by Designed by Donald Ross in 1927, Holston Hills is widely recognized as Tennessee’s premier course. It is also considered to be the world’s most untouched Donald Ross design. Nearly all of the original bunkers and green sites remain the same as when Ross designed the course.
Holston Hills is located on the east side of Knoxville, on the opposite side of town from another Ross course at Cherokee Country Club. Since its opening, Knoxville’s affluent residents began to settle on the town’s west side, leading many to join Cherokee. With its east side location, Holston Hills was never on strong financial footing from the 1930s through the 1980s, a period when when country club green committees often ruined the work of the great architects.
In 1997, Holston Hills had the most substantial restoration ever done to the course when it hired Tom Doak to do work focusing primarily on the bunkers. In the beginning of 2016, it was purchased by McConnell Golf, a golf management company whose portfolio is mostly in the Carolinas. With the purchase, McConnell Golf added Holston Hills to an already strong roster of courses, a list that includes another Ross gem in Sedgefield Country Club.
With the course tuned up and in good hands, it is a must visit for fans of Donald Ross’s work.
No. 1 – 448 yards – par 4
The opener at Holston Hills is a moderate length par 4 that favors a right-to-left tee shot to set up a mid-iron approach. On the second shot, keeping the ball below the flag on the heavily sloping green is critical. The first hole sets the tone for the course – keep the ball below the flag for the best putts at the hole. Pin-high shots will typically leave severely sloping looks, while being above the pin will leave extremely fast downhill putts.
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The first tee
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The approach on No. 1
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Greenside bunker on No. 1
No. 2 – 431 yards – par 4
The second hole is a phenomenal dogleg left cape hole that features a hog’s back fairway. Unfortunately, the greatness is covered up by the monster tree that obstructs the tee shots of average or shorter players. Taking the line left of the tree leaves a mere flip wedge into the green. Removing the tree would make the hole great for all players, not just the long hitters.
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The second tee
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The approach on No. 2
No. 3 – 426 yards – par 4
There are so many great holes at Holston Hills, but the third stands out as one of the best. The dogleg-right par 4 is common to many Ross courses. Players are faced with a decision on the tee – play the drive up the right side to shorten the hole considerably and bring in the risk of the deep fairway bunkers, or play it safe down the left side and leave a considerably longer shot into the green. The third also features a beautiful green that Ross placed beautifully up on a natural perch. The green is guarded by one bunker on the left and two deep bunkers on the right, and has healthy back-to-front slope.
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The third tee
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View from the third fairway
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The approach on No. 3
No. 4 – 165 yards – par 3
The beautiful mid-length par 3 requires a shot to a small target that is guarded by a deep front bunker and a pond down the right side. Ross challenges those who bail out to the left with a slick chip as the green slopes from left to right.
The picturesque fourth
No. 5 – 614 yards – par 5
The sixth is a par 5 that has been lengthened over the years to adapt to modern technology. Playing this hole a little shorter would arguably enhance a few of its best features, like the bunker that sits in the middle of the fairway and should come into play on a player’s tee shot. Most are unlikely to get home from the back tees, but if played forward, Ross creates a challenge with cross bunkers on the left side of the fairway about 40 yards from the green. Challenging the green in two and winding up in one of those bunkers leaves the player with as difficult of a third shot as can be found in golf.
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View from the fifth fairway
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The front of the fifth green
No. 6 – 355 yards – par 4
The sixth hole is one that I will never forget as it stands as one of my favorite short par 4s anywhere. Off the tee, players can hit driver, 3-wood or an iron – the key is to avoid the many deep fairway bunkers. While looking at the hole, the right side of the fairway might be inviting, but this will leave a very difficult wedge shot as the tiny plateau green slopes hard from right-to-left. The ideal play is an iron to the left side of the fairway, setting up a wedge shot that hits into the upslope of the green. While this short par 4 looks like a cupcake on the scorecard, big numbers lurk. It’s terrific design by Ross.
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Options abound on Holston Hills's 6th
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The perched 6th green with gorgeous bunkering
No. 7 – 517 yards – par 5
The seventh is a reachable par 5 with an uphill tee shot to a split fairway. The fairway is divided by a ridge and bunkering forcing a choice between the left side on top of the ridge and the right side below it. Ross similarly challenges players on the second shot, as the green sits on the ridgeline and any shot left a little right will bound further in that direction to where tall grass lurks. Meanwhile, bailing left will put a player in a precarious situation; Ross placed some of his signature mounds on the left, while the green runs away to the right. No easy up-and-down chances await players who miss the green in two.
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The tee shot to the split fairway
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Trouble lurks on both sides of the 7th green
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A closely mown runoff takes long approaches down
No. 8 – 148 yards – par 3
The eighth hole turns back toward the clubhouse and is a traditional short hole where players are challenged to either properly execute the short-iron or wedge shot or pay the price. Several deep bunkers guard the small, pushed-up green.
