When Eric Smith posted a couple of weeks ago about a day at Sweetens Cove on New Year’s Day, I decided that a little road trip from Kansas was in order. Let me just say that I could not have made a better decision. This nine hole gem is worth the effort to get to, regardless of your starting point.
Once the site of the Sequatchie Valley Golf Club, the entire place was bulldozed and then sand capped to create this stunning landscape. Course architects Rob Collins and Tad King spent 600+ days on site designing and hand building this golf course. Let that sink in for just a second. While I know that devoting that kind of time is not the norm and certainly not often possible, you can immediately see the difference it makes in the end product.
I was too busy having a blast on the dormant fairways and unbelievable set of greens to take pictures of everything, so no full photo tour. I’ll just focus on some of the interesting features and, to allude to another thread, memorable subtlety.
This is the view you are greeted with upon walking up to the “clubhouse” (a small wooden building that just fits the place). A view that makes you think the golf course has been around for a long time instead of the very short time it has been open.
The approach to the first gives you an idea of what you will be in for the entire day.
Here is the right greenside bunker up close. I couldn’t stop looking at this hazard, the Pope’s Hat as it has been dubbed at Sweetens. I have no idea how long this took to build, but to me it is a piece of art. It ties in perfectly to the landscape and, again, gives the appearance of having been around for decades. Oh, and you don’t want to be in it.
The tee shot on the par 5 3rd if you were to tee off right next to the 2nd green is seen below. A long, beautiful bunker complex runs nearly the length of the flowing, rolling fairway.
Drive it too far right off of the tee and you will be left with a blind 2nd shot with only the “Dr. Seuss” tree giving you any indication of where to play your next shot.
Here is the short approach to the green I dubbed “Dikembe Mutombo." I had three shots rejected by this behemoth green. Any shot not played with enough force will catch the fronting slopes and result in a difficult shot from the surrounding short grass. This photo also gives you a better glimpse of the “Dr Seuss” tree, which has been struck by lightning at least 11 times. It definitely forces the golfer to make a decision with his second shot rather than just blast 3 wood up the wide fairway. I’m not normally a fan of trees fronting greens, but with no low lying limbs this one works great.
The 4th hole brings us to the first par 3 and what a golf hole it is. Due to the massive, undulating green and different teeing areas, this hole can be played anywhere from 110 – 220 yards. Depending on the day’s pin placement, this hole can also play completely blind.
I was not able to capture good photos of the greens at Sweetens. They are a little of everything- massive, undulating, but completely pinnable with false fronts and drop offs all around. They are in my top 5 of courses I have played. I stole this photo of the 4th green from the Sweetens website. It does not even do it justice. We had a great conversation among our group about the greens and their undulation. There is a ton of movement, but we decided the really cool thing about them is that if you were within 15-20 feet you always felt like you could make a putt. This once again speaks to the time spent on site by Rob Collins. In fact, there was a story told by one of the owners about Rob spending countless hours on greens with a level making sure of this exact thing.
The 5th is a drivable par 4 playing 285 yards. I absolutely love the look of this tee shot. The trees, the sand, the undulations… and we haven’t even gotten to my favorite bunker on the course that fronts the green.
Once you get to the green you see this beauty that should definitely influence what you do from the tee. The stairs, the sleepers, the long grass around it and the short grass feeding into it… it is perfection in my eyes.
The seventh hole is a beautiful lay of the land hole that plays around 330 yards. The first bunker on the right requires a 200 yard carry and the second on the left requires a 260 yard carry, effectively pinching the landing zone.
The 7th green may be my favorite… very reminiscent of a Prairie Dunes green with great movement and its smaller size. Another stolen photo.
The home hole 9th brings us to a fantastic version of the Redan. The bunker complex that needs to be crossed off the tee is impressive. Again the small touch of two wooden stairs adds to the classic look of the course.
The green, viewed from behind. I’ll let this one speak for itself.
If you know the right people, you may be treated to the top secret “back nine” routing. There are some amazing golf holes if you are playing cross country, but the best may be the 10th (210 yards). Playing to the 8th green from the 1st fairway, this Biarritz is a ton of fun.
Normally played to from a perpendicular angle, the golfer could have hours of enjoyment with just a wedge and a putter on this green.
This place is definitely a testament to the hard work of the architect and his time spent on site. It also shows what can be done on a flat site. If you get a chance, get to Sweetens Cove. You will not find more enjoyable golf anywhere.