Nashville

[SL_Solow]

I will be spending a few days there next month for a confwerence.  Already playing the Golf Club of Tennessee (Fazio).  What else is there worth playing.  I can't get to Chattanooga/Lookout Mountain so that eliminates some that I really want to see.  Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Eric_Dorsey]

The Golf Club looks great, though I have not played it.  

Belle Meade to me is the by far the best course in Nashville, especially after it's - successful restoration by Rees Jones to bring it back to Donald Ross's original intent.  Tough to get on though as I don't think they have reciprocity.  Same goes for Richmond, which I've heard is good too.

For public play, Legends Club, a 5-iron from my window is as good as it gets I think.  Great 36-hole layout, that is in excellent condition always with good bunkering and one of the best practice facilities anywhere.

Springhouse GC, where the seniors used to play is a fun track also.

Legends and Springhouse are around $50.

[DTaylor18]

Belle Meade is clearly the best one.
Legends is the best public one in my opinion.
The best value, and a lot of fun to play, is the Hermitage.

[Dale_McCallon]

I will second the vote for the courses at Hermitage.  Easy to get to from the airport (if that helps).  36 holes at the complex, which I have always found to be in good condition and a lot of fun.

[JakaB]

The Legends is an interesting study into the mind of Tom Kite....I really enjoyed the subtle Raynor influences that dot the landscape.    Kite just needs the right guy to channel his experiences and tighten up his somewhat mishy mashy exentricies..If you can't hook up with Hendren though I might drive the two hours north and play with me...or myself if that is the proper context.

[Tim_Weiman]

SL:

Thanks for bringing up golf in Nashville. I moved here about four months ago and still haven't seen much of what the city offers in terms of golf having played only two courses:

Harpeth Hills - a $25 muni course that I think pretty highly of, not becuase there is any "great" architecture, but because I like the idea of good, if not great golf for that price

The Governors Club - A high end real estate project that may not offer great architecture either, but I love the approach shot to #10......the background gives one a feeling of being right in San Francisco........

As for what I'd like to check out or hear about:

Nashville Golf and Athletic Club

Can anyone tell me about the course and/or the atmosphere of the club?

[Mike Hendren]

Tim,

I drive by Nashville Golf & Athletic Club every day.  Originally called Crockett Springs it was designed by Devlin/Von Hagge in the 1970's as a housing development.  Too remote at the time, it went bust and was acquired by a gentlemen named Charles Whittemore, a rather feisty businessman who was devoted to golf and ruled his club with an iron hand. The course's conditioning has improved dramatically over the past 15 years and is run/owned by his son.  Membership remains fairly modest and no tee times are required.  People join for one reason - to play golf.

I'm guessing the course tipped out at 7,500 yards originally with gigantic runway tees.  Mr. Whittemore's hobby was building smaller, shorter tee boxes throughout the course.  At one time a two-man scramble was played annually from the back tees with even par taking home first prize.  

The course does not play from its original routing which contemplated a clubhouse on high ground that was never built.  

A diverse set of greens, some large and spacious and many, primarily on the five par fives, amoeba-like around bunkering tight to the putting surface (exhibit A being the green you see from Moore's Lane).  Not much internal contours on the greens but plenty of subtle slope given the hilly surrounding terrain.  Putting surfaces have always been among the best in town.

The 6th is a drop-shot hole of 140 yards +/- to a well bunkered  cloverleaf green that at one time was included in Sports Illustrated's list of the best 18 holes in America.  

Overall, a challenging and fun course that remains below the radar screen with a membership lacking pretense.  

Mike

[Todd_Eckenrode]

I have not seen Rees' redo at Belle Meade, but I would have considered it the best course in town before that.  Golf Club is right there with it, imo.  Legends is just behind.  Really fun golf.  Talented superintendent, and always in good shape.  Don't know how the public/private part of it works nowadays.  I was a member there once awhile back, and it the public access rotated each course every other day.  I believe that's changed, though.  My favorite routing was actually the back nines of each.  Others to check out would be Hermitage, Fairfield Glade (a drive, though), and a Mark MacCumber course on the west side (wasn't built when I was there, but was a "buzz").  

[David Wigler]

Shelly,

I did the drive from Nashville to Chattenooga last week.  It took me less than 90 minutes.  Figure for a Mashugga Alter Kucker like yourself  , it might take 2 hours.  Do it at the end of the day.  Black Creek is something really special.  It is written up in Ran's course review section.  Lookout is very cool.  You need to see them.

[Casey Wade]

If you can get on it, then Richland CC down south of Nashville.  When I lived in Memphis, we had the Pro-President there.  A Nicklaus signature golf course that is in my top ten.  I would go back there for the nostalga of Civil War walls that are deemed integral parts of the golf course.  I believe it hosted a Women's Open in the 80's.

[Mike Hendren]

Casey,

The Richland CC that hosted the 1980 (+/-) women's open, won by Amy Alcott in an absolute steam bath, no longer exists.  That classic Ross course, smack dab in the middle of town, is now a residential subdivision.  More than one member rues the day they decided to sell out in the mid-80's in exchange for the extremely hillly Nicklaus course off Granny White Pike.  The new course is challenging and fun to play though I once made the front page of the Nashville Banner's sports section, shown retrieving my ball from the stream on no. 3 during the Met Open.   Must have been an extremely slow sports day. No wonder that publication is also NLE.

Mike