Sweetens Cove - Are they open now? Is it worth it?

[BG5]

Gents,

 

I cannot get a hold of anyone at Sweetens Cove and am curious if they are open this time of year?  What are your thoughts on the course?  I probably would want to play 27 holes to take it all in.  Do you think that would be to much of SC?

 

Any feedback would be great on those that have played the track and do you think its worthy of its high ranking?

Edited January 15, 2022 by BG5

[hollabachgt]

Weather permitted, they are open all year round. Granted their tee sheet books well in advance, so that might be a bigger hurdle.

 

 I think the most I’ve played there was 54 holes in a day, and this was before double pins. If you get bored after a couple of loops around it’s because you’re looking to get bored. There are a million ways to play each hole and the fun in Sweetens is trying to find them all.

[Abh159]

They should be open as long as the weather allows, and as the previous poster mentioned you could play it all day and not get bored. However, this time of year with frost delays and the sun setting early 27 holes might be the most you could get in. 
 

FWIW your best bet would be to go on a weekday like a Tuesday or Wednesday. I’m pretty sure the weekend passes are all booked from now until the end of time so if you’re wanting a Saturday or Sunday you can pretty much forget about it. 

Also, I believe they only do online booking now so if you’re calling with the intent of making a tee time then just go on their website and do it.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

It's a super fun 9 holes course! Probably open, weather permitting.

[me05501]

As someone who has played it regularly over the last 15 years or so it’s hard not to consider it overpriced and overhyped these days. I used to be able to drive over on my lunch hour and play nine for well under $40 and it was never hard to get on. 

 

Yes, it’s a neat place with a unique laid back attitude. The holes are fun and frustrating and flexible. A lot of them are pretty short. The conditioning is always good. It’s a great demo of what King Collins Golf can do to a flat piece of property, and honestly I think that’s its primary purpose (to show potential clients their vision). 
 

The idea of committing to pay $150 six months from now has zero appeal to me as a semi-local. 
 

I’d rather drive 30 minutes further and play at Sewanee, which is just as cool and much easier to get on (and afford). 
 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by me05501

[smashdn]

18 at Sweetens and 18 at Sewanee.  Don't skip Sewanee.

[PNB_Golf]

23 hours ago, smashdn said:

18 at Sweetens and 18 at Sewanee.  Don't skip Sewanee.

I 2nd this

[KingstonGolfer]

Sweetens sells out all their tee times for peak since in a release that last 15 min

[WipeyFade]

I went during the week of Thanksgiving and I am going back at the end of March. To me it is worth it just because of the atmosphere (I hate the stuffy vibe you get at some courses, they are super laid back) and the unique layout. They are sold out for the summer and fall right now, you'll have to follow their Instagram to get updates on cancellations. This is the only place I have found to get real time information.

[me05501]

I just saw where Sweeten’s Cove was ranked in the top 25 of Golfweek’s latest “Top 100 US Courses You Can Play.”

 

That is just plain silly. 

[smashdn]

That would mean Sewanee would be top 20 or so then?

[thejuice]

On 6/8/2022 at 7:35 AM, me05501 said:

I just saw where Sweeten’s Cove was ranked in the top 25 of Golfweek’s latest “Top 100 US Courses You Can Play.”

 

That is just plain silly. 

Can you say why? 

[me05501]

25 minutes ago, thejuice said:

Can you say why? 

Sure, I can repeat what I posted above. 🙂
 

I live not far from there and have played it several times both before and after it became the critical darling it is now.
 

IMO at this point it’s super over-hyped for what it actually is. It’s nine holes, relatively short, and the greens only have about three reasonable pin placements each. Playing there is both entertaining and frustrating as hell. 
 

Of course it *looks* amazing, and the laid back, anything goes, let’s do shots vibe is different. The engineered scarcity of tee times and the various special events they promote with NLU and others have added to the appetite to play there. But a lot of locals will tell you to drive 30 more miles and play the Course at Sewanee which is every bit as special since the Gil Hanse redesign. 
 

