Ridgewood Golf Club

Course has made great progress. Greens excellent. Fairways in good shape but need to continue to improve. Could be a hidden gem if owner continues commitment to improving fairways.

I have not played here in a couple of years and a friend of mine who plays there some talked me into playing there with his group recently. Greens were in good shape (a little hard for lack of watering?) but the pin placement on some must have been done by a child. I would compare the fairways to a goat ranch but that would be insulting to goat ranches. The staff was not friendly in the least. The practice putting green was in terrible shape with deep ruts. The only food offered for sale was a hot dog but the weeners looked like they had been rolling on the cooker since that morning. This place would be my last choice for a public golf course in McMinn or surrounding counties.

Golf courses (good and bad) are at a premium in the Athens TN area. I found this out while on a business trip here for a few days. Ridgewood is an adequate muni, it's fairly wide open, not much trouble here. I hit from the white tees and am a 9 handicapper/63 yrs old. First time out at an 85 I was happy.

The greens I found to be in very good condition, average speed. The fairways were in fairly good condition and will get better by mid April/May. I played in March.

The staff were congenial but not overly welcoming.

Watch out for hole #13, any straight drive off the whites of 220 or more will put u over a huge hill OB. U need to lay up with a 3/4 iron off the white tee or drive it from the blue tee. Then it's a 90 degree dogleg right into the green.

Hole #14 was one of the most ugly designed holes I've ever played, everything slopes to the left off the tee and it's kinda downright boring.

Hole# 15 normally plays as a par 5, but due to some recent flooding it was playing a short gap wedge par 3 the day I played it.

#16 is a gorgeous par 4 with a great view of the TN mountains behind the green

This course is fairly pretty, average in length, and is in fairly good condition and not difficult even the first time out. I recommend it if u are in Athens TN, as there is not much competition around.

The course recently swapped out there bent grass greens to a hybrid Bermuda this has been a fantastic investment for the owner they roll true and are fast. The fairways could use some improving but with time they will get better. In my opinion i think it is the best layout in the area by far.

Upon arrival the course has a nice appearance. The greens and fairways look compelling. A closer inspection reveals that the fairways and "rough" are what I would deem "yard grass". Overall its not a bad value for a beginner or a care-free hacker. If you are looking for a course with rewarding lies when in the center of the fairway, this isn't it. It could be a spectacular course, but it would need an overhaul of turf work. More than one of the greens included a pin placement akin to something from a miniature golf course. The pins were placed in such a gimicky location on some of the greens that an uphill putt, even with the gentlest of strokes, would roll back 25 feet. Pretty comical at times. The greens look nice, but they are quite hard. I drove a 3 iron into a lengthy par 3 and there was no ball mark to be found. The staff was friendly, and the place is genuinely pleasant. It is well-maintained and genuinely looks great. But for the grass it would have been fine. Again, not bad for the price, esp if you are not interested in finer aspects of the game (like hitting off yard grass in the fairways). And I do not mean to disparage the place. I just had higher expectations, But perhaps I expected too much for $25... So, perhaps it is a good value...but I will likely play elsewhere (unless of course they overhaul the place with bermuda perhaps....).