The hardest golf courses in Knoxville, Tennessee
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Knoxville, Tennessee, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 14 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Sevierville, Rockford, Oak Ridge, Pigeon Forge, Loudon and 4 more nearby towns.
The River
The Sevierville Golf Club
Sevierville, TN, USASlope rating 136, 74.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,120 yds
PublicD. J. DeVictor & Steve Melnyk
- 4.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
Played a college tournament here every year. Very fun. Not overly hard, not easy. Good shot value with a couple cool holes up in the hills.
Written by
@Colinarmi
- Must play
- Hidden gem
- Parkland
Island Pointe Golf Club
Knoxville, TN, USASlope rating 134, 73.5 course rating, Champion tees, 7,001 yds
PublicArthur Hills
- 2.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.3Value
- 4.3Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
Played on the way home from the 2025 Masters. Such a unique track. Loved the variability in the layout. I feel like most “river” courses give you a hole or two on the water, but Island Pointe gives you more than you could ask for.
Written by
@coachkodo
- Driving range
- By water
- Challenging
Avalon Golf & Country Club
Lenoir City, TN, USASlope rating 131, 72.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,803 yds
PublicJoe Lee
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
Centennial Golf Club
Oak Ridge, TN, USASlope rating 130, 72.1 course rating, Orange tees, 6,624 yds
PublicGary Roger
- 2.5Conditions
- 3.6Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.2Scenery
- 3.4Facilities
- Driving range
- Putting area
- Friendly
Holston Hills Country Club
Knoxville, TN, USASlope rating 129, 73.5 course rating, Black tees, 6,932 yds
PrivateDonald Ross
- 4.2Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.3Scenery
- 5.0Facilities
- Must play
- Walkable
- Pristine
Willow Creek Golf Club
Knoxville, TN, USA
Slope rating 128, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,211 yds
Oak Ridge Country Club
Oak Ridge, TN, USA
Slope rating 128, 73.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,836 yds
Egwani Farms Golf Course
Rockford, TN, USA
Slope rating 128, 72.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,708 yds
(The Highlands) The Sevierville Golf Club
Sevierville, TN, USA
Slope rating 128, 70.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,200 yds
Green Meadow Country Club
Alcoa, TN, USA
Slope rating 126, 71.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,390 yds
Knoxville Municipal Golf Course
Knoxville, TN, USA
Slope rating 119, 71.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,413 yds
Dead Horse Lake Golf Course
Knoxville, TN, USA
Slope rating 119, 69.7 course rating, Blue tees, 6,303 yds
(Red/Orange) Lambert Acres Golf Club
Maryville, TN, USA
Slope rating 117, 69.7 course rating, Blue tees, 6,282 yds
Whittle Springs Golf Club
Knoxville, TN, USA
Slope rating 112, 67.5 course rating, Black tees, 5,729 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Knoxville, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The River at The Sevierville Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Knoxville, Tennessee at Slope 136 (74.5 course rating · Black tees · 7,120 yds). 14 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Knoxville, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Knoxville, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:53 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
