Outgoing Tennessee Golf Association executive director Dick Horton has always said Chattanooga is the pre-eminent golf town in Tennessee, and he’ll get no argument from the city’s thousands of golfers. Sure, there could be another couple of mid-priced public courses in the area, but by and large, Chattanooga is blessed with as many good courses per capita as most towns its size.

 

Chattanooga Area courses are filled with challenging, memorable holes, and every few years, CityScope    profiles the 18 toughest holes. To help with this task, we recruited a panel of experts—skilled amateurs who have played more than enough golf, in tournaments or just friendly games at their respective clubs, to know what makes a hole difficult. Our experts sent us their own 18 toughest holes lists, and we collated the results. The 18 holes that received the most votes made our list, but to be fair—and so The Honors Course wouldn’t dominate—we decided a course could be represented by no more than four holes. The results were interesting.

 

Over the years, some golfers who only occasionally play this hole have been critical of it because of the extreme left to right slope of the green that can sometimes reward a poor shot. But if those critics knew or cared anything about golf tradition or old-style architecture, they would marvel at No. 7 as a thing of beauty. The hole is architect Brian Silva’s homage to the most imitated par-3 hole in the world, the “Redan” 15^th at North Berwick Golf Links in Scotland—with one exception. Whereas the original Redan slopes from right to left, No. 7 at Black Creek slopes from left to right.

 

Silva found inspiration for the hole through his intense study of classic architect Seth Raynor, who, among other courses, designed Lookout Mountain Golf Club (which Silva restored in 1998). Raynor was a protégé of Charles Blair Macdonald, the first U.S. Amateur champion and co-founder of the United States Golf Association who wrote about the great golf holes of Scotland in a book, Scotland’s Gift: Golf. Macdonald described the construction of a Redan thusly: “take a narrow tableland, tilt it a little from right to left, dig a deep bunker on the front side, approach it diagonally.”

 

Black Creek’s No. 7 follows those instructions save for its left to right slope. But a long, deep bunker, which guards the right side of the green, is there, and must be avoided at all costs. And the ideal approach shot, aimed at the stairs above the left side of the green, is diagonal, so as to take advantage of the sharply sloping green.

 

 

No. 18 is unique for several reasons, not the least of which is that it’s a par-3 finishing hole, which is seldom seen, but, like No. 7 at Black Creek, takes the golfer back to a simpler time, when architects didn’t think they had to beat players over the head with sheer length, cluster bunkering or forced carries.

 

The country club’s original architect, the great and much-imitated Donald Ross, was fond of par-3 finishing holes. Two of his most respected courses that have played host to numerous significant championships over the years, Congressional in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta’s East Lake, home course of the legendary Bobby Jones, both end with demanding par-3s. Like the final holes at those two clubs, Chattanooga’s par-3 finisher is tricky, played at 222 yards after a 2005 redesign by architect Bill Bergin with slopes that fall off dramatically on both sides of the green. An errant shot to either side could roll a long way and require a delicate pitch shot over bunkers to reach the putting surface.

 

“I think the 18^th is a magnificent finishing hole, said longtime member and Tennessee Golf Association board member Mike Jenkins, “one of the best in the state. I haven’t seen many people win a match or a tournament by making birdie on the hole, but I have seen many lose by making bogey or double bogey.”

 

It isn’t the distance that makes this hole so tough. The tee must travel the expanse of the pond that guards 16 and the par-4 9^th green, which makes the hole visually intimidating. And coming so late in a tournament round as it does, that can add pressure on top of pressure. This hole has been a key part of many significant championships played at The Honors, and there have been several, including two Tennessee Amateurs, the 1991 U.S. Amateur, the 1994 Curtis Cup, the 1996 NCAA Championships and the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur.

 

“It’s just not very forgiving,” said Honors Course assistant professional Jay Underwood. “If you miss the green, you hit it in the water and make double bogey. You either hit the perfect shot, or you make five.” And there’s no sure thing even for the player who successfully reaches the green. In tournament situations, it’s usually fast and hard, and it doesn’t always willingly accept tee shots. That often leads to long and difficult putts or tough up and downs.

