Paul Payne
After sitting dormant for the past five years, Eagle Bluff Golf Course has new life.
The rolling 18-hole track in Harrison recently changed ownership, purchased by an investor in Minnesota who plans to restore the clubhouse, pool and golf course.
Lynne Buxton, president of the Eagle Bluff Homeowners Association, has spoken with the new owner whose name was not disclosed and is excited about the future plans being proposed.
“As I understand it, this is his first endeavor with a golf course,” Buxton said. “He intends to keep it an 18-hole course and said he plans for it to be done the right way.”
Work has already begun around the clubhouse with a new roof being installed and siding and windows to be replaced. The overgrowth around the clubhouse parking lot has been addressed, and plans are in the works to restore the swimming pool and add pickleball courts.
“He’s going to focus on the clubhouse first, then move his attention to the golf course,” Buxton said. “Some of the awesome Eagle Bluff residents have been mowing the golf course adjacent to their homes since it closed, so some of the holes won’t need as much work.”
According to Buxton, the new owner plans to lease the golf course to an experienced operator once the renovations are completed, and has plans to add a restaurant as well. It is unclear if the new entity will operate as a private club or be available for public play. The purchase price was just under $1.6 million.
Eagle Bluff has been closed since 2019, seven years after it was purchased for $1.4 million by Chattanooga businessman Henry Luken. The undulating layout features several bluffs overlooking Chickamauga Lake and Harrison Bay in the community that has approximately 190 homes.
“We’re all excited about this news,” Buxton said. “Our home prices are at an all-time high and things are selling quickly. We have been praying for a couple of years that someone would buy it, and we’re looking forward to seeing the golf course and clubhouse brought back to life.”
Former Moc Conroy Finishes Tied for 18th: Recent University of Tennessee at Chattanooga graduate Paul Conroy made an impressive showing in his second event on the PGA Tour Americas. The native of Ireland finished tied for 18th with a final score of 6-under 282 at the ATB Classic in Alberta, Canada.
Conroy shot rounds of 72-70-69-71 after placing T68 in his first professional outing. The strong showing by the former Moc resulted in a move from 181 to 115 on the tour points list.
Back-to-Back Aces: Last Friday at the U.S. Senior Open, Frank Bensel Jr. of Jupiter, Fla. made golf history with a hole-in-one on consecutive holes at Rhode Island’s Newport Country Club.
The feat was enabled by the fact the golf course had consecutive par 3s, allowing Bensel Jr. to become the first player to make back-to-back aces in any PGA Tour sanctioned event. The fourth hole was playing at a distance of 184 yards, and the fifth was a hefty 203 yards.
According to the national hole-in-one registry, the odds of this happening are 67 million-to-one.
A similar occurrence happened in 1991 at The Farm outside of Dalton. Two University of North Carolina golfers recorded aces on consecutive swings from 215 yards in the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic, a feat memorialized by a plaque near the tee box on the par 3 8th hole.
Whitfield Returning to U.S. Junior Amateur: Signal Mountain’s Thad Whitfield will be making a return appearance in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship by virtue of winning a qualifier on June 17 at Colonial Country Club in Thomasville, N.C.
The McCallie School graduate who will enter MTSU in the fall shot 64 to win by four shots, earning the right to compete July 22-27 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
The field of 264 qualifiers from 42 sites has a notable entrant with a famous father. Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger Woods, was medalist at the event in Coral Springs, Fla. to earn his spot.
Brentwood phenom Blades Brown earned an exemption into the tournament by virtue of his World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The Farm Hosting U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifier: Local golfers Rheagan Hall, Blakesly Brock and Miranda Rich will be vying for a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship on Monday as The Farm hosts an 18-hole qualifier.
They hope to join Franklin’s Bella Bugg, who earned an exemption with her recent win at the Tennessee Women’s Amateur, to compete at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Aug. 5-11.
UTC’s Engle Earns U.S. Amateur Spot: Garrett Engle, a rising senior at UTC, survived a five-man playoff battling for three spots at Pennsylvania’s Sunnehanna Country Club to advance to the U.S. Amateur Championship. The tournament will take place Aug. 12-18 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.
Busy Month at Lookout Mountain: The Lookout Mountain Club will be a hub of activity over the next two weeks with plenty on the line for local golfers. First, the Chattanooga Men’s Metro will be staged at the course July 12-13 with champions being crowned in the senior and super-senior flights along with the championship division.
Interest is particularly strong among the participants in the senior field given the fact the club will serve as a qualifying site for the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship four days later on July 16 with a maximum of 78 entrants. There are 50 different locales helping construct the field that will advance to The Honors Course Aug. 24-29.
Belle Meade Future USGA Site: Nashville’s Belle Meade Country Club was chosen by the USGA as the site of the 2028 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and 2036 U.S. Senior Amateur. This will be the first USGA championships in the Nashville area since 2018, and the first at Belle Meade since the inaugural U.S. Senior Amateur in 1955.
That means Tennessee will be at the forefront of USGA events over the next few years, given the fact The Honors Course is site of this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur, the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 2031 U.S. Amateur.
PGA HOPE Summer Session: PGA HOPE, the flagship military program of the PGA of America designed to introduce golf to Veterans and Active-Duty Military to support their social, emotional, and physical well- being, is accepting registration for its summer session. The six-week Saturday classes take place at the UTC Player Development Center at 2453 Hickory Valley Road. Sessions begin July 13 and run through Aug. 10 from 8:30-10:30 a.m., with graduation taking place on Aug. 17 at Cleveland Country Club.
For more information or to register, go to PGA HOPE Summer Session.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Eagle Bluff
