The best public-access and private golf courses in Tennessee, ranked

Looking to play the best golf courses in Tennessee? Welcome to our annual Golfweek’s Best ranking of public-access and private courses.

Following are the rankings for both types of courses, as judged by our nationwide network of raters. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.

The courses on the first list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required.

KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.

* indicates new or returning to the rankings

Best public-access courses in Tennessee

1. Sweetens Cove

South Pittsburg (90m)

Editor’s note: Sweetens Cove is closed for the summer of 2024, but will reopen in the fall with fresh greens.

2. Stonehenge

Fairfield Glade (m)

3. Course at Sewanee

Sewanee (m)

4. Fairfield Glade (Heatherhurst Brae)

Fairfield Glade (m)

5. Hermitage Golf Course (President’s Reserve)

Old Hickory (m)

Best private courses in Tennessee

1. Honors Course

Ooltewah (18m)

2. Holston Hills

Knoxville (T108c)

3. GC of Tennessee

Kingston Springs (T118m)

4. Spring Creek Ranch

Collierville (m)

5. Black Creek

Chattanooga (m)