Is This the Coolest GOLF CLUB IN AMERICA?

Nine holes, a whiskey distillery, and a waiting list. Sweetens Cove isn't your average green.

- ADAM RAPOPORT

If you've ever taken a golf trip, you know the drill: rally your buddies, pick a resort, book flights, cram in as many rounds as you can.

If you've ever been lucky enough to make it to Sweetens Cove in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, you know that's not how it goes at all.

Opened in 2014 by the struggling (and now celebrated) golf course architect Rob Collins and his partner Tad King, Sweetens was the anti-golf resort. Just nine holes, a single-wide trailer for a pro shop, a shot of whiskey at the first tee. But soon enough golf nerds began to take note. Golfweek named it one of its Top 100 Modern Courses in America, outpacing big boys like Quail Hollow and Valhalla, both of which have hosted major championships.

What Sweetens lacks in amenities it makes up in creativity and soul. If golf is a game steeped in tradition—and, let's be honest, stiffness ("Tuck in your shirt! Remove your cap! Respect the game!")—Sweetens introduces something different to the equation: fun.