How to Play the Best Golf in Tennessee
Tennessee punches well above its weight, from the cult nine holes of Sweetens Cove and the Gil Hanse reborn Course at Sewanee on the Cumberland Plateau to Larry Nelson's Gaylord Springs in Nashville and the Jack Nicklaus state park courses. The great Pete Dye Honors Course near Chattanooga tops every state list but stays private. Here is how to play the best golf in Tennessee, course by course, with access and indicative 2026 fees.
Photograph: Sweetens Cove Golf Club, Tennessee, via Google
The short version
Tennessee is not a resort golf machine like the Carolinas, and that is its charm. The best of it is a handful of distinctive courses spread across three regions, with the Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and Chattanooga holding the most concentrated quality. The buzz centers on Sweetens Cove, the nine hole King and Collins course near South Pittsburg that became a national cult favorite, and the Gil Hanse rebuilt Course at Sewanee a short drive away, two of the most interesting short courses in America. Around them sit Jack Nicklaus state park courses, the links style Gaylord Springs in Nashville, and the great private Honors Course near Chattanooga.
So the play is to anchor a trip on the plateau and the two cities that bracket it. Pair Sweetens Cove and Sewanee for a Chattanooga area weekend, add Nashville for Gaylord Springs and the music, or build a value week around the Crossville state park courses in the middle. Below are the courses to target, who can play them and what they cost in 2026.
The courses to build a Tennessee trip around
Sweetens Cove Golf Club, South Pittsburg
The most talked about golf in the state, and one of the best nine hole experiences in America. Sweetens Cove is a Rob Collins and Tad King redesign of a modest local course, opened in its current form in 2014, a wildly creative nine of huge, heaving greens, alternate routings and a links spirit set in a quiet valley near South Pittsburg, between Chattanooga and Nashville. Backed by investors including Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick, it now runs on a membership and limited public access model, so public tee times are restricted and must be arranged ahead. Worth every effort to get on.
The Course at Sewanee, Sewanee
A short drive from Sweetens Cove on the Cumberland Plateau, the Course at Sewanee sits on the campus of the University of the South and was given a full Gil Hanse redesign that reopened in 2013, keeping the original nine hole routing while rebuilding every green, the bunkering and the tees. The result is a smart, walkable, mountain nine of real strategic interest and one of the best value rounds in the state, open to the public. It pairs naturally with Sweetens Cove for a plateau day of two outstanding short courses.
Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain, Crossville
The pick of the Tennessee state park golf and the heart of the Crossville area, the self styled golf capital of Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau. Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain is a Jack Nicklaus design routed through hardwood forest and limestone outcrops, a genuine championship layout at a public, state park price. It anchors a value golf base in Crossville alongside courses such as Stonehenge at Fairfield Glade, making the plateau a fine, affordable multi course stop between the two cities.
Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Nashville
The marquee public course in the capital, a Larry Nelson design opened in 1990 and laid out in links style along the Cumberland River beside the Gaylord Opryland resort. It plays a par 72 of around 7,000 yards, with limestone bluffs, wetlands and an antebellum mansion clubhouse, and it is the easiest top tier round to book in Nashville. The natural golf base for a trip that mixes rounds with the music, the food and the nightlife of the city.
The Honors Course, Ooltewah (private)
The best course in Tennessee, and one you almost certainly cannot play. The Honors Course near Ooltewah, just north of Chattanooga, is a 1983 Pete Dye design built by the Coca-Cola bottling family, a superb, exacting parkland course that has been ranked first in the state by Golf Digest since it opened and has hosted USGA and collegiate championships. It is strictly private, playable only as the guest of a member, so it sits on this list as the aspirational benchmark rather than a tee time. Admire it, and play Sweetens Cove and Sewanee instead.
Key courses and how to play them
| Course | Designer and access | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sweetens Cove | King and Collins, 2014; members and limited public, book ahead | South Pittsburg, plateau |
| The Course at Sewanee | Gil Hanse redesign, 2013; public, value nine | Sewanee, Cumberland Plateau |
| Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain | Jack Nicklaus; public state park, strong value | Crossville, plateau |
| Gaylord Springs Golf Links | Larry Nelson, 1990; public, indicative around 110 dollars with cart | Nashville, Cumberland River |
| The Honors Course | Pete Dye, 1983; strictly private, member guest only | Ooltewah, near Chattanooga |
Designers, dates and access verified June 2026 from course and ranking sources. Sweetens Cove access is limited and the Honors Course is private. Green fees move with season and demand and are indicative for 2026. We do not quote our own pricing, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay and when to go
Pick your base by region. For the cult short courses, stay around Chattanooga and run out to Sweetens Cove and Sewanee on the plateau, a memorable weekend of creative, walkable golf. For the city and the music, base in Nashville for Gaylord Springs, with the plateau courses a drive east. For value and volume, settle in Crossville, the golf capital of Tennessee, where Bear Trace and the Fairfield Glade courses make an affordable multi course week. Spring and fall, roughly April to early June and September to October, are the prime seasons; summers are warm and humid in the lowlands, so the cooler plateau and the Smokies play well later into the year.
Need a base near the golf? See our recommended Tennessee hotels and resorts from Nashville to Chattanooga.
Plan your Tennessee golf trip
Tell us whether you want the cult short courses, the Nashville city golf or a value plateau week, and roughly when. One concierge chases the limited access at Sweetens Cove, lines up Sewanee, Bear Trace and Gaylord Springs and costs the trip to the head. No obligation.
Tennessee golf questions
What is the best public golf course in Tennessee?
Sweetens Cove Golf Club, a nine hole King and Collins design near South Pittsburg between Chattanooga and Nashville, is the most celebrated golf you can play in Tennessee, a cult favorite with multiple routings and bold, wild greens. Access is limited, so plan ahead. The Gil Hanse redesigned Course at Sewanee, the Jack Nicklaus Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain and Larry Nelson's Gaylord Springs in Nashville are the most accessible standouts. The Honors Course near Chattanooga is ranked first in the state but is strictly private. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Can you play Sweetens Cove?
Yes, but access is limited. Sweetens Cove is a nine hole course near South Pittsburg, Tennessee, redesigned by Rob Collins and Tad King and backed by investors including Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick. It runs on a membership and limited public access model rather than a normal daily fee tee sheet, so public play is restricted and must be arranged ahead through the club. The reward is one of the most thrilling nine hole experiences in American golf, playable in several routings. Always confirm current access and rates directly before booking.
Where can you play golf near Nashville and Chattanooga?
Near Nashville, Larry Nelson's Gaylord Springs Golf Links along the Cumberland River is the marquee public course, a links style par 72 beside the Gaylord Opryland resort. Near Chattanooga, the headline golf is Sweetens Cove and the Gil Hanse Course at Sewanee on the Cumberland Plateau, with the great Pete Dye Honors Course nearby but private. The Crossville area between them, on the plateau, is the self styled golf capital of Tennessee, home to the Jack Nicklaus Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in Tennessee?
Spring and fall, roughly April to early June and September to October, are the prime seasons, with comfortable days and the courses in peak condition across the state. Summers are warm and humid in the lowlands around Nashville and Memphis, so early tee times help, while the Cumberland Plateau and the Smoky Mountains stay cooler and pleasant later into summer. Winters are quiet and mild but can bring frost delays. Always confirm course conditions and tee times before booking.
Related
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Course access changes, openings and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, access and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.