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Jason Thurman

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On the recent Chattanooga outing set up by Joe Sponcia, a group of GCA’ers woke up early and headed 30 miles west to check out the work of our own Rob Collins at Sequatchie Golf Club near South Pittsburgh, TN.

Please note: As of May 15, 2014, the course has been purchased by a group led by GCA's own Rob Collins and Ari Techner. It will now be known as "Sweetens Cove."

Those who attended will understand that this thread must remain focused on the golf course only. Please post with tact and in a spirit of confidentiality about things that should be kept confidential. As always, though, frank discussion of the golf is encouraged.

Also, keep in mind that the photos show a course just emerging from winter and still in the middle of grow-in. Bunkers have not all been filled with sand, the turf is dormant, and some finishing work is still planned. It was very cool to see a course at this stage in its development, as Sequatchie’s final form can be envisioned but is still a few months away.

I intend for this thread to progress fairly slowly by my own impatient standards, mostly because I think Sequatchie deserves a detailed introduction. I’ll withhold my opinions about the quality of the course as long as possible so as not to introduce bias, but it is a course that I expect will elicit strong opinions even in photos.

To begin, let’s discuss the site. Sequatchie is located some 30 miles west of downtown Chattanooga just off I-24, and alongside Battle Creek. A nine-holer both in its original incarnation and today, it is Marion County’s only golf course. It lies in a flood plain and the original property had around 1 or 2 feet of elevation change from back to front with a basic nine-hole plan that had been conceived in the 1950s. While still not hilly, the photos will show that the course today is anything but flat. The course was sand-capped to improve drainage and also allow more undulation in the playing surfaces. It should be said that quite a bit of rain had been received in the two days prior to our visit, and the turfed areas had held up remarkably well. While venturing into unfilled bunkers and rough areas posed a danger to white shoes, the fairways were largely dry and even allowed some running shots despite having not been cut since last fall.

The property is also sparsely treed, which opens up long views across the course. I didn’t count, but I suspect that from the makeshift parking lot it is possible to see play on all nine holes. The setting is quiet with only 3 or 4 homes visible on the south edge of the property. It feels secluded and the surroundings are truly beautiful.

It’s a property with some excellent assets but also some obvious drawbacks, like any other. This makes it an intriguing canvas for an architect, as a resulting course could range from terrible to excellent depending on how the land is approached. We’ll begin touring the holes with my next post, and hopefully start to get an idea of the work done at Sequatchie.



« Last Edit: May 17, 2014, 09:13:46 AM by Jason Thurman »
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Jason Thurman

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2014, 08:27:51 PM »
Hole 1

In reflecting on Sequatchie after the round, it feels a bit like a cross between Tobacco Road and Kingsley in style, albeit on flatter ground. The first hole gives an excellent example. A reachable par 5, it plays from a slightly elevated tee to a wide fairway with trouble in play. A small pond up the right side may snag the errant shot for bigger hitters, though the centerline bunker in the left middle of the fairway is more of a concern for someone who hits their tee shot online. While the tree left currently challenges the line, part of the finishing work on the course will involve trimming it to take it out of play off the tee.



From the landing zone for a big drive, several options appear. The left side of the layup area, which in turn opens up the left side of the green (visible as a patch of slightly differently colored dormant grass on the left of the photo), is heavily guarded with OB and a bunker. There's more room to the right but the angle...



... is an awful one, as the putting surface is virtually blind from here. Note the pin directly on line with the tree and the tongue of green visible to the left side.



The green itself is a good indication of what you can expect at Sequatchie. Slightly elevated with some banking long, it wraps around a fronting bunker with characteristic wooden planks creating potential disaster for anyone who overestimates their escape abilities. The interior has very bold contouring. Greens were slow during our grow-in round, but will be terrifying when they get up to speed.



Hole 2

A 350 yard short par 4, the second plays to a wide and rumpled fairway with bunkering in the landing zone for the longest hitters. The land movement on this hole really belies the hand of man. Speed slots lurk beyond the bunkers for anyone who clears them, which will likely make a bigger difference for shorter hitters who play low shots in to the green than for the relatively rare player strong enough to make the carry. I suspect that long hitters are more likely to run into the bunkers than fly over them.



