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Jack Nicklaus designed Bear Trace at Harrison Bay as part of Tennessee's state park golf initiative in the late 1990s, a system of courses built to bring destination-quality golf to the public at accessible prices. The Harrison Bay layout sits along the shores of Chickamauga Lake, the Tennessee Valley Authority impoundment that transformed this stretch of southeastern Tennessee in the 1940s. Water is not merely a backdrop here — the lake's fingers work their way into the routing, creating a course where managing your lines off the tee carries real consequences.
The terrain around Harrison Bay State Park is gently rolling hardwood forest, and Nicklaus used the natural contours to produce a design that feels unhurried and spacious. The greens complexes tend toward subtle movement rather than severity, which rewards patient, thoughtful play over raw power.
Harrison sits just northeast of Chattanooga, a city that has become one of Tennessee's more underrated outdoor destinations. Golfers passing through the region will find Bear Trace an honest, well-maintained public track well worth the detour.
| Tee | Yards | Rating | Slope | Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold · men | 7,111 | 73.9 | 138 | 72 |
| Blue · men | 6,545 | 71.3 | 132 | 72 |
| White · men | 5,972 | 68.7 | 128 | 72 |
| Red · men | 5,292 | 65.5 | 121 | 72 |
| Red · women | 5,292 | 70.4 | 120 | 72 |
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