The Golf Course at Sewanee

[Mike Hendren]

Did I play the 3rd best course in The Volunteer State yesterday?

Mike

[Jimmy Beard]

Hanse did a good job.. Good par 3's, though they are the exact same. Would not say that it is the third best in state.

Honors, Golf Club of Tennessee, Spring Creek Ranch, Holston Hills, Memphis CC, Belle Meade CC, etc.

I actually prefer Sweetens Cove over Sewanee when it comes to the 9 hole tracks that are 10 miles apart.

[Tyler Kearns]

Mike,


I played the course at Sewanee after the Dixie Cup in September instead of sneaking out for a 2nd round at Lookout Mountain.  I don't regret my decision for a moment.  I'll post some pictures later today.


TK

[Bill_McBride]

Did I play the 3rd best course in The Volunteer State yesterday?

Mike

Dude, who would know better than you?


What are your 1 and 2?

[Chris Oldham]

I'm not certain if Sewanee is among the to 3 courses in Tennessee, but pound-for-pound it is one of the most enjoyable.  The laid back atmosphere, affordability and the seldom-crowded conditions make a worthwhile trek from Knoxville where I live. 

[Mike Hendren]

Bill, Holston Hills and The Honors Course are tops in the state - solid 7's in my book.  The herd thins quickly thereafter.  Remember, Lookout Mountain is in Georgia.

The courses Jimmy mentions are quite good, though I'm hard pressed to assign anything more than a weak 6 to Memphis CC (a great routing of two loops within a boundary loop on a tight site) and Black Creek and strong 5 to the others. 

Sewanee benefits from  the weak field.  I so want to assign it a solid 6 but there are two glaring weaknesses:  1)  the shallow 1st green benched into the far side of a dip in the fairway doesn't work for a hole that requires a blind second on a 450 yards opener from the forward tees; and 2) the abundant bunkering around the 8th green is an eyesore but likely intended as a photo opportunity with the new lodge in the background.  The excellent principal's nose fairway bunker on that hole is overwhelmed by the greenside bunkers and their presence precludes any short grass around the green - a feature deployed with great affect and effect elsewhere.  My approach was one foot short and I had to chop out of the bermuda.

The Bishop deserves great credit for the routing.  While the two one-shotters are somewhat redundant as Jimmy notes, they are nonetheless a brilliant use of the two ridge knobs in the routing.   The routing also makes great use of the small valley running through the first and second fairways.  The half par Hanse exacts on the first hole is brilliantly reciprocated at the 264 yards (from both the tips and forward tees!) fourth.  That green - almost a smallish double-plateau, places a premium on the drive's placement.  Hanse's greens in general are varied in size, orientation and undulation - plenty of short-game interest while blending seamlessly with the rolling site.  Tree clearance is outstanding.  Frilly bunkers work surprisingly well with the natural setting, perhaps due to their judicious use - with the exception of the outburst fronting the 8th tee.

The course now features the best green to tee proximity of any course I've played, though the relocation of the golf shop to the far end of the property necessitates a long hike from the 8th green to the 9th tee. 

Okay, so it's a tie for 3rd.  I get why others might disagree. 

More later. 

Mike

[John Mayhugh]

Some photos from a couple of years ago.
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,56558.msg1314575.html#msg1314575

[Tyler Kearns]

Sewanee was a great surprise, sadly only Morgan Clawson and I ventured out there for a post Dixie Cup round.  The original routing that Hanse was asked to keep intact is very good and flows very naturally through the property.  The bunkering is strategic and attractive, the internal green contours are wonderful and the corridors are sufficiently wide to promote strategic play and allow golfers to comfortably swing away.


Personally, I would have liked to see a bit more of a difference in playing two loops of the course in terms of distance and angles from the tees, something that I think adds to the experience of a nine-hole course. Overall I thought it was a really fun and challenging course and a place I would not hesitate to recommend or return to.  The comparison to Sweetens Cove only 30 minutes away is inevitable, and I would give the edge to Sewanee by a fairly narrow margin.


Of note, the sequencing of the holes has changed since John Mayhugh's photo tour due to the siting of the clubhouse and range at the north end of the property.  The former No. 1 is now the 9th. 


TK


 

[Tyler Kearns]

No. 1 (Par 4 - 453 yds.) / No. 10 (Par 5 - 545 yds.)

An extremely demanding starter with a tee shot that lands into the upslope.  The large waste bunker right comes into play on the second time around, or after a weak opening drive.



The shallow nature of the 1st green makes approaches from 200+ yards quite demanding, however as the 10th with a short iron approach it is more receptive.



The back-to-front sloping green is split by a small spine that adds interest to a relatively tame green.

[Tyler Kearns]

No. 2 (Par 5 - 548 yds.) / No. 11 (Par 5 - 513 yds.)


The bunker is the foreground is easily carried, but the drive must be straight here to avoid being blocked out by mature trees left and right.  Advancing beneath them is made more challenging by a creek that crosses the fairway about 325 yards out.








Lots of short grass surrounds the greens at Sewanee and typical internal humps and bumps keep the putting interesting throughout the round.

[Nigel Islam]

Wow, am I crazy to consider driving 3 hours and 45 minutes to play a nine hole course? Please nobody answer that! Those are great pics Tyler and John.

[Tyler Kearns]

No. 3 (Par 3 - 196 yds.) / No. 12 (Par 3 - 165 yds.)


I was excited to play this hole after seeing it from the 1st tee which is in very close proximity.  In addition to be a stunning looking hole, the tendency to bail right must be fought as a mound bites into the right side of the green making chips and pitches more demanding.








The above-mentioned mound and exquisite views from the green add to the charm of this splendid one-shotter.

