Lake Tahoe Golf Weekend
Golf Digest, 6/11
PGATour.com, 7/10
T&L Golf, May 2006
CBSSports.com, 6/10
Away Game: Lake Tahoe
The Air Is Apparent
By Matt Ginella, Golf Digest
Photo courtesy of Edgewood Tahoe
June 2011
The 547-yard 16th is my favorite hole at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Like a boat ride in shallow water, you're forced to go slow to avoid unforgiving obstacles. The green is one of the few in the area that's adjacent to Lake Tahoe, which is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains. I wish I could bottle the oxygen and save it for a day when I'm pinned down by Manhattan traffic.
Clean air, casinos and Edgewood, No. 65 among America's 100 Greatest Public Courses, have attracted golfers to South Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border for decades. Built in 1968 by George Fazio, Edgewood has been updated a few times by his nephew Tom. The younger Fazio's tweaks have improved the sightlines from the tees and the bunkering, but there are still some turf issues. I like the last five holes, the views, the history and the fun factor, but a more reasonable price is the weekday resort rate of $140 through June 2, not the peak-season rate of $240.
I started my trip last summer at Edgewood, and after my round I continued 30 miles to Truckee, Calif., which reminds me of the golf landscape in central Oregon: The avid public player is benefiting from an oversupply of private clubs, many of which have had to alter their business models and provide tee times to nonmembers.
"Tahoe exploded," says Annika Sorenstam, referring to the abundance of golf options in the area. Sorenstam has watched the destination grow since she bought her Incline Village house in 1995. "Of all the places I've traveled throughout my career, we still go back to Tahoe for one month in the winter and one month in the summer." Before Sorenstam was a world-beater in golf, she was a competitive skier in Sweden, so Tahoe is a perfect fit for her and her growing family.
I recommend all three courses I played in Truckee: the Golf Club at Gray's Crossing, Schaffer's Mill Golf Club (formerly called Timilick) and Old Greenwood, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course. I stayed in the Old Greenwood community, which is ideal for couples, buddies or a small family. Guests can rent two- to four-bedroom condos and cabins from $289 to $550 a night (www.tahoemountainlodging.com). Within the community there are a variety of outdoor activities, including tennis, sand volleyball, bike paths and hiking trails, two pools and several dining options. Everything is near the golf.
My back deck overlooked the 578-yard sixth and 187-yard seventh holes at Old Greenwood, No. 77 among America's 100 Greatest Public. Both are good holes on a course that gives even first-timers a fair chance of scoring better than their handicaps. Some say it's an unusually friendly version of a Nicklaus Signature design. That might be, but only if you can avoid the especially deep bunkers. The best backdrop for the classic golf-trip group photo is anywhere along the 16th and 17th holes, which overlook a tree-choked Martis Valley. Old Greenwood staggers green fees throughout the day, from $185 for prime-time slots to $75 for twilight rounds.
As much as I enjoyed Old Greenwood, Schaffer's Mill was my favorite all-around golf experience on this trip. It lacks a clubhouse -- its new owners promise a permanent club and golf shop in 2012 -- but otherwise it has that private-facility polish, with well-manicured grass from tee to green. The bright-white sand bunkers and the lush, tree-lined fairways can give a golfer with blurry vision the impression he's playing Augusta National. I can't say I'm sorry that the members have to share their club with guys like you and me. For the third-straight season, Schaffer's Mill, which opened in 2008, is accepting "promotional play." The green fee is $150, $95 after 3 p.m.
It's not that I didn't like the golf course at Gray's Crossing, but I'd be more inclined to go back for the setting, amenities, service and the breakfast burrito on the back deck, which has a nice view of Mount Rose. Gray's ($185, $100 after 2 p.m.) is a sister course of Old Greenwood. I feel the same way about the course as I do about the designer, Peter Jacobsen: I like him, but sometimes he can be too silly for my taste. My biggest nitpicks: the 589-yard double-dogleg finishing hole, and the few places where the course is exposed to the sights and sounds of the highway. I rarely get the opportunity to document a drive that goes over the green of a par 4, which is what happened at the 274-yard downhill, sixth hole -- with a 3-wood, no less. Credit the breeze at my back, the hard and fast turf conditions, and the altitude, which can give you an additional 15 yards of carry.
I finished my trip back at Edgewood for the 21st Annual American Century Championship, the Masters of celebrity golf tournaments. I was there to caddie for Mike Shanahan in 1995, just after he became head coach of the Denver Broncos. It was one of the greatest weeks of my hyper-spoiled life as a sports fan. I tended the flag for Michael Jordan as he swished a 40-foot birdie putt from the front edge of the 15th green. I also recall an animated conversation with Digger Phelps over a ruling. The ex-Notre Dame basketball coach wanted a favorable drop on the wrong side of a yellow-staked hazard, and I, the righteous college kid, wouldn't back down. Ernie Banks broke up our horn raking with an arm around my shoulder and inquiries about my love life: "Hey man, how's your girlfriend?"
