Opened in 2014, the 9-hole course at Sweetens Cove Golf Club was built by architect Rob Collins and his construction partner Tad King from the remnants of a course called Sequatchie Valley, which previously existed on the same site.
It’s reckoned the new course cost a modest $1 million to construct, with many long hours worked to make it all happen. Collins was so committed to the project that he mortgaged everything and took over the lease himself.
The course is characterised by wide fairways (for example, the one shared by the 7th and 8th), large waste areas (such as those on the 3rd and 9th), and distinctive greens like the putting surface on the par three 4th hole.
In a smart move, Collins persuaded one or two influential “industry experts” to have a look at the course and suddenly the profile of Sweetens Cove has taken a turn for the better, which is good for golf in general as many see projects like this as the way forward.
Out of interest, for those on a budget and/or tight for time, a 9-hole round on the course takes 90 minutes to complete and costs only $20 (with an extra $10 to pay if renting a cart).
Paul Rudovsky, one of our regular contributors and the only person to have completed the World Top 100 “Ever” list (Rudo completes the World Top 100 “Ever” list), played Sweetens Cove in October 2017 and he commented as follows:
“This is not exactly Augusta National… nor does it claim to be. The clubhouse is a metal shed from Home Depot and the locker room consists of a port-o-let nearby. But this is pure golf, and was built with the imagination, sweat, hard work, and determination of two men… Rob Collins and Tad King. Sweetens Cove Golf Club totals 3,301 yards for 9 holes and every inch of this yardage in memorable. The greens are of every size and shape imaginable and have humps, bumps and rolls in them that would confound Bobby Locke, Ben Crenshaw, and Jordan Speith.”
