Sweetens Cove designer Rob Collins
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There is something almost spiritual about the connection between Rob Collins and the masterpiece he helped create called Sweetens Cove Golf Club.
Their lives intersected at a time when both faced an uncertain future. The scruffy tract of neglected hardpan in South Pittsburg was dying on the vine, and Collins was a casualty of the economic meltdown in the early 2010s that left many aspiring golf course designers considering a career change.
But together they persevered.
Operating on a shoestring budget – and often at a deficit - Collins and partner Tad King morphed the forgettable tract of land into an immaculate visionary nine-hole layout that created a paradigm shift in course architecture. The symbiotic connection between the designer and the land transformed the former Sequatchie Golf and Country Club into the modern-day marvel known as Sweetens Cove.
The finished product faced uncertain times when opening in 2014, operating from a portable shed as a clubhouse that still serves as a centerpiece today. But word quickly spread about this diamond in the rough, becoming a nationally-acclaimed golf destination that spawned a rabid entourage of loyalists over the past decade.
Sweetens Cove became the anti-golf establishment poster child, a place where traditional country club rules are secondary to embracing an experiential outing. Their marketing of uniquely branded apparel, specialty bourbons and its array of quirky tournament offerings further cemented the mystique of Sweetens Cove as its daily golf passes quickly sold out a year in advance.
King-Collins Golf used the phenomenon of Sweetens Cove as a springboard to other dynamic projects, becoming highly-sought craftsmen who were the creators of other revolutionary designs such as Landmand Golf Club in Nebraska and Red Feather in Texas.
Despite his meteoric rise among the ranks of his profession, Collins never forgot the relationship with Sweetens Cove that made all of this possible. Now, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Collins again finds himself returning to his roots to nurture his first love through some challenging times.
Sweetens Cove announced on Sunday that it will close the golf course for three months effective May 27 due to the impact of last winter’s harsh winter storm, with a scheduled date of September 1 to resume operations
When a major winter storm impacted Tennessee in January, the combination of snow transforming into ice followed by extended freezing temperatures wreaked havoc in the region. Sweetens Cove was particularly hard hit, with ice covering the course for more than a week followed by two weeks of frigid conditions.
“In speaking with a meteorologist that specializes in turfgrass management, we learned that Sweetens Cove experienced micro climate temps of minus-10 and likely worse,” Collins said. “All credit is due to our agronomy staff. They did everything exactly as they should have, but we got dealt an impossible hand by the weather.”
The challenging conditions adversely impacted the dormant Bermuda grasses, delaying recovery as the spring weather arrived. It left Collins no choice but to give the land an opportunity to heal so that the lofty standards expected at Sweetens are not compromised.
“We lost approximately 10.5 acres of turf in the fairways and about half of the green square footage,” Collins said. “We will be primarily re-sprigging the fairways with a little bit of sod added in high traffic areas. We will also use a no-till sprigging method on the greens, which is very effective with ultra dwarf Bermuda to bring back the dead spots.”
The sabbatical from daily play will also enable Collins and his team needed time nurturing the golf course that will result in an even better finished product.
“The silver lining is that this shutdown will allow us to perform a great deal of additional maintenance that is simply not possible with a full tee sheet,” Collins said. “So, we will come out of the summer in incredible shape, and we are all very excited about that. Above all else, Sweetens is incredibly resilient. We’ll be back and better than ever in no time.”
Plans are to utilize an innovative procedure called fraze mowing that will remove all accumulated thatch and organic matter that builds up during the growing season.
“This will take our turf to another level when we are open again,” Collins said. “This is something that would be impossible to do without an extended shutdown, so we are going to take full advantage of the time that we have to make the course as good as it possibly can be.”
Those golfers with daily passes for the period the course will be closed will be given the opportunity to have priority when the 2025 rounds become available with a 25-percent discount.
“I feel terrible for the pass holders whose passes we had to cancel and all of the guys who work so hard to keep Sweetens running,” Collins said. “All they want to do is make people happy and give a great experience, and shutting down is tough on them in that regard.”
I have no doubt that the finished product that emerges this fall will be better than ever. There’s such history between Collins and this piece of land to think otherwise. In the meantime, it gives Collins another opportunity to reconnect with a place that served as a critical fulcrum in his professional odyssey.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Paul Payne
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