Imagine building 26 golf courses at the height of the golf development bubble, with nine figures in public pension money — in an effort that now loses money year after year. Welcome to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
In theory, 12-hole designs should be cheaper to play, build, and maintain. But in the staid industry of golf course development, there’s been no rush to test the theory. The minds behind Sweetens Cove are ready to change that.
Lincoln Duff explains that, with a variety spanning cutting-edge 21st century designs and Golden Age layouts, not many American cities can match the depth of golf options in Chattanooga, Tenn., both public and private.
For a golf course in south central Tennessee and designed by one of the world’s most famous architects, comparisons between Sewanee and nearby Sweetens Cove are inevitable.
Rob Collins and Tad King's renovation of the Links at Overton Park, a historic nine-hole golf course in Memphis, Tenn., offers a window into the juggling act inherent to golf course construction.
With the goal of breaking ground in September 2021, the team spearheading a 12-hole King Collins design in Jackson, Miss., has begun laying the groundwork for a fundraising push beginning in late 2020.
“There’s a better way to do development golf: having the ability to influence that routing and have more of a core golf course that’s a cohesive golf experience, from green to tee and tee to green.”
“If you want to go over there and play Muirfield and Troon and Carnoustie and Dornoch — I certainly love those places, and I’ve done that. But as I’ve gotten older, I love these off-the-beaten-path places.”
In theory, 12-hole designs should be cheaper to play, build, and maintain. But in the staid industry of golf course development, there’s been no rush to test the theory. The minds behind Sweetens Cove are ready to change that.
A golf course built around the idea of having fun shouldn't be novel. The fact that it is says more about other designs than it does about Sweetens Cove.
“You’ve got to have a push-and-pull dynamic between strategy and penalty. And I think a lot of the modern courses have gotten — it’s like they’re just catering to a 25- or 30-handicap. That’s not really a good golf course, in my opinion.”