The short answer
Tennessee National is a golf cart community on 1,492 gated acres on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee. The golf course, the marina and the clubhouse are all inside the gates, so many short trips can be cart trips. Ask the community which routes are open to carts. Errands outside the gates take a car. Loudon is about 5 minutes away and Knoxville is about 30.
Key facts
- Tennessee National is a golf cart community.
- Tennessee National covers 1,492 gated acres on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee.
- Inside the gates: a Greg Norman Signature golf course, a marina with 140+ boat slips, a clubhouse with Kendall's restaurant, a pool, pickleball and tennis.
- East Tennessee has four seasons and mild winters.
- By car, Loudon is about 5 minutes away and Knoxville is about 30 minutes.
Ask someone in a golf cart community how they got to dinner last night. The answer is often the same: the cart.
Tennessee National is a golf cart community. That is a small fact with a large effect on an ordinary day. Here is how it works, what a cart is good for, and what it is not.
What does golf cart community mean?
It means the cart is a normal way to get around inside the gates, not only a way around the golf course.
Tennessee National covers 1,492 gated acres on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee. The golf course, the marina, the clubhouse, the pool and the courts are all inside those gates. Wherever the cart routes reach, a cart turns them from places you drive to into places you ride to.
Three things follow.
- The pace slows down. A cart moves at talking speed. You wave, you stop, and you end up in a conversation.
- The amenities get used. When the marina or the clubhouse is a cart ride away, you go more often.
- The car stays parked. For trips inside the gates, you often do not need it.
Where can a golf cart take you at Tennessee National?
Around the inside of the community, on the routes the community opens to carts. Anything outside the gates is a car trip.
| Trip | Cart or car |
|---|---|
| A neighbor's porch | Cart |
| The golf course, the clubhouse, the marina, the pool and the courts | Inside the gates. Ask which cart routes reach each one |
| Loudon, about 5 minutes away | Car |
| Lenoir City, about 15 minutes away | Car |
| Farragut and Turkey Creek shopping, about 20 minutes away | Car |
| Knoxville, about 30 minutes away | Car |
This post does not have the cart map. Ask on your visit which routes are open to carts and where carts park at each stop. The drive times and location guide covers the car trips.
What does a day on the cart look like?
Unhurried. Picture an ordinary one, on whatever routes the community opens to carts.
In the morning you ride to the course for nine holes, or to the courts for pickleball. No loading the car and no parking lot.
At midday you swing down to the marina to check on the boat, or to sit by the water for a few minutes. See marina and lake life for what is there.
In the evening you ride to the clubhouse with a neighbor, then ride home as the light goes.
None of those trips is long. Added up, they change the rhythm of a week.
Do you need a golf cart to live at Tennessee National?
No. A cart is a convenience, not an entry ticket, and a car reaches the same places.
The cart earns its keep on short trips. A quick run to the clubhouse does not need a warm engine or a parking spot. That lower effort is the whole point. When the course and the water are an easy ride away, "let's go for nine" or "let's watch the sunset at the marina" stops being a plan and becomes a habit.
If you are not sure, wait. Live there a season with a car, see how often you wish you had a cart, then decide.
What should you ask about golf carts before you buy?
Ask for the rules. This post does not list them, and they matter.
- What kinds of carts are allowed, and what equipment do they need?
- Who may drive one?
- Where can carts go, and where do they park?
- Can you use your own cart on the golf course? That one is a club question.
- What does design review allow for a cart garage?
- Where is a cart stored and charged at a townhome?
Get the answers before you buy a cart or draw a garage.
Does cart weather last all year?
Most of it. East Tennessee has four seasons and mild winters, so cart weather is not a summer-only thing.
Spring mornings and fall evenings are the best of it. Summer afternoons are warm, and a moving cart makes its own breeze. Winter has cold days and wet ones. An enclosure or the car covers those.
How should the cart change your house plans?
Plan the trip from your garage to the places you will go most. Homes at Tennessee National are custom built and go through design review, so the cart can be part of the design from the first sketch.
A small bay with its own door, an outlet for the charger and a gear room beside it make the cart easy to use every day. Designing a home for golf cart living walks through each choice. Pricing for homes and homesites is in the info pack.
The honest trade-off
A cart does not replace a car. Groceries, appointments and flights are all outside the gates. McGhee Tyson Airport is about 35 minutes away by car.
A cart is also one more thing to buy, store, charge and maintain. If you would drive everywhere anyway, you will not miss it.
If you want to use the golf course, the marina and the clubhouse more often, a cart can make that easier. The way to judge it is to ride the community at cart speed. Ask to do that when you visit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tennessee National a golf cart community?
Yes. Tennessee National is a golf cart community on 1,492 gated acres on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee. A golf cart is a normal way to make short trips inside the gates. Ask the community which routes are open to carts and where carts park at the golf course, the marina and the clubhouse.
Do you need a golf cart to live at Tennessee National?
No. A golf cart is a convenience at Tennessee National, not a requirement, and a car works for trips inside the gates too. A cart makes short trips easier, which is why it is worth planning storage for one when you design a home.
Can you drive a golf cart to the store from Tennessee National?
Plan on a car. Groceries and shopping are outside the gates at Tennessee National, and a golf cart is for getting around inside them. Loudon is about 5 minutes away by car, Lenoir City is about 15, and Farragut and Turkey Creek shopping are about 20.
What are the golf cart rules at Tennessee National?
Golf cart rules at Tennessee National come from the community, and the club answers questions about carts on the golf course. Ask which carts are allowed, who may drive, where carts park and how they are charged before you buy a cart or design a garage.
Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.