Golf in Sevierville

Bailey Links Golf Course at Cedar Hills' recently redesigned nine-hole course provides a grassy haunt for golfers of all stripes and an emerald training ground for pupils learning at the spike-soled feet of the club's PGA-certified golf guru, Keith McElroy. With a nine-hole round, players can hunt birdies across a player-friendly layout in expedited fashion, freeing up time to read their nine-irons bedtime stories later that night. Duffers can continue their path to on-course mastery at the complex's driving range, where practice balls help players commit new techniques to memory while whispering sage advice such as how to differentiate between expansive sand traps and makeshift nude beaches. Players can loop the links in a peppy golf cart or traverse the fairway chain aboard their trusty footmobile.

The course at the private Wolf Laurel Country Club leads players on a secluded retreat into the Blue Ridge Mountains, with mature forests and alpine vistas dappling climbs to elevations of more than 5,000 feet. Designer W.B. Lewis planned the fairways so that no two run directly parallel to each other, allowing players to explore every angle of the sprawling resort that’s bounded to the north by the Appalachian Trail. With tee-to-green elevation changes of as much as 300 feet, golfers must make careful club selections to give themselves the best shot at the par of 74. The signature sixth hole, a par 3, couples a downhill tee shot that plummets more than 200 feet with a dramatic vista from the tee box, spelling doom for shots that fly long and golfers who recover slowly after tee-to-green barrel rolls.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 74 course
• Total length of 5,847 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 70.5 from the back tees
• Course slope of 124 from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole

When Tom Jackson designed the golf course at High Vista Country Club in 1976, he made sure that the 540-acre parcel would complement the soon-to-be clubhouse, a stone-hunting lodge constructed on the site in 1928 that overlooked the dramatic surroundings. From its lofty perch, visitors can survey the valley below and the Chestnut Mountain Ridge in the distance. The founding "fore" fathers appropriated the magnificent old structure as the first clubhouse, a suitable starting place for the 18-hole championship golf course.

Referred to as the “Old Club House” today, the building still watches over the 6,831-yard championship course, which features frequent elevation changes and mountain-fed ponds that come into play on at least six holes. Towering oak and pine trees frame the course's fairways, and bright azaleas punctuate the grounds to lend the greenery a dose of vibrant color, especially if the surrounding leaves go on strike and stay green during autumn.

Aside from the championship golf course, High Vista Country Club also features a private dining hall, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, and social clubs. The club offers holiday party packages for up to 125 that include a cash bar, buffet or plated dinner, cleanup and setup, linens, tables, chairs, silverware, centerpieces, and use of the dance floor.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Total length of 6,831 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 73.7 from the back tees

• Course slope of 739 from the back tees

• Five sets of tees per hole