Last summer on Edgewood's range, I shared laughs with Shanahan as I refreshed his memory of Phelps' tantrum. The invitational is fan-friendly for the face-painting autograph seeker who likes wearing a jersey to the course and stepping on the Softspikes of celebrities. It's an especially good event for kids, and more to the point, it's an excuse for a trip to Tahoe. Local favorite Charles Barkley kisses babies by day and closes down the karaoke scene at night. The mythical Michael Jordan is the largest draw with the longest swing. His Airness smokes a big cigar, but it's no match for Tahoe's pine-fresh air.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Stargazing: The 22nd annual American Century Championship is July 12-17. It will include an all-star game's worth of NFL quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Tony Romo. Go to www.tahoecelebritygolf.com for details.
Game Improvement: From July 12-14, Annika Sorenstam offers a three-day full-swing and fitness clinicat the Annika Academy at Old Greenwood. "I bring my entire academy staff from Orlando," Sorenstam says."We have a lot of fun." Go to www.theannikaacademy.com for more information.
Bar Service: In 1921, my great-grandfather opened Tony's California Kitchen in downtown Truckee. After it burned down twice, he rebuilt it using bricks. He eventually sold the building to Bank of America, and it's now the Bar of America (below, Matt Ginella), an ideal spot for a casual post-round meal. Save room for the chocolate croissant bread pudding.
Bar of America
Long Weekend: Lake Tahoe
PGATour.com
Straddling the California-Nevada border high in the Sierras, the Reno-Tahoe area has become a paradise for visitors who love to explore the outdoors.
WHERE TO PLAY
Edgewood Tahoe: Set along the lake's south shore and home to the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, this George Fazio design is as scenic as it is challenging.
Golf Club at Gray's Crossing: Now open to outside play, this Peter Jacobsen/Jim Hardy design on the north shore is carved out of the pines and features dramatic rock outcroppings. The weaving fairways and small, well-guarded greens demand good shotmaking from golfers of all levels.
Incline Village: There are two courses at this complex along the lake's north shore. If you only have time for 18 holes, play the Championship, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design with elevation changes, fairways bordered by towering pines, and views of the lake and mountains.
WHERE TO STAY
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino: In addition to a lodge, North Lake Tahoe's only lakefront luxury hotel offers waterside cottages for guests looking for an even more private vacation experience.
Resort at Squaw Creek: Although this resort is at the base of Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, it is the perfect base for a memorable trip no matter the season. Along with numerous activities, the resort features great mountain views even in the summer.
Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe: Ideally located within easy reach of skiing, golf and numerous other outdoor activities, this property is perfect for either a hotel stay or an ownership opportunity in the residences or fractional options.
WHERE TO EAT
Lone Eagle Grille: The rustic restaurant, with a lodge-like feel is located on Lake Tahoe's best beach. But the real view is that of chef Mark May preparing his High Sierra cuisine in the open kitchen.
Six Peaks Grille: Taking its name from the surrounding summits, this dining option at the Squaw Creek Resort offers a bold menu that matches the views from the bistro-style patio.
Soule Domain: This North Lake Tahoe institution features dishes made of organic meats and local, seasonal produce with distinctive twists.
The Green Slopes of Tahoe
After the ski season ends, a golfer's lakeside paradise blooms
From T&L GOLF May 2006
by Scott Gummer
Every year I long for the spring thaw at Lake Tahoe, when the powdery white snow gives way to the emerald green fairways of some of the most spectacular golf courses in the country. A California native, I grew up vacationing in Tahoe with my family and still relish skiing its Olympian slopes. But for my money, Tahoe shines in summer. It was the cool summer climate and abundant supply of fish that originally attracted the Washoe Indians to this astonishingly clear blue lake sitting in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at an elevation of 6,226 feet. The westward explorers John C. Frémont and Kit Carson discovered the area in 1844, followed by an onslaught of gold miners en route to the nearby American River (where those fateful first nuggets were found in 1848) and, a decade later, by silver miners seeking to cash in on Nevada's historic Comstock Lode. By the 1890s, Tahoe had become a popular vacation retreat. Today, thanks to a recent boom, the region boasts several new and redesigned golf courses, not to mention a host of resorts, the most appealing of which are situated on the lake's quieter northern shores. Between rounds, diversions abound in the invigorating outdoors.
