Bent Creek Golf
Course in Gatlinburg:
Quirky but Quaint

By Kiel Christianson,
Senior Writer

If you are interested in escaping the crass consumerism for a few hours - or for most of your stay, for that matter - and working on your golf game, Bent Creek Golf Course and Golf Village is ideally situated just twelve miles from downtown Gatlinburg. The 6,128-yard, par-72 course is part of the handsome Sunterra Bent Creek resort property, which also features 84 lodging units, indoor/outdoor pools, playground, and assorted other activities. And whether you're staying at the resort or somewhere else, the course is a handy and relaxing getaway for visitors to the area.

At just 6,128 yards from the tips (slope 127, rating 70.3), and featuring water on 13 holes and vertigo-inducing elevation changes, this course is quirky. But then so is Gatlinburg, where you can ride a tram up a mountain to play Hillbilly Putt-putt Golf (whatever the hell that is). Despite a handful of weak holes, and a few more screwy ones, the several nice holes and the bucolic surroundings throughout the course make for a pleasant round.

• Discuss this at GolfBoards.com • Author Archives: Kiel Christianson

According to course pro Mark Wallace, the Gary Player layout, which opened in 1972, was thoroughly revamped in 1996, when new owners took over. Greens were leveled, tee boxes rebuilt, and fairways resodded. Local knowledge is critical here, though, as Webb Creek crosses seven holes, and many of the tee shots on the back nine call for something less than driver (from 7-iron to sandwedge!). Fortunately, all carts are equipped with a GPS system, which will tell you how far it is to various hidden hazards.

Mark Wallace has two pieces of advice for Bent Creek virgins. "First and foremost," he says, "remember that discretion is the better part of valor." And if you forget this advice? "Play to the high side and pray." Fail to follow both tips, and this course may have you speaking in tongues before the round is over.

The two nines contrast a bit. The front has somewhat narrow fairways but more open overall, whereas the back is tight and often very hilly. And on the back, the difference between the blue and white tees becomes more noticeable. Nevertheless, the back is actually easier to score on, if you know where to hit it. The conditions are well above average, and the ambience - with Webb Creek bubbling past you on nearly every shot - is exceptional. The small to medium-sized greens are bentgrass, and the fairways and rough are bermuda mixed with bluegrass.

Aside from the condos on the 6th, the course is picturesque. If your bladder is full, however, the ever-present babbling brook makes it somewhat hard to concentrate on your game. Typical of the front nine is the 321-yard 3rd, where a 200-yard lay-up off the tee is the play. From the center of the fairway (hopefully), you approach a smallish green, fronted by the creek and a bunker, and hidden coyly behind a massive tree.

The 498-yard, par-5 9th is the highlight of the front. This gentle dogleg right has water in play on the first and second shots and again - surprise - separating the green from the end of the fairway. The green itself is deep but narrow, and is set diagonally to the fairway, sloping from right to left, down toward the creek. Front pin placements are testy here.

The back nine is where the course gets interesting and vexing. On the 463-yard par-5 10th, the flat part of the fairway, which otherwise feeds right, is blocked from view by trees, making for a daunting tee shot.

No. 11, at only 362 yards, is the toughest hole on the course, almost to the point of being silly. From tee to green, it seems like there's too much hole for too little land. A long iron from the blues or a mid iron from the whites is all you need to the water-encircled landing area. From there, all you have to do is stick the 10-yard wide strip of green that lies along the rocky creek bed. Basically, this is almost impossible, as the green slopes severely toward the creek (and it was leveled in 96!), and only about one-half of it is suitable for pin placement.

Survive the 11th without too big a score, and you'll be able to get some strokes back on two rather goofy little par-4s (15 and 16). On the 13th, the tips are actually across the road under some trees in a spot that looks more appropriate for a snooze than a tee box. But read the scorecard here, if you let your attention wander and hit anything more than a long iron from the tee, you will find your ball - or rather not find it - in the seriously dense underbrush growing on the steep hillside separating the end of the fairway from the significantly lower green.

The 113-yard 14th is the signature hole. Thanks to the 100-foot elevation drop from tee to green though, it plays only about 80 yards. One of the quirks it the tee box here: Grass doesn't grow up on top of the hill, so players tee off from a squishy artificial turf mat. Then 15 and 16 tempt big hitters to try to drive close to the green too, at 309 yards (uphill) and 333 yards (downhill) from the tips, respectively.

It is fair to say that 10 through 16 have character. They might well have less character, but more playability, if they were to be slightly redesigned. For example, the 11th might be turned into a par 3 (making the landing area the green), and the 12th could be turned into a par 5 (with the present 11th green transformed into a tee box for the 12th).

Quirks and all, this course will definitely give players something to talk about over a beer at the Creekside Grill, which hunkers over the creek behind the 9th green. And those folks lucky enough to be staying at the resort will be able to play the course enough times to learn how to maneuver through it's erratic twists and turns and, with experience, may score pretty well.

Conditions: A- Layout: C+ Service: A Practice Fac.: C Club House/Pro Shop: A- Pace of Play: A Value: C+ Overall Rating: B

Conditions were generally good, with just a few pock-marked greens and less-than-fluffy bunkers. And although the course itself doesn't rank among the top few in the area, the wonderful resort facilities and special playing privileges offered to guests (reduced greensfees, preferred tee times, pro shop discounts) make this the best lodging option for golfers visiting the area. As bucolic as the course and resort are, golfers may even have trouble tearing themselves away to check out the local attractions. Just don't miss the Tennessee Tornado roller coaster at Dollywood, the shape of which reminded me of Dolly herself for some reason….

Course Information
Bent Creek Golf Course
3919 E. Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37778
Head PGA Pro: Mark Wallace
Tel: 865-436-3947
E-mail: bentcreek@earthlink.net

Par: 72 (blue, white), 73 (red)
Yardage: 6,182 (blue), 5,802 (white), 5,095 (red)
Slope: 127, 123, 117
Rating: 70.3, 67.9, 69.2
Rates: Weekdays $51 w/cart; Weekends $57 w/cart

Other information: no walking allowed; twilight and resort guest specials available; 12 miles from Gatlinburg, 17 from Pigeon Forge; no driving range.