Welcome Warfie and I totally agree about carts at Percy Warner, if that course isn’t setup up for an easy walk I don’t know what is.
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Allowing carts at Percy is an absolute disgrace. Early on in the quarantine, the most fun our group had was doing a three club challenge out there which allowed you to easily carry a small cooler. Can’t imagine ever playing that course now that the carts are back.
Sadly for the other city courses outside of McCabe, it would be the easiest to get a reno done due to the neighborhood it’s in and the people of influence in the community that live there. Problem is that I’m not sure it’s a regular spot for a lot of the people that live in the immediate area outside of the high school kids looking for a place to play and sneak on beers.
Well, I went out to Franklin Bridge this morning just to see what is up. I talked to the guy in the pro shop who was extremely nice and helpful and was very honest about the setup of the membership at this course. Basically, the same 5-6 groups have tee times every morning between 6 am - 7 am (which is the whole reason I wanted to play out here, they are seemingly the only course offering 6 am tee times) and since they are full members they can book 30 days out. If you join this “River Club” it gives you a good discount and free range balls but you can only book tee times 8 days out so you can never get a tee time before work. I am of two minds on this whole thing, one is very selfish and wonders why all these retired guys take the earliest tee times when they have nothing all day to do and then the practical mind says because they can and I would to if I was in their shoes. It sucks but it seems that a 6 am tee time during the week in Nashville does not currently exist unless I join a club and even then there is probably still some seniority system where the old guard gets the best tee times and it’s just tough sh*t for everyone else. Ultimately, it all makes sense and there’s nothing unfair about it but I am still, selfishly, annoyed by the whole thing.
I should point out as I was talking through all this with the pro shop guy he seemed to sympathize with my plight and gave me a free large range bucket which he absolutely did not have to do. I will try my best to get on out here but if you look at the tee sheet they routinely don’t have any tee times before 10 am most days. Also, Mondays are their Senior Golf League in the Morning and Tuesday is Morning maintenance so those days are not gettable for anyone in the morning. Just some FYIs for the Nashville folks. Again, was very impressed with the pro shop team and they seem to be running things well there.
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The review of Franklin Bridge that is unnecessarily long is coming up. The overall points will be it has some interesting/quirky holes, plays shorter than the card states, there are power lines on two of the holes but I haven’t really noticed them impacting anyone’s play, the course overall is pretty forgiving and can be scored upon (especially the back) but the conditioning is still coming along a bit. The greens had recently been top dressed with sand and they are re-sodding several tee boxes on the back. Also the last par 3 has a little bit of disease on the back left of the green. However, I did not feel as though this impacted the playability of the course. It seems to be heading in a good direction. I have now played there three times and 77, 75, 74 which is much better than I would have expected based on my hdcp and the rating so maybe that makes me a little biased towards this eccentric little course.
Hole 1: Handshake par 4 with the driving range O.B. left and water to the right that is not really in play. The main downside to this hole is there is always at least 30-100 range balls down the left side and even in the fairway. Just keep an eye on your ball or play a pink ball if you have it.
Hole 2: Very gettable par 5 with powerlines that I haven’t seen anyone be impacted by yet. Now I don’t even notice them and I believe if you hit them you just re-tee with no penalty. Also, I am not a long hitter (carry a driver about 240-250) and I have had 6 iron and 7 iron into this hole for my second shot.
Hole 3: Uphill par 3 with very deep green. Green is receptive and this hole is fairly easy unless you miss short right.
Hole 4: Sharp dogleg left that is probably an iron or hybrid off the tee for most with a 9i or wedge into the green. It is a hole that has a cool look to it but if you are hitting the ball decent is not particularly hard. Green is large but elevated and if you miss left or right your ball is getting ejected a decent ways.
Hole 5: Downhill par 3, don’t miss left or your ball is probably lost.
Hole 6: Very fun semi-drivable Par 4. This doglegs right but it is only about 230 to carry the right bunker that guards the roll up to the green. I managed to drive this green the first time I played it which was probably only about 265-270 if you go straight at it. Good to chance to score here.
Hole 7: Plays much shorter than the card says. Downhill par 4 where anything landing in the fairway bounces hard. There are two mounds right (the dolly partons) that if you land on will kick the ball down towards the green. Green is very shallow and I have been long every time I have played it on the back fringe which is one of the quickest putts on the course.
