Chattanooga Golf and Country Club's par 3 No. 13
photo by courtesy of CG&CC
The classic Redan at Lookout Mountain Club
photo by Doug Stein
Council Fire Club's challenging par 5 No. 13
photo by courtesy of Council Fire Club
Black Creek Club's uphill par 4 No. 13
photo by Doug Stein
Bear Trace at Harrison Bay's par 4 No. 13
photo by courtesy of Bear Trace
When golf course architect Brian Silva was hired to design the layout Black Creek Club, the finished product became an instant sensation.
Considered one of America’s foremost experts on the work of Golden Age architects like Seth Raynor, Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast and C.B. McDonald, Silva’s creation at Black Creek resulted in a modern compilation of some of the classic template holes from the masters of the past.
Using random geometric-shaped bunkers, hazards running perpendicular to the line of play and various green complexes that hearken back to the Scottish origins of golf, Black Creek became one of Silva’s masterpieces when the course opened in 2000.
One such hole is No. 12, a natural beauty dotted with strategic fairway bunkers whose elevated green is perfectly nestled against Dry Branch that bisects the fairway. The challenging par 4 continues to draw praise for its design years later, being selected as The Elite 18 best hole No. 12.
Other holes that have been selected thus far include:
No. 1: WindStone Golf Club
No. 2: McLemore Highlands Course
No. 3: Bear Trace at Harrison Bay
No. 4: Chattanooga Golf and Country Club
No. 5: The Ooltewah Club
No. 6: Black Creek Club
No. 7: Brainerd Golf Course
No. 8: The Honors Course
No. 9: The Honors Course
No. 10: Cleveland Country Club
No. 11: Council Fire Club
Next up is balloting for The Elite 18 best hole No. 13. There were 13 different candidates named by our panel of local professionals and top amateurs among the 25 golf courses in consideration. With distances measured from the back tees, the top choices are:
Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, par 4, 416 yards: The par 4 is flanked on both sides of the fairway by mature trees, so stray drives will find it difficult to reach the green in two. There’s also a large fairway bunker on the left side, and the greenside bunker to the right makes attacking pins on that side of the putting surface a challenge.
Black Creek Club, par 4, 453 yards: The long uphill par 4 with a water hazard bordering the hole the length of the left side favors working the right side of the fairway. A large bunker to the right side of the landing zone must be avoided, leaving an approach to the elevated green that is guarded by another penal bunker to the left front.
Chattanooga Golf and Country Club, par 3, 136 yards: Don’t let the distance on this hole fool you. There is plenty of trouble to be found on the short par 3. The green is encircled by a water hazard ditch, and a pair of large bunkers short and right and another to the left make accuracy a must in finding the green that has steep contours.
Council Fire Club, par 5, 546 yards: The hole wraps around a lake to the left, and long hitters that can cut the corner are in prime position for birdie. Contending with the water persists the length of the hole as the fairway narrows. The elevated green is narrow and undulating with deep bunkers swallowing short approach shots to left pin locations.
Lookout Mountain Club, par 3, 204 yards: The classic Redan template is even more challenging since the restoration completed last year. The view from the tee of the valley in the distance demands your attention before taking on the challenge. A cavernous boomerang shaped green protects the front of the green, and the rolling swales on the putting surface bring three-putts into play.
You can make your preference known at the poll below. Voting will remain open until Saturday at 6 p.m., with the final results revealed on Monday when we introduce the candidates for the Elite 18 Hole No. 14.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com