Cherokee Country Club

Overview: Cherokee Country Club is a compact Donald Ross course in Knoxville, set on a bluff above the Tennessee River. The 18-hole, par-70 layout measures 6,370 yards and makes excellent use of a confined site, with creek lines, boundary edges, mature trees and changes in elevation supplying variety from hole to hole. Six par threes give the course an unusual rhythm, while the river-side holes and small, carefully defended targets reward disciplined club selection. It is a classic private parkland course whose interest comes from angles and sequence rather than sheer scale.

History: Cherokee Country Club began in 1907, when the club stood four miles outside Knoxville and was reached by narrow gravel roads. As the city grew around it, the course became part of West Knoxville's established landscape. Donald Ross shaped the course's classic architectural character, and later work by Ron Prichard restored elements of the historic design using older imagery and course features as guides. The club's long competitive history includes repeated Tennessee Golf Association championships and other major state events.

Did You Know? Cherokee's opening made Knoxville's first regulation 18-hole course possible in 1907, bringing the city into the expanding world of serious golf. The club's original rural setting has since been absorbed by Knoxville, but the river bluff and the old course's compact strategy remain central to its identity.