
Montgomery Bell Course
Montgomery Bell Golf Course
About this course
Montgomery Bell Golf Course sits in Burns, Tennessee, approximately thirty miles west of Nashville in the rolling countryside of Dickson County. The course takes its name from the nearby Montgomery Bell State Park, which honors the early 19th-century ironmaster who operated furnaces and forges throughout Middle Tennessee. Designed by Gary Roger Baird and opened as a public facility, the course occupies terrain characteristic of the region's transition between the Highland Rim and Central Basin, featuring moderate elevation changes and wooded corridors. The layout works through a landscape of hardwood forests and open meadows, with fairways that move across natural contours rather than dramatic manufactured features. Baird's design emphasizes playability for a range of skill levels while incorporating the property's native topography into the strategic demands. Water features appear on several holes, and the routing takes advantage of elevation shifts to create variety in approach angles and shot requirements. As a public course serving both the Burns area and visitors from Nashville, Montgomery Bell provides accessible golf in a rural setting. The facility operates within the Tennessee state park system's broader recreational offerings, which include camping, hiking, and lake activities. The course reflects the practical design philosophy common to many public layouts from its era, balancing challenge with pace of play and maintenance considerations appropriate to its operational context.
Rankings
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Best in USA
Best in TN
Quick facts
- Location
- Burns, TN, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1973
- Holes
- 18
- Designer
- Gary Roger Baird
- Par
- 71
- Length
- 6,311 yards
- Difficulty
- 69.3/121
- Course Vaults score
- 7.0
Getting there
Montgomery Bell Golf Course lies tucked within Montgomery Bell State Park, roughly an hour's drive west of Nashville International Airport along Interstate 40 and winding state highways that cut through Middle Tennessee's rolling pastoral countryside. The route transitions from urban sprawl to farmland and forested ridges, eventually delivering you into the park's 3,800 wooded acres near the historic iron-ore town of Burns. There are no private terminals or resort flourishes here - just a quiet state park entrance, a modest clubhouse, and the understated charm of a Depression-era layout carved into the hills by the Civilian Conservation Corps, where golf remains refreshingly unpretentious and deeply rooted in place.

FAQ
Common questions about Montgomery Bell
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Montgomery Bell has a Course Vaults score of 7.0 out of 10 based on 21 logged golfers.
Montgomery Bell was designed by Gary Roger Baird.
Yes. Montgomery Bell is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Montgomery Bell is 71.
Montgomery Bell plays 6,311 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Montgomery Bell is 121.



