Sweetens Cove Golf Club

Sweetens Cove is a nine-hole course in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, that became one of modern golf's great cult stories. It opened in 2014, built by architect Rob Collins and his construction partner Tad King on the remnants of the old Sequatchie Valley course, which had first opened on the site in 1951. Working with almost no budget, Collins was so committed that he took over the lease himself and poured everything into the ground. What they created from that unremarkable valley floor is a wildly imaginative nine, full of enormous, boldly contoured greens, deep bunkers, and shot options that reward creativity and repeat play, since no two loops feel the same. Word spread among architecture enthusiasts, national rankings followed, and a high-profile ownership group that includes Peyton Manning, Andy Roddick, and Jim Nantz later came aboard, turning a remote nine-holer into a genuine pilgrimage destination.