Once on the green, another putting surface with significant internal contour will be found. As you can tell from the GCA'ers in this photo, it was a brisk morning.



More to come later.
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Ben Hollerbach

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2014, 10:08:15 AM »
After seeing your first few pictures of Sequatchie I spent more time than I should have reading about the project, I'm rather excited to see the rest. It would appear that a Sequatchie / Sewanee combo would make for one great day.

Eric Smith

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2014, 10:59:10 AM »
Great to see your tour up on the board, Jason. Thank you.

There's more room to the right but the angle...

... is an awful one, as the putting surface is virtually blind from here. Note the pin directly on line with the tree and the tongue of green visible to the left side.




In my experience, this angle offers a golden opportunity to get the ball close to the pin via use of the backboard. Granted, we haven't seen another pin position on the green since August, so this one is all I know! ;)

Rees Milikin

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2014, 11:13:33 AM »
Granted, we haven't seen another pin position on the green since August, so this one is all I know! ;)
Very true, and still the most fun course I have ever played!

Jason, thanks for doing this thread and allowing others to see what a special place Sequatchie truly is.

Jason Thurman

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2014, 05:06:56 PM »
If the fourth hole doesn't prompt some real discussion, then I'm renaming this to make it look like a Tiger Woods thread. But first, the third...

Hole 3

Sequatchie’s third hole plays back to the east, as the first three holes effectively outline the perimeter of the property. On a site with limited space, this opening C around the outer edge allows the course a pair of legitimate par 5s that likely couldn’t have happened otherwise without some awkward crossovers between holes or parallel back-to-back 3 shotters.

The third also traverses some of the flattest terrain on the course. This view from the tee, when closely examined, reveals some of that flatness. However, the long and massive bunkers down the right side help break up the terrain a bit, and a principal’s nose-style complex along the right side of the fairway gives the ideal target line for anyone hoping to reach the green in two as a line up the right side takes the trees left out of play and also provides a better angle for working around the tree fronting the green. At only 280 yards or so off the tee, big hitters will need to go around the bunker complex or stay short.





That tree in front of the green seemed a bit polarizing as we discussed the course after the round. It will be interesting to see it with full foliage, but in its current state it creates some challenging angles while still preserving some impressive views across the course.



A better look at the dramatic bunker along the right side of the fairway.

 

Easily reachable in two, the green presents one of the more dangerous complexes on a course full of them. Severely elevated above the surrounding fairway, a running shot with a long iron or wood can bound down through a fronting swale and onto the putting surface, but a shot with too much heat will run long and dead while a shot that flies into the fronting slope will die and leave a tricky up and down from the swale. It’s a very dicey green, which is the norm at Sequatchie.



Hole 4

If one hole embodies Sequatchie’s audaciousness, variety, and willingness to take risks, it’s the fourth. Playing anywhere between ~110 and ~210 yards depending on the tee and pin placement, it’s a visually imposing par 3 with one of the largest greens I’ve ever seen. Giant bunkers surrounding the green and significant contouring within the putting surface effectively make it play like four or five greens in one, and it’s not an automatic GIR despite its giant size. Furthermore, the putting surface is basically blind from the longest teeing angle. It reminded me a lot of the fourth hole on the Dunes course at The Prairie Club, and the chaotic bunker obscuring the green was also reminiscent of that course. Someone in our group mentioned Mike Strantz on the tee, and Rees replied that Strantz is the architect who first inspired Rob Collins to explore golf course architecture. Even in a dormant state, the fourth at Sequatchie shows Strantz’s visual panache. Once the turf greens up, the contrast between the bunker, the waste in it, and the turf will be visually impressive.

From the back tee to a back pin, with the red flag just barely visible in the center of the photo:



The right side of the forward tee gives a clearer view of the incredibly contoured green. Again, the red flag is just barely visible in the center of the photo:



From the right side of the green. ALL of the short dormant turf in this photo is part of the green:


"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Rob Collins

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2014, 08:46:28 PM »
One quick comment in case its not clear from Jason's photo of the waste area between the tees and green on #4:
there are large spoil piles from the bunker construction process (looks like large mounds covered in brown grass or weeds) that are currently occupying a large portion of the floor of the bunker - once they are removed, it will open up views into the bunker that are a bit obscured at the moment...
Rob Collins

www.kingcollinsgolf.com
@kingcollinsgolf on Twitter
@kingcollinsgolf on Instagram

