Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

Played Saturday and extremely disappointed with the overall experience.

The Bad-

1. Pace of Play - Beyond brutal. No one on course monitoring this at all. Not once did we see a ranger on anything. We were at the 4 Hour mark standing on the 14th tee box... Talking to the guys behind us(as we had plenty of opportunities to do this) pace of play is an ongoing issue here.

2. Lots of ground under repair- 12 fairway entire thing has been sodded. Several of the tee boxes were newly sodded also. Had a former course super with us and he said alot of the tee boxes wont take this tear because zoysia sod is a warm weather grass and it wont be warm enough for most of that to establish.

The Good-

1. Layout- The course has ALOT of potential to be great! Very fair test of golf. Hit the ball well, you can score, but if you are off, that course can grab you.

2. Greens- Rolled true. Greens were in really good shape. Practice greens rolled the same as the course which is very important to me.

3. People- Staff was extremely friendly.

The So-SO-

Driving Range- Only allowed to hit irons as a short range. Better than nothing, but would be nice to hit a driver or two, especially since #1 is a Par 5.

OVERALL- The pace of play is just too hard for me to overcome. Rounds lasting over 5 hours are painful, no matter how well you are playing, and I broke 80 Saturday! I really do think this course has a lot of potential to be great.

Terrible experience, their website said hole 11 is closed, when we got to the clubhouse Earl told me that they had 12-15 closed, claimed it was on GolfNow, it wasn't stated anywhere.

Decided to play anyway as the course has a very unique layout and looked to be in decent shape, was not worth the money as they did not care about pace of play at all! Spent three hours to play 9 holes of golf and left, the clubhouse was locked at 5 pm so we could not even talk to anyone about it.

Bottom-line = Course is under construction, staff was unfriendly, pace was the worst i've ever seen.

They have a very cool location and most holes seemed in good shape but we couldn't play many of them, also no turn, no drink cart, so once you embark on your 6 hour round of golf you better have everything you need.

I played this course several times in 2018 and was impressed every time I played. If I had been told that the course was under renovation, I would not have made the reservation. They should close the course until it is ready to be played. It was a beautiful day, but the course conditions were terrible based on my previous experiences. Shame on Teeoff.com for charging what they did knowing the current conditions.

Showed up only to be told that 3 holes were under repair. No mention anywhere on GolfNow. No discount, rather disappointing for sure.. The guy behind the counter was rather matter of fact. Stated that a round was normally a $100. Not true. I’ve played there over the year’s and $70 was the most I have ever paid, as was this time. We were already there so what are going to do. It is a beautiful mountain course With breathtaking long range views of the Smokies but not worth $70 In its current condition and certainly not worth $100.00. The fairways are a bit of a mess, as are a lot of the tee boxes. You can see they are putting some money into it. The sand traps were perfect, and most greens were in good shape. I will wait until next year to try again, but a discounted rate would have gone a long way!

Being from Florida, i had a great time. All good, but 3 holes closed due to renovations. Was told upfront and this was no surprise. Staff friendly and received free range balls and $10 free play at the casino. Greens rolling well and in good shape. Fairways a bit longer than I’m used to from Florida, but overall very good. Rough is very hard to find your balls; so bring lots of equipment. Price was $65 but felt worth it with the views and challenges of mtn golf. I would recommend this course to all levels of golfers.

This Course was an absolute travesty to golf .. I play at least 3 times a week and this is the worst course I have ever played in my life... 0 staff friendliness, 4 holes shut down, tee boxes ? Nope they are basically sand boxes... 0 amenities, clubhouse was nothing special, carts struggled around course, fairways are most courses second cut of rough... the scenery was very pretty that is all I can say

This place is going to be VERY special. Historically, Sequoyah was great views, terrific layout, and absolutely hideous course maintenance.

We went out today (7/10/2020) to figure out if the renovations will actually turn the place around. 15 holes were open, 3 holes were closed for renovation, and 9 holes have completed renovation. All of the new greens are complete, and they are smooth and beautiful.

They are sinking huge $$ into the course. The renovation is being done under the direction of Robert Trent Jones II golf design company. All greens, fairways, and tees will be Zeon Zoysia grass. The fairways and tee boxes are being sodded, and the 9 renovated fairways are very nice. Fairways are cut a little high so as not to stress the new grass, but highly playable now. The ball sits up really nice.

The re-designed bunkers are a beautiful thing. They are taking out a lot of them, re-designing the rest, and turning them into "capillary concrete" bunkers. The new style bunkers are purported to cost a lot more, but the return on investment is 3 years based on MUCH less maintenance, resistance to "wash-outs", and great playability for the golfer. I loved them. Very nice, consistent, and every one of them looked perfect.

