Best Golf Courses Near Bristol, TN

The city of Bristol is a one-of-a-kind in the U.S.— it is shared by two states, as the Tennessee-Virginia state line runs right down State Street, putting part of the city in Tennessee and the other part in Virginia. It’s a notable place for other reasons, too. Bristol calls itself “The Birthplace of Country Music,” but it is most famous for Bristol Motor Speedway, known as “the last great coliseum” because of its architecture and its famous racing duels. As for golf, the venerable, private Golf Club of Bristol was the first club to organize golf in Tennessee. Non-members can play this well-groomed, risk-reward-style course when it isn’t busy. Another popular public layout is Bristol Golf Club, which enjoys a pretty mountain setting. The city’s muni, the nine-hole Steele Creek Golf Course, is a fixture of Steele Creek Park. Over on the Virginia side of Bristol, the hilly Clear Creek Golf Club features seven holes on a large lake, including one with a peninsula green. Most of the golf in and around Bristol concentrates on the Tennessee side of the border. Nearby Blountville is home to Try Cities Golf Club, a 27-hole layout where you may be able to score a tee time discount. There’s plenty to see and do in Bristol when you’re not playing golf. The Country Music Museum explores Bristol’s historic role in the emergence of country music. For a real sense of Bristol’s Appalachian country music heritage, the best time to visit is during the three-day Rhythm & Roots Reunion festival held annually in September. It’s also a fine time to play golf in Bristol.