Tanasi Golf Club, Loudon, TN

Tellico Village has become one of the premier senior planned retirement communities in the southeast. In addition to golf and boating, Tellico Village offers residents a wide array of recreation facilities and activities. The Wellness Center is a 27,000 square foot facility with all of the resources you’ll need plus the bonus of a spectacular view of the Smoky Mountains. There’s a six-lane, 75-foot indoor swimming pool and a smaller, warm-water therapeutic pool. The large exercise room has an indoor walking track as well as cardio and weight equipment. In the spacious fitness class studio, you’ll find a wide variety of dance and movement classes, yoga, and Tai Chi. If you like racquet sports, you’ll enjoy four Har-Tru tennis courts and eight pickleball courts.

For many residents, golf is the main attraction here. Tellico Village boasts three of the area’s most pristine golf courses: Tanasi, Toqua, and Kahite. All three courses were designed by Ault, Clark & Associates. These three private, championship golf courses have hosted many state and national championship events including the Tennessee Golf Association’s Junior Amateur Qualifier, Women’s and Men’s Senior Amateur Championships, Four-Ball, and Senior Four-Ball Championships as well as the PGA Tour Nationwide Knoxville Open Qualifier. All Tellico Village, when you become a property owner you automatically become a full golf club member with rights and privileges on all three courses. Each clubhouse has a restaurant with a unique menu and taste. These are not your average clubhouse restaurants.

The Tanasi Golf Course opened in 1996 and the design is quite different than the other courses. You’ll find the Bermuda fairways are a lot more open and thus more forgiving; the Crenshaw Bentgrass greens are bigger too! Many of the greens are elevated with a lot of undulation, but they roll true. This championship course has seven sets of tees and can be played comfortably anywhere from 6,731 yards to 4,480 yards. Beautiful Tellico Lake comes into play on several holes and enhances the beauty and challenge of the course. While there is no driving range, there is an 18-hole putting course.

Two of the holes that bring the lake into play are Numbers 9 and 10 which happen to be the #1 and #2 handicaps. Number 9 is a 369-yard par 4 dogleg left that requires both accuracy and distance control off the tee. Not putting your tee shot in the right place can leave an awkward lie. It’s a three-tiered, downward-sloping fairway so pray for a flat lie! A good drive will leave around a 140-yard approach shot over the lake into a green that is a lot wider than it is deep. A left-side pin placement is especially difficult as it is guarded with a small bunker. It’s one of the most challenging holes on the course.

Number 10 is a 389-yard dogleg left around Tellico Lake. It’s all risk/reward off the tee but to me, the risk greatly outweighs the reward. A tee shot down the right side with a slight draw works well and leaves a mid-iron into a slightly elevated and well-undulated green. Hit two good shots in a row and reap the reward!

Whether you play the course or not, you have to eat a meal in the Tanasi Bar & Grill; it’s anything but your typical clubhouse food. Try salads such as the Fried Chicken Cobb Salad or the Strawberry Chicken Salad. For your main course, you can’t go wrong with the catfish, meatloaf, or their signature ribs. All come with a couple of sides and portions that will have you loosening your belt. After dinner, ask for one of pastry chef Miss Kat’s delectable creations such as caramel apple bread pudding. You’ll be amazed.

With three golf courses to keep in pristine condition, you have to imagine things can get rough for those in charge. Chris Sykes, who has served as the Head Golf Course Superintendent at Toqua Golf Club and was recently promoted to Director of Golf has said that their biggest challenge in maintaining all three courses is managing the putting surfaces through the summer season in the transition zone. Chris had the good fortune of working for David Stone at The Honors Course at the beginning of his career, where he formed the foundation for Tellico Village’s ongoing agronomic programs. David Stone is in the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and won every award imaginable including the USGA Green Section Award.

All things considered, Tellico Village is a great location for active adults who want to concentrate on enjoying their golden years rather than worry about their financial situation.

I love this course. We have 12 players every weekend that play area courses. HOWEVER, on 6/22/13 we were harassed by the ranger. He told the second of our three foursomes that they were going to have to skip a hole if they didn't speed up and watched them for several holes. I was in the third foursome and the ranger came back to our group and told us to speed up. I was 2 over after 7 and we were not playing slow. This is the only course we have played in 6 years where we have been harassed. We went to the pro shop after our round and asked how long it should take to play the round. The man said 4 and 1/2 hours. That is exactly how long it took us. We are not bad golfers - one in our group shot a 73. Although we like the course, we have decided not to play Tanasi anytime soon and go to other Tellico courses where they appreciate our business.

My friend and I were half way the 14th hole, when the pro shop attendant found us and admonished us for taking too long. About and half hour later, on the 17th, he showed up again, yelling with arms spread open about how "2 grown men taking 5 hours to play 18 holes." He also said that we were "ridiculous", and told us to "just get done." As I am not a member of the course, and a paying guest, I was appalled at such behavior from a person whom readily accepted my money when we first started. I have played many courses over the years, and I do realize that a steady pace needs to be maintained, but never have I witnessed such unprofessionali sm from course management. It especially upset my friend, (who's 11 year old son was along for the ride) because he is fairly new to the game, and is now very put off by it. Hopefully, he will continue to play, no thanks to Tellico Village Golf, or their staff.