Sweetens Cove, the top public course in Tennessee, to close all summer

Sweetens Cove Golf Club in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. (Photo: )Adam Schupak/Golfweek

Sweetens Cove, Golfweek’s No. 1-rated public-access golf course in Tennessee, announced Sunday it will be closed all of June, July and August this year.

In a social media post announcing the move Sunday, the course owners explained how the harsh winter included snow, ice and a nearly two-week stretch of freezing temperatures that damaged turf on the course in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Their attemped defensive measures to save the dormant Bermuda grass were unsuccessful as it “hit us harder than we could have ever imagined.” Instead of remaining open with sub-standard conditions, the owners made the tough – and expensive – decision to shut it down this summer to focus on returning the nine-hole layout to excellent conditions.

The rural Sweetens Cove has become almost a pilgrimage for many golfers who seek a perfect vibe as well as interesting architecture, and the course has in recent years sold all-day passes that allow players to kick back on the club’s heckle deck before venturing out for more golf.

Besides being ranked No. 1 in Tennessee on Golfweek’s Best list of top courses in each state, the layout is No. 32 on the list of top public-access courses in the country and No. 84 on the list of all modern courses built since 1960 in the U.S. The layout was designed by Tad King and Rob Collins and opened in 2015. The course’s ownership group includes Collins, Tom Nolan, Andy Roddick, Peyton Manning and Skip Bronson.

Collins confirmed the news in a text to Golfweek in which he promised, “We’ll be back better than ever in September!”

Course Closure Announcement… Please read the images. This was a tough decision that will only make this special place even better. #mothernaturestough pic.twitter.com/6XfQ3EraZj

— SweetensCoveGolfClub (@SweetensCove) May 5, 2024

The operators’ tweet continued:

“Saying that, is with a heavy heart that we have made the decision to shut down the golf course to re-grass everything that Mother Nature took from us. We will be shutting down effective May 27 to August 31 and reopening on Sept. 1.”

Sweetens Cove will give anyone who has booked a pass during the closure first dibs – including a 25-percent discount – for a 2025 pass.

The announcement ended with:

“Please be patient with us as we will work to get you taken care of as soon as possible so pour out a little bourbon with us and toast the future of what will be amazing conditions going forward.

“To new friends. Old friends. And a day a Sweetens.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Sweetens Cove, the top public course in Tennessee, to close all summer