The fourth Bear Trace course, and the first in the Western part of the state, opened last month at Chickasaw State Park, an hour east of Memphis. The first three courses are all near Chattanooga. Harrison Bay, is just a 15-minute ride from downtown. The two most acclaimed, at Cumberland Mountain State Park and Tim's Ford, are about a hour away. The Cumberland course was honored by Golf Digest as one of the top 10 daily fee courses opened in 1998, and Tim's Ford received the same recognition in 1999.
Packages are also available.
Since the North Alabama courses on the Jones Golf Trail are only an hour or so from the Tennessee courses, the vacationing golfer can easily combine the two. The Golf Trail, with 378 holes at eight courses, offers comparable green fees and packages. One of those courses, Fall Creek Falls, has drawn almost as many raves as the Nicklaus layouts. The Online Traveler is a weekly guide to travel information available in cyberspace.