JayRevell

Sweetens Cove is my favorite golf course in America. I should mention that because if you have never been before the initial arrival can be quite jarring or inspiring depending on your perspective. I believe that Sweetens Cove is a Rorschach test for golfers in that you can see whatever you want to see in the place.

If you believe golf should be about a great course design, endless strategic value, and places that inspire the deepest possible sense of camaraderie than Sweetens Cove is a wonderland. If you like big fancy clubhouses, expensive grill menus, and high priced pro shops then this may not suite your tastes. Sweetens Cove is home to one of the best designed American golf courses built in the past decade, but there are virtually no amenities to speak of. The "clubhouse" is a shed on the hill of the parking lot and the only bathroom is a port-o-john. Some carts are available, but walking is the best way to get around. There is no bar, no food, and no fuss. If you go to Sweetens Cove, you go for the golf and the golf there is incredible.

The course was built as a redesign from and existing course that was largely a featureless local hangout, but the design-build firm of Rob Collins and Tad King have transformed the property into what has become a cult phenomenon for golf architecture geeks. Sweetens Cove sits in the beautiful Sequatchie Valley and is surrounded by the charm of the Blue Ridge mountains. The golf course compliments its natural surroundings in a most impressive fashion and the details of the design leave players feeling like they are walking through a work of art.

Sweetens Cove has been featured in many major publications and has even hosted large gatherings of golf influencers on multiple occasions. Those who frequent the austere accommodations of the course are proud to call themselves the Sweetens Cove Illuminati. I like to think of myself as a Cove dweller who can't get enough of the place. It takes me six hours in the car to get to South Pittsburg, Tennessee and every time I make the drive I do it with a smile and car full of supplies to make the trip a memorable one. If you want to find the most uniquely satisfying golf experience in America, you need to pack your things and get to Sweetens Cove.

If you go, be sure to stop in the shed and ask for Rob, Patrick, or Nash and ask them to tell you a little bit about the place. Rob told me once that his favorite quality of the course was that it has soul. I agree with him and for my money there is no other course in the country that offers such a rewarding experience every time I go. I am a Cove dweller for life and I can't wait to get back to that little valley in the Tennessee mountains for another walk around my favorite course.

Capital City Country Club had never looked better. The course has always been revered locally for it’s thrilling A. W. Tillinghast layout, but now the course conditions are there to match the stunning natural beauty. Capital City has entered a new era and the public are encouraged to enjoy the club’s amazing golf course. Fans of classic golf architecture are in for a treat as the course’s routing conjures up exciting strategic golf played over a charming landscape of ancient hills and patriarch live oak trees. Don’t miss the opportunity to play Capital City and soak up the aura of Tallahassee’s most historic golf course.

Capital City Country Club is now open to public play again and the course is in tremendous shape. The club has recently invested in lots of new equipment and the course conditions continue to peak. Superintendent David Moyer has brought this incredible Tillinghast layout to life like never before!

If you don't know much about CCCC, here are the most memorable aspects of the course.
1. The hills
The topography of a golf course can tell you a great deal about its architecture. Often a good golf adventure is a pursuit from high points to low points and vice versa. Capital City is home to some of the hilliest lands in all of Florida. When the course was first opened in 1914, it was given the moniker “Hill City Golf Course.” It most certainly lives up to that name. From the initial tee shot on the first hole it is apparent that the hills drive the discussion about the course. There is hardly a flat hole or an even lie on the grounds.

2. The trees
The trees at Capital City Country Club are unforgettable. Especially the live oaks. The patriarch oaks that tower over the fairways there shade the grounds like large umbrellas. Although an abundance of trees are typically not ideal for great golf, Capital City makes a distinct case for how to incorporate them into a design as vertical hazards.

3. The layout
Capital City is routed in two nine hole loops. The front nine starts in the center of the property and spirals out towards the edge. The back nine begins on the edge and winds back to the center. Each side has its own distinguishable characteristics that create memorable moments in the round and is a product of when it was built and who laid it out.(Back 9 by H.H. Barker 1914, Front 9 by Tillinghast 1936)
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Capital City CC is a tremendous value with highly affordable greens fees for visitors seeking a unique and historical golf experience in Florida. Tom Doak rates CCCC as a 6/10 on his incredibly discerning rating scale. CCCC is the highest rated course by Doak in all of Northwest Florida! Do not miss out on an experience at Capital City Country Club!

Finally, the course is an incredible walk and I highly recommend seeing the layout on foot. Make sure to stop by Stone's bar in the clubhouse afterwords for tall tales about the history of the club and its members.

For more on CCCC see my recent youtube video review here - https://youtu.be/l4mosZ-ABcc

-J. Revell

The Winter Park Golf Course, or WP9 as the locals now call it, is one of the most unique models for municipal golf in America. The course has existed since 1914 and is routed through the brick paved streets of the city. A round of golf at the WP9 will take you across streets, around a cemetery, and right up to the front porch of some of the most charming homes in Florida. The course has always been memorable for its setting, but a recent renovation has resulted in a world class golf experience that every golfer should visit.

The Winter Park Golf Course is now a hand-crafted work of art. The golf holes are unconventional in their setting and scale and the course has received widespread praise. Architects Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns have masterfully created a refreshing composition of gently rolling fairways, contoured greens, and stunning bunkers. These attributes all unfold among the sights and sounds of the city around it.

