Black Creek Club

Template golf holes have gained universal worship among golf architecture enthusiasts over the last 20 years. The exclusivity of private Macdonald and Raynor golf courses may be a root cause of this obsession, but we’ve seen public options like Charleston Municipal pop up and provide accessible, well-made template holes mimicking those of the Golden Age. As the popularity of this design style continues to grow and more people are drawn to playing these template holes, we’ll continue to see them built. While some people see these types of holes as redundant and unoriginal, one of the oldest modern template courses, Black Creek Club, exemplifies how adapting templates to the landscape can create unique and exciting golf holes while still leaving room for originality.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-002}}

In the late 1990s, it was a bold decision for Black Creek’s founding members and Brian Silva to execute this plan of building a modern Raynor-inspired golf course outside of Chattanooga. This was a time when very different types of golf courses were being built, most of which had little architectural intrigue and plenty of focus on maximizing housing lots. An outside-the-box design concept was a big risk that turned into a great triumph.

What Silva was able to create in the ground was ahead of its time, and incredibly well thought-out. He applied the Golden Age concepts of width, angles, risk, and reward that Raynor had so heavily leaned on, but adapted them to suit the modern game with modern construction methods. The green contours and bunker depths accommodate today’s green speeds and high-launching irons to provide a proper test, whereas some Raynor courses aren’t as adaptable in the face of current equipment and agronomic practices. A true merit of the course is how many of the original designs created by Silva are equal to if not better than some of his MacRaynor templates.

While Black Creek’s overall routing makes great use of the land, the houses throughout the front nine make the sides feel disjointed from each other. The back nine traverses what feels like virgin Tennessee wilderness, taking players up the side of Racoon Mountain and back down toward the clubhouse. The front nine, on the other hand, feels claustrophobic, weaving through a housing development. Multiple street crossings and a large gap between the eighth green and the ninth tee hinder the flow of the routing. While this development decision was crucial to the execution of the project, it ultimately limits the course from reaching another tier.

All things considered, the subtle intricacies and beautiful restraint of the design are delightful and provide a strong sense of repeat-play discovery, making Black Creek an ideal member club. I’d happily join.

1 Egg

The strong presence of houses on the front nine is a nuisance, though perhaps a necessary evil. A house-less routing and a few minor tweaks of mowing lines would make a strong case for a second Egg.

Course Tour

No. 1, par 4, 421 yards

A gentle opener that introduces players to a theme of the course: angles. The subtle Double Plateau green is best approached from the left, and certainly one of the most restrained versions I’ve seen.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-003}}

No. 2, par 4, 445 yards

A fine dog-legging Road Hole template. The “road” here is a deep bunker, like many renditions of the 17th at the Old Course. The very back pin is a doozy.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-004}}

No. 3, par 3, 165 yards

This drop-shot Short Hole has a subtle thumbprint toward the front-left portion of the green. Long of the green is a bad, bad place to be.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-005}}

No. 4, par 5, 586 yards

The first of several original designs from Brian Silva. There isn’t too much interest until you reach the green which is Redan-like. The green bends around a large, deep bunker, and the front half pitches away, giving players going for the green in two a chance to run the ball to back pins. This tilt also makes distance control on wedge shots crucial.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-006}}

No. 4, par 5, 586 yards

The first of several original designs from Brian Silva. There isn’t too much interest until you reach the green which is Redan-like. The green bends around a large, deep bunker, and the front half pitches away, giving players going for the green in two a chance to run the ball to back pins. This tilt also makes distance control on wedge shots crucial.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-007}}

No. 6, par 5, 559 yards

Arguably the most notable hole on the course. While it does have blindness and a massive punchbowl green (14,000 square feet), I’m not sure I would categorize this as a true Alps template. Nonetheless, it is one of the most exciting holes to play, offering players an attempt at a heroic shot over the large, rugged mound 50 yards short of the green. The funneling green and gathering surrounds are wonderfully built, allowing the option of taking two to three clubs less and letting the ball release down into the bowl. The attention to detail in the shaping is also Raynor-like in the sense that the contours push water off the surface quickly during bad weather.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-008}}

No. 7, par 3, 239 yards

The sixth and seventh make a wonderful duo of front-nine holes. This reverse Redan plays as well as any I’ve seen. The key to this one is the strong front-to-back and left-to-right tilt. Many renditions of the Redan have the left-to-right tilt, but not enough pitch away to feed balls to back pins.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-009}}

