Golf: The President's Reserve at The Hermitage

The Hermitage was the home of our nation's seventh president, Andrew Jackson. Jackson purchased The Hermitage property near Nashville in 1804 and transformed the land into a successful plantation over four decades.

Today the land is the home of two fantastic golf courses: The General's Retreat course and The President's Reserve course.

Webster's Dictionary defines hermitage as "a secluded residence or private retreat." A private retreat is exactly what I found when I arrived at the Hermitage Golf Complex to play The President's Reserve.

Danner-Eller Golf Properties owns The Hermitage. The organization had two other operations - one in Memphis, Tennessee and one in Greenville, South Carolina - and wanted to find a location to centralize their operations. Nashville, Tennessee and The Hermitage seemed to be a perfect fit.

Jim Vernon, Director of Golf at the Hermitage, said "they soon realized that The General's Retreat was hosting a tremendous amount of tournaments, including the LPGA Sara Lee Classic since 1988, and felt as if they were leaving out the regular player." Opening The President's Reserve adjacent to The General's Retreat "seemed to be a perfect fit since they could still host the same number of outings and provide a quality golf course for regular play as well."

Denis Griffiths designed The President's Reserve and the course opened for play in May of 2000. The estimated cost for the golf course, clubhouse renovation and maintenance facility was $8 million. Players will find Zoysia fairways and Crenshaw bent grass greens. The course plays to a par 72 with a par 36 on the front nine and a par 36 on the back nine. Starting at 5,138 yards from the forward tees and reaching 7,157 yards from the tips, the golf course gives individual golfers the opportunity to bite off as much as they want to chew. I found that there was plenty to chew on even without playing the tips.

The President's Reserve wanders through approximately 300 acres of natural wetlands on the banks of the Cumberland River and is part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. Each hole is laid out in such a way that the golfer will have the illusion of playing the course alone. Vernon explained that the two comments he hears most often are: 1) "The course looks more like a low country South Carolina golf course than a Middle Tennessee golf course, and 2) "I cannot believe that the course is only one year old."

Vernon estimates the average number of rounds per year to be 25,000 to 30,000. The cost to play is $56 plus tax on Monday through Thursday, and $64 plus tax on Friday through Sunday and Holidays. The price includes golf cart and range balls. There are no restrictions on walking.

Golfers better bring all of their shots when they play The President's Reserve. Choosing the appropriate tees based on your handicap level will also be a good idea. Griffiths designed the course to look difficult from the tee, but each hole provides the golfer with a generous landing area and a receptive green complex. Although the course is forgiving, your game still might suffer if you become too distracted by the innate beauty of the golf course. Vernon stated that "holes 8, 9, 11 and 18 have generated the most comments and are the early favorites for choice of the signature hole."

The 448-yard 11th-hole may be the toughest test on The President's Reserve with out-of-bounds left and hazard right facing you on your downhill tee shot. Vernon explained that "the hole always seems to play into the wind and even with a good tee shot, the player will probably still be left with a 5 or 6 iron to a green well guarded by bunkers."

The picture included in this article is of the 11th hole, and the landing area and green can be seen to my right. Your best chance for a birdie may come on Holes 1, 9 and 17 strictly due to their shorter length. An accurate approach to each green will still be a must if you wish to capitalize.

I asked Vernon if they had any tournament aspirations for The President's Reserve. Vernon stated that "no tournaments have been actively pursued up to now but he thinks that the course lends itself to tournament play as more people find out about the course."

I will be surprised if they do not host a major Tennessee amateur tournament within the next couple of years.

Once you have completed your round at The President's Reserve and want to find a source of entertainment, downtown Nashville near Broadway and Second Avenue offers something for each person in your group. Just don't stay out too late because a second round the next day at The President's Reserve or The General's Retreat awaits you and your group.

Dating back to the 1800's, the Hermitage has always been recognized as a place of hospitality. Nothing has changed, thanks to Vernon and his staff at the Hermitage Golf Complex continuing President Andrew Jackson's tradition.

You will not be disappointed if you choose to play The President's Reserve at the Hermitage. The journey around the fantastic golf course will be worth every penny and the customer friendly staff will help to top off your round with class. My trip around The President's Reserve was a true pleasure and I look forward to my next trip to Tennessee so that I can play there again. Next time, my plans will call for a 36-hole day with a round on each course.

Directions: The Hermitage is conveniently located 20 minutes from downtown Nashville and 10 minutes from Nashville International Airport. Take I-40 east from downtown or the airport. Exit 221A. The course is five miles on the left.

Other information: The URL for The Hermitage website is www.hermitagegolf.com. The site contains great photos as well as additional helpful information. The address for The Heritage is 3939 Old Hickory Boulevard, Old Hickory, Tennessee 37138-2242. 615-847-4001 (phone). 615-847-0713 (fax).