The Secret Home of Golf: The History of King-Collins Golf and the Creation of Sweetens Cove

In April 2010, struggling architect Rob Collins of Chattanooga, Tennessee was looking for any way to get back into the golf course design business. When he learned his alma-mater Sewanee planned to renovate their mountain top nine-hole golf course with renowned architect Gil Hanse, he contacted Sewanee golf coach King Oehmig in hopes of getting involved in the project. This began an unlikely series of events which started the incredible saga of Sweetens Cove Golf Club. Sequatchie Valley Golf & Country Club was located the small town of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, in the dead flat flood plain of Battle Creek. A “homemade, country golf course,” it was much loved by many golfers in the not the least of which was Bob Thomas, successful businessman and founder of nearby Sequatchie Concrete Service. After his home course closed down due to financial difficulties, Thomas bought the 100-acre property in picturesque Sweetens Cove mere days before it was slated to become a horse farm. Under the guidance of his son Reece, what started as a simple renovation project of a run-down golf course turned into something much larger than anyone could have ever imagined. The Secret Home of Golf is the recounting of how a new, bold nine-hole course in rural Tennessee was created by King-Collins Golf, a then unknown and untested golf course design-build firm, and went on to become listed as one of the top 60 Modern Courses by Golfweek magazine. You will meet a cast of characters that were integral to the ultimate and unlikely survival of the course, which was days away from shutting down on multiple occasions. It is a story of sacrifice and almost unimaginable providence. The Secret Home of Golf tells the story of a man who refused to give up on his dream, and how his resilience and determination became one of the biggest success stories in modern-day golf.Praise for The Secret Home of Golf“There’s no hyperbole in the book’s title, no matter what folks in the Kingdom of Fife might say. Sweetens Cove has become a hub, a haven, a Mecca we visit to bask in golf’s bright new day. And how that happened: this masterfully researched account by Jim Hartsell gives us all the beautiful dirt and shows us how the magic came to South Pittsburg, Tennessee, one shovel at a time.” —Tom Coyne, New York Times bestselling author“You want a pure golf-playing experience? Get thee to Sweetens Cove. You want a pure golf-reading experience? Read Jim Hartsell's book about the place.” —Michael Bamberger, author of To the Linksland“This book is essential reading for anyone who has ever spent an afternoon mesmerized by the joys of Sweetens. Jim Hartsell combines the eye of a seasoned observer with the heart of a poet. If reading this doesn’t get you amped to make the pilgrimage to experience Sweetens, I can’t imagine what will.” —Kevin Van Valkenburg, No Laying Up“The story of Sweetens Cove is so incredible and such a rollercoaster ride that it needed a special chronicler to do it justice. Hartsell’s book tells the amazing tale of how a run-down nine-holer that was within a hairsbreadth of closing down was transformed into a top 60 public course in America. It is a story with enough twists to be a great movie. But for the moment, it is just a pretty damned good book.” —Adam Lawrence, editor of Golf Course Architecture“The story of Sweetens Cove is one of determination, grit, and unlikely salvation; it’s also the story of the place and the people who made it. Jim Hartsell is the perfect person to tell the entire story. Jim's devotion for Sweetens, as well as his empathy, attention to detail, and soulfulness are ideal tools to chronicle the unexpected twists that has made South Pittsburg the secret home of golf. Jim captures the characters in this story, cutting to the heart of one of the most unique places in American golf.” —Tron Carter, No Laying Up Read more