Philip Caccamise

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2014, 10:50:07 PM »
On 3: The tree certainly generated discussion in our group, as I drove it in the fairway bunker and had to lay up and put it right in line with the tree. The fearless designer smashed a drive and then hooked a beautiful hybrid around the tree- but it came in too hot and ran over the green, never to be found (probably ran through the dormant grass and into the hazard.) The other two hit good tee shots but were intimidated on the second shot and walked away with pars. Normally I'm very against line-of-play trees, but with Rob's plan to trim the limbs and the fact that it's a reachable par 5 for basically everybody, it offers a defense to what would be an easy par 5. And there's plenty of room for the more conservative bail out to the right which leaves plenty of room to pitch up the slope of the green, which generally falls from left to right.

On 4: It's almost like 5 par 3's in one hole, based on where the pin is- like Jason said. The green is almost shaped like a map of the US. The genius is the easiest pin front left (Arizona?) is about a 120 yard blind shot and some bolder contours on the green. The hardest pin back right about 195 yards (Maine?) is fully visible and flat. The middle sections at 170-180 yards (Nebraska?) you could probably see the top of the flag with moderate contours. But if you're in one section and need to get to another, there is generally a bankboard or slope you can use to get the ball within 10 feet. It's easily one of the boldest and best par 3's I've ever played.

Jason Thurman

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Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - Sequatchie/Battle Creek - Rob Collins
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2014, 09:32:37 PM »
Hole 5

Sequatchie continues with a short par 4 of 285 yards or so. Big hitters can obviously take a run at the green, but plenty of risk challenges the shot as the green is another severe one and features, as we’ll soon see, some of the more severe hazards on the course. Meanwhile, players who don’t swing for the surface will find a huge amount of width with multiple options. A long ball up the left beyond the tree leaves a pitch with a beneficial backstop. A tee shot up the far right leaves an approach that runs along the length of the green and helps take the bunkers out of play. I don’t so much see a “correct” play as I do a multitude of options that all present different pros and cons.



The photo below shows the approach from the middle of the fairway. Obviously it doesn’t present a great angle for today’s pin, but would present a better look at a front right pin. On this day, the ideal shot was probably up the left to open up the back left pin position, though hugging the far right off the tee also leaves a very playable angle.



From this angle, the difficulty of the green complex becomes more evident, as does the severity of the bunker in front. The bunker seems to work on multiple levels. It’s deep and very difficult to escape. Many players will need to go out backwards. However, for a player with a good lie, a decision can be made. Playing out to the middle of the green doesn’t involve playing over one of the wooden sidewalls, and it’s an easier out. However, when pins are placed on the “wings” of the green, the player will be tempted to challenge the sidewalls and try to get close. A miss could be disastrous, both in golf terms and in dental terms.



Another look at the green:



Hole 6

The 6th is the longest par 4 on the course, at around 430 yards. With water in play all along the left side, a fiercely sloped green, and some really severe bunker features lurking long, it also will no doubt present the most difficult hole on the course relative to par. I didn’t get a photo of the tee shot, but 6 is a true cape hole with the same water in play off the tee and on the approach. This view from the landing zone shows how the green protrudes into the water.



Nearer the green reveals another complex with a lot going on. The swale in front is really tricky, especially with a front pin. The green itself will be extremely scary when it gets up to speed. The water is an obvious concern. Lurking long, though, is a bunker with large boulders in it. Long approaches will no doubt hit the boulders and bounce all over hell. Players in the bunker may elect to try to bounce shots off them Evan Fleischer style. They’re severe, but also provide interest. I suspect they’ll contribute to some very memorable shots both good and bad.

"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Josh Bills

  • Karma: +0/-0
Jason, I am enjoying this thread and am impressed with the efforts to create such a unique course. I noticed you said it was in a flood plain and when I pulled up the image on Google to see how far away from Columbus, OH it appeared the course was absolutely flooded. Just curious as to any concerns that were expressed or measures taken to resolve that problem. Any unique solutions or ideas that could be shared. Thanks. Here is a link from to the map from my iPad, just need to change it to satellite view.

