my favorite golf course in the whole world," and the mostly Pleasant Valley crowd laughed and applauded.
As of that Sept. 30 report, the committed players included Stewart Cink, who led the Schwab Cup standings, tour rookie Zach Johnson, 2024 champion Padraig Harrington, World Golf Hall of Famers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, Darren Clarke, Jerry Kelly, Y.E. Yang, and former Razorback Tag Ridings. The purse is $2.3 million over 54 holes with no cut, so every player in the field plays all three days, Halloween included. Playoff standings move each week, so the final field depends on the results in St. Louis.
The course itself has a track record now. The tournament won the PGA Tour Champions President's Award in 2025, after players voted the inaugural 2024 event their favorite on tour with the Players Award.
Where the money goes after Sunday
The host organization is the Arkansas Champions Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and tournament proceeds go to area charities. The tournament says the first-year event gave more than $250,000 to over 20 local charities. In April 2026 it announced a $125,000 cornerstone gift to First Tee of Central Arkansas. It has also announced $10,000 gifts each to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas, Our House and Synergy Saturday. First Tee also shows up on the week's schedule itself, with Monday's First Tee Junior Clinic presented by FIS.
If you're thinking about what the week means for your own place on the course, whether you're spending tournament weekend on your porch or planning a move next spring, I'm happy to talk it through. Will Smith knows Pleasant Valley from the fairway side as well as the street side. Let's find your next home, or see what your property is worth.
