Bear Trace at Tims Ford

Jack Nicklaus's 1999 links-style layout on a peninsula jutting into Tims Ford Lake in Winchester, one of five Bear Trace courses Tennessee State Parks commissioned from Nicklaus Design to create a state golf trail. Tims Ford reads unlike any other course in Tennessee: former pastureland rolling into wooded oak canopy, with reservoir views on most holes. The 6,764-yard par-71 routing mixes sweeping links openings on former pastureland with tighter wooded holes dominated by giant oaks. Water comes into play on many holes. The signature #7, a 419-yard par-4 dogleg right, plays uphill to a green with Tims Ford Lake at the rear, an accuracy shot where bailing long is death. Named 'Best New Destination in Tennessee' at opening and a regular in state Top Ten 'Places You Can Play' lists since. Often the best round on the Tennessee State Parks Golf Trail and worth a weekend built around it, pair with Bear Trace at Harrison Bay or Cumberland Mountain for a full-trail swing.