Chattanooga Golf

[Minarets]

33 minutes ago, Hstead said:

AWcOBB is talking about the Ooltewah Club, that is where I play too.  

 

I read the first post and I have to disagree with one thing.  Chattanooga G&CC is easily the second best layout in my humble opinion.  The conditions are only surpassed by the Honors and I am not sure they are bette.  I have played both.  The Honors is one of my all time favorites but if I had to play one course every day it is Chattanooga.  The greens are insanely good year around.  The holes test every club in the bag from the back tee.  There is a reason it is ranked in the top 10 in the state.  I love the place.

I have never played it. I live in Nashville and am in Chattanooga for work quite often and my oldest is about to go to UTChatt so will be around even more.  Customers always want to eat at the Boathouse across the water so when I get here early I have ventured over to look at it (being a die hard golfer).  I have been asked to leave twice. lol.  I just pulled up both times to the edge of the parking lot looking back towards the boathouse and watched guys come in , presumably the ninth or 18th green to the right and had attendants drive up to ask if I was a member and before I could tell them beautiful place they asked me to leave.  I guess it’s an old money kind of place? 
 

very pretty tho.  

[Hstead]

56 minutes ago, Minarets said:

I have never played it. I live in Nashville and am in Chattanooga for work quite often and my oldest is about to go to UTChatt so will be around even more.  Customers always want to eat at the Boathouse across the water so when I get here early I have ventured over to look at it (being a die hard golfer).  I have been asked to leave twice. lol.  I just pulled up both times to the edge of the parking lot looking back towards the boathouse and watched guys come in , presumably the ninth or 18th green to the right and had attendants drive up to ask if I was a member and before I could tell them beautiful place they asked me to leave.  I guess it’s an old money kind of place? 
 

very pretty tho.  

Very old money kinda place and for sure the snobbiest club in town lol.  There are obviously some good guys there too and luckily I have made friends with one of them.  My expectations were high when I played it for the first time and they were far exceeded.  Same with the Honors.

[Minarets]

2 hours ago, Hstead said:

Very old money kinda place and for sure the snobbiest club in town lol.  There are obviously some good guys there too and luckily I have made friends with one of them.  My expectations were high when I played it for the first time and they were far exceeded.  Same with the Honors.

Never played Honors but have been on the grounds to buy a 3 wood once.  Used to have a customer that had an in there and promised to get me on and they went out of business and he moved out of town before I could ever take them up on that.  Place is hollowed ground for sure.   I think I drove past it about five times before I finally called someone and they told me where am I was supposed to go.  That damn natural gas tank next to the gate.  Definitely a low-key entrance. I’m sure the way they prefer.  
 

[AWcOBB]

10 hours ago, me05501 said:

 

Wild guess would be Windstone but I have no inside info. 

Windstone is now where I’m thinking of taking my membership. It is almost the exact same distance to both from where I live 

[AWcOBB]

14 hours ago, vandyfan said:

 

How walkable is the course? I personally WISH my club would charge for carts as our course is very easy to walk and I think they should incentivize walking as it is slightly better for conditioning of the course in my opinion. 

This is not that walkable, I walked it for over a year a few years back but the problem is too many holes with large distances between greens and tees. It’s easily a 7 to 8 mile walk.

[AWcOBB]

8 hours ago, Hstead said:

AWcOBB is talking about the Ooltewah Club, that is where I play too.  

 

I’m curious what the membership as a group thinks about this. I think the worst part is them charging for personal carts. That makes absolutely no sense to me and haven’t heard of that anywhere else. They take every chance they can to squeeze any money out of everyone they can every single time. And to say they aren’t increasing dues like they’re doing everyone a favor to only increase everything else is completely laughable. I’ve been a member for about 6/7 years and I’m just exhausted at this point.

