Knoxville & Chattanooga Golf Courses & Tee Times

Who runs public golf in Knoxville & Chattanooga

The City of Knoxville owns three courses and hands the running of them to partners: Purple Horse Hospitality operates Knoxville Municipal and Whittle Springs, and the Williams Creek Youth Foundation manages Williams Creek, an 18-hole par 3 near downtown that is home to First Tee. Knox County runs its own: Three Ridges, plus two par-3 courses at Beverly Park and Concord Park. Chattanooga maintains Brainerd and Brown Acres, where 18 holes cost $25 on weekdays and $30 on weekends, with a $19 weekday rate for seniors 60 and up. Tennessee State Parks runs the Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, 20 minutes north of Chattanooga, the Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain in Crossville, and Fall Creek Falls, a Joe Lee design.

Public courses worth knowing in Knoxville & Chattanooga

• Whittle Springs Golf Course: Old resort course in northeast Knoxville where Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Dow Finsterwald played, and home of the Knoxville City Amateur since the 1930s.
• Knoxville Municipal Golf Course: D.J. DeVictor design, opened in spring 1984, 6,413 yards with Bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens.
• Bear Trace Cumberland Mountain: Jack Nicklaus design in Crossville, par 72 at 6,928 yards. Golfweek twice named it the top public course in Tennessee, per State Parks.
• Bear Trace at Harrison Bay: Nicklaus design on the lake 20 minutes north of Chattanooga. Water touches 12 fairways, but most greens are open in front.
• Fall Creek Falls: Joe Lee design carved out of forest, with almost no parallel holes.
• Brainerd Golf Course: Donald Ross design and one of Chattanooga's oldest courses, with rolling ground and mature trees.

Booking tee times in Knoxville & Chattanooga: the local rules

Chattanooga's two city courses take tee times up to five days ahead, with no resident head start listed. Whittle Springs requires tee times on weekends. Fall Creek Falls takes them 14 days out through the pro shop.

Why tee times in Knoxville & Chattanooga are hard to get

In Knoxville & Chattanooga, the busiest months are spring and fall. In summer, everyone wants to finish before the heat, so early tee times go first.

Most public courses open their tee sheet a set number of days ahead, often 7 to 14, and many municipal courses give residents or card holders an earlier window. The best weekend-morning times usually go the day they're released. Leagues and outings take blocks of the sheet before the public ever sees them.

When tee time cancellations happen

Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.

How to get a tee time in Knoxville & Chattanooga

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Beverly Park Golf Course, Concord Park Par 3 Golf Course and Mouse Creek Golf Course.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked