Buggies, Caddies and Etiquette in Tennessee
Tennessee golf splits cleanly in two. The resort and daily fee mainstream quotes a green fee with the cart already in it, while the courses people fly in for, Sweetens Cove, Sewanee, the Honors Course, belong to the walking revival. Knowing which culture you are stepping into is most of the etiquette. Here is how carts, caddies and the unwritten rules actually work in 2026.
Photograph: Sweetens Cove Golf Club, via Google
Two golf cultures, one state
The default Tennessee round is a cart round. Fees at the resort courses around Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville almost always include the buggy, the layouts are routed at cart scale, and on a 95 degree July afternoon nobody will judge you for riding. The exception is the corridor of cult golf in the southeast of the state, where Sweetens Cove and the Course at Sewanee treat walking as the point of the exercise and the private Honors Course runs one of the South's most respected caddie programs.
For what the rounds cost, see green fees in Tennessee; for which courses to build a trip around, start with how to play golf in Tennessee.
Course by course: carts, walking and caddies
Sweetens Cove, South Pittsburg
The King and Collins nine that started a national walking conversation sells access by the day, not the round. In the 2026 peak season the all day pass runs about 175 dollars plus tax, Thursday through Sunday and holiday Mondays are all day passes only, and Tuesday and Wednesday add nine and 18 hole options. Walk with a carry bag or push trolley, or take one of a limited fleet of carts; there is no caddie program, no starter's lecture and no dress code worth the name. The etiquette here is pace and care: repair the massive greens, wave groups through, stay all day. Always confirm directly before booking.
The Course at Sewanee, Sewanee
Gil Hanse redesigned the University of the South's nine in 2013, and the result is one of the best value walks in southern golf, a compact mountain top loop where a push trolley handles everything and the round takes less time than the drive up the plateau. It is a college course with college course manners: keep moving, fix your marks, let the cross country team pass.
Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Nashville
The Larry Nelson design by the Cumberland River is the model of the mainstream Tennessee round. The fee includes the cart and practice green access, you need a valid driver's license to drive it, soft spikes or spikeless shoes are required, and the dress code is posted and enforced: collared shirts with sleeves for men, no tee shirts, tank tops, blue jeans, cutoffs, sweatpants or athletic shorts. USGA etiquette governs play, and the course asks for repaired ball marks, replaced or sanded divots and smoothed bunkers as a condition of the round.
The Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain, Crossville
Jack Nicklaus's state park course is public golf at state park prices, and the cart is the practical choice across its long wooded corridors. Park rules add their own etiquette layer: wildlife has right of way, pace is policed gently, and the clubhouse expects the same neat casual standard as the resort courses without the starch.
The Honors Course, Ooltewah
Pete Dye's strictly private club outside Chattanooga was built to honor amateur golf, and it keeps the old form: walking is the norm at all times, caddies carry most rounds, and the recommended caddie fee with tip is about 110 dollars per bag, indicative for 2026. If you earn an invitation, take the caddie, follow the caddie, and leave the phone in the car. There is no realistic public access, which is exactly why the experience stays as it is.
The quick reference table
| Course | Cart or walk | Caddies |
|---|---|---|
| Sweetens Cove | Your choice; all day pass about 175 dollars plus tax, peak 2026; limited cart fleet | No; carry bags and push trolleys rule |
| Course at Sewanee | Built for walking; nine holes on the plateau | No |
| Gaylord Springs | Cart included in fee; driver's license required | No |
| Bear Trace, Cumberland Mountain | Cart the practical choice; state park pricing | No |
| The Honors Course | Walking is the norm, private | Yes; about 110 dollars per bag with tip, indicative |
Policies from published club pages, June 2026. Check tee time availability or browse Tennessee golf resorts.
Etiquette that actually matters here
Summer heat writes half the local rules. From June through September carts are often restricted to paths after heavy rain, courses push early and twilight times, and the unwritten rule is water in the cooler and sunscreen before the turn. Pace is the other half: Tennessee tee sheets run busy on weekends, and the state's golf culture is friendly but expects a four hour round and a wave through when a hole opens ahead. Repair what you hit, on greens that run fast at the resort courses and enormous at Sweetens Cove, and respect the split personality: jeans that pass without comment at a state park course will turn you around at a Nashville resort. When the dress code is posted, it is meant.
Plan your Tennessee golf trip
Tell us your dates, group size and whether you want the walking cult classics, the Nashville resort circuit or both. One concierge sequences the tee sheets and costs the trip to the head. No obligation.
Tennessee on-course questions
Can you walk Tennessee's public courses?
At the places worth traveling for, yes. Sweetens Cove lets you walk or ride and many regulars walk the nine with a carry bag or push trolley, and the Course at Sewanee is a walk by nature. Resort and daily fee courses around Nashville, including Gaylord Springs, are built to cart scale with long green to tee transfers, so walking is technically possible but rarely practical. Check the policy when you book.
Are there caddies in Tennessee?
Almost entirely at the private clubs. The Honors Course outside Chattanooga is the standard bearer: walking is the norm there, caddies carry most rounds, and the recommended caddie fee with tip runs about 110 dollars per bag, indicative for 2026. Public courses in Tennessee do not generally run caddie programs, so plan on a cart or a push trolley.
Is the cart included in Tennessee green fees?
Usually. Gaylord Springs includes cart rental and practice green access in its fee and requires a valid driver's license to take the wheel, and most resort and daily fee courses across the state quote a fee with cart included. Sweetens Cove is the exception that proves the rule: its all day pass, about 175 dollars plus tax in the 2026 peak season, covers the golf and you choose to walk or ride. Always confirm directly before booking.
What is the dress code at Tennessee courses?
Collared or golf appropriate shirts and tailored shorts at the resort courses; Gaylord Springs bars tee shirts, tank tops, blue jeans, cutoffs, sweatpants and athletic shorts and requires soft spikes. Sweetens Cove and Sewanee are famously relaxed, with the golf taken more seriously than the wardrobe. When in doubt, a collar and Bermuda shorts pass everywhere in the state.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Course access changes, openings and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Cart, caddie and dress policies verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.