Tennessee National vs Fairfield Glade: How Do You Compare Them?

Search for golf communities in Tennessee and two names come up a lot: Fairfield Glade and Tennessee National. They are in different parts of the state, and they sit in very different settings.

This is not a scorecard. We know our own community, and we will not guess at someone else's. What follows is how to compare the two on a visit, and the questions to ask at both.

Where is each community?

Tennessee National is in Loudon, Tennessee, on Watts Bar Lake. Fairfield Glade is near Crossville, Tennessee, on the plateau west of Knoxville.

That is the first real difference. Tennessee National sits low, in the river valley, on a TVA lake. It is about 30 minutes from Knoxville, about 10 minutes from I-75 and about 35 minutes from McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS).

Fairfield Glade is in Cumberland County, up on the plateau. Crossville is the nearest town. The plateau sits higher than the valley, so the weather can feel different in the same week. Visit both in the season you care about most.

Crossville is west of Knoxville on I-40, so you can see both communities on one trip.

How should you compare the water?

Start with the kind of boating you want, because the two settings are different. Tennessee National is on Watts Bar Lake, a TVA reservoir on the Tennessee River. The lake has more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline. It is a 72-mile navigable reservoir, with locks that connect to the rest of the river system. The marina is inside the gates and has 140+ boat slips.

Fairfield Glade is up on the plateau. Ask what boating it offers and where owners keep their boats.

Questions for both:

• Where would my boat live, and is there a wait for a slip?
• How far can I go by water from here?
• Does the water level change through the year, and by how much?
• Who sets the rules on the water?

At Tennessee National, the lake level answer comes from TVA. Summer pool on Watts Bar Lake runs about 740 to 741 feet, and the winter minimum is 735 feet. That is a change of about 5 to 6 feet. TVA posts current levels. For slips, start with the boat slip page.

How should you compare the golf?

Compare the golf you would play every week, not the golf in the brochure. Tennessee National has one Greg Norman Signature course. It is 18 holes, 7,393 yards and par 72. There is one course, not several. That is a real trade-off if you want a different layout every day. See golf.

Ask Fairfield Glade what golf is on site and how owners get access. Then ask both communities the same things:

• Is golf membership required, optional or separate from owning?
• What does membership include, and what costs extra?
• How easy is it to get a tee time on a Saturday morning?
• Can guests play?

At Tennessee National, membership questions go to the club. Get every golf answer in writing, from both.

What should you ask about fees and building rules?

Ask both communities for the full monthly picture and the governing documents before you fall in love with a view.

• What are the owner association fees, and what do they cover?
• Are club or amenity fees separate?
• Is there a deadline to build after buying a homesite?
• What does design review require?
• Can I choose my own builder?

Here is what we can say for Tennessee National. There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite. Homes are custom built and go through design review. The community is not age restricted. There are five ways to own: The Timbers wooded homesites, lake homesites, waterfront homesites, Land & Home packages and townhomes. Pricing is in the info pack.

For Fairfield Glade, ask them. Fees, rules and programs change, and they are the only reliable source. How to vet a master-planned community has a fuller checklist.

How do you test daily life in each place?

Drive it. From each community, time the trip to the grocery store, the hospital you would use and the airport. Do it on a weekday.

From Tennessee National, Loudon is about 5 minutes away, Lenoir City about 15, Farragut and Turkey Creek shopping about 20, and Knoxville about 30.

Then test the social side. Have lunch at each one if you can. Ask for last month's event calendar, not the highlight reel. At Tennessee National, that calendar reflects 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year: trivia, live music, wine tastings, holiday parties. See social life.

The honest trade-off

Tennessee National is one community behind one gate, with one golf course and one marina, on a big lake near Knoxville. If you want several courses to rotate through, or you want to live up on the plateau, that may not be us.

If boating on a big lake, a golf cart ride to the marina and Knoxville about 30 minutes away are high on your list, put Tennessee National on the visit.

Either way, see both on the same trip and ask the same questions at each. Confirm current details directly with Fairfield Glade. We can only speak for Tennessee National.

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.