Tiger Woods lines up a putt on Saturday, June 1, 1996, during the final round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn. The difficult course took a bit of a toll on the sophomore from Stanford on Saturday, forcing him to shoot an 80, his worse score of the four-day tournament. But even that was not enough to keep Woods from winning the individual title. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)Nestled in the trees alongside a man-made lake, about a block down from the Ooltewah Auto Zone and across from a propane shop, there's a nondescript road that is unmarked.
Those unaware likely never give it a second thought. Those who recognize that left turn less than a mile coming from Interstate 75, as Highway 11 dwindles from four lanes to two, know what's down the winding path: The Honors Course.
It's a world-renowned golf facility that was hatched in Jack Lupton's genius and forged in the steely bond Lupton had with original partners Joel Richardson, Lew Boyd, Bill Healy and Bill Taff.
It was designed in Pete Dye's brilliance, a work the Hall of Fame golf architect ranks with any of his more recognizable masterpieces such as TPC Sawgrass, The Ocean Course at Kiawah, Whistling Straits or Harbor Town Golf Links.
"I cherish my membership at the Honors," Peyton Manning said this week.
Jay GreesonManning, one of the most famous athletes in the world, speaks glowingly of the grounds and the staff. A member since 1998, he has brought some of the most recognizable names in football to the Honors - "John Elway, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford, of course Eli Manning; man, I've had a lot of quarterbacks there" - and lists his favorite foursome as his dad Archie and his brothers Eli and Cooper.
Cooper so enjoyed his time there as Peyton's guest, the oldest Manning brother joined the Honors, too.
That's part of the lore - family, and all that comes with it.
"There's the old legend that Mr. Lupton suspended his brother-in-law for a day for throwing his putter into the lake," Golf Channel analyst and Honors member Charlie Rymer said. "Not sure if that one's true or not, but it's kind of fun to think about."
Those stories, the ones that balance somewhere between mythical legend and legendary myth, are as intertwined and integral to the Honors as knee-shaking tee shots and white-knuckled putts.
There's the time Tiger Woods took a seven on No. 9 in his final-round 80 to win the 1996 NCAA championship.
"Because I know him and talked to him about it, a lot of people like to talk about Tiger Woods' 7 that he took on No. 9 on his last day of the NCAA championships and still won," Manning recalled. "I've asked Tiger about it, and he still says that the Honors is one of the hardest and most challenging courses he's ever played. He remembers it was very hot that day, and he remembers that his coach kept telling him, 'Tiger, whatever you do, just don't hit it in the water.' That's great advice."
There's the summer that the caddies kept a rattlesnake in the maintenance shed next to the No. 9 tee, which is true.
There's also the understood knowledge that Lupton and his founding partners wanted the land that eventually became Black Creek Club originally to develop for this masterpiece.
Of course, there's also the tale that Lupton was supremely motivated to build the Honors because he was not elected president of Augusta National.
"That's not true," longtime superintendent David Stone said before retelling his favorite legendary tale of the legendary Lupton.
Apparently, when the Honors decided to resod not long after opening in July 1983, Lupton and Stone went and bought all the sod from a large sod farm. Every piece it had, Stone said.
A renowned national golf magazine reported the Honors and Lupton actually had bought the farm outright, and the story took on a mythical edge around golf.
It became so big that Lupton himself started to wonder.
"He called me in his office," Stone said, "and he kind of looked both ways and asked, 'David, we didn't buy a sod farm did we?'"
No, but Lupton's commitment and vision yet again will be realized starting Monday as the U.S. Junior Amateur tees off with 156 of the best under-18 golfers in the world. They will vie for a title won by such stars as Woods, Jordan Spieth, Johnny Miller, David Duval and, yes, Honors Course member Rymer, who won this event in 1985.
"It didn't mean as much to me 31 years ago as it does now," said Rymer, who conducted a free-to-the-public junior clinic at the course Saturday. "I was a very good junior golfer, and it was really the icing on the cake. I busted my tail as a kid for a long time in golf, and that was the biggest tournament you could win as a junior.
"But as time goes by, you realize you're a USGA champion and how special that is."
It's a specialness and respect the Honors always has held for amateur events, especially those hosted by the United States Golf Association.
It has been the site of some of golf's most prestigious amateur tournaments. Yes, always amateur events because Lupton and his original four partners built the Honors to honor amateur golf - and for this place, hidden back off Old Lee Highway, to be for the amateur what Augusta National is to the pros.
That connection continues this week and could very well continue again as the Honors is among those looking to host a Walker Cup match in coming years. The Walker Cup - the amateur version of the Ryder Cup - will be in England in 2017, and Lupton's dream three-plus decades ago would be a perfect place to host the event when it returns to the U.S. in coming years.
The schedule for future Walker Cups is being decided - the 2021 event will be at Seminole Golf Club in Florida - and the Honors is trying to land the 2025 Walker Cup, which would really complete the crown of hosting all of the jewel USGA amateur events.
"I think it would be an absolute crime if the USGA did not award the Honors with a Walker Cup," Manning said. "It has hosted every type of amateur tournament except the Walker Cup, and I think it could be one of the greatest Walker Cup venues and experiences for the participants.
"The Honors deserves it, first, because the place was built for amateur golf. The second reason is that the USGA owes it to Jack Lupton for all the support he gave to the USGA for so many years."
As the eyes of the amateur golf world focus again on the place that Jack built, the staff is completely comfortable with their ability to welcome the best in the world, because, simply put, the Honors has earned its place right there among the best venues in the world.
It was ranked the No. 31 golf course around the globe, and it's something the staff takes great pride in.
"We all know how special this place is, and what it means," head golf professional Henrik Simonsen said. "It's a wonderful venue for this wonderful game."
Said Stone: "Every day is special here because you never know who may be playing it for the first time. That's something we take very seriously."
With that, the best junior golfers in the world will take a very serious approach to a very big tournament. One that was part of the goal when the Honors was still in the imagination phase.
"We all need to thank Mr. Lupton," Manning said, "for this gift he has given to the members, to Ooltewah, to the state and to the country considering how many national members are there, and to the game of golf."
Yep, a legend describing a legend and a legendary place is about the only way to honor the Honors.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jgreesontfp.