 Sequatchie Valley Golf and Country Club, Tennessee 37380
http://goo.gl/maps/zk3oA

Rob Collins

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Josh,
That's a very good question about the flooding. While flooding on golf courses typically brings up images of washed out bunkers, destroyed features, etc., it has been my experience with the site that the floods have a minimal negative impact aside from missed opportunities to work or, for visitors, to play. The water comes up very slow and goes away slowly. It doesn't wash features or bunkers. Basically, it disappears into the drainage system. Given that the course has miles of subsurface pipe, it recovers quickly. There are other plans in the works (about 75% complete) that will further help the course in the event of future flooding. I will be happy to discuss  those further with you if you want to email or direct message me. The picture on google earth was taken right as we started sand capping the site (you can see piles of sand lined up on #1).  It was a little muddy at that time!

Thanks,
Rob
Rob Collins

www.kingcollinsgolf.com
@kingcollinsgolf on Twitter
@kingcollinsgolf on Instagram

Josh Bills

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Rob,

Thank you for taking time to respond.  That is a large amount of subsurface work to handle all that water. 

I enjoyed your brochure as well.  Here is a link for others who may be interested.   

http://issuu.com/kingcollinsgolf/docs/booklet_complete_reduced

Nice presentation, best of luck, I'm sorry I wasn't able to be a part of that GCA outing and look forward to the rest of the holes.

Josh

John Mayhugh

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Thanks for the tour and description of the holes.  With all f the dormant grass and size of the photos, it can be a bit tough noticing some details.  I'm not a grass guy, but wondering what was selected for the greens?

Will have to make an effort to see this sometime sooner rather than later.

Rob Collins

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Thanks for the tour and description of the holes.  With all f the dormant grass and size of the photos, it can be a bit tough noticing some details.  I'm not a grass guy, but wondering what was selected for the greens?

Will have to make an effort to see this sometime sooner rather than later.

John, It's 419 in the fairways and mini verde on the greens...
Rob Collins

www.kingcollinsgolf.com
@kingcollinsgolf on Twitter
@kingcollinsgolf on Instagram

Jason Thurman

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Hole 7

Sequatchie closes with three shortish holes that nonetheless offer variety and challenge. At about 315 yards, the 7th is a short dogleg right. You can see the pin in the trees on the right side of the photo below. A large bunker, probably around the 270 mark from the tee, really dictates play for those who don’t take a rip at the green. I suspect there’s more width than there initially appears to a first-time player, as one could certainly bail left of the bunker though it didn’t occur to me until after the round.



This look at the green from just shy of the bunker shows another surface with significant contour that varies based on pin placement. It has occurred to me that perhaps short par 4s are the only holes where approach angles really matter for the modern golfer, as it’s harder to drop-and-stop a 60 yard shot than a 150 yard one. With that in mind, I suspect that once again the ideal angle of approach for this short hole can change based on pin placement. This right side of the fairway seems to work nicely for most positions, but might the left side favor a far right pin?



Another look at the green from long and left shows how the humps in the green can work with or against shots depending on the day’s pin placement.



Hole 8

At around 350 yards, the final par 4 at Sequatchie is another shortish one. As at the par 5 3rd, trees gently divide lines of play and create a premium on smart placement without creating narrowness, as seen from the tee.



While the heavy glare in these photos makes it tough to pick out a lot of features, the ground movement in the fairway is really quite significant and it becomes more so nearer the green. Despite its short length and abundant width, Sequatchie still provides for a lot of awkward lies and chips and pitches feel extremely treacherous with the many ridges near the greens making for uncertain contact as well as offering the possibility of getting on the wrong side of a ridge and watching the ball run away from the target. The 8th has some of the most severe approach terrain on the course.



As evidence of the risk involved in imprecise pitch shots, I offer this photo of the huge swale separating the front right of the 8th green from the back left. You’ll note that it’s nearly as deep as Rees is tall. While the approaches at Sequatchie are often short, they must also be played with accuracy.



Hole 9

The closer at Sequatchie packs as many options into 150 yards as many holes do in 500. The green nearly horseshoes around a huge fronting bunker and is quite shallow in its middle. The wings on the left and right sides slope dramatically back-to-front and offer a brake ramp for shorter hitters, but will also repel a shot hit on the incorrect line. The bank on the back right can be used as a backstop for pitches and bunker shots from short of the green, but again, precision is needed to keep the ball from running off the bank and into the rear bunker or down off the front of the green.



