The short answer
The pros are open green views you never mow, golf close to your door and neighbors who share the game. The cons are early mowers, stray golf balls and golfers passing your yard. Most of the cons come down to which homesite you pick. At Tennessee National, on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee, the course is a Greg Norman Signature design with 18 holes.
Key facts
- Tennessee National has one Greg Norman Signature golf course: 18 holes, 7,393 yards, par 72.
- Most golfers are right-handed, and their most common miss curves to the right.
- Homes beside the area where tee shots land see the most stray golf balls.
- Homes at Tennessee National are custom built and go through design review.
- Tennessee National is a golf cart community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee.
Golf course living is sold with one photo: a green fairway rolling away from a back porch. The photo is real. It is also half the decision.
Before you buy a home or a homesite beside a course, hear the case for and the case against. Then learn how to pick the spot that gets you the good parts without most of the annoyances. The advice applies anywhere. The example is Tennessee National, a private, gated lake and golf community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee.
What are the pros of living on a golf course?
Open space, a view you never mow, and golf close to home.
- Open space behind you. A fairway in place of a back fence and another roof.
- Scenery someone else keeps. The best lawn on the street belongs to the course, and its crew looks after it.
- Golf at the door. People who live close play more. Nine holes late in the day gets easy to say yes to.
- A ready circle. A course creates standing games, and standing games turn neighbors into friends.
What are the cons of living on a golf course?
Noise early, golf balls sometimes, and less privacy by day.
- Stray golf balls. Homes in the wrong spot collect them. The fix is where you buy, not hope.
- Early maintenance. Courses are mowed around first light. Some mornings you will hear it.
- People passing. Golfers and carts go by during play. A fairway home trades some privacy for the view.
- A view you do not control. How the course is kept is what you look at. The open space also lasts only as long as the course does. Ask how the course is run and cared for.
- Rules at the edge. Fences, hedges and nets along a course are often limited. Ask before you plan one.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Long, open views | Golfers and carts in view during play |
| A landscape you do not mow | Mowers early, sprinklers at night |
| Golf minutes from the door | Stray golf balls in some positions |
| Standing games and golf neighbors | Limits on fences and screening |
How golf course maintenance affects fairway homes explains the mowing, watering and aeration cycle in detail.
Where do golf balls land most?
On the right side of the hole, about where tee shots come down. Most golfers are right-handed, and their most common miss curves to the right.
| Position along the hole | Golf balls | People nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Beside the tee | Few | Golfers gathering and talking |
| Right side, where drives land | The most | Golfers looking for golf balls |
| Left side, where drives land | Some | Fewer |
| Beside the green | Some, from approach shots | Golfers lingering to putt |
Long holes send more golf balls sideways than short ones. Where a hole bends, the outside of the bend tends to catch more than the inside.
How do you pick the right golf course homesite?
Walk it with four filters. The gap between loving a golf course home and putting up with one is usually the homesite.
- Position. Use the table above. Know which part of the hole you are beside.
- Distance and height. Depth and elevation are your buffers. A homesite set back from the fairway, or above it, keeps the view and loses much of the noise and the golf balls.
- Sun. A west-facing porch over a fairway gets the sunset and the summer glare. Visit at the hour you would use the space.
- Trees. Trees between you and the fairway stop a lot. Ask what you can remove and what you can plant.
Then test it. Sit on the homesite for an hour on a busy morning and watch where shots land.
How can the house help?
By facing the right way and putting glass in the right places.
Homes at Tennessee National are custom built and go through design review. So placing the house on the homesite is part of the design, not an afterthought.
- Put living spaces on the course side and bedrooms on the far side.
- Use a deep covered porch as a buffer.
- Ask your builder about stronger glass where a golf ball could reach.
- Place the patio and grill out of the line of play.
Designing a home for golf cart living covers the rest of the plan.
Do you have to golf to live on a golf course?
No. Plenty of people choose a course view for the open space and never pick up a club.
That works best where golf is not the only thing going on. Tennessee National also has a marina with 140+ boat slips, 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year. Do you have to golf to live at Tennessee National? has the full answer.
How does this apply at Tennessee National?
The course is one Greg Norman Signature course with 18 holes, 7,393 yards and a par of 72. It shares 1,492 gated acres with the marina and the rest of the community, and it is a golf cart community.
Ask which homes and homesites border the course. Finished homes are on the properties page, and pricing is in the info pack. If you are torn between a green view and a water view, golf course lot or lake lot compares them.
The honest summary
Golf course living rewards buyers who choose on purpose. Right hole, right side, right distance.
Get those right and the cons shrink to a mower at dawn. Get them wrong and you will learn the sound of a golf ball on a roof.
This post makes no claim about what a golf course home will be worth later. Buy the view and the routine because you want them. And stand on the homesite before you decide. No photo shows where the shots land.
Frequently asked questions
Is living on a golf course noisy?
At times. A home on a golf course hears mowers early in the morning and sprinklers on some nights, and sees golfers and carts during the day. Homes set back from the fairway, with bedrooms on the far side, notice it much less.
Which side of a golf hole gets the most stray golf balls?
The right side, about where tee shots land. Most golfers are right-handed and their most common miss curves right. Homes beside a tee on the same golf hole see far fewer golf balls.
Do you have to play golf to live on the golf course at Tennessee National?
No. Nobody has to play golf to live at Tennessee National in Loudon, Tennessee. Some buyers choose a golf course view for the open space. Golf membership questions go to the club.
Can you add a fence or hedge beside the golf course at Tennessee National?
Ask before you plan one. Homes at Tennessee National go through design review, and fences, hedges and nets beside a golf course are often limited. Find out what is allowed before you buy a home or homesite beside the course.
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.