Blackthorn Club

The Ridges at Blackthorn Club is an Arthur Hills design located in Jonesborough, Tennessee, one of the state's oldest towns situated in the northeastern corner near the Virginia border. Hills, known for his work across the American South and Midwest from the 1970s through the 2000s, typically emphasized strategic variety and playability across different skill levels while working with the natural terrain available to him. The course occupies rolling Appalachian foothill terrain characteristic of this region of East Tennessee. Hills's design approach generally featured generous fairway corridors with well-defined hazard placement, rewarding accurate positioning over pure distance. At The Ridges, the routing likely takes advantage of elevation changes and ridge lines that give the course its name, creating holes that move across varied topography. The architect's style typically incorporated multiple tee boxes to accommodate different playing abilities and framed greens with strategic bunkering that required thoughtful approach play. The Blackthorn Club operates as a private facility serving the Jonesborough and greater Tri-Cities area of Tennessee. The region's golf season benefits from a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, though winter play can be limited. Jonesborough itself maintains a historic character as Tennessee's oldest town, and the club serves as a recreational and social center for members in this part of the state, situated between Johnson City and the Virginia state line in Washington County.