Golf in
the Great Smoky Mountains
The beautifully landscaped golf
courses of the
Great Smoky Mountains are receiving enthusiastic
reviews. Any golfer wanting to improve their game will
not want to miss the opportunities found in the
Smoky Mountains. As an added bonus, playing golf in
the Smoky Mountains reward golfers with the natural
beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and the neighboring
foothills are breathtaking.
Because of the unique landscape of
rolling hills and river plains, the courses range from
mountainous to flat, and everything in between. Golfers
in the Smoky Mountains will have to hit the ball uphill,
downhill, and sidehill. Visitors to the cities of
Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville will find
that the mountain golf courses present very different
challenges from the ones they find at home.
The four local golf courses are
Bent Creek Golf Village, The Gatlinburg Golf Course,
Eagle’s Landing Golf Club, and River Islands Golf Club.
All of these beautiful courses are championship courses,
each with a distinguishing personality. Serious golfers
will want to play each of the courses.
Bent Creek Golf village lies at the
very foot of the
Great Smoky Mountains. Divided into two distinct
segments, this very challenging golf course lies half in
a scenic valley and half in mountainous terrain.
Southern Living Magazine rated Bent Creek as “One of the
top 50 gold courses in the South.”
The Gatlinburg Golf course has some
of the most spectacular mountainous holes and views
found anywhere. This unique and long course has lots of
elevated greens, vertical drops, and tight fairways.
There is not one flat fairway to be found, and golfers
will be challenged to play their best. In 1995, Eagle’s
landing Golf Club was nominated for Golf Digest’s “Best
New Public Course.” A link-style course, its
championship tees stretch for 6,919 yards. The first few
holes lie on flat land next to the Little Pigeon River,
but the rest are in hilly terrain with some very tight
fairways.
River Islands Golf Club, rated
four-star by Golf Digest, is the highest rated public
golf course in the state of Tennessee. Five exciting
holes actually rest on three natural islands in the
French Broad River, making it one of the area’s most
captivating, as well as challenging courses.
Golfers in the Smoky Mountains will
find additional variety and new challenges at several
outlying golf courses where the terrain is less steep.
Each of these courses offers golfers of all skillfulness
a fascinating game. Laurel Valley Golf and Country Club
nestles in a charming little valley surrounded by
mountains, while Banebarry Golf and Resort offers a
quiet, relaxing setting by Douglas Lake. The Dandrigde
Golf and Country Club has 27 holes, and Patriot Hills
Golf Club is the area’s newest golf course.
The best times to play golf in the
Smoky Mountains are spring and fall when the climate is
temperate. In summer, mornings and evenings offer
comfortable play times. Playing golf in the winter can
be unpredictable.
Whether you are a beginner or a
pro, the beauty and challenge of the Smoky Mountain golf
courses will make you want to play golf here all year
round. |