From short right of the green, that bank on the right looks pretty appetizing for a middle pin. If you missed this badly on the way to a left pin, a 5 is certainly in play.



From behind the green, the contours are evident as is the scale of the bunker and the general impressiveness of the setting. Sequatchie may be a fairly small course, but it lies in a big setting.



I’ll post my overall evaluation of the course in a day or two.
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

BCowan

Great Job with the photo/dialog thread.

BHoover

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Although I'm not generally a big fan of 9 hole courses, and frankly I tend to completely ignore them, this place looks fantastic.

Russ Arbuthnot

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Really enjoyed this walk through and the pictures. Looks like a really fun course to play, with each additional playing adding more to the experience. Hopefully someone can do a follow-up later this year, as a comparison.

Jason Thurman

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Russ, I agree. I’d love to see photos of the course fully grown-in and in season. It was exceedingly cool to be able to see it when we did. Frankly, it’s probably the coolest architecture experience I’ve had to date. Seeing the evolution as it becomes a fully finished product is something I’m very interested in.

Brian, I also agree with you. I generally don’t give 9 holers much credit, and they usually don’t deserve it in my experience. I try to keep a list of courses I’ve played, loosely organized in my order of personal preference. The bottom of the list is littered with the handful of 9 holers I’ve seen.

When I added Sequatchie’s name a week or so ago, it was very tough. I generally just organize the list in tiers, so exact placement doesn’t matter too much. It’s usually pretty easy for me to say “Yeah, I’d rate that course alongside this group” and slot a new one appropriately. I spent quite a few minutes deciding on Sequatchie though.

It has a few obvious limitations. The property doesn’t drain especially well. Then again, the construction of the course has greatly mitigated that issue with the sand that’s been added to the site, installation of large amounts of pipe, and some excellent shaping work that both looks natural and drains very well. The property also isn’t huge, and as a result there’s only one “long” hole relative to par by my subjective view. Even that one isn’t too big, as a 420-ish yard par 4.

The worry with a course that lacks length is that it will also lack variety. I’m a good long iron player and I love to hit 3, 4, and 5 irons. Short courses typically don’t give me that opportunity very often. But Sequatchie has a unique strength in the variety of options each of its holes present. We talk about “options” all the time on this site, but usually the strategy of a given hole is very simple. Most “strategic” holes have an obvious Position A, and also offer alternative options for the player not strong enough or bold enough to get there. On that list of courses I’ve played, Sequatchie is one of a rare group that presents holes with myriad options and no “right answer.”

When I watched Lyn Young’s ball on 5 go up the right side, I saw his ball land and surveyed the area and thought “Nice, he just found the ideal spot!” After arriving next to him in the fairway, I still thought his angle had some advantages but also noticed a few disadvantages. My ball in the center of the fairway had left a slightly more difficult approach, but also offered some benefits. As we got closer to the green, I started to see pros and cons of being on the left side. I could see a legitimate argument for hitting anything from a 6 iron to a driver off that tee, and aiming anywhere within a 60 yard directional cone. Different players will find different strategies depending on the pin placement, wind, and their own skills. To me, that creates a hole that doesn’t get stale with repeated plays.

Other holes feature very similar balancing acts. Challenging the water off the tee at 6 creates a forced carry on the approach, but also lets the player hit more into the slope of the green for better control. Driving up the right side creates a better angle, but a pull or hook risks flying into the water on the approach, or bouncing in off the slope that runs more perpendicular to the player from that direction. The scale of the features that require plotting and recovery, copious micro-slopes that create different lies, and general elasticity of the course creates a design with a massive amount of variation in a tight space.

