Cherokee Country Club

Cherokee Country Club was founded in 1907 in Knoxville, opening first as a nine-hole layout before expanding to eighteen holes around 1910. The course is best known as a Donald Ross design: Ross was engaged near the end of the 1910s to advise on improvements, and in 1920 he submitted plans for reworking the links and greens, giving the course its enduring Ross character. Set on a bend of the Tennessee River with views toward the Great Smoky Mountains, the private club pairs its golf with tennis, swimming, and a substantial clubhouse. In 2008, architect Ron Prichard completed a faithful restoration of the Ross design, recovering lost green contours and strategic features. Today the course measures roughly 6,370 yards to a par of 70, a compact but demanding classic that rewards precision over length.