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Truckee | Northstar | Olympic Valley | South Lake Tahoe | North Lake Tahoe | Lost Sierra
Truckee
Coyote Moon Golf Course — Opens June 9
A high-elevation roller coaster ride and true test of one’s skill reading the natural topography of the land, shot placement and ball-flight control.
Located minutes from downtown Truckee, the course is carved into 250 acres of climbs and drops, bends and tunnels, with breathtaking views in a heavily wooded alpine zone, featuring towering pines and eccentric granite outcroppings.
The layout sports countless elevation changes, both vertically and horizontally, with well-guarded greens and strategically placed hazards throughout. | coyotemoongolf.com
Gray’s Crossing Golf Course — Open
Tucked away in a beautiful mountain meadow in the shadows of Mount Rose, Gray’s Crossing embraces the surrounding landscape. Stroll through this classically designed Peter Jacobsen course and take notice of its natural features. Like the play, they’ll change each season.
Gray’s Crossing opened in 2007 and was once a private golf facility; though now open to the public, it still has a private feel and look to it. Expect lofty ancient pine trees, native landscapes, wide fairways and relatively easy-to-find greens.
The National Audubon Society recognized Gray’s Crossing as an Audubon International Gold Signature Sanctuary. | tahoemountainclub.com
Old Greenwood Golf Course — Open
Get lost in 600 acres of towering pines while playing the storied and challenging Old Greenwood. The course is a pure golf haven handcrafted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus in 2004.
The course has been given a Top 10 ranking for Best New Public Access Golf Course by Golf Digest and was ranked the 4th Finest New Upscale Public Course in America by Golf Magazine.
The practice facility here is second to none in the Reno-Tahoe area and offers customized learning opportunities, as well as a fully immersive golf academy.
The course is also home to the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship returning from July 20 to 23. | tahoemountainclub.com
Ponderosa Golf Course — Open
Originally brought to fruition by the townspeople and designed by Bob Baldock, Ponderosa Golf Course is Truckee’s oldest golf course, opening for play in 1961. It’s a short nine-hole course and, except for one severely uphill par 3, is quite flat. However, no hole is a streamline conquest; the fairways are tight and, though hitting driver is always tempting, it can easily lead to driving right through the short grass into a monster pine or onto the adjacent fairways. Overall, it’s a great and affordable place to sharpen your game. | ponderosagolfcoursetruckee.com
Schaffer’s Mill Golf & Lake Club — Opening TBA
Set amongst the lush Sierra foothills, Schaffer’s Mill is a semi-private golf facility co-designed by John Harbottle and two-time major winner Johnny Miller.
The front nine is sunny and open in an expansive meadow under the peaks of Northstar and is generally flat, while the back nine is of a hillier nature with a healthy dose of ups and downs tee to green. It is a relatively long but manageable course.
The facility offers a limited number of memberships to the public each season. | schaffersmill.com
Tahoe Donner — Driving range June 9; front nine June 23
With the incredible winter snowpack that the region experienced in 2023, Tahoe Donner will be among the last courses to fully open this year due to conditions. The driving range opens June 9 with the front nine opening on June 23. The course will open fully on June 30.
The wait is worth it, with more than $2 million in course improvements made in 2020 and 2021, golfers of all skill levels can enjoy enhanced playability, an improved pace of play and one of the region’s best alpine golf experiences.
If you haven’t played the course since the improvements, you’ll discover new greens; expanded and redesigned tees, including forward tees; better player shot selection through improved drainage and relocated cart paths; and wider and more playable fairways. | tahoedonner.com
Northstar
Northstar Golf Course — Opens June 16
A tale of two nines. The Northstar Golf Course offers two unique golf experiences.
The front nine, weaving its way around Martis Valley, is flat, exposed, traditional and straightforward. The back nine immediately immerses players into mountainous terrain and winds its way through shaded hallways between the tall trees.