The downsides: We were cart path only today, and I think it will be most days given the new sod going in every day. They've clearly improved the drainage, but carts would quickly make a mess of new, expensive, sod. $65 to play 15 holes on a course that is half-way through its renovation is steep. There is no "turn" at the clubhouse, and no food / drink service on the course. Pack your provisions accordingly.

Would I play it again during renovation? I would! If you're a nerd like me and want to see the "future" of golf bunkers, this is it. Greens are perfect. The renovated holes will give you a taste of how special this place is going to be in the very near future.

This place is going to be VERY special. Historically, Sequoyah was great views, terrific layout, and absolutely hideous course maintenance.

We went out today (7/10/2020) to figure out if the renovations will actually turn the place around. 15 holes were open, 3 holes were closed for renovation, and 9 holes have completed renovation. All of the new greens are complete, and they are smooth and beautiful.

They are sinking huge $$ into the course. The renovation is being done under the direction of Robert Trent Jones II golf design company. All greens, fairways, and tees will be Zeon Zoysia grass. The fairways and tee boxes are being sodded, and the 9 renovated fairways are very nice. Fairways are cut a little high so as not to stress the new grass, but highly playable now. The ball sits up really nice.

The re-designed bunkers are a beautiful thing. They are taking out a lot of them, re-designing the rest, and turning them into "capillary concrete" bunkers. The new style bunkers are purported to cost a lot more, but the return on investment is 3 years based on MUCH less maintenance, resistance to "wash-outs", and great playability for the golfer. I loved them. Very nice, consistent, and every one of them looked perfect.

The downsides: We were cart path only today, and I think it will be most days given the new sod going in every day. They've clearly improved the drainage, but carts would quickly make a mess of new, expensive, sod. $65 to play 15 holes on a course that is half-way through its renovation is steep. There is no "turn" at the clubhouse, and no food / drink service on the course. Pack your provisions accordingly.

Would I play it again during renovation? I would! If you're a nerd like me and want to see the "future" of golf bunkers, this is it. Greens are perfect. The renovated holes will give you a taste of how special this place is going to be in the very near future.

Decided to ride out to check it out before getting a tee time on TEEOFF. Checked in at the proshop and they told me 3 holes were closed and several were cart path only. The offered me a $50 rate versus TEEOFF at $55. I was OK with that since i just walked up. TEEOFF needs to be advised when a course is only partially open. 3 holes were under reconstruction, and the ones that were cart path only looked like they were keeping cart traffic off to allow the fairways to grow in. Layout and views were awesome, greens were in great shape, fairways were pretty good too. If you're not a straight hitter, bring lots of balls. if you get very far off the fairways good luck finding your ball, heavy rough/woods etc.. I'd pay the $55 just to see the views offered on some holes.

Breathtaking views. Friendly staff. Incredible experience especially for someone from Florida who never gets to play in mountains.

Great Mountain Views, course layout, & overall course conditions! Only issue is the bunkers, which will be redone in early spring. Well, the tourists could also help out with the greens by fixing their ball marks. But, Other than that it is superb. Ask for earl. He loves people!

Just an update of prior reviews, I think. We come up to NC once a year and always play this course twice.

Fantastic mountain course that combines amazing views with a playable track that is generally not "tricked out" to take advantage of the elevation changes. Many memorable holes.

It was in great shape this year. The holes that usually get me - 10, 12 and 17, did so again but not quite as badly on our second round.

Got stuck behind 2 foursomes of international visitors who were pretty slow - 4 wives playing ahead of their husbands.

Finally got fed up on #11 and skipped the hole to finish out the round without waiting, then took the long trek back and played 11. It was still a 5 hour round.

Absolutely beautiful mountain golf course. Course was in wonderful shape. The staff at the course was friendly and helpful. Drove about an hour to play the course and had to leave right after playing. So I can’t judge other amenities at the course. If you like mountain golf this course is for you.

Spectacular vistas on a very fun and challenging course. Greens rolled true although they were a bit beat up and pock marked. Mountain golf was beautiful and we enjoyed all 5 hours on the course. If it were resort caliber conditions with a clubhouse bar overlooking some of the scenery it could be a top 10 in the US. Worth going to for sure.

I love this course for the beautiful views that are incomparable to any other golf course. I love this course for the most fantastic bent grass greens that are always in impeccable shape. I love this course for conditions that are always in great shape.

From the first tee to the 18th green this course will challenge you like no other. If you don't hit it straight, bring plenty of balls. But make sure you bring your camera for some of the most beautiful mountain scenery anywhere in the world.

I love this course like no other. If I could play it every day I would. It's worth the drive from anywhere, at any time.

Course was well-maintained beautiful views. We recommend to anyone

And absolutely wonderful golf course! You can’t take a bad picture of this place. Course is in exceptional shape. Fairways feel like you are walking on carpet and the greens putt true. Will definitely be back!!