Sweetens Cove in Tennessee to add cabins, a par-3 course, a distillery and more

The nine-hole Sweetens Cove – classed by Golfweek’s Best arsenic nan No. 1 public-access play course successful Tennessee – announced this week that it will collaborate pinch Reef Capital Partners to present a caller par-3 people and overmuch more.

Plans besides telephone for stay-and-play cabins, a caller winding putting green, a sportfishing dock, a skeet range, a edifice and a distillery astatine nan famously laid-back installation successful South Pittsburg, astir a 30-minute thrust westbound from Chattanooga. Groundbreaking plans will beryllium announced successful nan coming months.

Sweetens Cove had a reliable 2024, closing for respective months to replant greens and fairways aft a peculiarly bad wintertime killed disconnected overmuch of nan playing surfaces – its operators opted to unopen down for repairs alternatively of presenting sub-standard conditions. The people reopened this autumn pinch caller writer that has grown successful well, and nan layout should regain its often fiery and bouncy playing conditions successful 2025.

Besides excelling arsenic a nine-hole layout, Sweetens Cove is different than astir courses successful galore different ways. Operators started respective years agone offering all-day passes alternatively of accepted tee times, pinch players going information and information nan people arsenic often arsenic they like. The dress codification is fundamentally non-existent, and euphony typically blasts from a patio overlooking nan first tee and ninth green. The clubhouse is named nan Shed because it is one, and it’s packed pinch much-loved merchandise sporting aggregate logos. A patio built astir a character has been tagged arsenic nan heckle deck.

There person been discussions astir description for years, pinch nan biggest interest among die-hard fans being that nan installation retains its vibe.

“Sweetens Cove grabs you nan infinitesimal you measurement onto nan people – there’s an power present that you won’t find anyplace else,” Jared Lucero, CEO of Reef Capital Partners, said successful a media merchandise announcing nan caller business for which position were not disclosed. “It’s not conscionable astir golf; it’s astir nan experience, nan group and nan simplicity of spending a time retired here.

“We purpose to sphere that unsocial charm while adding a spot to stay, a spot much to do, including Sweetens astatine Night, and immoderate astonishing nutrient and drinks. Those things will only make each sojourn moreover much memorable, whether you’re playing nan people for nan first clip aliases nan hundredth.”

Sweetens Cove opened successful 2015 connected nan tract of a erstwhile course, which was erased arsenic a caller people was laid retired by nan squad of Tad King and Rob Collins. It quickly gained a pursuing among Golfweek’s Best people raters and catapulted into nan top 100 modern courses successful nan U.S., wherever it now is No. 90.

King and Collins soon took complete operations of Sweetens Cove from its founding family, and investors person travel onboard including sports stars Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick. The ownership group besides has released a bourbon named for nan course, pinch nan planned small-batch distillery an hold of that.

“I’ve been pinch Sweetens Cove from nan beginning, from designing and building nan original people pinch Tad to being responsible for its operations and guidance for nan past 10 years,” Collins said successful nan media release. “It is thrilling to maine and everyone progressive pinch Sweetens Cove to spot really nan description builds connected that instauration and brings to life each large dream we ever had for nan place.”

Reef Capital Partners’ has been expanding successful play pinch its improvement of Black Desert Resort successful Utah, which opened successful 2023, jumped to nan No. 1 spot among that state’s public-access courses and precocious hosted an eponymous PGA Tour event. The institution besides is processing Marcella Deer Valley, which will see Tiger Woods designing his first upland course.

“Reef Capital Partners has an unthinkable imagination for this description ,” Collins said successful nan media release. “They came to Sweetens to play nan people and by nan seventh fairway they had drawn up a model, envisioning a par-3 short people that offers elasticity and creativity. It’s not conscionable a regular short people – you tin play each spread successful aggregate ways, adding a cross-country style that you won’t find anyplace else.”

Sweetens Cove tee times are coveted and waste retired incredibly quickly each year, a testament to nan layout’s architecture arsenic overmuch arsenic its atmosphere. King-Collins Golf Design has gone connected to laic retired respective different courses astir nan state including Landmand, which opened successful 2022 successful Nebraska and has jumped to nan No. 1 spot successful that state’s ranking of public-access layouts.

“Sweetens Cove is simply a play anomaly,” GM Matt Adamski said successful nan media release. “We’ve created a spot wherever you tin play each time pinch nary tee times, nary dress codes and nary pressure. It’s a elephantine big playground, wherever everyone tin find thing to love.

“(The description ) will support our unsocial civilization and heighten impermanent experience. The request is unthinkable – we’re sold retired done nan extremity of nan year. But moreover pinch this description , we’re maintaining our attraction connected a value acquisition by keeping a limit connected nan number of regular passes to guarantee that Sweetens Cove remains nan typical spot group love.”