A trip built around one of the most talked about nine holers in America, the wildly contoured Sweetens Cove, wrapped in the music, food and bourbon of Nashville and Chattanooga. Tennessee is golf with a soundtrack, a value rich, two centre escape for the golfer who wants character over glitz. Here is who it suits, the courses to build around, a sample week and indicative 2026 fees.
Photograph: Sweetens Cove Golf Club, Tennessee, via Google
A Tennessee golf holiday suits the curious golfer more than the trophy hunter. This is not a coast of marquee resort courses; it is a state with one cult phenomenon, Sweetens Cove, and a deep, well priced supporting cast of public golf around two of the South's most enjoyable cities. It works beautifully for a buddies group that wants great golf, live music and good bourbon in equal measure, for a couple pairing a few rounds with Nashville's restaurants and the Smoky Mountains, and for anyone who would rather play something genuinely original than tick off another famous name.
Build the trip as a two centre loop. Sweetens Cove, a King and Collins designed nine holes in the Sequatchie Valley near Chattanooga, is the headline, a small, wildly creative course that golf architecture fans cross the country to play. Around it, Nashville offers the Scottish style links of Gaylord Springs and the parkland of Hermitage, and Chattanooga and the Smoky Mountains add scenery and value. The one fixed point is Sweetens Cove itself, which is tiny, hugely popular and seasonal, so we plan the trip around securing a tee time there.
The cult nine holer that put modern Tennessee golf on the map, a King and Collins design of huge, tumbling greens, bold bunkering and endless options, about thirty minutes from Chattanooga in the Sequatchie Valley. Public but tiny and hugely popular, best played as several loops, and typically closed for part of the summer, so a tee time is the whole trip's pivot.
Anchor the Nashville leg with two strong public courses. Gaylord Springs, a Larry Nelson Scottish style links along the Cumberland River beside the Opryland resort, and Hermitage's General's Retreat at Old Hickory, a former LPGA tour host. Both sit minutes from Music City's restaurants, honky tonks and the airport.
Round out the trip with scenery. Chattanooga adds the daily fee Black Creek and the wider Sequatchie Valley, while east toward the Great Smoky Mountains the public courses around Sevierville and Gatlinburg deliver mountain views and value. Note that Tennessee's number one, Pete Dye's Honors Course at Ooltewah, is a private club, not a public tee time.
Designers, years and access verified June 2026. Green fees are indicative third party figures for the 2026 season and change with demand and season. Sweetens Cove is seasonal and books out; The Honors Course is private. Always confirm directly before booking.
Fly into Nashville, minutes from Gaylord Springs and the Opryland resort. Settle in, then an evening among the honky tonks and restaurants of Music City.
Open with the Scottish style links of Gaylord Springs along the Cumberland River, then Hermitage's General's Retreat. Bourbon and live music to close.
Head southeast about two hours to Chattanooga, a scenic riverside city. An afternoon round at Black Creek or a warm up loop before the main event.
The round you came for, out in the Sequatchie Valley. Play it twice, lunch from the trailer, and soak up the most original golf in the South.
Drive east to the Great Smoky Mountains for a scenic round around Sevierville and Gatlinburg, or loop back to Nashville or Chattanooga to fly home.
Nashville to Chattanooga is about two hours by road; Chattanooga to the Great Smoky Mountains is a further two to three hours east. Sweetens Cove sits about thirty minutes west of Chattanooga.
| Style | Per person, 2026 | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Value Tennessee week | From around 1,500 to 2,500 dollars | 4 to 5 nights, 3 to 4 public rounds including Sweetens Cove, hotel |
| Two centre golf and music trip | From around 2,500 to 4,000 dollars | 5 to 6 nights across Nashville and Chattanooga, more golf, nights out |
| Golf and the Smokies grand tour | From around 4,000 dollars upward | 7 plus nights, the full loop with the Great Smoky Mountains |
Indicative third party operator ranges for the 2026 season, excluding international flights, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking. Find a Nashville or Chattanooga base.
Spring and autumn give the kindest weather, roughly April to June and September to October, warm and settled with the courses in good condition. Summer is hot and humid, so tee off early and carry water, and note that Sweetens Cove typically closes for part of the summer for course work. Winter is mild but variable and the higher mountain courses can shut. The binding constraint is Sweetens Cove itself, which is tiny and books out fast, so the earlier we secure that tee time, the better the trip works.
We secure the Sweetens Cove tee time the whole trip turns on, route Nashville, Chattanooga and the Smokies into one clean loop, and book the music, the bourbon and the rooms around the golf. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Tennessee suits a two centre trip across Nashville and Chattanooga. The cult draw is Sweetens Cove, a King and Collins designed nine hole public course in the Sequatchie Valley near Chattanooga, one of the most celebrated nine holers in the country. Pair it with the resort and parkland golf of Nashville, at Gaylord Springs and Hermitage, and the music, food and bourbon that make Tennessee a great pairing for golf. Always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Yes. Sweetens Cove is a public nine hole course about thirty minutes from Chattanooga, with daily rates that vary seasonally, usually between roughly 15 and 135 dollars. It is small and hugely popular, plays best as multiple loops, and typically closes for part of the summer for course work, so book ahead and check the calendar. Always confirm current rates and availability directly before booking.
Not as a visitor. The Honors Course at Ooltewah near Chattanooga, a Pete Dye design opened in 1983 and ranked first in Tennessee, is a private club open only to members and their invited guests. There is no public tee time. If you want great Tennessee golf you can actually book, build the trip around Sweetens Cove and the public courses of Nashville and the Smokies. Always confirm directly before booking.
Spring and autumn are the sweet spots, roughly April to June and September to October, when the weather is warm and settled and the courses are in good condition. Summer is hot and humid, so tee off early and carry water, while winter is mild but variable and the higher mountain courses can close. Always confirm current conditions and rates before booking.
Tee time releases, new openings and the booking windows worth moving on first. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Indicative fees and package ranges verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.