[Tyler Kearns]

Wow, am I crazy to consider driving 3 hours and 45 minutes to play a nine hole course? Please nobody answer that! Those are great pics Tyler and John.

Nigel,


Not crazy, your just a golf nut like the rest of us!!  Add in Sweetens Cove which is only 30 minutes east and it makes the 4 hour drive seem more reasonable.


TK

[Mike Hendren]

Wow, am I crazy to consider driving 3 hours and 45 minutes to play a nine hole course? Please nobody answer that! Those are great pics Tyler and John.

Nigel, I'll pay your greens fee if you'll permit me to join you.
 
 
John, thanks for the link to your thread.  Tyler, great pics - keep them coming as mine aren't so hot.
 
Bogey

[Tyler Kearns]

No. 4 (Par 4 - 278 yds.) / No. 13 (Par 4 - 285 yds.)


This fairway on this reachable par four tilts sharply right-to-left steering drives either into the fairway bunker left or for bolder drives, towards the green.  The carry over the left bunker is 215 yds., while that over the right bunker is 240 yds.








The green is a subtle double-plateau type with bunkering right and a steep bank left of the green.

[Tyler Kearns]

No. 5 (Par 3 - 210 yds.) / No. 14 (Par 3 - 236 yds.)


The similarity to the 3rd/12th is obvious, but the additional distance makes bailing right a much smarter option as missing left is fraught with peril.  The general right-to-left slope of the green can be used with the same ball flight to get balls closer to left hole locations.





The surrounds flow seamlessly into the teeing ground on the 6th/15th.





The general tilt of the green is more severe than appears from the tee and features many internal contours to keep things interesting. (Missed that birdie putt in case you were wondering, not sure I'll ever get a better chance).





 

[BCrosby]

The first time I played the new #4, I tapped in a 3 foot putt for eagle. The last three times I played it I went double, double, and bogey.


A fascinating hole.


Bob

[BCrosby]

Having played the pre-Hanse Sewanee about 300 times, the par 3 5th is largely unchanged. A gorgeous, challenging hole.

Just over the green is the escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau. A sandstone cliff drops about a thousand feet to the flatlands below. A magnificent view. There is a hiking path running behind the green and the next tee. Hikers will often stop and watch play on the course.


The next three par 4's are as good as they come.


A delightful course and place.

Bob

[John Mayhugh]

Of note, the sequencing of the holes has changed since John Mayhugh's photo tour due to the siting of the clubhouse and range at the north end of the property.  The former No. 1 is now the 9th. 

Your pictures and comments are better than mine.  Thanks for posting.

Some misunderstanding on the routing  The hole you are calling number one was also the first hole I played there a couple of years ago.  The pro told me that there was a clubhouse being built, and that the hole number one would eventually be number nine.  That's why I numbered them as I did.  Looks like either plans changed or things have just moved slowly.

[Tyler Kearns]

No. 6 (Par 4 - 402 yds.) / No. 15 (Par 4 - 412 yds.)


The solitary tree standing out from the bushes to the left really encourages drives to the right side of the fairway to get a clear, unobstructed approach.  A solid drive (250 yards) down the middle of the fairway will need to negotiate that tree in order to hit the green in regulation.





The bunker in the foreground is a 220 yard carry from the back tee.





The green is benched into a small rise with some nice bunkering left and cut into the slope right of the green.  A nice kick plate immediately right of the green can be used to funnel approaches onto the green.

[Tyler Kearns]

Hole No. 7 (Par 4 - 391 yds.) / No. 16 (Par 4 - 402 yds.)


The drive here should be played right at the tall trees left of the cluster of bunkers on the outside of the dogleg with a nice draw.  Anything short and right of those bunkers will be either blind and/or blocked out by the trees.








The approach must carry the "Valley of Sin" which gives the hole its name.  The drainage swale right of the green deflects balls further from the green and makes recovery shots from right of the green more challenging.

[Tyler Kearns]

No. 8 (Par 4 - 313 yds.) / No. 17 (Par 4 - 365 yds.)


The Bishop's Nose (an adaptation of the principal's nose, named after the courses original designer, Reverand Albion Knight) hazard in the middle of the fairway is blind from the back tee, but visible from the shorter tee and must be considered on both drives, especially when laying back on the 8th for a full wedge approach.


View from back tee





View from forward tee





The green tilts from back left to front right and is completely encircled by six green side bunkers.  The new hotel for the university serves as the backdrop on the approach.

[BCrosby]

The green on the 6th plays like a Redan. You want to come at it from the right.


Before the Hanse redo, the course was unirrigated. (Am I correct that Hanse installed irrigation?) Fw's were like asphalt in August. To hold the 6th green you needed to land a low draw ten or more yards short of the green. It was a thrill trying to work that shot.


Bob

[Tyler Kearns]

Hole No. 9 (Par 5 - 488 yds.) / No. 18 (Par 4 - 456 yds.)

The Road hole green is best approached from the right side of the fairway, especially to a left pin tucked behind the road bunker, however a miss slightly right can be easily blocked out by trees.  The fairway bunker is a 200 yd. carry from the back tee while the mound in the fairway is just beyond the 300 yd. mark to challenge the strongest hitters.







The green wraps around the road hole bunker to create some challenging approaches that accentuate the strategy of the hole.

[Tyler Kearns]

The green on the 6th plays like a Redan. You want to come at it from the right.


Before the Hanse redo, the course was unirrigated. (Am I correct that Hanse installed irrigation?) Fw's were like asphalt in August. To hold the 6th green you needed to land a low draw ten or more yards short of the green. It was a thrill trying to work that shot.


Bob

Bob,



There is definitely fairway irrigation now.


TK