Hole 8: Controversial hole. I have had no trouble with this hole but everyone I have played with bitches incessantly about it. If you fade the ball at all it is probably spinning off the fairway and way down to the right (like 60 yards right and down) because of the slope of the fairway. Highly recommend trying to hit a draw into the fairway or if you fade it playing as far down the left as your are comfortable with. If the course had more resources I would say they should add mounding on the right side of the hole because I have seen a lot of “perfect” drives still fall off right especially when it is dry and hard like it has been.
Hole 9: This hole has been covered on the “worst golf holes” but I am coming to enjoy it. Really the play is hybrid on to the first target which is more generous than it looks since there is mounding left that will push your ball back into the fairway. And then hybrid or 3 wood over the cluster of trees to what is actually a reachable green. It is definitely a shock to play it for the first time because it is a very atypical hole design. If you hit the ball pretty straight it is actually an easy hole. If you struggle to get off the tee here you are absolutely boned.
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Back 9 is much easier than front since most of the holes are VERY wide open. If you drive the ball well you can really get some shots back you may have lost on the front.
Hole 10: Another reachable par 5 (are you sensing a trend here?) Layup short of the water can leave anywhere from 210-240 into a slightly uphill green without much trouble around it. Can’t miss left off the tee.
Hole 11: Wide open downhill par 4. Probably driver/flip wedge. Favor the left side as there is a lateral hazard way right.
Hole 12: Par 3 where they are currently re-sodding so this hole is only playing like 120 right now. Green is very flat and probably plays much harder when you are coming in with a 6 iron instead of a gap wedge.
Hole 13: Cool strategic hole. You can challenge the water and go left down a little strip of fairway with driver or lay back with hybrid and have an 8 iron in. I have laid up every time I have played and had a pretty straightforward mid iron in. The cool thing about this course vs a McCabe/Two Rivers course is (especially on the front) you don’t just step up to every par 4 and pull driver. There are some options presented and definitely some risk reward to consider which I personally enjoyed.
Hole 14: Tough par 3 (for me so far) that is fairly straight forward. I can’t seem to hit this green and always end up pin high right (there is forest left). There is a little disease/brown area at the back left that has not come into play. Green has some deceptive movement in the back pin locations.
Hole 15: Dogleg left with a lateral hazard that (at this time during the year) isn’t all that thick or unplayable. Long hitters can probably carry the lateral hazard and go straight at the green (about a 250 carry from the gold tees) but even if you land in the hazard (which I have seen 3 people do now) there is a good chance you can find your ball and play it since it is all sticks and thin brush. Or you can just play hybrid at the center of the fairway and have a wedge in.
Hole 16: The most wide open of wide open holes. If you can hit your driver 250 or more you have close to 120 yards to land the ball in and it will leave you with 120 or less in. Very easy hole.
Hole 17: Great Par 5. Reachable in two if there is no wind or wind at your back. You can miss right unless you bomb it as the water starts to come in on the right sooner. Green is tough to hit in 2 with water in front and it is slightly elevated. I barely carried the water the last two times I played it and landed short of the green. This is a really attractive hole and one of my favorites.
Hole 18: Is this hole gimmicky? Probably but I think it is a very cool way to end the round. The downside is if you are playing behind hackers they may never get on the island green. Basically the hole is only about 315 yards long but the water comes in a 230-250 and then you have a forced carry of at least 60 yards over the water. The green is very large and deep so you don’t have to be super precise to hit it. Pretty big slope from back to front as well so you can throw it a little long and even guys like me can spin it back a bit. Play is probably hybrid off the tee and then a gap/sand wedge. For me, I wanted a full swing into this hole to take away any real nerves.
This course does not have the conditioning of Hermitage or Gaylord or Greystone, etc and currently is still closer to a municipal course (at the moment) as they are bringing along the maintenance. Currently where it excels is they have excellent customer service in the pro shop and seem very motivated to get people out to play their course. If they can maintain this momentum I think this course can continue to improve. One other downside that I have mentioned is that since it is semi-private it can be challenging to get on the course at desirable times and while pace of play has not been slow I wouldn’t say it is fast either.
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Looks like I need to check this course out. Thanks for the detailed breakdown.
that was tremendous
Great Break-down! I really enjoyed my time out there right as things were starting to open back up. Could not agree more about the customer service. Someone told me that the 9s have switched under the new ownership. The current back 9 is quite accessible as you said. The front is capital Q quarky in my opinion. Do y’all think we should plan a Nashville area meet-up? Is there one being planned someplace else in the refuge?
