Bruce McCamish
Bruce McCamish
Bruce McCamish
Holston Hills Country Club
Knoxville, TN•Private
Awards
Panelists Score
Holston Hills Country Club
5200 Holston Hills Rd
Knoxville, TN 37914-5199
United States
Overview
Holston Hills is a club that ultimately benefited from being on the "wrong" side of town for many of its years. Because of that, the membership never had the money to go in for the kind of major modernization of its 1927 Donald Ross-designed course that so many other clubs of the era endured, few for the better. The result is that the Ross fundamentals are well-preserved, with a splendid routing that fans out in opposing directions from the clubhouse perch, holes that work up and over robust but never severe land movements (see the hogback par-4 second fairway), stellar cross-bunkering that one day might impact shot selection and the next day not and greens that showcase lovely, original internal contours. The par 5s alternate between gettable and gotcha (the 517-yard seventh is one of Ross's most original half-par holes), the lovely bunkering of the short par-4 sixth elevates it to a must-see hole, and the run of 14, 15 and 16 that includes a long par 3 into a glen with a wickedly canted green, a mid-length down and up par 4 over a string of cops mounds and a drivable uphill par 4 to a tabletop green is one of the most ecclectic trio of holes in the state.
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Reviews
Review
“Holston Hills Country Club is a Donald Ross design that opened in 1927 and is located in the northern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Widely considered one of the few remaining “true” and unadulterated Donald Ross designs, Holston Hills plays as a par 72 at a length of 7,098 from the back tees, although tournament tees can go to 7,263 and play at a par 70. At a course rating of 74.1 and a slope of 134 from the back, Holston Hills is a fair test, although not exceedingly difficult. Holston is a very well-balanced golf course with 1 long and 1 short par 5 on each nine, 2 shortish and 2 longer par 3’s (the strongest group of holes on the course), and a good mix of short and long par 4s. Fairways are generous with few trees in play. Most of the danger from the tee is long grass but that is not in play except for very poor shots. Greens are healthily contoured and sloped but not excessively so, certainly not compared to the best known Ross designs. Recovery areas around the greens allow putting, chipping, pitching, or even the use of a hybrid, all options available depending on the comfort and skills of each player. Elevation changes, subtle not dramatic, are present throughout the layout, most notably on the sharply uphill par 4 16th and long par 5 18th. While only 304 yards, the 16th is not reachable for most players and the plateau green forces a short, blind approach. Looking at the scorecard, it seems like an easy birdie hole, but slight miscalculations or mishits can result in a scrambling par or even worse, a head-scratching bogey. The par 5 18th finishes uphill with a blind approach that will roll back 50 or 60 yards if the approach is short of the green. Talk about a potentially frustrating finish! The lack of trees and generously wide fairways provide an excellent variety of ball flight options from each tee box. Only the 1st, 2nd, and 16th favor a certain shot shape. Most holes are straight but there are enough dogleft lefts (4) and rights (2) to supply some welcome diversity. Bunkers are well-positioned to capture errant shots, and deeper and steeper than most Ross designs. However, the greens complexes generally allow running shots onto at least a portion of the putting surface. Holston Hills is in very good condition, especially considering the April time of this evaluation. Greens were aerated and sanded but still rolled well and accepted properly struck approaches. While not rolling above an 8 or 9, I can certainly see how they could be the member desired 12+ later in the season. Fairways were firm, rolled out and offered good lies for follow-on shots. Bunkers were excellent with consistently firm sand. Holston Hills has stood the test of time, thriving for almost 100 years without any major modifications despoiling the original Donald Ross design. There are no external distractions beyond the golf course that either interfere with, or enhance, the experience. Supposedly, HH claims many plus and low handicap golfers which is a testament to the quality of the course – a seriously good layout for seriously good golfers."
