Getting To Know: The Sevierville Golf Club By Brian Weis

Getting To Know: The Sevierville Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Ashley McGaha, Head Golf Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Ashley McGaha who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property Nestled in the foothills of the magnificent Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, The Sevierville Golf Club offers the services, amenities, and presentation of a high-quality private club on a daily fee basis.

The Sevierville Golf Club features two 18-hole championship courses: The Highlands Course that winds through lush rolling hills and fresh water mountain ponds and the River Course that plays along and across the Little Pigeon River that features three island holes.

Additional amenities include an extensive practice facility with grass tees, expansive putting green as well as a chipping area all to help work on and fine tune your game. Other amenities include indoor/outdoor meeting spaces, men's and women's locker rooms with showers, club rental and golf lessons with a PGA Golf Professional.

We offer complete group and tournament management with custom scorecards, cart signs, proximity markers, club storage and an electronic scoreboard. All are customizable to promote and/or thank sponsors.

Stay and play golf packages are also available through various lodging entities located near the facility. Accommodations range from luxurious cabins and villas to first-class hotels and resorts. Packages can be custom fit to your needs for any size group.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course? We are proud to say that our golf courses and amenities are second to none; however, our team is what helps set us apart and truly makes your experience the "Best In The Smokies!". We are represented by a people sensitive staff, all of which have the heart to serve.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Keeping the ball in play is key to a successful round. Both the Highlands Course and the River Course are enjoyable for all skill levels with 5 sets of tees to choose from. The local pro tip is to keep the ball below the hole for the best results. We have exceptionally fast greens but many of our guests have commented that the greens are the best they have ever putted on.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
No recent or upcoming changes.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
With two 18-hole championship courses, we have the capability to simultaneously host men's and women's collegiate events, state junior boys and girls events as well as major corporate events with multiple course/morning and afternoon shotgun starts.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
There are so many great shots out there to be taken with the picturesque backdrop of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but No. 13 on the River Course probably gets the most because it is visually stunning and I've yet to see a bad picture of the hole. An elevated tee with a significant vertical drop down to green some 150 yards away gives this par 3 one of the most beautiful views of the Mt. Leconte from anywhere in the area.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is the 3rd hole on the River Course, which is a 533 yard par 5. It ranks as my favorite because it is the epitome of a risk/reward hole. The tee shot is very demanding with the river down the left side of the fairway. A good drive gives the player a shot at reaching the green in two. If not, the golfer a decision to make as to whether to pull a short iron and lay up or go for it with a fairway metal. The green is elevated and surrounded by bunkers and a water hazard on all sides. A reward for those with accuracy and a risk for those without.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
After golf, we invite you to unwind in our restaurant, Mulligans, with a beverage of your choice or one of our delicious daily lunch specials. We can also customize food and beverage presentations for your group, regardless of the size.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Lincoln Memorial University golfer Connor Froning shot an impressive 64 from the tips on the River Course during a competitive round for the SAC Conference Golf Championship.

Back Tee Stats
Par: River Course 72 Highlands Course 70
Yardage: River Course 7120 Highlands Course 6200
Slope: River Course 136 Highlands Course 128
Rating: River Course 74.5 Highlands Course 70.4

More Information
The Sevierville Golf Club
1444 Old Knoxville Highway
Sevierville, TN, 37876
(865) 429-4223
www.seviervillegolfclub.com

Revised: 11/01/2017 - Article Viewed 12,794 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.