 

 

This is another hole from the Macdonald-Raynor playbook. The original hole, named after the town in France—Biarritz—in which it was located, was no doubt introduced to a young Macdonald by his mentor, Old Tom Morris, another legendary figure from golf’s past. Its primary design feature is a swale that bisects the green.

 

Black Creek’s No. 17 is a true Biarritz hole, but No. 4 at Lookout is a hybrid, because its front half is actually fairway. The green is guarded on the right side by a huge bunker that King Oehmig calls “Big Nasty.” “I have seen people go into spasms of anger—and tears—by not being able to get the ball out frontward up the huge elevation,” Oehmig said. “The wind at Lookout Mountain also makes this a very difficult hole, and the putting surface is treacherous. “Without a doubt, given its length and the demand for accuracy off the tee, it is the par-3 most resistant to scoring in the Chattanooga area.”

 

 

 No. 16, Lookout Mountain Golf Club, 170 yards

Trying to win the 1993 Tennessee Mid-Amateur at Lookout, Chattanooga’s Richard Keene faced a three-foot putt at No. 16, a daunting task in the best of circumstances but one made even more difficult by the fact his two playing partners, both in contention for the championship, had just taken a combined total of eight putts to get in the hole. “I’m standing there and I watch eight putts, none of which went in,” Keene said. “I’m thinking ‘Oh my God. If I don’t make this, it’s going off the green.’ ” For the record, despite having seen a five-putt and a three-putt just ahead of him, Keene sank his little knee-knocker and went on to win his first state championship.

 

Lookout’s 16^th owes much to golfing history. Raynor, one of American golf’s most esteemed classic era designers, patterned the hole after No. 11 at St. Andrews in Scotland, the famed “Eden” hole where, playing in the British Amateur, Bobby Jones took several shots to escape the front bunker and stalked off the course in a fit of anger. Later advised by some well-meaning Scots that he had to rein in his emotions, Jones’ life was changed forever and he became the greatest amateur golfer of all time.

 

Lookout’s 16^th, also called Eden, hasn’t propelled anyone to 13 major championships, as it did young Mr. Jones, but it has caused some blood to boil. “Many complain about the slope at No. 16,” said Oehmig, a lifelong Lookout member and the son of the great amateur player Lew Oehmig. “But, out of all [C.B.] Macdonald’s and Raynor’s renditions of the original Eden, it most of all retains the severity and character of the original—to the dismay and frustration of many.”

 

Keene, who escaped the hole in the 1993 Tennessee Mid-Amateur, has the proper respect for No. 16. “On planet Earth, it’s one of the toughest greens to putt, at least that I’ve played,” Keene said. “It’s just impossible.”

 

 

This hole might not be rooted in classic golf course architecture or boast of the tournament history the other par 3’s listed in this story can claim, but it’s nevertheless a stern test that has played a pivotal role in several tournaments hosted by Signal Mountain. “You’re hitting anywhere from a 3-iron to a 5-iron, depending on who you are,” said Tim Burns, a 27-year member and tournament director of the Signal Mountain Invitational, “to a green that funnels left to a bunker. The right side has a tree limb hanging over it, and it’s a small green surrounded by bunkers. It’s one of the toughest par-3s I’ve ever played.”

 

 

This hole demands a precise tee shot that favors the right side of the fairway while missing the fairway bunker strategically placed there by Jack Nicklaus and his design team. Drives that sneak to the left are in danger of riding the slope of the fairway into tree trouble. “And that leaves a difficult shot to an elevated green with bunkers left and right,” said Bear Trace head professional Robin Boyer. “If I’m going to miss the green, I try to miss it left. For me, it’s almost impossible to get up and down from one of those greenside bunkers. I bogey 7 more than any hole on the course.”