I wouldn’t argue that it doesn’t belong *somewhere* on the list but top twenty is a big stretch. Either I don’t know what makes a truly great golf course or I don’t need to bother going out of my way to play top twenty courses. 

Edited June 20, 2022 by me05501

[Abh159]

47 minutes ago, thejuice said:

Can you say why? 

 

For the most part, I agree with @me05501's comments. Sweetens is a really fun place to hang out and spend a day with your buddies on the course. Is it a Top-100? Sure. Is it a Top-25? No, not in my opinion. 

 

I think a lot of the hype/rankings around Sweetens are in part due to this craze of getting away from the parkland style course design and people wanting courses to look more "natural". Imagine large waste areas and tall native grasses instead of tree lined fairways and perfectly manicured bunkers.

 

Places like Sweetens, Sand Valley, Streamsong, and etc. have gotten a ton of praise for this (and a lot of it is well deserved), but I'll be interested to see if that holds up in 15-20 years or if we all revert to wanting every course to look more like Augusta. 

[me05501]

Thanks @Abh159  

 

One of the holes that gets a lot of attention at Sweeten’s is the long par three. There’s a forced carry over a large waste area to the green, and the green itself is gigantic. The hole can play anywhere from 165 to 215 or something like that. It’s an intimidating hole!

 

But for some reason the tee shot is totally blind. You don’t see any of the (very interesting) green complex. You just walk around all over the tee box trying to get the right number, then you pick a line, hit and hope.

 

You don’t get to see one of the most entertaining visuals on the property, which would be your ball landing and following the extreme contours either on or off the green or both. It’s like playing a great pinball machine while blindfolded. 

 

I’ve discussed this with people who know more about golf architecture than I do and most of them say they like it the way it is. Personally I think the hole would be more intimidating and more fun if the tee box was raised four feet. 
 

The very next hole is the drivable par four that is in reach for pretty much everyone. Now THAT is a fun hole with tons of challenge on and around the green. 
 

One more then I promise I’ll let up. 
 

Because the course is built on low ground, all of the greens are elevated (though some more than others). All the surrounds are shaved to a very tight height. The course tests your short game, but the required shot from just off the green is always very similar from hole to hole. 

Edited June 20, 2022 by me05501

[smashdn]

Interesting that someone brought up the desire for more natural presentations.  The look of SC is anything but natural or what you would expect to find in a creek bottom in east TN.

[pearcebarr]

On 6/25/2022 at 2:52 PM, smashdn said:

Interesting that someone brought up the desire for more natural presentations.  The look of SC is anything but natural or what you would expect to find in a creek bottom in east TN.

I think natural has become a catch-all for what we should say is less manicured. It isn't natural in the sense that it looks like it has always been there, but in the sense that it isn't constantly sculpted to look a certain way.

 

Take proper care of the fairways, tee-boxes, and greens, but let nature take everything else where it may.

[me05501]

10 minutes ago, pearcebarr said:

I think natural has become a catch-all for what we should say is less manicured. It isn't natural in the sense that it looks like it has always been there, but in the sense that it isn't constantly sculpted to look a certain way.

 

Take proper care of the fairways, tee-boxes, and greens, but let nature take everything else where it may.

Well, let nature take its course after planting grasses that don’t necessarily occur naturally in the area. 🙂 
 

Tall grasses are great for framing holes and creating doubt in the minds of players. Leaving unkempt areas around hazards keep the teeth in them visually and in the course of play. I dig it, but like anything else it can be overdone. 

[Abh159]

21 minutes ago, pearcebarr said:

I think natural has become a catch-all for what we should say is less manicured. It isn't natural in the sense that it looks like it has always been there, but in the sense that it isn't constantly sculpted to look a certain way.

 

Take proper care of the fairways, tee-boxes, and greens, but let nature take everything else where it may.

 

Well said. That's exactly what I meant when I used the term "natural". Also why I put it in quotes 😉.