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Bunkers surround the short 8th
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Hit the green, or else
No. 9 – 417 yards – par 4
A beautiful close to the front nine, the mid-length par-4 ninth presents a brutal challenge for players around the green. The green has a severe back-to-front slope, making finding the fairway a must in order to control distance and spin on the approach. Catch a flier in the rough, go long, and you’re dead, which the members know all too well.
A classic Ross look at the par-4 ninth
No. 10 – 432 yards – par 4
The back nine starts with a gentle left-to-right dogleg. This par 4 calls for a light fade off the tee to set up an approach to a green complex which slopes from back to front. The right side has a mound in front that will take shots slightly short and kick them to the middle of the green. Again, fairway and angles are important here. If the pin is on the right side, the left side of the fairway is best. Pin on the left, then favor the right.
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The tee shot at the sweeping 10th
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The approach at No. 10
No. 11 – 200 yards – par 3
The 11th is the first of two extremely tough par 3s on the back at Holston Hills. Deep bunkers on the right and left guard the green, and a bunker short prevents the run-up shot. The putting surface has plenty of slope, and a shot just long will catch the back runoff area leaving a treacherous chip shot. The 11th is a par-3 design often used by Ross on his courses, requiring smart long-iron play.
The 11th is simple - hit a good shot
No. 12 – 471 yards – par 4
The 12th has been dubbed by many as “the hardest hole in Tennessee”, and it’s easy to see why. This stout par 4 requires a long tee shot to get over the rise in the fairway. From there, players are left with a long iron into a green that slopes severely, with the natural landscape rolling from left to right and back to front.
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On the tee at the hardest hole in TN
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The approach on No. 12
No. 13 – 456 yards – par 4
The tough 12th is followed by another long and hard par 4, where the first challenge is the blind tee shot. From there, a mid to long-iron is required to hit a green. Short of the putting surface, players will contend with a beautiful example of Donald Ross’s cross bunkers. The green slopes heavily from back to front.
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The tee shot at 13
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The approach on the 13th
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Greenside view on No. 13
No. 14 – 212 yards – par 3
Another long and tough par 3, the 14th is a beautiful rendition of the redan template, one that Ross designed here to flow effortlessly with the natural landscape. A good tee shot is to the front-right corner, allowing the long iron to feed to the middle of the green.
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Another par 3 requiring a solid tee ball
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Closer look at the redan green setup on No. 14
No. 15 – 380 yards – par 4
After the challenging stretch to open the back nine, the 15th signals the start of the closing run at Holston Hills, a stretch where birdies can be had. A wise player lays their tee shot up short of the fairway bunkering, leaving a full wedge into the elevated green. Distance and spin control are a must into another green that’s heavily sloped from back to front.
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The tee shot on the gettable 15th
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A look at the mounding on No. 15
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The approach at the 15th
No. 16 – 304 yards – par 4
Many consider the 16th to be Holston Hills’s signature hole. It features Ross adapting his usual “volcano” template to fit a short par 4. The 305-yard hole goes straight uphill, making it difficult to drive. Thus many tee shots end up leaving players with an awkward half-wedge to a green that is blind. This hole is absolutely spectacular!
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Ross's volcano template adaptation at 16
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A closer look at the mouth of the 16th green
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Different view of the 16th green
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View from behind the 16th green
No. 17 – 520 yards – par 5
The first of back-to-back par 5s to close out the round is very much reachable for longer hitters. A good tee shot will leave a fairway wood or long iron to a small and severely sloped green. Those who need to lay up will contend with cross bunkers Ross placed to force decision-making and execution. Precision is key on the approach, as the right side has a subtle runoff that can’t be seen from the fairway.
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From the wide fairway on the par-5 17th
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The approach on 17
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The 17th green
No. 18 – 541 yards – par 5
The beautiful closer at Holston Hills again offers long hitters a chance to go for the green in two. Two trees nicely frame the fairway, with the tee shot needing to be threaded between them. A good drive leaves a player with a decision – go for the green in two or lay back to a full wedge. The decision is tough because of the small green that is perched on a hill. Miss long and you are left with a delicate downhill shot, while a miss short leaves an awkward and blind uphill pitch.
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The home tee shot at Holston Hills
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From the fairway on 18
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A closer look at the final approach shot
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Looking back down the beautiful 18th hole
As I think about my round at Holston Hills, what stands out is how the course was remarkably playable while still being a challenge for a scratch player. There is considerable width off of the tee which helps keep beginners in the ballgame. The challenge for the expert player becomes hitting tee shots in the correct spots to leave the ideal angle into the challenging green complexes. Beyond its playability, I was impressed with how well-routed the course was, along with the variety of holes. No green or tee felt out of place; Ross seemingly picked out all of the best places to situate all 18 holes on the big property. From that standpoint, I never felt like I played a repetitive hole throughout the round – they were all unique and created interesting shot-making challenges. While Holston Hills doesn’t have dramatic seaside vistas, I can’t think of many courses that I would rather play on a daily basis.
