Over the course of the last several years, we have had a few local golf courses close in the Tri-County area.
Tri-County Country Club in Corbin was built in 1928 and closed in April 2015. Sweet Hollow Golf Course opened in 1995 and closed around 2014.
Even Crooked Creek Golf Course in London, which was one of the nicest golf courses in the region, closed for a few years.
Randall and Victoria Weddle purchased it in 2022, according to a Whitaker Bank Facebook post.
Fortunately, it re-opened early this year as The Oaks Golf Course.
One thing a part of me cannot help wondering about is the golf courses, which almost came to be locally but were never built or never opened.
There are two, which come to mind.
One was a possible golf course for Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.
I recently ran across at 2008 News Journal story where by then 82nd District Rep. Charlie Siler spoke about pushing in the next legislative session for an 18-hole golf course for the state park.
Siler described construction of a golf course for the park as both feasible and necessary.
“The truth of the matter is, Cumberland Falls has been one of the most profitable parks in the state system for a number of years, but it suffers from people arriving, spending one night, seeing the falls, then leaving the next day,” Siler said in the 2008 story. “If they had something else to do than to just look at the Falls … it could increase the length of time people stay.”
Siler said the project was feasible and he had asked a group to put together a plan for a course so if funding could be secured, a blueprint for its location and construction would be ready. He said a large portion of land, ravaged by the southern pine beetle, had recently been acquired by the park service.
“It’s close to the Falls and it’s adequate for a golf course both in acreage and in the lay of the land,” he noted.
Sadly, construction of a golf course near Cumberland Falls State Resort Park never happened. With between 800,000 and 1,000,000 visitors annually, this is a shame. Between local golfers and the park’s annual visitors, I think a golf course there would have been a hit and still could be.
While I never actually saw it myself, I heard tell over the years the project got as far as at least preliminary designs on a course being done. I even spoke to one or two local officials, who told me years ago they had seen the plans. I also heard options for necessary private land needed for the course had also been obtained at one point, but I have no way of confirming this.
I am pretty sure the land, at least part of the land, where this golf course would have theoretically gone is now a housing development off Cumberland Falls Highway. A few years back, my wonderful wife, Cecelia, had me drive her out to a planned subdivision in the approximate area where a golf course would have gone. She was looking for the site where one of her employees had purchased a plot of land to build a house.
The terrain in this development would have been perfect for placing a golf course. I could almost see where the holes would have been.
Maybe one of our legislators like current 82nd Rep. Nick Wilson or Senate President Robert Stivers can get us funding to build a golf course for Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in the future.
The other planned course was south of the state line just past Jellico in Campbell County. Rarity Mountain was a planned resort town and retirement community. It would have had over 6,000 temporary jobs with a $200 million payroll, according to local officials.
Developers even got a new interstate interchange built approximately 4.1 miles south of Jellico on Pine Mountain where the resort was to be built.
It was to open the mountain top for a multi-million residential/golf community and commercial development that would eventually include 1,000 residential homes, two golf courses, and a large commercial complex with restaurants, a hotel and retail stores.
One golf course, which was designed by Pete and P.B. Dye, was largely built.
I remember a few of my Jellico peeps informing me at one point roughly 16 holes were done at least well enough for people to sneak out there and play.
Sadly, it was never finished.
The project collapsed circa 2010 reportedly for financial reasons. What was to be the golf course went back to nature.
This project would have been huge for the area.
One time, a politician I know told me he always felt like a much larger force pushed construction of the Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport beyond just the local officials who pushed for its development.
The airport is approximately 25 miles from Rarity Mountain and would have been the closest airport for people visiting the development to fly into. I am just saying.
If you have some local golf news you want to share, such as upcoming scrambles or recent accomplishments of local high school golfers, then e-mail me at mwhite@corbinnewsjournal.com. I may include the information in a future column.
