Golf Digest has named The Course at McLemore’s 18th hole the Best Finishing Hole in America.
Previous best finishing holes included Pebble Beach’s iconic par 5 in 1965 and Harbor Town’s renowned lighthouse hole in 2000.
Located atop Lookout Mountain 35 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, The Course at McLemore overlooks McLemore Cove.
Golf Digest referred to the 18th hole as “likely to become one of the most recognizable holes in American golf.” The par 4 hole drops more than 1,500 feet to the floor of McLemore Cove, with the fairway rising above. This creates the illusion of being in midair.
Legendary golf architects Bill Bergin and Rees Jones redesigned McLemore in 2018.
Scenic Land Company tasked the pair with emphasizing the site’s natural beauty, improving playability for average golfers and maintaining the challenge for lower handicap golfers.
Due to the need for space for a new clubhouse (which is under construction and scheduled to open this fall), Bergin and Jones determined the 18th hole needed to move. This is when the designers championed the opportunity to create a new 18th hole on a cliff edge shelf just below the location of the former 18th hole.
The execution proved to create a hole Jones says is “one of the best finishing holes in golf.”
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Source: Scenic Land Company