The course was designed by Robert Muir Graves and is an approachable endeavor for golfers of all ages and skill levels. | northstarcalifornia.com
Olympic Valley
The Links at Everline Resort — Opens June 21
Surrounded by towering Sierra Nevada peaks, the Links at Everline is situated in an alpine meadow at the base of the Palisades Tahoe ski resort. The first nine of the 6,931-yard, par 71 course climbs along the mountain side through trees and narrow fairways and the back nine weaves through wetlands with tall grass, marshes and wooden cart paths. The course was designed by renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. to preserve the unique beauty, natural wetland and wildlife habitat of the area.
The resort changed its name in early 2023 to Everline Resort & Spa. The name change was a decision made in collaboration with the Washo Tribe out of respect for their history in the region and heritage. | destinationhotels.com
South Lake Tahoe
Bijou Municipal Golf Course — Opening TBA
The Parks and Recreation team for the City of South Lake Tahoe, which owns and operates the course, is hard at work preparing the Bijou Golf course for the 2023 season, but no opening date has been set as of press time.
Due to the record breaking snowfall and subsequent melt off, the course is currently flooded due to its proximity to a watershed. As soon as the water has receded and the course is safe to access, an opening date will be announced.
Bijou Municipal Golf Course is a nine-hole executive course featuring five par 4s and four par 3s, and is one of the oldest in Tahoe. It opened in 1920 and was designed by Virgil Gilcrease. It is a short, gettable course, with a casual atmosphere, great for working on distance control and dialing in your clubs. There are no water hazards on the course, however, the well-placed bunkers are plenty enough to keep you honest with your shot placement throughout your round. | cityofslt.us
Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course — Open
South Lake Tahoe’s most prominent golf club is none other than Edgewood Tahoe. It is the only course in the Tahoe Basin that shares its fairways with the shores of Lake Tahoe, giving it a one-of-a-kind feel and aesthetic.
Edgewood opened in 1968 and was designed by George Fazio. Golf Digest regularly rates it among the top 100 in the nation.
Edgewood will again host the American Century Championship from July 12 to 16. | edgewoodtahoe.com
Lake Tahoe Golf Course — Open
Lake Tahoe Golf Course meanders about the floodplains of the Lake Valley State Recreation Area, just a few miles from the lake’s southeastern shore. On-in-one par 4s, sharp doglegs, forced carries or layups, territorial trees and bottomless bunkers make for technical gameplay.
Plans are in the works to reconfigure the course as part of the proposed Upper Truckee River Restoration that would improve the health of the river while retaining the 18-hole course. Project details are available at restoreuppertruckee.net. | laketahoegc.com
Tahoe Paradise Golf Course — Open
Tahoe Paradise Golf Course is an 18-hole, executive-style, mountain course 4 miles from South Lake Tahoe.
Designed by Fred R. Blanchard, it features a challenging variety of par 3s and 4s ranging from 95 to 372 yards. Family-style vibes, stunning views of Mount Tallac and green fees that won’t break the bank, are all sure to keep you coming back again and again. | tahoeparadisegc.com
North Lake Tahoe
Incline Village Championship Course — Open
In the 1960s, Robert Trent Jones and his son of the same name came to the Tahoe region and set out to etch their names into the history books. In 1964, Trent Jones Sr. laid out his grand design for the Incline Village Championship Golf Course, carving into the mountainside a course that would stand the test of time and set it apart in humble fashion among all others in the Tahoe Basin.
Nick Holligan has been named Senior Head Golf Professional, with more 20 years of experience in the golf industry, most recently as the Head Golf Professional at The Clubs at Houston Oaks (the #2 rated course in Texas) and The Renaissance Club in Scotland (host of the European & PGA co-sanctioned Genesis Scottish Open).
Ashley Wood returns to her role of Head of Player Development for the 2022 golf season at both the Championship and Mountain courses, leading the Incline Golf Academy, offering private lessons, golf clinics and programming. | inclinegolf.com
Incline Village Mountain Course — Opens June 9
Incline Village Mountain Golf Course is Nevada’s highest elevation course. It was built in 1968, designed by the legendary golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., who has put his stamp on courses such as Chambers Bay in Washington, which hosted the 2015 U.S. Open. It’s an 18-hole executive layout, but despite its moderate yardage and true to the nature of Jones’ golf philosophy, this is not a course that is easily conquered; pars here are won in a chess-like game of risk and reward. | inclinegolf.com
Old Brockway Golf Course — Open
Old Brockway Golf Course is a nine-hole gem tucked into the forest, just a stone’s throw from Lake Tahoe’s shores in Kings Beach. Designed by John Duncan Dunn in the 1920s, it opened to the public in 1924. It is one of only a few century-old courses still in play in Tahoe.
