In 1927, the legendary golf architect Donald Ross built and designed the golf course at the Holston Hills Country club, nestled at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. In the following decades, Ross’ vision has been lovingly maintained by Holston Hills and stands today as one of best surviving examples of his work. Only recently has the course been altered and restored in order to accommodate more modern golf.

Today, the course stands as a testament to an older style of play. Holston Hills is a fair course, with wide open fairways, strategic bunkers and interesting, contoured greens. Many have said what makes this course so fun is that Ross’ vision has not be spoiled by other architects in an attempt to modernize the course and it shows. The treeless farmland is expertly manicured with tasteful placement of tress and each of the holes flow well together without any modernized features to break the flow.

In many modern courses, trees are made into the obstacles but at Holston Hills, this was avoiding and Donald Ross’ signature bunkers are the primary predators for wayward balls. These obstacles combined with the dips and grooves of the Tennessee landscape, can add a great deal of challenge underneath the deceptively flat-looking course. That detail in particular comes into play on several of the holes, such as the twelfth and fourteenth. Several holes on the back nine possess fearsome slopes that can skewer a shot. The fairways are large in relation to the greens, as Donald Ross intended.

This all may all seem overwhelming to the amateur player but not to worry. The vision of Donald Ross also included players of all stripes to come and enjoy the course. It is a hard course but not a cruel one.

So if one can secure an entry onto the private club, the monument to Donald Ross is waiting.

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Holston Hills Country Club
5200 Holston Hills Rd.
Knoxville, TN  37914