Paul Payne: Sweetens Cove Continues Shattering Traditional Norms In The Name of Fun

I have always felt a special connection with Sweetens Cove Golf Club.

It was the first golf course I ever set foot on when I was a child, a five-year content to tag along with my grandfather who was one of the original club’s early members. Now, more than five decades later, the transformation of that forgettable piece of land has emerged into a nationally recognized gem with a cult-like following.

What was once a nondescript, table-top flat tract known as Sequatchie Valley Golf and Country Club is now a golf bucket list fixture. In between, though, lies a story about a small- town family who tried to keep the club alive, an unemployed dreamer who had the vision to bring to life a dormant flood plain and a global pandemic that fueled an insatiable desire for the transformational project that made it a mecca-like destination among traveling golfers.

The golf course was once the social epicenter of a hardscrabble community who worked hard and played even harder, never worried about impressing others, comfortable in their own skin. While those days are gone, the version that exists today has brought unparalleled exposure for my father’s hometown of South Pittsburg.

Sweetens Cove embodies a sense of self-confidence and public indifference, becoming the poster child of a new wave in the golf industry where rules, decorum and social etiquette have been left behind for the stodgy country club types.

The no-longer-hidden jewel that ranks among the best 9-hole courses in the world is ready to launch its next chapter in making waves within the industry. The fun is just getting started at Sweetens Cove with the recent announcement of plans for expansion that will include a lighted par-3 course, stay and play cabins, a restaurant and distillery, a winding putting green, fishing dock and skeet shooting range.

In collaboration with Reef Capital Partners, the short course construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 with a targeted completion in 2026. The new additions will not compromise the gritty spirit of Sweetens since its inception ten years ago. Instead, the offerings will only intensify what general manager and PGA professional Matt Adamski refers to as “a giant adult playground, where everyone can find something to love.”

Sweetens Cove has carved its own unique niche in the golfing world where rules and protocols are deemed as unnecessary annoyances. That same willful independence will continue to flourish with the proposed additions according to Rob Collins, who essentially fashioned Sweetens along with partner Tad King from prairie mud into the masterpiece it is today.

“The Reef guys immediately saw Sweetens as this delicate balance and not wanting to alter that spirit,” said Collins, a Chattanooga native and McCallie School graduate. “Everything will be done with that in mind. What we want to do is take Sweetens up to 11, just to steal a line from ‘Spinal Tap’. We just want to make it even better than it already is while keeping the same vibe.”

But before you can appreciate the ongoing transformation of Sweetens Cove, you must understand the history of Sequatchie Valley and the role it played serving as the hub of social activity in South Pittsburg for more than 50 years. My grandfather owned a grocery store across the Alabama state line in Bridgeport, and he was a constant fixture at the place that he simply referred to as “Squatchie”, even serving a term as club president.

Long before The New York Times put Sweetens Cove on the map with a glowing review in 2017 that told the story of Collins, an unemployed golf course architect, transforming the piece of land along Battle Creek into a spectacular mixture of imagination and artistry, a local named S.L. Rogers had a similar vision on a smaller scale.

Rogers, president of the United States Stove Company in South Pittsburg, purchased 135-acres of farmland in the late 1949. Two years later, the family donated the land to the city to build a nine-hole golf course which was laid out and overseen by Rogers.

The club’s membership ran the club for years, then ran into financial woes in the ‘90s. Eventually, Rogers’ son-in-law, Bob Thomas, acquired the club. Thomas was an avid golfer and frequent club champion who operated a successful concrete ready-mix company. But the dwindling membership and deteriorating infrastructure led the Thomas family in 2011 to sell to Collins, who was looking for any opportunity to put his creativity to work after the 2008 financial crisis grounded the golf course construction industry.

Despite the naysayers and seemingly insurmountable odds, Collins and King persevered. Today, their daring venture is ready to emerge from its summer makeover and forge ahead in the dynamic next chapter of captivating its patrons while leveraging the expertise of Reel Capital Partners and its CEO Jared Lucero.

“These guys are so good at what they do,” Collins said. “Jared has a head full of brilliant ideas and is really trusting in his partners. It's going to be a great collaboration. The thing that's so great about them is they know how to execute. It's one thing to have a bunch of great ideas. It's another thing to be able to do it. We needed a partner to execute the plans that have been in the back of my mind for years.”

While Sweetens Cove has long featured the coveted day passes that allow for unlimited golf who are fortunate enough to secure one, the new plans will extend the festivities beyond sundown.

“It will be like having a 24-hour lift ticket when you go skiing,” Collins said. “You can just cram as much of whatever you want to do into that time. We're going to have this awesome putting green that meanders up around the cabins that will be similar to a lazy river at a water park. The putting green will connect to the short course that's all going to tie into the whiskey distillery restaurant.

“Over by No. 6, we're going to build a cool little fishing dock that’s basically like a halfway house where you could get a bite to eat and some beverages. And then we're going to do a skeet shooting range in a more remote area of the property.”

The new 9-hole par-3 course will offer creative routing for those golfers wishing to play in a cross-country style to increase the variety on the holes. The short course will connect with the championship course, allowing golfers to enjoy both overlapping layouts without constraints typically found at most courses.

What began with a casual conversation between Lucero and Collins over a friendly round of golf last year has now blossomed into a full-fledged campaign.

"Sweetens Cove grabs you the moment you step onto the course,” said Lucero. “There’s an energy here that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s not just about golf; it’s about the experience, the people, and the simplicity of spending a day out here. We aim to preserve that unique charm while adding a place to stay, a bit more to do, including Sweetens at Night, and some amazing food and drinks. Those things will only make every visit even more memorable, whether you’re playing the course for the first time or the hundredth."

The Sweetens story is poised to only get better. Collins and King have done the hard part, willing it into existence years ago. Their collaboration served as a springboard to greater heights with the opening of the highly acclaimed Landmand Golf Club in Nebraska two years ago and a full plate of current projects that have catapulted the duo into rising stars within the course design circles.

There is no doubt this next chapter will usher in new levels of uproarious irreverent amusement that will further entrench the mystique of Sweetens Cove. It’s a far cry from the faint memories of my early childhood, but let the party continue.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com