Bear Trace at Tims Ford State Park

This course was well worth the hour plus drive for me and the 3 hours from Atlanta where my Dad drove from. Beautiful course with a wide-open layout and plenty of picturesque views. Will definitely be back hopefully when it warms up a bit!

The course was challenging yet not to difficult. The previous night's rain made the course play longer than advertised and caused the dreaded "cart path only" rule to be enforced. You'll have to use every club in the bag so pick your tee based on ability.

This was my first foray into the Tennessee Golf Trail and Bear courses. For the most part, Tims Ford is open off the tee, particularly on the front nine. Greens were pleasantly quick and rolled very good. Downgrain it was difficult to keep the ball within three feet when putting from above the hole. The fact that the course sits on a small peninsula that is nearly an island of its' own, I was surprised that there was as much elevation change as there was. There is more slope in the greens than I expected as well. I wish there had been more memorable holes. The approach on the par-4 sixth, however, was very memorable. The two-tiered green is is ~4-5 feet higher in the front than the back. The pin was in the back and it created a unique pitch for me after missing the green short and right. The second tier does form somewhat of a bowl so balls should funnel toward the hole. I liked the lengthy ninth hole as well. Final three holes were a good test to finish the round. Nos. 16 and 17 are short par 4s and good opportunities to steal a few shots. Finishing on a par 3 did not bother me in the least. I think the biggest thing that kept me from rating the course higher is that given the aforementioned fact that the course is the only thing on the small peninsula, I would've liked to have seen the surrounding water play more into the strategy and design of the course.

Some quick observations:

- Nice layout, pretty open off the tee but the greens are well protected with bunkers
- Beautiful wooded area. Course is located on a large peninsula in the lake with water on 3 sides.
- Very challenging course, It's a 2nd shot course with difficult greens
- It's in Tims State Park which is well in the middle of nowhere. You need your GPS to find this place. Combine this with a trip to the Jack Daniels Distillery Tour makes it worth the trip.