 

 

When the Nationwide Tour returned to Black Creek in 2007, the players found a much nastier 13^th hole, which had already been considered by most amateurs as one of Chattanooga’s toughest par-4s. Beefed up from its former 458 yards, the 13^th thus prevented even the skilled Nationwide Tour players from bypassing its most prominent guardian. “It took away blowing it over the [fairway] bunker for about 99 percent of the players,” said head professional Todd McKittrick. Unable to avoid the 75-feet long, five-feet deep bunker, the Nationwide players had a much tougher time with the 13^th and it became one of the most difficult par-4s on that tour in ’07.

 

But BC members already knew the 13^th was a beast. The fairway bunker, coupled with the Dry Creek that runs down the left side of the fairway and trees that line the right, makes this an extremely precise driving hole. And the green, protected by a bunker and Dry Creek, is essentially cut in half for most experience players who know not to shoot at a left-side pin.

 

 

Richard Keene has played Brainerd as much as anyone, so when he says No. 9 is the toughest hole on the course, that comment carries some weight. Most of the hazards at No. 9 are man-made though—a drainage ditch lines the right side of the fairway and later meanders right through the middle of the fairway. That means better players can’t hit a driver off the tee for fear of knocking the ball into the ditch. Trees line the left side of the fairway. “The shot is probably a 3-iron off the tee,” Keene said. “But you’ve got to be careful not to hit it too far so you don’t have a downhill lie to an uphill green, which is not good. And the green has probably got 10 good pin placements on it. It’s hard to get the ball close if you don’t hit a good tee shot.”

Like most great par-4 holes, the 13^th at Brown Acres demands accuracy and length off the tee. There’s trouble aplenty on this hole, with trees on the left side of the fairway, and, in normal weather conditions, a couple of ponds on the right. “The only play is the middle of the fairway or right center,” said club manager Wayne Orr. “It’s a narrow landing area.” The trouble continues at the green, which has a false front that can cause the uninitiated to hit too little club on the approach.

 

 

When the Champions Club expanded to 18 holes in 2004, one of the tasks awaiting the father-son design team of Jay and Carter Morrish was to build some par-4s with muscle. This hole qualifies. “You’ve got to hit a big, straight drive,” said director of golf Rich Balthrop. “But even if you do, you’re still hitting a 4- through 6-iron through a tight corridor to a smallish green. It’s a great test of golf in the middle of the back nine.”

 

The first thing architect Bill Bergin thought of when he considered this hole during his redesign of the historic riverside course was length. It was already a stout par-4 at 440, but he added 29 yards to maintain its muscle against the onslaught of high-tech clubs and balls that launch tee shots farther and farther. Thus No. 12 remains one tough hombre. Skilled players have to hit it long off the tee, but they must also avoid a left fairway bunker and trees down both sides of the fairway. An errant tee shot that has to be played under tree limbs is dicey, too, because a drainage ditch bisects the fairway, 20 to 30 yards short of the green. That takes a run-up shot out of the equation. “I think No. 12 is one of the hardest par-4s in Chattanooga,” said long-time country club member Mike Jenkins. “Par is always a great score on that hole.”

 

 

Even some of the pros griped about Council Fire’s No. 9 during the PGA Tour’s one and only stop at the course for the Chattanooga Classic in 1992. Their problem? They thought the bunkers located along the right side of the fairway made it an unfair driving hole. There wasn’t a whole lot of sympathy extended to any malcontents who complained about No. 9, and those bunkers are still there, 16 years later.

 

The bunkers, a big stand of trees to the right, and lateral hazards left and right combine to place a premium on an accurate drive. “It’s an imposing driving hole,” said Council Fire head professional Richard Rebne. “I see so many great drivers of the ball step up to that tee and hit it dead right. The ideal shot is to aim left a bit and cut it into the fairway, but somebody always over-cuts it and it ends up in the hazard, the trees or the bunkers.”

 

 

After the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur, this demanding hole became that much harder for the better player when it was lengthened by 30 yards. Making it all the more difficult—on most days, it plays directly into the prevailing wind. Like its sister hole on the other side of the pond, No. 15, the 7^th is visually intimidating. The water protects the left side of the fairway. The right side drops off sharply and actually affords a little bailout room, but golfers can’t see that from the tee, making the fairway look downright claustrophobic.

