Gaylord Springs Golf Links

Few golf courses in Nashville carry quite the sense of occasion that Gaylord Springs does. Designed by Larry Nelson — the Hall of Fame PGA Tour winner who translated his competitive instincts into architecture — the course opened in 1990 as a links-style layout adjoining the Gaylord Opryland Resort, one of the largest hotel complexes in the United States. The combination of championship pedigree and resort accessibility made it a natural anchor for golf in the broader Opryland entertainment corridor.

The "Springs" in the name isn't decorative. The course is built along the Cumberland River and the spring-fed streams that feed into it, and water comes into play on nearly every hole. The terrain is flatter than much of Middle Tennessee, which reinforces the links feel Nelson was chasing — open sky, exposed fairways, and wind that shifts with the river bends.

Nashville draws visitors from across the country, and Gaylord Springs sits comfortably in that visitor ecosystem: polished, memorable, and difficult enough to humble players who assume a resort layout will offer easy scoring.