Crossville plays host to the Tennessee Senior Golf Open Monday and Tuesday, driving more tourists to the Upper Cumberland.
Crossville Tourism Director PJ Barnes said the Senior Open and The Womens Open still to come, serve as significant economic drivers for the region. Barnes said the events bring in over 100 players per tournament who stay in local hotels and support small businesses during their practice rounds and competition days.
“Getting to see a wide variety of players from all over the state and all over the nation kind of get to play the courses that especially our retirement community gets to play oftenis really cool,” Barnes said. “It’s a different way to see the course, it’s set up like a tournament, it’s ran like a tournament, it’s organized you know pretty much the same way… I just think that’s a very unique perspective for a community, a county that has less than 70,000 people.”
Barnes said the tournaments help offset a traditional summer lull in July when high temperatures and humidity typically slow down outdoor recreation.
Barnes said the influx of visitors leads to a measurable rise in hotel-motel tax collections and increased reservations at local restaurants.
“I think this tournament definitely helps just boost our restaurant and our shopping numbers up quite a bit because these golf tournaments with 100 people it’s like you’re not going to walk with one individual person that entire time so you may stay there for a couple of hours, go downtown, go eat, go shop and then go back,” Barnes said. “I think it’s a huge impact, more than stuff that we can even measure.”
Stonehenge Golf Club Assistant Pro Mike Garvin said the local community in Fairfield Glade deeply embraces the events, with residents often volunteering as ball spotters or watching from their lawns. Garvin said the club has hosted golf legends in the Senior Open for approximately eight years, with the competition level improving annually.
“The members, they’re involved and then they, you know, they’re also easy spectators,” Garvin said. “They invite people over and it’s a really good thing. They offer their house to the players in case somebody’s got to use the restroom.”
Barnes said the Tennessee Women’s Open is particularly prestigious, attracting top amateurs from Southeastern Conference schools and professionals from across the nation. Barnes said the community supports the players through a unique house-hosting program where residents provide lodging for competitors.
“The Tennessee Women’s Open’s one of the premier women’s golf tournaments for amateurs and professionals alike in the southeast,” Barnes said. “It’s got a pretty good sized prize pool and 100 players, over 100 players from all over the nation, we even have some out of nation players almost every single year and they’re coming and I think one of the most beautiful things about this tournament is how much our community really does support them.”
Garvin said the tournaments are open to the public for viewing at no cost, and the club provides carts for spectator transport. Garvin said the talent on display, particularly during the women’s tournament, is a major draw for those who appreciate competitive sports.
“I watch these ladies play and words don’t describe how unbelievably talented they are and how competitive they are,” Garvin said. “And every year is just amazing. Last year we had a three-way tie and that had to go into a sudden death and it was pretty neat.”
Barnes said the success of these tournaments reinforces the county’s reputation, which features nine public courses and has held the “golf capital” title for the past two decades. Barnes said the presence of elite organizations like the Tennessee Golf Association and the Tennessee PGA helps maintain the high standards of the local courses.
“We’ve been the golf capital of Tennessee now for over 20 years and I think we’ve lived up to that name pretty well with keeping our courses in tip-top shape and kind of being almost, at least nation recognized now if not even world recognized,” Barnes said.
Garvin said the public can book tee times at any of the five Fairfield Glade courses, including Stonehenge, Heatherhurst, Dorchester, and Druid Hills, by contacting central tee times.