Hidden Gems in Golf – Finding a Great Golf Getaway

Avid golfers spend many hours online researching the perfect golf getaway for a group of buddies. Typically you can expect see the same golf destinations pop up 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 yet still provides a unique golfing experience. For those reasons Tennessee is becoming a huge destination for golfers wanting an affordable golf package without the long travel time required from the 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 teeing it up from soaring high tee boxes overlooking vast mountain ranges with beautiful contoured fairways and greens. There are some hidden gems in Tennessee – golfers are flocking to unbelievable golf destinations such as Fairfield Glade, Smoky Mountains, and Tellico Village.

Fairfield Glade in Crossville, Tennessee has thousands of rounds from packagers who have come to expect terrific conditions, unique layouts and great weather. The 5 courses at Fairfield are Stonehenge, Heatherhurst Brae, Heatherhurst Crag, Dorchester, and Druid Hills. Golf holes at Fairfield vary a lot from one to the next, and since the layouts meander through heavily wooded areas on the Cumberland Plateau, golfers will experience challenges from elevation changes to strategically placed hazards. There are some great par 3s such as Stonehenge Golf Club’s signature hole number 14 that is a downhill shot landing on a beautiful green with stacked stone overlooking the water. Dorchester also has a great par 5 that has 3 landing areas that will test your accuracy off the tee and on your approach shot over a small creek in front of the green. Just a taste of what you can expect at the first of 3 unique destinations in Tennessee.

The second hidden gem is an up and comer 20 minutes south of Knoxville called Tellico Village. Tellico has traditionally been a community with many retirees that have moved south to take advantage of 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. As opposed to mountain golf you find in Crossville, Tellico is more lake golf with fantastic holes that wrap around the lake. These courses are longer than Fairfield, and generally offer very challenging play with undulating greens, rolling fairways and subtle elevation changes that will have you second guessing your club selection. Toqua has one of the prettiest par 4 holes along the lake that is not very long, but provides a scenic vista from its green on the lake. Tellico has villas that can fit any number of golfers in your group, and located just minutes from Toqua and Tanasi Golf Courses. Considering your great selection of courses and 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 unique in beauty and challenge with terrific course conditions and amazing layouts near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Plenty of golf courses to choose from as little as $30 a round with lodging in luxury Villas located right on Sevierville Golf Club. Sevierville has 36 beautiful holes located at the foothills of the Smokies, while one of the most unique courses in the Tennessee River Islands 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 great golf courses in the area are Ruggles Ferry, Patriot Hills, Dandridge, Bent Creek and Millstone Golf Club. Golfers visiting courses in this area can expect to play at some of the most scenic courses in the country.