 

 

Forget about Chattanooga. This is one of the toughest holes in the world.

True enough, most good players can hit a drive long enough and straight enough to avoid the water that flanks the left side of the fairway and trees that line the right. The second shot to a big green that also brings the water into play is certainly negotiable. But not many players in the heat of tournament competition can handle the pressure that goes along with the tee shot at 15. Over the years, a lot of fine players have put some shaky guide swings on their drives, dumped them in the water and lost significant championships in the process.

 

“No. 15 is usually the turning point for most of the tournaments we host out here,” said Honors assistant professional Jay Underwood. “Coming into that hole, you’ve just finished a stretch of some of the easier holes on the course. Then you step up to the 15^th tee, and you know you’ve got some tough golf ahead of you. That can be intimidating.”

 

When Tiger Woods dominated the 1996 NCAA Championships at The Honors, he routinely bashed out 320-yard power fades at the 18^th and pretty much overpowered the hole. Even Woods might have trouble doing that now, because the back tees have been moved about has far back as they can go—a small family cemetery, still maintained, sits behind the tee. “[The length] doesn’t allow you to cut the corner and shorten the hole anymore,” said Honors assistant pro Jay Underwood. “In the past, once you got past the corner, the hole opened up. Now you have to play it the true distance.”

The 18^th green is heavily bunkered, and it’s huge, too, which can lead to some lengthy birdie putts. Call this the best finishing hole in Chattanooga and few would argue.

 

 

UTC golf coach Mark Guhne, a long-time Valleybrook member, doesn’t think this hole is that tough if a player knows how to work the angles. The problem is, not a lot of players do. The dogleg right hole is guarded by water down the right side, tempting some players to try and rip a drive over it. Not many succeed. Other players, seeing that the hole is 430 yards, try to hit the ball straight down the fairway as far as they can, but ironically, Guhne says, the farther a player hits the ball dead straight, the worse off he is.

 

 “If you lay the ball back, right where the water ends or even 10 yards short of that, you’re looking right up the slope of the green,” Guhne said.

That’s important, as long-time member David McKenna says, because the green at 12 is narrow and difficult to putt. “There’s no good place to miss it [the approach],” he said. “Which goes back to making sure you place your tee shot in the right position.”

 

 

When Council Fire opened in the early 1990s, No. 6 was considered a monster hole, reached in two only by the likes of John Daly, who did the deed in the PGA Tour’s Chattanooga Classic in 1992. Since that time, changes in equipment, advancements in instruction and the advent of weight training have combined to make a new generation of golfers considerably longer off the tee and reduced many par-5s to essentially a par-4 that everyone can reach in two and two putt for birdie. That isn’t the case at Council Fire’s sixth hole, which is the only par-5 on our list of Chattanooga’s 18 toughest holes.

 

Why isn’t the hole as vulnerable as the standard par-5? “I think it comes down to that one tree,” said the Council Fire head professional Richard Rebne. Rebne was referring to the tall tree that is stationed near the left side of the fairway and stands directly in the path of anyone trying to reach No. 6 in two shots. The tree doesn’t have a unique nickname, nor is it named for a famous person, ala Augusta National’s “Eisenhower Tree.” “I guess our tree has various names,” Rebne said, adding that many of those are unprintable in family publications. The tree dictates how No. 6 is played. “It forces you to lay up even though you’re at a reasonable distance to go for the green [in two],” Rebne said. “And more times than not, you’re laying up to a downhill lie shooting uphill to the green. Which is kind of a bad combination.” 

 

The green at No. 6 is no easy proposition either—it’s long, narrow, and usually fast. Bunkers guard the right side, and approaches missed left have almost no chance to be salvaged into pars because the green slopes severely to the right. “The tree may force your decision,” Rebne said. “But the hole isn’t a one-trick pony, with the slope of the fairways and the green. It’s a demanding hole from start to finish.”