The design of the Winter Park Golf Course reveals itself with a soundtrack of church bells, neighborhood dogs, and train whistles. All of this occurs on a course that is less than 2,500 yards long and costs less than $20 to play. I spent a day at the Winter Park Golf Course and my experience was a revelation.

The WP9 is more than a golf course for the community, it is a community all to itself. The renovations have created a real sense of pride for the people of Winter Park. What once was their little secret is now a topic of national discussion among golfers. The course is special because of its design, but its unforgettable because of its culture.

Tom Fazio is a great golf course designer and certainly one of the more prominent from the latter half of the twentieth century. His work has been showcased on the most major of stages in the golfing world. I have seen Fazio's work on a number of golf courses and have found it impressive in many ways. Golden Eagle is a course that showcases some of his best design elements and shaping skills, but it also has some holes that leave you wanting more.

Golden Eagle is nestled in Northeast Tallahassee in Kilearn Lakes Plantation. Its about a twenty five minute drive from Downtown Tallahassee. The club is private, but with a member or one of their plentiful guest passes they offer for participants in charity events, it is not too hard to get on. Typically a guest pass will get you on the course for about $55. Certainly call ahead and get a tee time if you do decide to take that route. Head Pro Tim Lawson is very nice and accommodating.

The practice facility is above average and provides some nice views of the lakes that dot the course map. Go early enough to hit some balls and putt.

The course has a number of outstanding golf holes. I usually describe it by saying there are six great holes, six good holes, and six holes that were put there because they couldn't go anywhere else.

Let's start with the great holes because that is what you will remember.
#7 - Beautiful par 3 that once was the toughest on the web.com tour in the early 90's
#11 - Lake hole that demands accuracy and a smart play on the tee
#12 - wedge length par 3 with a peninsula green that always plays tough in the wind
#15 - A truly great risk reward par 5. Creek in front of green and a long iron or hybrid in hand makes for an outstanding moment in the closing stretch.
#17 - Long par 3 with the lake as the backdrop. Tough hole with a great view.
#18 - The signature hole with the lake running the entire length. Two good shots can get you home but the lake is in your head the whole way.

Then there are the holes that are pretty good. These are holes you may remember and will certainly enjoy. Good tests, but not on the same level as the great ones.

#1 - Good starting point. Looks like North Carolina. tough green to putt.
#3 - Tough one shotter with interesting green complex
#4 - Compelling par 5 with a very unique fairway slope and tough angles.
#5 - Good par 4 with tough shot to the green
#9 - The first lake hole. Could be an all timer if it was a bit shorter bringing the green in play in two.
#13 - Fine hole. Par 4 with a good green complex.

Then there are the ones that I'm just not in love with. Each of these has some interesting quality, but I'd say its highly likely you won't remember much about them other than they are all dogleg lefts.

#2 - Odd tee shot with an odd approach and deceiving green complex
#6 - Tee shot is pretty, but hole doesn't bring much to the table compared to others.
#8 - Driver and a short iron, not much to see.
#10 - Short par 4. Would be better if green was in play off the tee.
#14 - Just an awkward hole, tough, but awkward
#16 - Worst hole on the course by far. Crammed in the middle of some of the best.

I am a big fan of Golden Eagle. I have played it enough times to tell you that it is a great course with some outstanding golf holes. Fazio crafted six of the best holes you can play in Tallahassee out there. I think the holes that lack are mostly due to the fact that the course was built to sell homes in an upscale development and that affected the routing. Make no mistake though, if you can get a tee time, go play Golden Eagle. It is a beautiful course with some great shots available. The course is generally friendly to all levels, but the skilled player will enjoy it most.

Classic courses are always my favorite. I'm just biased. Courses built before golf carts. Courses built for golf, not selling houses. Capital City Counry Club is one of those courese. The course is compact, strategic, and straight forward. Everything you would expect a classic track to be.

Capital City Country Club is an 18 hole layout designed by A.W.Tillinghast in the 1930's as part of a publicly fundied WPA project. The club is right Downtown and the State Capitol is visible from a few holes.The course has amazing hills that shape the holes. Large hills like this are very rare in Florida. To have a Tillinghast layout over such hills is unheard of if Florida. Capital City is a truly unique course.

Earlier this year, Integrity Golf assumed management duties of the club and grounds. Since their taking over, the course condition has reached its best ever. The integirty team has brought the course to its best shape in over a few decades. They are bringing the life back to a classic course that was in need of some help.

Players will find an extremely friendly staff, amenities in the middle of being updated, and a club feel that you cannot get in many places. The course is very playable, but has many challenges in store. Hit it straight and manage to putt some of the tricky greens and you can post a nice score. You will feel like you are playing a classic north east course. Observe the unique qualities of Capital City Country Club and appreciate this great A.W. Tillinghast layout.

The pro shop has some great items for purchase. The Champions grill has great and affordable food. The overall price point for a day at Capital City is very much a deal. Great course, great staff, Great add ons, and a great place to go play some golf.

I highly recomend a day at Capital City Country Club to any player looking for a unique golf course in North Florida. Fans of classic courses and golf history will love this place.