[vandyfan]

Oh...I've played Ooltewah before for a McCallie event. No, no. That is not a walkable course. It has one of the oddest starts I have ever seen, you literally have to drive your cart (or walk) 500+ yards through a housing development to get to the range and/or first tee. Very confusing for someone who has never played there before and does not seem to encourage walking in the least unless you live in one of the houses fronting the first tee. Below I circled the clubhouse, the range and then the first tee. Almost 700 yds? Sheeeesh. Doesn't seem like Donald Ross laid this one out. 

 

 

[me05501]

24 minutes ago, vandyfan said:

Oh...I've played Ooltewah before for a McCallie event. No, no. That is not a walkable course. It has one of the oddest starts I have ever seen, you literally have to drive your cart (or walk) 500+ yards through a housing development to get to the range and/or first tee. Very confusing for someone who has never played there before and does not seem to encourage walking in the least unless you live in one of the houses fronting the first tee. Below I circled the clubhouse, the range and then the first tee. Almost 700 yds? Sheeeesh. Doesn't seem like Donald Ross laid this one out. 

 

 

 

 

True. It's a well-maintained course and has all the challenges you want, but walkable is one thing it isn't. 

I've always thought it would suck to live in one of the homes along the route players take from the clubhouse to the first tee. 

[ChattGolfer7]

On 3/5/2024 at 5:44 PM, Minarets said:

I have never played it. I live in Nashville and am in Chattanooga for work quite often and my oldest is about to go to UTChatt so will be around even more.  Customers always want to eat at the Boathouse across the water so when I get here early I have ventured over to look at it (being a die hard golfer).  I have been asked to leave twice. lol.  I just pulled up both times to the edge of the parking lot looking back towards the boathouse and watched guys come in , presumably the ninth or 18th green to the right and had attendants drive up to ask if I was a member and before I could tell them beautiful place they asked me to leave.  I guess it’s an old money kind of place? 
 

very pretty tho.  

Sorry you had a bad experience, but I assume you talked to one of the security officers or a cart attendant. We've recently had to step up security due to some recent trespassers on site.

On 3/5/2024 at 6:41 PM, Hstead said:

Very old money kinda place and for sure the snobbiest club in town lol.  There are obviously some good guys there too and luckily I have made friends with one of them.  My expectations were high when I played it for the first time and they were far exceeded.  Same with the Honors.

As for the membership... Like any "high-end" club, you're going to have a few bad apples but the core golf group is really solid. Walking is norm and there are a lot of great games on the weekends. 

[AWcOBB]

Anyone on the inside of the Eagle Bluff gc reopening with any new information? Only heard it was bought and is being renovated back to the golf course being done “the right way”

[me05501]

On 8/3/2024 at 3:01 PM, AWcOBB said:

Anyone on the inside of the Eagle Bluff gc reopening with any new information? Only heard it was bought and is being renovated back to the golf course being done “the right way”

 

Not on the inside. I only know what I have read. 

 

The owner is buying it as an investment and has no prior experience operating a golf course so they are looking to hire someone who knows the golf business.  

 

They're prioritizing a clubhouse renovation pickleball courts as first steps. I guess the idea is to give the residents something that is immediately deliverable as they start whipping the golf course into shape. 

 

I'm skeptical that the golf course is ever going to be successful. I remember the layout being pretty compromised with maybe 11-12 decent holes and at least 3-4 that had major flaws.

 

It's a bad fit for a neighborhood full of expensive homes. Anyone who lives there and is serious about playing golf probably belongs to a different club. The course has to rely on people from outside the neighborhood and daily fee players don't care as much about the course/homes/streets/neighbors/etc.

 

Essentially you'll have a nice neighborhood with a for-profit small business routed among all the stately homes. It's never going to be a real golf course community like Council Fire, Black Creek or even Windstone. 

 

 

*****

 

The author of this piece works here in my office and he usually has all the info on golf around here: 

 

Golf Notebook: New Owner at Eagle Bluff Plans to Restore Golf Course - Chattanoogan.com

Edited August 5, 2024 by me05501

[Minarets]

All I remember about Eagle Bluff as it’s been about 17 years since I played there, was the part three straight down the hill. I don’t remember it being a great course but more of a budget friendly place.  