Day One
Fly into Reno-Tahoe International Airport and make the easy hour-long drive along Mt. Rose Highway to Lake Tahoe. You can also drive from Sacramento (two hours) or the Bay Area (three and a half). For the full experience, check into the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino in Incline Village, Nevada. The resort occupies the most prized lakefront property and is freshly refurbished in a style reminiscent of the classic national park lodges. With its own beach, small casino and spa and a smorgasbord of restaurants, the Hyatt is as good as Tahoe gets.
Tee it up that afternoon at the Robert Trent Jones Sr.–designed Championship course at Incline Village. A mountain layout threaded through lodgepole pines and recently redesigned by Kyle Phillips, the course will test all aspects of your game. But here's why Incline Village is a great place to hit first: Before your round, you can tune up for the entire trip at its first-rate driving range and short-game practice area.
For a relaxing dinner, drive just up the road from the Hyatt to Big Water Grille, where the hearty fare includes braised short ribs and seared big-eye tuna. Be sure to get there in time to see the sunset reflect off the lake.
Day Two
Rise, shine and enjoy a scenic forty-five-minute drive along the eastern shore to Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. The only course that sits hard by the lake, Edgewood has serious chops: It has hosted both the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and the U.S. Senior Open. The closing three holes provide a rousing waterfront finish.
Now that you've played a pair of tough tracks, head back to Incline Village for an easygoing afternoon round on the Mountain course, an executive eighteen. With four par fours and fourteen par threes, it's a fun match-play course. It's also perfect for kids; two summers ago, my then nine-year-old son made the first par of his life at the 135-yard fourth.
Come evening you'll be ready to park yourself in an Adirondack chair at the Hyatt's Lone Eagle Grill and take in another Tahoe sunset. If you visit between July 13 and August 20, pack a picnic and enjoy a midsummer night at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival on the beach at nearby Sand Harbor.
Day Three
Fuel up on the best breakfast in town at the Log Cabin Café, ten minutes west of the Hyatt in Kings Beach, California. The Cajun eggs Benedict are worth whatever the wait. Then motor a half hour northwest through the town of Truckee, California, to Coyote Moon Golf Course. A rollicking romp over Trout Creek and through the woods, this Brad Bell design features massive granite outcroppings and vertigo- inducing elevation drops, notably at the 227-yard par-three thirteenth.
Take a break from golf by spending the afternoon rafting down the Truckee River. The paddling is as easy on the arms as the backwoods scenery is on the eyes. On the way back, stop in for dinner at Gar Woods Grill & Pier in Carnelian Bay, California. Offering complimentary valet boat parking, the restaurant is a great spot to get a look at the gorgeous pre–World War II mahogany cruisers for which the place is named.
Day Four
Before leaving town, squeeze in a morning round at Old Greenwood golf course in Truckee, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design that debuted in 2004 and promptly made several lists of the country's best new courses. It's a good walk amid unspoiled nature, a seamless routing through stately pines and blue sagebrush. If not for the lakefront finishing stretch at Edgewood, Old Greenwood would be the area's course to play if you could play only one. Just be careful to choose the right tees: Even from the third set of markers—one in from the tips—the course plays a hefty 6,944 yards.
Finally, stop in for a fortifying lunch at the roadside, kitschy-chic Rosie's Cafe, a Tahoe City, California, landmark that sits on the site of a former stagecoach corral.
Trip Planner: Lake Tahoe
PLAYING
Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course ****1/2
775-588-3566, www.edgewood-tahoe.com. Yardage: 7,445. Par: 72. Slope: 144. Greens Fees: $150–$200. Architect: George Fazio, 1968.
Old Greenwood **** 1/2
800-754-3070, www.oldgreenwood.com. Yardage: 7,518. Par: 72. Slope: 149. Greens Fee: $170. Architect: Jack Nicklaus, 2004.
Coyote Moon Golf Course ****
530-587-0886, www.coyotemoongolf.com. Yardage: 7,177. Par: 72. Slope: 136. Greens Fee: $150. Architect: Brad Bell, 2000.
Incline Village, Championship Course ****
866-925-4653, www.golfincline.com. Yardage: 7,106. Par: 72. Slope: 144. Greens Fee: $155. Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1964; redesigned by Kyle Phillips, 2004.
STAYING
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino, 800-553-3288. Rooms, Suites and Cottages: $185–$1,495.
DINING
Big Water Grille (American), 775-833-0606. $$$$
Gar Woods Grill & Pier (Californian), 530-546-3366. $$$$
Log Cabin Café (Breakfast and lunch), 530-546-7109. $
Lone Eagle Grille (Steak and seafood), 775-886-6899. $$$$
Rosie's Cafe (Eclectic), 530-583-8504. $$
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, 800-747-4697, www.laketahoeshakespeare.com.
