Avid golfers spend many hours online searching for the perfect golf getaway for a group of friends. Typically, you can expect to see the same golf destinations appear in your search, such as Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and San Destin. With recent changes in the economy and gas prices, many golfers are looking for golf vacations that don’t require a full day of travel and still provide a unique golf experience. For those reasons, Tennessee is becoming a great destination for golfers who want an affordable golf package without the long travel time required from other destinations.
Tennessee-bound golfers can often travel and play in the same day due to the short drive from Ohio or Michigan. Typically 4-7 hours you can be at your destination playing from the high tee boxes overlooking vast mountain ranges with beautifully contoured fairways and greens. There are some hidden gems in Tennessee – golfers flock to incredible golf destinations such as Fairfield Glade, Smoky Mountains, and Tellico Village.
Fairfield Glade in Crossville, Tennessee it has thousands of rounds of packers waiting for fabulous conditions, unique layouts and great weather. The 5 courses at Fairfield are Stonehenge, Heatherhurst Brae, Heatherhurst Crag, Dorchester and Druid Hills. The golf holes at Fairfield vary greatly from one to the next, and since the layouts meander through wooded areas on the Cumberland Plateau, golfers will experience challenges from elevation changes to strategically placed hazards. There are some great par-3s, like Stonehenge Golf Club’s signature 14th hole, which is a downhill shot that lands on a beautiful, stone-stacked green overlooking the water. Dorchester also has a great par 5 which has 3 landing areas that will test your accuracy off the tee and on your approach shot over a small stream in front of the green. Just a taste of what you can expect in the first of 3 unique destinations in Tennessee.
The second hidden gem is a corner 20 minutes south of Knoxville called Tellico Town. Tellico has traditionally been a community with many retirees moving south to take advantage of the fantastic golf weather. Tellico’s 3 golf courses are Kahite, Tanasi and Toqua. Other great courses in the area are Rarity Bay, Rarity Pointe, and Avalon. Unlike the mountain golf you find at Crossville, Tellico is more of a lake course with fantastic holes that wrap around the lake. These courses are longer than Fairfield and generally offer a very challenging game with undulating greens, undulating fairways and subtle elevation changes that will have you second guessing your club selection. Toqua has one of the most beautiful par 4 holes along the lake that is not very long, but offers a panoramic view from its green on the lake. Tellico has villas that can accommodate any number of golfers in your group and are located just minutes from the Toqua and Tanasi golf courses. Given its great selection of courses and the beauty of the lake, golfers will find one of the best packages in the South near Knoxville, Tennessee, at Tellico Village.
smoky mountain golf is both uniquely beautiful and challenging with excellent course conditions and amazing layouts near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Plenty of golf courses to choose from as low as $30 a round with luxury villa accommodations located right on Sevierville Golf Club. Sevierville has 36 beautiful holes nestled in the foothills of the Smokies, while one of the Tennessee River Islands’ most exclusive courses is only 15 minutes away. Gatlinburg Golf Course has one of the most unique back nines in the country, including a par-3 12th hole that drops 200 feet from tee to green. Other excellent golf courses in the area include Ruggles Ferry, Patriot Hills, Dandridge, Bent Creek and Millstone Golf Club. Golfers visiting courses in this area can expect to play some of the most picturesque courses in the country.
