The American Society of Golf Course Architects has taken its annual meeting to golf Meccas in Florida, California and North Carolina.
This year the group picked Chattanooga.
The ASGCA annual meeting is set to run today through Tuesday. The schedule includes morning meetings and three afternoons of golf on three very different courses in the area: Lookout Mountain, The Honors Course and Chattanooga Golf and Country Club.
Those are three of the main reasons the ASGCA selected Chattanooga as its site for this year.
"We look for a city that is accessible by air, and we also look for a city that has at least three classic courses," president Rick Phelps said. "It says a lot about the city and the golf in that city that we're holding our meeting there."
Phelps anticipates participation from more than 100 of the finest course designers in the country, including Tom Watson and Gil Hanse. That's an increase of more than 25 percent from last year when the ASGCA gathered in Denver.
"A big part of our meetings is just seeing everybody again, and it's great to compare notes and find out what's going on elsewhere," Phelps said. "It's good to share and see what's new and what's happening."
The designers will first play at Lookout, which was designed by Seth Raynor. The Honors was built by Pete Dye, and CGCC was designed by Donald Ross and redesigned by Bill Bergin.
"Not many towns have a Raynor, a Ross, a course by Brian Silva, a [Jack] Nicklaus, one by Bob Cupp and of course Pete Dye," CGCC head professional Bruce Etter said. "We're honored that they're coming here and we'll be able to show off our golf courses."