[Ty-Webb]

How's Windstone these days? I am potentially moving back to the area and looking around at club options. Also, looking at Council Fire, there's a good bit of price difference between the two. 

[me05501]

On 8/10/2024 at 2:30 PM, Ty-Webb said:

How's Windstone these days? I am potentially moving back to the area and looking around at club options. Also, looking at Council Fire, there's a good bit of price difference between the two. 

 

The conditions are good overall. The course is built on red clay and there are always going to be places where it's hard to keep Bermuda turf healthy but those bare patches are mostly out of play. Tees/fairways/greens are always good. 

 

I think it's a relatively crowded club due to the price and location. It may be harder to just pop in for a quick nine than it would be at Council Fire or any other more expensive private club. I played with a member earlier this season and even on a Thursday afternoon the pace was pretty slow. It may have just been the kinds of groups that were out that day.

 

I don't like the practice area which would be important to me if I was a member. It seems like the range is almost always restricted to mats and most of the balls needed to be replaced years ago. The range is downhill and you never see a ball land, even with a wedge! There's a practice bunker that is semi-useful and a large putting/chipping green. This would be a deal killer for me personally as I spend a lot of time practicing. 

 

Council Fire is a better club in every respect but of course you pay a lot for the difference. You might also look at Dalton G&CC which was  thoroughly renovated in the last three years. 

 

It seems like the differences in club costs are generally consistent across every aspect of club life including cart fees, food and beverage, weekly money game buy in's, tournament fees etc. If the dues are a stretch for you you're not likely to enjoy the club as much as you could. 

Edited August 12, 2024 by me05501

[Hstead]

I have played Windstone and Council Fire a few times this year.  There is no comparison in my mind.  The conditions are pretty good at Windstone, greens are relatively new, but the greens at CF are very very good.  The price difference is very different as well.  The initiation at CF is 10 times that of Windstone.  Everything me055051 is spot on regarding the two courses.  I played Dalton CC last week and I prefer it to CF.  It is a top notch club too.  It all depends on what you are looking for.

 

I am strictly a golfer.  I don't use the pickle ball courts, the pool, or many other amenities to be honest.  I play golf, practice hard, and eat occasionally at the club.  I am a member at the Ooltewah Club.

 

I looked at every club in town when I moved here.  If you want to know what I learned PM me.  I will also add, there are a ton of corporate outings at Windstone and way more members so you pretty much have to get a tee time when you want to play and they aren't easy to come by.  CF is much easier to just walk out and play almost any time but weekends.

[Ty-Webb]

Feel free to shoot holes in this idea but I am thinking of just doing the City pass for Brainard and Brown Acres (the pass is very cheap) and then pair it with a membership at Windstone or the annual pass at Nob North. My thinking is IF the economy has a downturn these clubs will often reduce price and initiation fees and a few years down the road I would be able to get in for far cheaper than the current pricing. I'm mainly just thinking of holding out for pricing to drop at Council Fire. 

 

Ooltewah Club is a good deal but not sure I'll be in the area, plus being a middle-aged single guy I might not be fit in well with the family-oriented club that it appears to be. 

 

Has anyone been out at Battlefield recently? I know it has changed hands several times over the past decades but I have fond memories of junior golf out there, and would love to play it semi-regularly if it's being maintained well. Also, looked up Moccasin Bend, it's not part of the city rec anymore apparently, but wondering if it's in decent shape at all. I drank a few beers and maintained the golf game while at UTC out there.

 

 

Random off-topic question, any poker games in the area?

 

 

[Minarets]

At move in day today for UTC.  Dropping off my first for school.   Good excuse to stop and see him every time I’m driving thru from Nashville to ATL for work.   Used to be in Chattanooga all the time few years back as part of my territory.  Chattanooga golf is so much better than Nashville golf, which I think I’ve said a few times in this thread.   Just the public golf lacks in Chattanooga for sure.  Is the new Mclemore course open yet?  Usually take customers up there and stay at the house at the top of #1 and it’s a great time. 

