Hillbilly
Golf Return
to Tennessee Page
340 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(865) 436-7470
Par: 41
Cost: $16 (with discounted second round)
Difficulty: 7
Creativity: 8
Atmosphere: 10
This has been one of the most
recommended courses to us over the years and we finally had a chance to play it
as we were in the area for the 2024 TN Open up in Jefferson City. This course is located about an hour drive
from there and from the Knoxville airport.
It has been recommended because of its unique location, on the side of a
mountain as you drive on the Parkway between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. We
were there at kind of an off time so the parking was good but could see it
being tight during a peak period.
The defining feature of the
course is the 300 foot incline rail that takes you
from the bottom booth to the top of the courses. It’s a fun ride and well managed but can only
fit about 12 people at a time so can see a backup if its
quite busy. We chose to play Course A when we got to the top. While it was slow when we started by the time
we finished our first round, the place had crowded up and we didn’t quite have
enough time to play the other course.
The overall theming on the
course is excellent with the farming/backwoods/moonshiner motif carrying
through all of the holes and the obstacles. The play
itself is average. The border of the holes doesn’t play well for consistent
rebounding given they are a mix of concrete, wood and some hard rubber tubing,
so it makes working some shots around the obstacles more difficult. There’s a
lot of incline use given you are moving your way down the hillside so there’s a
decent amount of thinking about how that plus the obstacles are going to
interact with your ball. In our initial
playthrough we didn’t see a lot of spaces for aces given the structure of the
obstacles and the use of the borders but there’s probably a few out there with
a little luck. They have a variety of tee mats used on the course from standard
ones with three holes to a carpeted mat to even ones that look like they came
from a Putt Putt course. They don’t make for a smooth
transition to the putting surface so that adds a bit to the difficulty in lining
up those aces. Otherwise
the putting seemed to mostly roll true with a weird break here and there given
the age and construction of the course.
We were a little bit over par
with the first playthrough but could likely bring that down a bit on subsequent
plays and are interested to see how the other side plays as well. Overall we agree that it’s a must play when you are in the
area. While it is a bit on the pricier
side for one course, the discount for the second course helps to even that out
and the atmosphere is worth it. We’ve never seen a location like this for a
course and it is an entertaining play down the hillside. Plus
it’s shaded which is good for those hot summer days!
Reviewed by Pat & Putt
Reviewed in 2024
Course Pictures (click to enlarge)
For more pictures check out
our Flickr album.
Map
Visitor Review #1 (2010)
Par: 41
Cost: $10
Difficulty: 5
Creativity: 5
Atmosphere: 8
Located directly on the busy Parkway in Gatlinburg
Tennessee, Hillbilly Golf has been pleasing mini golf fans for almost 40 years.
Dubbed the "World's Most Unusual Mini Golf Course", you have to take an incline 300 feet up the mountain to get to
the actual courses. The greens have been carved in plateaus spread over the
side of the mountain. It is a great location as the height and tree coverage
make you forget about the busy Parkway from which you escaped moments ago.
Hillbilly Golf features two courses, easy and challenging. We chose the easy
course as we had players from various age groups with differing skill levels.
Years ago, the course would have scored higher in the creativity area, but
compared to newer courses it suffers a bit. Most holes feature a
"hillbilly" object such as a moonshine still or farm equipment to
putt around or through. A couple were multi level
type set-ups where you had the choice of two holes which would empty out into
the lower level. This is a fun course has a high novelty value and would
probably be a location I would visit again when vacationing in Tennessee.
Pictures available on my Mini Golf Flick Set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/duckyarts/sets/72157624403654843/
Reviewed by Ducky
Reviewed in 2010