I would definitely be down for a Nashville meet-up. I doubt there would be one planned outside of this thread.
Also down for a meetup, also agree it is extra quirky. Holes 7, 8 and 9 all could use some routing work in my opinion but it looks like most of the efforts, currently, are on the back 9 which IS a bit bland (but great if you spray the ball off the tee 
). I joined the “River Club” because it was reasonable even though FB is not that convenient to where I live.
Also would be down for a low stakes game of wolf hammer so someone can explain it/demonstrate it to me.
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Looking for a nice course to play in the Nashville area on Saturday morning, July 18th. Our pro could potentially call a club but a private course might be tough on a Saturday morning. What are some nice courses we should consider?
If you’re willing to drive away from Nashville about 45 minutes, I can’t recommend greystone enough. If you’re staying near Nashville the hermitage and 12 stones I like a lot.
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There are smarter, more informed people on this board from Nashville but I will give my takes. “Nice” Publics I would assume would be well conditioned, interesting courses where cost is not really an issue (no nashville courses get over $100 anyway) and aren’t too overcrowded with first time golfers/hacks. Here is my take:
Hermitage - My favorite for a nice round since they have 36 holes, the course is well maintained and the staff wants you out there. Range balls are free and they have a decent practice area. The courses themselves have a decent amount of trees, light bunkering and some decent undulation in the greens. President’s Reserve is probably a bit more interesting than the General’s retreat but they are both good.
Gaylord - They were (maybe have finished) working on upgrading the bunkering but this is a nice course as well. For most of the spring and early summer on 16/18 holes would be open at a time. Not sure if this is still the case. Very few trees with a lot of mounding, bunkers and some water. This course can play fairly difficult on some days. I have some personal issues with their pro shop guys so I rarely play it but I take lessons from a guy out there.
Greystone - Pretty far away (40 min) from central Nashville but, in my opinion, the best public track we have. Every hole is interesting, some very dynamic elevation changes, good conditioning and with the exception of 3 holes the course plays easier than it looks (which I like, I like holes that look a little intimidating but actually open up and give you options). Hole 1 is a bit controversial but don’t let that throw you off.
The municipals are fine but not a “nice” experience and getting a good tee time on a saturday is almost impossible.
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Great summation. Hermitage is a nice public option. nice staff…good practice facility. good pace of play. Playing golf on the east coast most of my life, I actually prefer General’s Retreat but both are great.
Gaylord staff are ok…great practice facilities (I also take lessons from Profectus guys!) The front 9 is compact but fun…greens are always some of the fastest in town if thats your thing.
I have yet to pay out at Greystone but heard here good things about it.
Of the private courses, I have played exactly 0 of them. I am pretty sure most are still not allowing guests during COVID.
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On the private side, I have played Richland, Hillwood, Governor’s Club, Foxland Harbor/Fairvue Plantation (Tennessee Grasslands), and Legends. If you could get on any of those, I would recommend Richland due to convenience to central nashville/conditioning/course design/challenge BUT would also note that there are quite a few blind shots which could be annoying. Legends is also good because they have 36 holes but I don’t know that it is a tremendous upgrade over Hermitage, really. I know Tennessee Grasslands is allowing visitors (I played out there two weeks ago) but the greens fees are like $100+ on the weekend which feels about $20 too high AND it is a bit of a hike from central Nashville.
Personally, if I could find my way on to Belle Meade (the most private of the private clubs here in Nashville) or The Golf Club of Tennessee, that would be the play. Have always wanted to play those two courses. Belle Meade will be extremely well taken care of and high end. Golf Club of Tennessee has some absolute ballers that play out there which I think is a high compliment.
I’d throw my hat in for GreyStone, as well, if you’re willing to make the trek out to Dickson. Fair rates, good atmosphere, fun course to play in a big group.
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Golf Club of TN was first try and they said no guests Fri-Sun for now.
We have a 5pm flight out of town that day so trying to play somewhere central and tee off by 10 or 11 at the latest
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The most fun I’ve ever had on a course in Nashville is at Old Natchez CC. If I lived closer I’d be very happy to be a member there.
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What do you like about it? My wife and I are pretty interested in joining Old Natchez. Seems like one of the better value options in the area.
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The architecture is solid. There’s only one bad hole, unfortunately, it is the 18th, so it can really wreck your round and leave a bad taste in your mouth. Just wedged in too tight a corridor for a 3 shotter. The pool is good, food is good, a lively membership…I 
ONCC.
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