1/ The Tournament
The James H Fyke Municipal Amateur Championship is contested every year in Nashville. Originally founded by Jim Fyke in 1981, it was renamed in his honor after he passed in 2017. But around town, it’s known simply as “The Muni”.
It’s always been popular and has continued to expand over the years. They’ve added a Women’s and Senior championship as well, held on separate weekends. There’s some fun history, too — between 1994 and 2002, Brandt Snedeker and his brother Haymes combined to win 7 of the 9 championships.
According to the tournament website, Jim Fyke’s original vision was to “create an amateur golf championship that was truly open to all competitors in Nashville and the surrounding areas.” That spirit of openness clearly carries through to today, and makes the Muni really feel unique.
The 2025 event had 75 entries in the championship division, with an additional 189 players competing in the flighted division — over 250 total players. It’s a massive tournament, played at three courses around Nashville.
The flighted division in particular welcomes a range of skill levels. After the first two rounds, it’s split into six smaller flights, this year made up of roughly 30 players each. Shooting 91-91 the first two days would have earned you a spot in the fifth flight. Outside of high school, I can’t think of a tournament I’ve played in where shooting 91 wasn’t out of place at all.
What’s more, there is generous prize money offered. The top ten in each of the flights get a payout, with the flight winners taking home $500 each. So it’s not just the scratch golfers who have a chance to win money — the sixth flight winner this year made $500 with a final-round 85. (The championship division does offer a bit more money, with the top 20 receiving a payout, which seems pretty fair to me.)
2/ The Courses
Because there are so many competitors, the Muni is spread across three of Nashville’s municipal courses. The first two days are at Ted Rhodes and Two Rivers. On the third day, the championship division and top two flights of the flighted division are at the challenging Harpeth Hills, and the rest of the field are back at Ted Rhodes or Two Rivers.
Each of these courses has a different style:
- Two Rivers is a fairly typical benign muni track: mostly pretty open off the tee, with relatively simple green complexes. The slope is only 120 from the back tees.
- Ted Rhodes has plenty of gettable holes, including two par 5s on the back 9 that are under 500 yards from the tips. At the same time, there are hazards in play on 12 holes. So it’s possible to go low, but there’s more emphasis on precision.
- Harpeth Hills is a championship-level layout and the jewel of the Nashville munis. It’s a much longer course that’s typically in excellent shape. Plus, it regularly hosts other premier events, like qualifiers for the state amateur.
Playing across these three courses creates a great dynamic. First, it means you see a variety of styles, rather than repeating the same course every day. Second, it gives some additional motivation for those in the flighted division to get in one of the top two flights and join the championship group at Harpeth Hills. And third, it makes the first two days of the tournament a bit easier — a sort of gentle handshake.
3/ The Experience
DAY ONE
I came into the tournament not having played a round in about a month, and several days since my last range session. What’s more, neither Ted Rhodes nor Two Rivers offer range balls, so aside from a few chips and some time on the putting green, I had no warmup. And perhaps worst of all, I was starting on Two Rivers, where I’d never played before, so I had zero course knowledge.
And so it caught me a bit by surprise when, after a decent tee shot, I hit my approach on the first hole to about 12 feet. That set the tone for the rest of the day, and I played well despite steady rain. I shot a 79, but really probably should have done better — I was only 2 over through 13 before lightning delayed us for about an hour, and after that I never got my rhythm back.
DAY TWO
My second round at Ted Rhodes started out rough with a double bogey (I’ll blame the lack of a warmup range session for a terrible first tee shot). But after starting 5 over through 7 holes, I rallied to finish the last 11 in just one over to post a 78 and secure my spot at Harpeth Hills for the final day.
DAY THREE
Making it to Harpeth had been my goal, so I came into day three feeling like most of the pressure was off. After two days in the heat and humidity, I was stiff and sore and a bit worn out, and whether it was due to that or more skill-related reasons, I didn’t have my best stuff for the final day.
I ended up shooting an 88, which actually only dropped me back to 16th out of 29 in the flight — Harpeth is tough. The highlight of the day was a 30-yard chip in for par on #13 (I told you it was a rough day). But the guy I shared my cart with ended up shooting his age (75!) to win the second flight. So I guess not everyone found it that hard!
4/ Final Thoughts
I had an awesome time at the Muni. Despite oppressive heat, on-and-off rain, and slow play, it was great to play in a tournament where it felt like anyone truly belonged — especially for something that serves as a kind of “city championship”.
If you live in Nashville and like to play golf, I’d highly recommend checking it out, especially if you’ve never played in a tournament before.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s edition. No matter what I shoot or how well I’m playing, I know there will be something to play for.
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