[me05501]

On 8/15/2024 at 7:17 PM, Minarets said:

At move in day today for UTC.  Dropping off my first for school.   Good excuse to stop and see him every time I’m driving thru from Nashville to ATL for work.   Used to be in Chattanooga all the time few years back as part of my territory.  Chattanooga golf is so much better than Nashville golf, which I think I’ve said a few times in this thread.   Just the public golf lacks in Chattanooga for sure.  Is the new Mclemore course open yet?  Usually take customers up there and stay at the house at the top of #1 and it’s a great time. 

 

I think they're starting to pre-book times at The Keep for after Nov 1. 

[me05501]

On 8/15/2024 at 4:08 PM, Ty-Webb said:

Feel free to shoot holes in this idea but I am thinking of just doing the City pass for Brainard and Brown Acres (the pass is very cheap) and then pair it with a membership at Windstone or the annual pass at Nob North. My thinking is IF the economy has a downturn these clubs will often reduce price and initiation fees and a few years down the road I would be able to get in for far cheaper than the current pricing. I'm mainly just thinking of holding out for pricing to drop at Council Fire. 

 

Ooltewah Club is a good deal but not sure I'll be in the area, plus being a middle-aged single guy I might not be fit in well with the family-oriented club that it appears to be. 

 

Has anyone been out at Battlefield recently? I know it has changed hands several times over the past decades but I have fond memories of junior golf out there, and would love to play it semi-regularly if it's being maintained well. Also, looked up Moccasin Bend, it's not part of the city rec anymore apparently, but wondering if it's in decent shape at all. I drank a few beers and maintained the golf game while at UTC out there.

 

 

Random off-topic question, any poker games in the area?

 

 

 

 

Does the city pass allow you to get preferred tee times or book further in advance? I don't live in the city limits so I've never explored it. 

 

The problem with Brainerd, Bear Trace and Moccasin Bend is trying to book early tee times on the weekends. It's a mad rush to grab those as soon as they're available. My group is rarely organized enough to make that work. 

 

Brown Acres is just unsatisfying to play compared to Brainerd which is why it is generally easier to get on. The interstate running through there used to be six lanes and now it's 10? The noise can be deafening, especially on the first several holes of the back nine. It's weird playing golf when you have to shout at your playing partners just to be heard. 

[Ty-Webb]

@me05501 I just looked up the details and there's no mention of access to make tee times. The online portal for tee times is allowing day of and 5 days in the future. Yeah I haven't play Brown Acres in close to 20 years and would only buy the pass for Brainerd.

[me05501]

@Ty-Webb regarding Moccasin Bend the city owns the course but they farm out the operations. A couple years ago they awarded the contract to the Templeton family who owns and runs Creeks Bend. 

 

There have been some changes for the better and some for the worse, IMO. 

 

The turf conditions are much better. They repaved the cart paths which was an improvement. The greens got some work. They still don't have a lot of movement to them but they putt much better than before. So the things that really matter to golfers are improved. 

 

On the flip side the new management has had a negative impact on the overall personality of the place. They are much more strict about a lot of ticky-tacky policies that were long ignored there. They are way, way too quick to restrict carts to the cart paths. They close the range really early a lot of nights and they're still providing only terrible decades-old lost balls. They don't allow drivers on the range at all even after installing a new and much taller net at the back of the range. 

 

MB used to be the ideal place for inexperienced locals to start learning the game. It was scruffy, laid back and inclusive. The old pro told me they did almost 70,000 rounds per year there and I'm sure the driving range cycled through more buckets than any other in the area.

 

That kind of place serves a purpose in the community IMO. It's not serving the same purpose anymore which is a little sad. 

Edited August 20, 2024 by me05501

[smashdn]

A golf course called "Brown Acres" seems like a marketing misstep to me.

