As great private courses begin to face their fate and pass into the Extinct status, it was great to play one of best. Located in an area of East Tennessee known for an abundance of good courses (hence the site of the 2021 PWMasters), this is the best in the area and served as the host course. (I played the Front and Middle 9s, the original 18, so am basing my review on those.) Currently there are 6 different holes starred on this Site as Favorite Holes.
With these great holes to challenge any golfer, it was a good selection:
#1 is a gradual downhill, opening in the trees of about 30-40' halfway down, then a turn to the right to a guarded basket on rock outcroppings. The tee is right as you enter the property, next to the payment mailbox, a great starting location and opening hole.
#3 tees slightly elevated, to a mostly open fairway, that quickly enters scattered trees, then through a valley to the basket on a sidehill, a 505' Par 4.
#6 is a hole I will probably never birdie, or even par, the only Par 5 that I played. The 720' has every element of course design, elevated tee to a left to right turning fairway, then it turns left and goes up and over an open ridgeline, then right and into a final wooded fairway stretch of 150-200'. It really requires many different types of shots.
#9 and #18 both have the same feel as you finish your nine, open drive that has to turn left up and over a grassy ridge, then #9 continues going left and uphill to the basket near trees, but on #18, after the drive, the fairway turns right, around a big tree and uphill to the basket. Both are Par 4s, at 420' and 586', but 18 seems to play a lot longer.
There are a couple of Ace Runs also, #16 is probably the flatest hole on the course, just 177', turning left through a wooded fairway, #5 is downhill, a tighter drive and turns right for 265'.
Two of the best holes at Harmon Hills are probably the signature hole #17 and my favorite #12. #12 is Par 4, 484', the drive is into an ample wide fairway, then, as the woods begin, there is a sinkhole on the right side, avoid that for obvious reasons, then the fairway drops slightly, through scattered woods again to the basket on a left slope. How epic is #17?, another Par 4, 523' with probably the tightest drive on the course, after crossing another, smaller, sinkhole, the fairway is covered with rock outcrops and a few trees, then the fairway drops down to a grassy green. Just an awesome hole.
As I write this review, a year and nearly 100 courses after playing Harmon Hills, my biggest regret is that I only played the course once in our two months spent in East Tennessee. I still remember every hole on the course, so am comfortable pushing the 1 year limit on writing reviews. The great variety of holes, excellent use of the elevation and requiring just about every shot you have, leads me to the biggest question, how high to rate this gem? Thinking back about all the different types of holes, heavily wooded all the way, tee in the open, but finish in the woods, tight tee shot that finishes in the open, HH has just about every type of hole you can think of.
I've thought for the longest time that for me to give a course a 5.0 it would have everything, great holes, great use of the terrain, great equipment and even a Pro Shop with facilities. As our game continues to grow in popularity and attract new facilities, eventually I hope to play a course that checks all those boxes, but this truly feels like the "Best of the Best".