Read More2026
Review
“Holston Hills Country Club is a Donald Ross design that opened in 1927 and is located in the northern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Widely considered one of the few remaining “true” and unadulterated Donald Ross designs, Holston Hills plays as a par 72 at a length of 7,098 from the back tees, although tournament tees can go to 7,263 and play at a par 70. At a course rating of 74.1 and a slope of 134 from the back, Holston Hills is a fair test, although not exceedingly difficult. Holston is a very well-balanced golf course with 1 long and 1 short par 5 on each nine, 2 shortish and 2 longer par 3’s (the strongest group of holes on the course), and a good mix of short and long par 4s. Fairways are generous with few trees in play. Most of the danger from the tee is long grass but that is not in play except for very poor shots. Greens are healthily contoured and sloped but not excessively so, certainly not compared to the best known Ross designs. Recovery areas around the greens allow putting, chipping, pitching, or even the use of a hybrid, all options available depending on the comfort and skills of each player. Elevation changes, subtle not dramatic, are present throughout the layout, most notably on the sharply uphill par 4 16th and long par 5 18th. While only 304 yards, the 16th is not reachable for most players and the plateau green forces a short, blind approach. Looking at the scorecard, it seems like an easy birdie hole, but slight miscalculations or mishits can result in a scrambling par or even worse, a head-scratching bogey. The par 5 18th finishes uphill with a blind approach that will roll back 50 or 60 yards if the approach is short of the green. Talk about a potentially frustrating finish! The lack of trees and generously wide fairways provide an excellent variety of ball flight options from each tee box. Only the 1st, 2nd, and 16th favor a certain shot shape. Most holes are straight but there are enough dogleft lefts (4) and rights (2) to supply some welcome diversity. Bunkers are well-positioned to capture errant shots, and deeper and steeper than most Ross designs. However, the greens complexes generally allow running shots onto at least a portion of the putting surface. Holston Hills is in very good condition, especially considering the April time of this evaluation. Greens were aerated and sanded but still rolled well and accepted properly struck approaches. While not rolling above an 8 or 9, I can certainly see how they could be the member desired 12+ later in the season. Fairways were firm, rolled out and offered good lies for follow-on shots. Bunkers were excellent with consistently firm sand. Holston Hills has stood the test of time, thriving for almost 100 years without any major modifications despoiling the original Donald Ross design. There are no external distractions beyond the golf course that either interfere with, or enhance, the experience. Supposedly, HH claims many plus and low handicap golfers which is a testament to the quality of the course – a seriously good layout for seriously good golfers."
Read More2026
Review
“Historic Ross Course that has stayed close to its original design. Lots of strategy and risk/reward involved for the low handicap amateur. Played it immediately following the Korn Ferry Tour event and it was set up tough - this course can provide an extreme (yet fair) challenge when they need it to."
Read More2025
Review
“Holston Hills CC was a gem of a golden age design with challenging greens, fun topography, variety throughout with holes varying in both direction and distance, and firm conditioning. The holes that stood out to me were the 2nd hole, which requires the player to navigate a tree positioned exactly where the player wants to hit their tee shot, but must pick either the left or right side and the left side requires a carry of a pond, but allows for a close approach to the green. The 4th hole was a demanding par 3 with a ridge line on the right side of the green that sends balls that are short or right into a pond fronting the green. The green on the par 3 14th hole was very severe from back to front, requiring players to stay below the hole and the 16th hole was a short par 4 the requires precision as shots that drift right can be pushed out of bounds by a severe hill. As with many Donald Ross designed golf courses, there is benefit in playing the course multiple times as course knowledge goes a long way in avoiding mistakes."
Read More2025
Review
“Holston Hills CC was a gem of a golden age design with challenging greens, fun topography, variety throughout with holes varying in both direction and distance, and firm conditioning. The holes that stood out to me were the 2nd hole, which requires the player to navigate a tree positioned exactly where the player wants to hit their tee shot, but must pick either the left or right side and the left side requires a carry of a pond, but allows for a close approach to the green. The 4th hole was a demanding par 3 with a ridge line on the right side of the green that sends balls that are short or right into a pond fronting the green. The green on the par 3 14th hole was very severe from back to front, requiring players to stay below the hole and the 16th hole was a short par 4 the requires precision as shots that drift right can be pushed out of bounds by a severe hill. As with many Donald Ross designed golf courses, there is benefit in playing the course multiple times as course knowledge goes a long way in avoiding mistakes."
Read More2025
Review
“Pretty untouched Ross that is a joy to play. A lot of the bunkers have distanced passed them by but that also comes with the joy of the club not trying to change things every 10 years for distance. The Back 9 is one of the better Nines in Tennessee so don't turn down an opportunity to enjoy the walk at Holston Hills"
Read More2024
Review
“An untouched Ross original design in which the pro says members too cheap to mess up a good golf course."
Read More2023
Review
“What a wonderful job keeping a great Donald Ross Course just like it was from the beginning. Green complexes and bunkering are outstanding. Just a joy to play!"
Read More2023
Review
“Very nice Ross course. Greens were somewhat slow due to recent aeration and early season but they were very interesting and would have presented a much greater challenge if at normal speed."
Read More2022
Review
“Classic Donald Ross course. The old style course is not terribly long but the Ross greens provide plenty of defense."
Read More2021