[me05501]

9 minutes ago, smashdn said:

A golf course called "Brown Acres" seems like a marketing misstep to me.

 

 

Indeed. It was named for the horse racing track that once occupied the property, but that's a poor excuse for a poor name. 

[me05501]

On 8/15/2024 at 7:17 PM, Minarets said:

At move in day today for UTC.  Dropping off my first for school.   Good excuse to stop and see him every time I’m driving thru from Nashville to ATL for work.   Used to be in Chattanooga all the time few years back as part of my territory.  Chattanooga golf is so much better than Nashville golf, which I think I’ve said a few times in this thread.   Just the public golf lacks in Chattanooga for sure.  Is the new Mclemore course open yet?  Usually take customers up there and stay at the house at the top of #1 and it’s a great time. 

 

A co-worker is a part-time golf writer and he was able to play The Keep last week. 

 

He said The Keep is walking only and it's a long one at seven miles with a lot of elevation changes on the back nine. That was the extent of his commentary on the course itself. 

 

There's no range or clubhouse there yet so players pay and warm up at the primary course before catching a shuttle over to the new course. There are plans to build a separate clubhouse but it's unclear whether they'll build a range. Seems like if that was in the plans they would have probably built it at the same time as the course. 

 

We locals can't decide if the guys behind this are crazy geniuses or just crazy.

 

Their goal is to have a third course and create a destination similar to Streamsong, Pinehurst or Bandon. 

 

They've had some successes for sure. I never thought the hotel and conference center would become a reality but it's there now and they're asking $500-800/night. They're still selling lots and there are more houses in the development than ever. 

 

OTOH there are a few factors that seem destined to become major issues over time. 

 

The property is a long way from everywhere. Staffing is difficult and they're mostly pulling from a rural base of workers. They're trying to hire caddies for The Keep and not getting much traction so far. It's going to be hard to offer consistent elevated experiences in lodging, food services, etc. under those conditions. 

 

The other big issue is climate. While we locals can and do play year-round there are definitely times when it is very uncomfortable. July-September can be brutally hot and humid while January-March are often cold and windy. The Bermuda will go dormant in late November and on a mountaintop it won't be growing well again until April or May. 

 

I just don't see it ever reaching the heights they're aiming for, but I have been wrong so far. We'll see. 

 

[Minarets]

I agree with all of that.  I’ve never been able to figure out how a hotel convention area would work being that remote. Obviously, it’s a never leave for meals kind of place. Make it all one location.  But are you gonna bus people in there for conventions because flying to Chattanooga’s already a pain in the a**?

Edited October 22, 2024 by Minarets

[Ty-Webb]

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Edited March 28 by Ty-Webb
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[Ty-Webb]

Anyone on here play out at Battlefield? Just joined out there and looking to join a game/group

[me05501]

On 3/28/2025 at 5:43 PM, Ty-Webb said:

Anyone on here play out at Battlefield? Just joined out there and looking to join a game/group

 

I haven't but I've heard good things about it. 

 

I finally got to play the renovated Dalton Country Club layout yesterday in a fundraising scramble. I liked it a lot. Interesting layout with plenty of variety and great greens. Conditions were great. I'd probably consider a non-resident membership if I didn't still have a kid in the house. It's roughly an hour's drive each way for me so a typical round would keep me out of the house all day. 

 

The location is probably a little suspect for that kind of club. It's not a rough area, it's just industrial. The course is bordered by two busy highways and traffic noise intrudes noticeably on several holes. On the positive side there are no houses adjacent to any holes which is a huge plus in my book. 

 

[Ty-Webb]

@me05501

 

What's the distance required for a non-resident membership? 

 

[me05501]

1 hour ago, Ty-Webb said:

@me05501

 

What's the distance required for a non-resident membership? 

 

 

Their site says 50 miles by air or outside the state of Georgia. 

I know The Farm allows non-resident memberships for Chattanooga residents. I'm assuming Dalton does too but I haven't inquired. Won't really make sense for me until my youngest is out of the house.