People who have talked to me about my favorite courses know that I’m a sucker for multiple options without cut-and-dry solutions. It’s why The Prairie Club’s Dunes course is one of my favorites in the world. It’s my favorite thing about Kingsley and Erin Hills, and what appeals to me about the 27 holes that I love at Blackwolf Run. Sequatchie is the first nine-hole course that has ever shown that kind of gray-area decision variety for me, and it presents more ambiguity in about 3100 yards than most courses do over 7000. That’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is mine. I’m very glad that I got to see it, and I’ll make it a point to see it again. I hope other GCA’ers do the same, but more importantly, I really hope the people of Marion County embrace what a special course they have, regardless of its length or number of holes. Some people won’t get it, but those willing to get outside their own paradigm will find something really fun and a puzzle that can be solved and confounding in an almost endless variety of ways.
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

BCowan

Jason,

   I agree with most of what you said.  I ended up playing 27 holes that day, and felt as though I could play the course another 5 times differently.  That aspect reminded me of Kingsley.  I played the first 9 at SV with a non GCAer in the group which was great.  He really liked the course and that is SV's market.  It is hard to beat fun, and that is what SV provides for anyone. 

BCowan

Can't wait for some photos of the course when the sand is in!!   :P

Adam Lawrence

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Should be soon!
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

BCowan

Adam,

   I just think the course needs a new name.  It has been awhile.

Ari Techner

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Grow-in Photo Tour - SWEETENS COVE GOLF CLUB -
« Reply #23 on: May 15, 2014, 02:18:49 PM »
So I decided to bump this thread with some very exciting news!  As of Tuesday, a group including architect Rob Collins and I have taken control of the course formerly known as "Sequatchie Valley Country Club."  The new name will be Sweetens Cove Golf Club.  We are currently in the process of getting it ready for play and hope to open in August. 

From my perspective this has been a long and strenuous process that started last September with a phone call from my good friend Mark Stovall the Superintendent at Lookout Mountain.  He told me that I had to check out this new course in S. Pittsburgh and that he would arrange for me to go out and see the course with the architect.  A week or so later I met Rob Collins for the first time and went out and played the course with him and another GCAer that I work with, Patrick Boyd.  To put it simply I was blown away by what I saw.  Absolutely blown away.  This 9 hole course was some of the most fun I had ever had on a golf course.  On top of that I could see that different pin positions, wind direction or even placement of tee shots would provide a completely different experience that looked like it would be just as much fun.  The flexibility of the course and specifically the greens, the width of the fairways, the hazards and their placement equal a course that provides a completely different look and challenge depending on the day.  I could not believe what I had stumbled onto.  It so much exceeded what I was expecting to find that it was staggering. 

In talking to Rob I found out that the family that owned the golf course was having some internal squabbles about the course and was looking to get rid of it or was even thinking of letting it go back to nature without ever even opening!  I was shocked.  I was so taken with this course that the thought of it never getting to open and being gone in a few short months was just tragic.  I shared my strong feelings with Rob and we started talking about what we could do to save the course.  Fast forward to May and the fantasy of that day has become a reality and I could not be more excited!

I want to stress that I absolutely positively 100% did not go into this with even the slightest thought of getting involved with owning and running this place.  Golf courses are not my business and I had not intended for it to be.  As some of you know I have another golf business, Scratch Golf Clubs, which takes up most of my time.  I also have a young family and an intense desire to play as much golf as I possibly can at every possible opportunity.  I am also lucky enough to have access to some of my favorite courses in the world so having a compelling place to play is fortunately not usually an issue for me.  This project will not help me find more time during the day to spend with my young family, work a few more hours for Scratch Golf or get a few extra rounds in here and there.  That said this course was just too good to let go back to nature and never see the light of day.  That is the simple and only reason that I got involved with the project in the first place.  This course is just amazing and so much fun that the golf world needs to see it and have the opportunity to enjoy playing it as much as I do.

We have a TON of work to do before we hope to open in August but I could not be more excited about the prospect of the course finally opening and sharing it with the people of TN and the rest of the golf world.  Visitors will find a very friendly place that can be played by anyone for a very reasonable green fee where they can have a great time playing the game we all love.  Fun is and will be the name of the game at Sweetens Cove and I personally invite all of you to experience our extra fun version of golf in our little scenic mountain valley between Chattanooga and Nashville right off I-24.   

I have some other pics from grow in last summer where the course is green that I will post shortly when I get a chance.  I will also update as we get sand into all the bunkers and get the course ready to open.  In my best TN accent, "hope to see y'all at Sweetens Cove later this summer!"

Josh Tarble

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Ari,
Congrats!  That is fantastic news.  I have been meaning to plan a little journey to Chattanooga, and after seeing this thread I am committed to making it happen this summer.  Can't wait to play it.


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