Truckee River Raft Company, 877-583-0123, www.truckeeriverraft.com
New courses add summer clout to a classic destination
CBSSports.com, George Fuller, 6/10
High in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, two hours northeast of San Francisco and 30 minutes southwest of Reno, Lake Tahoe straddles two states and two worlds.
The South Shore of the lake resides in Nevada, where casinos, shows, gaming and bright nights are as much the draw as the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains and wide water. It's not Las Vegas, to be sure, but it's decidedly more active than North Shore, which is in California and moves at a different pace. Over here, water sports, boating, hiking and fly-fishing have long been the lure as well as calm evenings spent in your favorite bistro for a locally sourced meal and a good bottle of California vino.
And while the fresh air, postcard-perfect alpine serenity and pine-scented loveliness of Lake Tahoe is certainly enough to satisfy any summer visitor, some darn good golf courses bring added joy to those of us thus inclined. Rejoice. Many of the region's best courses have banded together into a group called Golf the High Sierra and a website has been established that will help you decide upon an itinerary that works perfectly for you.
The courses in the group are somewhat scattered, with drive times from five minutes to two hours depending on where you are staying and where you are playing. At the far northern end of the region is the town of Graeagle, where several surprisingly good courses are discovered; and the southernmost boundary is South Shore, on the Nevada side of the lake. Smack in the middle is Truckee, an old lumber town that not only exudes an artsy/folksy charm, but nowadays is home to a number of very fine golf courses and communities. One can also find seven courses surrounding Reno in the eastern foothills of the mountains.
Many people's longtime favorite course up here is Edgewood Tahoe at South Shore, a George Fazio design that hosts the American Century Celebrity tournament (July 13-18), broadcast on NBC and now in its 21st year. With stars from many fields participating over the years, such as Michael Jordan, Ray Romano, Charles Barkley, Tony Romo, Dennis Quaid and many others, this layout is located on the shores of Lake Tahoe with the 17th and 18th holes playing right next to the beach.
During the week of the celebrity tournament, the beach adjacent to Edgewood is lined with boats and bathing suit-clad revelers hoping to catch a glimpse of the golf action and their favorite stars.
But it's the Truckee side of the lake where the newest and arguably best courses are found. Though Coyote Moon is a few years old now, it is still renowned for its scenic vistas and shot-making values. Get out the camera on the 13th hole, a par 3 that plays from a cliff-side tee box more than 200 feet down to a creek-fronted green.
Coyote Moon
What struck me as most significant, though, is that in the past year three new courses have brought a whole new level of quality to daily fee players: Old Greenwood, Timilick Tahoe and The Golf Club at Gray's Crossing.
All three were originally built as private courses inside exclusive residential communities. But with real-estate sales suffering as they have in recent years, all three are now open for public play. Word to the wise: Go play them while you can, because if/when the real-estate market improves, these courses might revert to private.
Old Greenwood is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design that plays across 7,518 yards of forested land that opens onto wide mountain panoramas and is lined by luxe cabins and homes. A full-service Golf Academy is part of the offering here, headed by Keith Lyford, a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher.
Sister property to Old Greenwood and right across the highway is The Golf Club at Gray's Crossing. Jim Hardy and Peter Jacobsen designed this very playable, very walkable gem. A native wetland fronts the 18th green, providing a memorable carry shot from the fairway, which can make or break a match.
If superior accommodations are an important element of your family's decision-making, the brand new Ritz-Carlton Highlands at Northstar Resort is your kind of place. An elegant mountain lodge set high on the ski slopes and providing ski-in/ski-out access to Northstar's powder in winter months, in summer guests can indulge at the region's best spa, have the concierge make tee times at any of the area's courses, enjoy the cuisine of a James Beard Award-winning chef or kick back in front of a fireplace and enjoy the majestic views.
In the Graeagle area, an off-the-beaten-path recommendation for accommodations is Twenty Mile House, a bed-and-breakfast run by a charming young couple and their 3-year-old son. A stone-walled structure that dates to 1854 and set in an enchanting forested, Twenty Mile House is a perfect couples getaway spot and only 15 minutes from Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club and Plumas Pines, two remote mountain courses you'd legitimately call "hidden gems."
Golf is certainly one compelling reason to visit the high Sierra these days, but there are also lots of other reasons to plan a summer trip. The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (July 10-August 22) presents the bard under the stars; the Nevada State Fair (August 25-29) is good, clean family fun; and the Great Reno Balloon Race (Sept. 10-12) brings more than 100 colorful hot air balloons together from across the country for races and competitions.
Fat Guy Notes:
When To Go: Don't forget Tahoe is mountainous country, and winters are for real despite the proximity to the desert. Go between May and September for the best golf weather.