Sweetens Cove Announces Major Expansion

Big things are happening a couple of hours down the road from me at Sweetens Cove, the unassuming nine-hole Tennessee course that has developed such a cult following over the years that you have to consider it mainstream.

The Chattanooga-area course is known for a few things. One, the Rob Collins and Tad King-designed layout features dramatic green complexes capable of holding multiple hole locations which makes playing the same hole over and over a much different experience each time. Another, the all-day nature of the course where players gather early in the morning for celebratory whisky shots and then continue until they drop. One more: the community element around Sweetens, a course that was truly dug up from the dirt and now has owners like Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick.

Now Sweetens—the little nine-holer that could—is set for a significant expansion that will transform it into the “ultimate 24-hour golf playground” according to Collins.

More golf will be available at Sweetens

The most exciting of the projects is a new 13-hole short course that will open its doors next summer (2027).

This is not just another short course, however. Collins said it is going to connect and overlap with the existing regulation course, encouraging cross-country play.

Woah. Think about how cool this could be. Depending on who is around, you could pick any tee and decide to go to any green around you. I’ve always wanted to do this at certain courses but it’s almost never allowed, let alone encouraged.

I’m wondering how this will work logistically but the concept is very creative.

There will also be more beef added to the golf experience in the form of a new multi-acre putting green (coming next spring), three golf simulator bays and a club-fitting operation.

All of this is definitely going to help on-course traffic move along better which tends to be a recurring issue around Sweetens.

The area around the golf is going to be built up

I might be burying the lede here.

You will be able to stay onsite at Sweetens for the first time.

One criticism of Sweetens is that it is fairly remote and there isn’t much lodging anywhere nearby. Most people have to stay in Chattanooga and drive over to South Pittsburg.

That is being alleviated with the first-ever onsite lodging with cabin accommodations opening in phases beginning in late 2027.

There will also be a full-service restaurant and bar exclusively for golf package guests, public-facing Sweetens Cove Spirits bottle shop and micro-distillery, expanded retail offerings and additional outdoor experiences including a fishing dock, skeet shooting range and event barn space.

That old image of Sweetens being a nine-hole course with a literal shack for a clubhouse and nothing else? You can kiss that goodbye.

Sean’s take

This is obviously cool to see Sweetens go from this scrappy nine-hole course—on the brink of collapse multiple times—to a real brand that is becoming even more of a destination.

I do worry that this place will lose some of its soul but I think everyone involved is hyper-aware of that.

A part of me wishes Sweetens could remain this plucky nine-hole course in the rolling hills. It really is an awesome course. You have to go experience it. Sweetens is pure golf.

This move seems to take them away from that just slightly but I have faith the additions will be made tastefully.

What are your thoughts? Have you played Sweetens?

I’m interested in everyone’s thoughts here. Let me know in the comments.