Chattanooga area golf for an out-of-towner

[mtufenk]

I will be in the Chattanooga area the third week of April. I was looking to play the McLemore one day and then one other the following day. I have heard a lot of good things about Black Creek but it looks to be private. Is there a way for an out-of-towner to get a tee time as a single? I am not a member of a private club so cant have the Pro call on my behalf. Would anybody suggest anything else? I was looking at Sweetens Cove but passes are hard to come by even during the week. Thanks.

[golfgoob]

Bear Trace is a great course. I haven't played it but Sewanee is around 30 minutes from Sweetens and I've heard it's awesome. 

[Abh159]

Sewanee (9 holes, approx. 45 minutes - 1 hour from Chattanooga) or Bear Trace (state park muni) would be your best options as the previous poster suggested. I'd say getting a time at any of the privates in the area is highly unlikely considering your circumstances.

 

Unfortunately, there isn't much in terms of decent public golf around Chattanooga.

[mtufenk]

Thanks. I had not heard of Bear Trace. Sewanee was also on my radar.

[zwhitworth]

Bear Trace Harrison Bay, as noted previously, is currently under management by the TN State Parks, but it was originally built as a part of a 5 course Jack Nicklaus design "trail".  It's a great layout, well maintained, and have some great bermuda greens.

Black Creek, if you can get on, is one of the best designs I've ever played.  Some really fun holes!

A little south of Chattanooga, McLemore is a beauty as well.  They let the public play there once a quarter, I believe, or at least that's what their ads I see on Facebook say.

[me05501]

On 3/23/2023 at 7:36 PM, mtufenk said:

I will be in the Chattanooga area the third week of April. I was looking to play the McLemore one day and then one other the following day. I have heard a lot of good things about Black Creek but it looks to be private. Is there a way for an out-of-towner to get a tee time as a single? I am not a member of a private club so cant have the Pro call on my behalf. Would anybody suggest anything else? I was looking at Sweetens Cove but passes are hard to come by even during the week. Thanks.

 

 

Chattanooga local here. Let me know when you get your round booked at McLemore. I have a credit there I've been meaning to use and most of my friends have played it enough that they don't want to pay the current price to play it again. If I don't use this credit soon I'm going to lose it. 

 

I love the Course at Sewanee. They have multiple tees on a handful of holes so playing 18 there is quite common. They aerated this week. I'll be playing there next week and can report back on conditions. 

Everything that's been said about Bear Trace is true but this wet winter has been pretty hard on the course. The fairways have stayed muddy for months and even though carts have been restricted to the paths most of that time it is still kind of a mess IMO. By mid-April the Bermuda will be growing again which will help. It sounds like you'll be playing during the week which suggests you'll be able to play in decent time. We walked there on Sunday afternoon and it was a five hour round (!). 

 

For the benefit of the whole thread: I also heard a rate increase at Bear Trace is imminent. Supposedly a weekend round with cart will be $75. Last year they started collecting sales tax which equated to a 10% bump already. Hopefully the higher rates will allow them to manage traffic more effectively. 

 

Nob North is a good muni in our area. It's a few minutes down I-75 from Chattanooga but easy to reach. The layout has a lot of variety. It's not overly long but it's challenging and conditions are usually good. 

 

We always have a good time at Brainerd which is a Chattanooga muni. It's pretty scruffy but has the right muni vibe. Lots of good holes and you use every club in the bag. Very walkable too.