Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course Review

Kathy and I were recently spending a few days in Clarksville, Tennessee visiting friends and of course we wanted to play golf. 

There is a Municipal Golf Course only a few minutes from where we were staying, so we decided to give it a go. It was a decision that payed plenty of dividends. I will tell you up front that Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course was the best municipal course we have ever played!

So sit back and enjoy the review!

When you drive up to Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course, right away you get to see a preview of a few of the holes. You can see that the course is set in a beautiful hill laden area. When you pull into the small parking lot everything looks unassuming and ordinary. But as you walk up to the clubhouse the course starts to show you a bit of the beauty in store for the day.

There is a large lake along the left side of the clubhouse that is part of the 10th hole. It is set in what will become the rolling hills that will envelope you the rest of the day.

As we walked into the clubhouse we were greeted by a very friendly and happy staff. The starter checked us in and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our round of golf. As we were chatting we were greeted by Terry.

Terry is a local retiree that works on the course in exchange for free golf. He loves the course and assured us that we would too!

The practice areas were a little different than normal. Instead of a driving range, Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course has a net to hit into and a simulator you can use for 30 minutes of warm up for the same fee as a bucket of balls.

I later learned that on rainy days the simulator is booked for full rounds of golf.

The simulator is loaded with a few hundred courses to choose from – giving you the ability to play almost any course you desire.

The putting area was perfect and set up just like the course. After a few practice shots you know you are in for speedy greens that will roll true – which we found to be the case throughout the day. 

We walked out to the 1st hole and observed each flight started based on the tee time given at the clubhouse. We were joined by a single player, Richard – which helped keep the pace of play for the round. Richard, who everyone calls Coach, is a local who plays Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course often. And as I have said many times before – I am always glad to add a local player to the group in order to get a little help with the lay of the land. 

As we started our round, Kathy and I quickly saw that the course was in great shape – even though it was early in the season and the fairways were still dormant – everything was well cared for.

Coach told me that when the temperature start to rise above 65 degrees at night, the course is pristine….that the superintendent keeps a perfect course, and by the awesome condition of the lightning fast greens, I realized that pristine was an understatement.  

Every hole was lined with large trees, the fairways were beautiful rolling hills and the greens were perfectly manicured landing zones. There are only a few bunkers on the course. But because of the hills and trees you never noticed. Some of the greens were elevated and some were beautiful landing pads below your feet. Every shot had to be considered in one way or another….you had to be careful! 

The greens were the highlight of Swan Lake Golf Course.

There was not a blemish on any of them. They were all perfect. You did have to pay attention to your approach shot on every hole. Above the hole made the putt lightning fast and below the hole you absolutely had to watch the break. The greens more than made up for the lack of bunkers. On a few of the greens getting there was an uphill battle. What I mean is……if you didn’t get on past the slope you rolled down 20 feet.

Most of the time that would frustrate me….but for some reason it felt right here. 

The thing that stood out over and over at Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course was the people. They all took pride in the course and it showed!

I am sure that when you play Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course you will receive the same warm welcome we did. I will definitely be back to play this course again….and more importantly.…I will do my best to be here a little later in the season so I can truly experience the “pristine” conditions Coach was talking about. 

If you find yourself in the Clarksville, TN area you have to take the time to play Swan Lake Municipal Golf Course. Like me, you will not be disappointed!

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting

Written By Marc Festa

COURSE REVIEW SCORE CARD

Course:  Swan Lake Golf Course

Type: Municipal Course

Date Played:  21 March 2022

HOLE	PAR	SCORE	COMMENTS
1 – Tee Time Availability	4	4	We called the day we wanted to play and received a tee time within an hour of the time we wanted.
2 – Cost of Green Fees	4	4	Green fees were under $20 to walk.
3 – Condition of Tee Boxes	4	3	The tee boxes were good condition. You can tell they move them around often.
4 – Condition of Fairways	5	3	The fairways were dormant but were still in great shape.
5 – Condition of Greens	4	3	The greens were already perfect for being early in the season. Super fast and the roll was true.
6 – Length of Course	5	5	The course design was good. The use of the terrain was the course defense.
7 – Hazards	4	4	There were just a few bunkers. They already had fresh sand in them.
8 – Starter/Marshal	3	3	You were started from the clubhouse. Marshal kept the course moving.
9 – High Handicap Friendly	3	3	The course could have used one more set of tees for longer players. But I am being picky.
OUT	36	32
10 – Practice Area	5	5	There is not a driving range. But, they have installed an indoor simulator.
11 – Locker Rooms	3	3	Locker rooms, bathrooms, and changing areas were clean.
12 – Pro Shop	4	5	Pro Shop basic. Just a few items that you might need for a round.
13 – Location	4	4	Swan Lake was easy to get to and didn’t feel like you were in the city.
14 – Rental Equipment	4	4	They have clubs, bags, carts and buggies.
15 – Restaurant/Food Cart	4	3	Ellen took pride in her small grill. Her burgers were very good. Great spot for an after round beer and bite.
16 – Club House	4	4	Nothing special here. Clean and open area.
17 – Parking	3	3	Small parking lot but easy to get in and out.
18 – Customer Service	5	4	Great customer service. Friendly staff willing to help get you out on the course.
IN	36	35
TOTAL	72	67	PLAYER:  Marc F.     ATTESTED BY:  Kathy F.