The hardest golf courses in Tennessee
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in Tennessee, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 84 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Brentwood Country Club
Brentwood, TN, USASlope rating 155, 72.0 course rating, Spears tees, 6,482 yds
PrivateGary Baird
- 4.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.5Scenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
The Honors Course
Ooltewah, TN, USASlope rating 148, 75.4 course rating, Silver tees, 7,070 yds
PrivatePete Dye
- 4.9Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 4.1Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
A brilliant Dye with rolling zoysia fairways and tough greens, this is one of the hardest courses in the US. Holes 7, 9, and 14 are the highlights but the entire course is unique and fun.
Written by
@Lefty
- Pristine
- Must play
- Fast greens
Ranch/Creek
Spring Creek Ranch
Colliersville, TN, USASlope rating 145, 77.1 course rating, Bravo tees, 7,426 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Excellent lay out. Lacking some conditioning to rate it a little better. Excellent range. Some tough tee shots that require acuracy to avoid the water. fun green complexes that when they are rolling fast can be really tough
Written by
@SEGolfer
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
TPC at Southwind
Memphis, TN, USASlope rating 144, 75.7 course rating, PGA Tour tees, 7,244 yds
PrivateRon Prichard
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.3Layout
- 3.0Scenery
- 2.9Facilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Pristine
Golf Club of Tennessee
Kingston Springs, TN, USASlope rating 144, 74.8 course rating, Gold tees, 7,144 yds
PrivateTom Fazio
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.8Scenery
- 4.8Facilities
Lower (Fazio): the front comes out swinging the first 4 holes as you battle tee shots that make you work it both ways and approach shots with some forced carries. After traversing the hills and coming into the valley on #7 you begin to settle into some normalcy with some great…
Written by
@dpowers
- Must play
- Pristine
- Fast greens
The Grove
College Grove, TN, USA
Slope rating 142, 75.8 course rating, Norman tees, 7,368 yds
(The Ridges) Blackthorn Club
Jonesborough, TN, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.9 course rating, Champion tees, 7,147 yds
Council Fire Golf Club
Chattanooga, TN, USA
Slope rating 139, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,999 yds
The Governors Club
Brentwood, TN, USA
Slope rating 139, 73.8 course rating, Palmer tees, 7,031 yds
Richland Country Club
Nashville, TN, USA
Slope rating 139, 73.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,952 yds
(Big Creek) Mirimichi Golf Course
Millington, TN, USA
Slope rating 138, 76.8 course rating, Black Rock tees, 7,479 yds
Nashville Golf & Athletic Club
Brentwood, TN, USA
Slope rating 138, 76.3 course rating, Championship tees, 7,563 yds
Westhaven Golf Club
Franklin, TN, USA
Slope rating 137, 74.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,976 yds
Twelve Stones Crossing
Goodlettsville, TN, USA
Slope rating 137, 74.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,922 yds
Bear Trace at Harrison Bay
Harrison, TN, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.9 course rating, Gold tees, 7,140 yds
(The River) The Sevierville Golf Club
Sevierville, TN, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,120 yds
Belle Meade Country Club
Nashville, TN, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,885 yds
(Springhouse) Gaylord Springs at Opryland
Nashville, TN, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,842 yds
(Stonehenge at Fairfield Glade) Stonehenge Golf Club at Fairfield Glade
Fairfield Glade, TN, USA
Slope rating 136, 71.8 course rating, Blue tees, 6,549 yds
Tennessee National Golf Club
Loudon, TN, USA
Slope rating 135, 75.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,393 yds
(North) Vanderbilt Legends Club
Franklin, TN, USA
Slope rating 135, 75.0 course rating, Gold tees, 7,190 yds
Troubadour Golf and Field Club
College Grove, TN, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.4 course rating, Troubadour tees, 7,157 yds
Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain
Crossville, TN, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,900 yds
Chattanooga Golf & Country Club
Chattanooga, TN, USA
Slope rating 134, 75.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,685 yds
Nashboro Golf Club
Nashville, TN, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.7 course rating, Blue tees, 6,891 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. State pages include courses across Tennessee. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Brentwood Country Club is #1 on Course Vaults in Tennessee at Slope 155 (72.0 course rating · Spears tees · 6,482 yds). 84 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. State pages include courses across Tennessee. 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.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:41 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
