Music City is generally touted as being “the” place for hot chicken, live concerts, and celebrity-owned bars, but it’s also a solid place to hit little white balls. While Tennessee isn’t quite the golf capital of the country — that distinction belongs to Scottsdale, Arizona — “Golf Digest” counts nearly three dozen courses in the Nashville area, including 20 that are open to the public. Of course, golfers know not all courses are created equal. Some are known for their playability, others for difficulty — such as those courses offering the best chance at a hole-in-one — while others are celebrated for their architectural design or distinctive character. Subtle differences in layout, terrain, and conditions can turn a casual layout into championship-level play. Weather and wind matter, as do price and pace of play. Then there are the amenities — clubhouses, pro shops, practice ranges — that can elevate the overall experience. With so many options around Nashville, choosing where to play ultimately comes down to personal preference, but those factors can help separate a good course from a great one.
With that in mind, we scoured reviews of Nashville’s golf courses to help you decide where to tee up on your next trip. Drawing from platforms like Reddit, Google, and Tripadvisor, along with expert feedback from sources including Golf Digest, we highlighted Gaylord Springs, President’s Reserve at Hermitage, Harpeth Hills, and Two Rivers. All are within a 30-mile radius of downtown Nashville, and each offers value from premium amenities to budget-friendly accessibility. Whether you’re aiming to lower your handicap or simply spend a relaxed day on the links, Nashville has you covered — and this list is the perfect place to start.
Gaylord Springs Golf Links
Gaylord Springs holds a 4.3-star rating on Google, with some even describing it as “the crown jewel of Nashville public golf” largely because of its pristine course condition, upscale clubhouse and restaurant, and premium practice facilities. “The course feels like it could host a PGA or Korn Ferry event tomorrow; every blade of grass is manicured to perfection,” one Google reviewer wrote. Designed by three-peat champion Larry Nelson, Gaylord Springs lies just 12 miles from downtown Nashville, making it easily accessible to locals and visitors. “[Gaylord Springs is] a nice course and in good condition,” wrote a reviewer on Reddit. “It had some very pretty holes and was more interesting (harder) than a typical resort course.”
This 18-hole, par-72 Scottish links-style course stretches across 220 acres of wetlands and limestone bluffs along the Cumberland River, offering both scenic views and a challenging layout, with deep sand traps and water features. The impeccably maintained greens and fairways consistently earn praise, as do the course’s modern amenities, like GPS-enabled golf carts. “A fun afternoon of golf in a beautiful setting,” wrote a Google reviewer. “The course is fair but demanding, and errors are punished. […] a place you want to play more than one round because you learn so much about the course your first time through.”…