Few private clubs in America carry the weight of reputation that The Honors Course does. Designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1983, it was built by Jack Nicklaus's former business partner, Dudley Hieronymus, as a tribute to the amateur spirit of the game — the "honors" in the name refers to the tradition of the player who scores lowest on the previous hole teeing off first. Dye crafted a layout of genuine severity and beauty, one that has earned consistent placement among the top courses in the United States and is widely regarded as one of the finest inland courses in the South.
The course has hosted multiple U.S. Amateur championships and is a perennial stop on the amateur tournament circuit, reinforcing its identity as a place where golf is taken seriously and played on a world-class stage.
Ooltewah sits in the Chattanooga suburbs, where the Tennessee Valley unfolds against the ridgelines of the Appalachian plateau. The terrain gives Dye's routing genuine drama — elevation changes, forced carries, and firm, fast conditions that demand both precision and imagination from anyone who plays it.