Old Brockway was home of the 1st Bing Crosby Golf Tournament in 1934-35 and was the first 9-hole golf course in America to become an Audubon cooperative sanctuary.
The course still maintains its old-fashioned feel: narrow fairway corridors, small greens and wild times. Old Brockway is usually one of the first to open and among the last to close each year. | oldbrockway.com
Tahoe City Golf Course — Open
Well over 100 years old, the Tahoe City Golf Course has never ceased to provide great golf at a reasonable price since opening in 1917. The nine-hole, par-33 course is in downtown Tahoe City. Despite its compact stature, it provides fun and challenging play for both experts and novices.
In the middle of the 20th Century, the course was a popular hangout for Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
The legendary Tahoe Tavern Hotel commissioned Isabella May “Queenie” Dunn to design the course on what was then a hay meadow. It was expanded to nine holes in 1926, the same year her brother John laid out the Old Brockway Golf Course.
The course remains a favorite among locals and visitors and is one of the only courses in the area where dogs play for free. | golftahoecity.com
Lost Sierra
The Dragon at Nakoma Golf Resort — Open
Nakoma’s course is outright beautiful and no matter how you might play, you’re sure to leave here satisfied. Play starts and finishes at the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Lodge, the only clubhouse built by America’s master architect.
The course just an hour from Tahoe was designed by Robin Nelson, famous for his work on The Dunes at Mauna Lani. Golf World once designated this course as one of America’s Top 75. Come out and take on holes such as Dragon Lagoon, Dragon’s Tail and Teeth of the Dragon. | nakomaresort.com
Feather River Park Resort — Open
Just outside Blairsden and Graeagle, Feather River Park Resort golf course opened in 1985 and was designed by Bert Stamps.
It sits in a prime spot amongst the Mohawk Valley offering stunning views and a nine-hole, par-35 golf experience for golfers of all skill levels. | featherriverparkresort.com
Graeagle Meadows Golf Course — Open
Opened in 1968, designed by Ellis Van Groder, Graeagle Meadows Golf Course sits among the vast Mohawk Valley. The course digs itself farther and farther away from civilization, as your round goes on and plays host to an abundance of wildlife.
The native landscape can be deep and chaotic and missing fairways can result in adventurous outings. Finesse of the short game is of importance here. | playgraeagle.com
Grizzly Ranch Golf Club — Open
From the moment you step off the first tee, you will notice that this is a long course, playing at more than 7,400 yards from the back tees. It’s mainly flat and open, tempting you to make the big shots, though cautionary play can at many times be beneficial because ideal landing zones are often filled with one hazard or another and generally require some creative thinking.
One of the newer courses in the area, Grizzly Ranch Golf Club was designed by Bob Cupp and opened in 2005.
Grizzly Ranch has been named No. 1 in the Sierra Nevada, No. 9 in California and in the Top 100 Nationwide. | grizzlyranchliving.com
Plumas Pines Golf Course — Open
The course opened in 1980 and was sculpted by Homer Flint. It follows the Feather River around a sharply groomed, vibrant green oasis.
Water can be found at almost every hole and fittingly so. There’s no shortage of forced carries and must-hit fades and draws. It’s a short course, but is filled with tight corners, huge pine trees and quick-putting surfaces. | plumaspinesgolf.com
Whitehawk Ranch Golf Course — Open
Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club is a championship-caliber course in the serene Mohawk Valley in Clio. Designed by Dick Bailey, the course opened in 1996. It has since racked up several honors and is consistently ranked amongst the Top 10 to 20 courses on many editorials’ Best Public Golf Courses of California lists.
With Sierra peaks in nearly every direction and several streams moseying through the playing field and into lush ponds and even waterfalls, there’s not a spot on the course lacking a beautiful view. | golfwhitehawk.com
