Second Golf Course Planned for The Golf Club of Tennessee

David Ingram, President of the club in Kingston Springs, Tenn. that was co-founded by his late father, has bought four connected parcels totaling 560 acres that will protect the club’s existing course and be used for a new 18-hole course designed by Gil Hanse. Ingram hopes the dual-course setup will draw high-profile amateur golf events to the property.

Millionaire businessman David Ingram felt that an important part of his family legacy faced a threat, The Cheatham County Exchange of Pleasant View, Tenn. reported.

Ingram’s late father co-founded The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tenn., The Exchange reported, and if houses and small farms were to spring up all over the largely forested land just east of it, as planned, the views from the golf course and the general ambiance would be compromised, he said.

So Ingram, The Golf Club of Tennessee’s President, had a solution, The Exchange reported. He bought out the developer to acquire four connected parcels totaling 560 acres, an expanse that runs beyond the entire length of the golf course’s eastern border and extends east.

“I bought the land to protect the golf course,” Ingram told The Exchange. “It’s really about as simple as that.”

Ingram now plans to construct an 18-hole golf course right alongside the existing one, The Exchanger eported, that would be called The Golf Club of DBI (referring to his initials) and designed by Gil Hanse. The name of the new course, he said, would just be a formality, and he would expect it to be known as the “Upper Course” or the “Hanse Course.”

Ingram said he hopes the dual-course setup in Kingston Springs would draw high-profile amateur events, The Exchange reported.

About three dozen people learned about the project at a recent forum, The Exchange reported, that included a video presentation and large drawings on easels. Those in attendance gave the plan a warm reception, with several people thanking Ingram for pursuing the project.

Country music star Jake Owen, a local resident and avid golfer, was among the vocal supporters, The Exchange reported.

Some people did ask about traffic increases, The Exchange reported,   and Jim Murphy, an attorney for Ingram, replied that golf courses are “extremely low traffic generators.”

Murphy said he’s working with town government members on changing the zoning ordinance to accommodate the project, The Exchange reported.

In addition to traffic, questions about impacts on nature were also raised, The Exchange reported. Ingram and others replied that environmental friendliness will be a top priority, with a large portion of the 560 acres dedicated to be green space, and the golf course itself being far smaller than the land.

A handful of homes may be built on the property at some point, but probably only five or 10, Ingram said.

Ingram also said he is buying more land in the area—a fifth parcel of about 100 acres, The Exchange reported. “I’ve spent $10 million on land,” he said in an interview, calling the golf course project a $30 million venture.

The plan is much more a pursuit of passion than business, Ingram said, noting that he doubts he’ll ever recoup the investment he’s making. But losing money would be more than worth it, he said, because “I’m a golf nut [and my] wife’s a golf nut.”

C+RB provided an update in 2018 on Ingram’s leadership efforts at The Golf Club of Tennessee (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/golf-club-tennessee-tries-balance-national-prestige-member-needs/)