For many people the first thought that comes to mind after booking a vacation is “when and where will I book my tee time.” That’s right, we know golfing is nearly synonymous with “a good time.”
Whether you’re making par or just along for the ride, North Lake Basin is home to six championship golf courses and four executive courses. Another 14 lie within an hour’s drive of the North Shore.
PGA Professionals flock to Tahoe as the most rewarding place to combine work, life and play…though of course for a golf pro, who can tell the difference between any of the three?
Check out these North Lake Tahoe golf courses:
Coyote Moon Golf Course (featured in image above)
Location: 10685 Northwoods Blvd., Truckee, CA
Phone: (530) 587-0886
Stats: 18 holes, par 72, 7,117 yards, designed by Brad Bell
Practice Facilities: Short game chipping, putting, bunker. Shares mat and grass driving range with Tahoe Donner Golf Course.
Food: Coyote Moon Bar & Grill
Description: Coyote Moon is the ultimate Sierra wilderness golf course, with tree-lined fairways and not a single house to be seen throughout all 18 holes. They take the idea of seclusion so seriously that there are not even any marshals on the course – each cart is instead equipped with an interactive GPS system that alerts golfers if they get off course or go in the wrong direction. The signature hole is the 13th hole, a par 3 with an elevation drop of 140 feet.
Gray’s Crossing Golf Club
Location: 111000 Prosser Dam Road, Truckee, CA
Phone: (530) 550-5800
Stats: 18 holes, par 72, 7466 yards, designed by Jim Hardy & Peter Jacobsen
Food: PJ’s Bar & Grill
Description: Impeccable greens emerge from towering Lodgepole and Jeffrey Pines. Fairways weave through their natural surroundings with an ease that invites the environment to play as much of a role as the course itself. Wetlands and wildflowers create natural hazards that could draw an awe-inspired pause from even the most focused golfer. With tournament conditions ensured each day by a professional agronomy team, the course at The Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing unfolds effortlessly through this Northern California landscape to create an unrivaled golf experience.
Incline Village Championship Golf Course
Location: 955 Fairway Blvd., Incline Village, NV
Phone: (866) 925-GOLF
Stats: 18 holes, par 72, 7106 yards, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
Practice Facilities: Off-mat driving range, putting, chipping, bunker.
Food: The Chateau Club House with golf shop and restaurant
Description: Following its recent $10 million renovation, Incline Village’s Championship Golf Course offers the most up-to-date and pristine facilities in North Lake Tahoe. This is a signature Robert Trent Jones, Sr. target golf course, featuring frequent water and bunker hazards. One of the most impressive views from any North Lake Tahoe course comes at the signature 16th hole, where the view of the entire east shore of Lake Tahoe serves as a reward for making it so far along this challenging course.
Incline Village Mountain Golf Course
Location: 690 Wilson Way, Incline Village, NV
Phone: (866) 925-GOLF
Stats: 18 holes, par 58, 3440 yards, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
Practice Facilities: Short game.
Food: The Mountain Course Club House with golf shop, snack bar and outside deck.
Description: The Mountain Course is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design, par 58 challenging par 3 and par 4 holes. The course offers different weekly special events such as Nine and Wine, Six After 6, special programs for women, Ladies Days, Construction League and Skins games, to name a few.
Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort Golf Course
Location: Basque Dr. Off Northstar Dr., Truckee, CA
Phone: 530-562-2490
Stats: 18 holes, par 72, 6781 yards, designed by Robert Muir Graves
Practice Facilities: Off-mat driving range and putting
Food: Martis Valley Grille and The Village at Northstar offers a full range of dining, shopping and entertainment options.
Description: This challenging and affordable course is characterized by two very distinctive nines. The mountain nine is tree laden, target golf, while the meadow nine are more forgiving holes meandering through wider meadow areas. Catch a glimpse of the course from Highway 267. Offering Tahoe’s earliest twilight rates beginning at 1:00pm.
Location: Junction of Hwys. 28 & 267, Kings Beach, CA
Phone: (530) 546-9909
Stats: 9 holes, par 35, 3400 yards, built by Harry Comstock, designed by John Duncan Dunn
Practice Facilities: Off-mat driving range, putting green.
Food: Blue Onion Cafe
Description: This executive course was home to the first Bing Crosby Golf Tournament in 1934-1935. The course is often referred to as a “Dean Martin Loop” for the fact that one can skip straight from hole 4 to hole 8, thereby quickening the pace back to the bar for a Martini. Located in the Banana Belt of North Lake Tahoe, Old Brockway is often the first to open and the last to close due to the sun exposure it receives. On the first hole, be sure not to slice or you will land your ball in Hwy 267 traffic.
Old Greenwood Golf Course
Location: 12915 Fairway Dr., Truckee, CA
Phone: (530) 550-7010
Stats: 18 holes, par 72, 6919 yards, designed by Jack Nicklaus.
Practice Facilities: State-of-the-art practice facilities.
Food: The Pavilion
Description: A Jack Niklaus signature course, this is as elite as public golf courses come. Golf Digest provides world-class instruction from its facility at the opposite end of the practice areas, and Golf Magazine rated it among the top 10 Best New Public-Access Courses in 2005. With easy access via I-80 from Truckee, Reno and Sacramento, world class instruction and every hole considered a signature hole, local pros cannot say enough about this course.
Ponderosa Golf Course
Location: 1004 Reynolds Way, Truckee, CA
Phone: (530) 587-3501
Stats: 9 holes, par 35, 3,018 yards
Practice Facilities: Driving nets, chipping & putting practice greens.
Food: Snack shop
Description: Open May – October Truckee’s best golf course value.
Resort at Squaw Creek Golf Course
Location: 400 Squaw Creek Road, Squaw Valley, CA
Phone: (800) 327-3353
Stats: 18 holes, par 71, 6931 yards, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
Practice Facilities: Off-mat driving range up to 160 yds., putting, bunker.
Food: Six Peaks Grille, Ristorante Montagna, Sandy’s Pub, Sweet Potatoes Deli
Description: This is a classic Robert Trent Jones, Jr. course with link-styled play and frequent marsh hazards. Located at the base of Squaw Valley USA, every hole provides a magnificent view of the surrounding mountain range. The course’s signature 6th hole is an island green and stretches 155 yards from the middle Tees. 3 PGA pros on staff, valet bag-drop and caddy services make this one of the most player-friendly courses in Tahoe. Designated as an Audubon Certified Cooperative Sanctuary.
Location: 12850 Northwoods Blvd., Truckee, CA
Phone: (530) 587-9443
Stats: 18 holes, par 72, 7002 yards, designed by Roy Williams and Bill Bell, Jr.
Practice Facilities: 100 yard short game right next to clubhouse, driving range, putting.
Food: The Lodge restaurant, bar, banquet facility.
Description: This is a semi-private Championship course with lightning fast greens and a mountain backdrop. Tee times are most available in the afternoon. The course is tree-lined with narrow fairways, large greens and spectacular mountain views. Designated as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
PS – Be sure to ask your hotel concierge if they provide golfer appreciation discount cards for any of the area courses.