No. 8, par 4, 392 yards

Off the tee you are presented with seemingly nowhere to land the ball. This intimidating sightline is a common thread on the course and is especially prevalent on the back nine. Playing down the left provides an advantageous angle into a green that boasts a central valley, reminiscent of the thumbprints found on many Short templates, hence the name of the hole.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-010}}

No. 9, par 4, 431 yards

A great original design that favors tee shots down the right side. Be sure to check out the “world’s smallest bunker”.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-011}}

No. 10, par 4, 360 yards

Another terrific original design. The ominous 15-foot-deep green-side bunker dictates the strategy of this hole. Pushing the ball up too far will take you through the fairway or into the death pit, leaving you with a nasty angle into the long, narrow green. Carrying the fairway bunkers on line with the green can provide a great outcome but comes with risk. Laying back to avoid the big number and “get the angle” is the smart play and will test wedge control.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-012}}

No. 11, par 3, 195 yards

A slight head-scratcher. Downhill Redans tend to create a more aerial path to the pin, as opposed to a ground-running approach. The green is shaped well to allow the ball to roll out to back pins, but the elevated tee restricts this from being a reality. I wonder why an Eden or short template wasn’t used in this situation, given the severity of the land.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-013}}

No. 12, par 4, 458 yards

The creek bisecting the hole creates a double-fairway look, but the second fairway that provides the advantage is unreachable for the vast majority of players. The green utilizes a simple back-right-to-front-left tilt to provide the strategic bones of taking on risk for a reward, but the current mow lines are holding this hole back from its maximum potential.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-014}}

No 13, par 4, 485 yards

A brute of a par 4 with a hazard all down the left and a steep hillside pushing everything toward it. The angle of the tee shot also sets up players across the slope of the hill and toward the junk. The green itself is wonderful. It’s raised up and pitches away from players on the front half paired with a bowl-y back section. An excellent long 4.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-015}}

No. 14, par 5, 526 yards

A hole full of visual deception and uncertainty. From the severely elevated tee, several bunkers appear to take up the entire landing zone, but in actuality they’re 400+ yards away. The reverse camber of the fairway makes the ideal line of play tough to achieve. Playing the blind approach shot well left of the green will shoot the ball down to the target. The green has a beautiful saddle shape, tilting deceptively strongly from left to right (probably because of the mountain side it sits on!).

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-016}}

Favorite Hole

No. 15, par 4, 347 yards

This hole was love at first sight for me. Playing down from a high point on top of the valley, the short par-4 15th is a complex puzzle with risk, reward, and many times regret. Just like much of Raynor’s work, angles, bunkers, and fairway contours prescribe the strategy here.

There are three options off the tee:

1. Take on all the risk and try to drive the green
2. Push a wood up close to the green for a short chip
3. Respectfully lay back of all the trouble with a long iron (200-240 yards)

A wetland hazard guards the ideal line down the left side of the fairway, while fairway contours down the right catch and funnel balls into various positions ranging from “okay” to “flat-out dead.” The shaping of these humps and hollows is masterful, and they act as sorting mechanisms for good and bad shots off the tee. A long diagonal contour helps push balls on the ground towards the green, but traveling over this contour will send you down into one of three deep fairway hollows. I particularly love how this pronounced fairway contour blends into the green-side bunker’s face seamlessly. The sunken areas to the right create very awkward lies and a horrible angle from which you must carry a wedge over the large green-side bunker to the narrow, tilted green. The variability and challenges this hole presents are exhilarating.

Our group of five had one on the green, two in the fairway (~50 and ~100 yards out), and two out to the right that were dead. The player who laid back with iron birdied the hole, as did the player who drove the green. The two players who missed right made double or worse.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-017}}

No. 16, par 4, 446 yards

Another hole where large bunkers provide immense visual deception and lead to uneasiness on the tee. Once you walk down to the fairway you’ll realize how large the ideal landing area on the right side actually is. The simplicity of the green design is truly artful. A subtle central spine that divides the green in half is easily overlooked until you realize you’re on the wrong side of it. Approach shots that end up anywhere but the green will result in a bogey or worse.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-018}}

No. 17, par 3, 243 yards

After several holes of subtle intricacies, the Biarritz 17th is as big and bold as they come. The green is nearly 70 yards long and features a six-foot-deep swale.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-019}}

No. 18, par 5, 532 yards

Another hole where hugging the hazard creates the ideal angle to hit the green in two. Tricky green contours make for some exciting hole locations, providing a thrilling end to the round.

{{content-block-course-profile-black-creek-club-020}}