I could eat tacos until I am blue in the face, but if you made me choose between tacos and Tahoe, I would choose Tahoe every single time. The only problem with this particular visit to Tahoe… it wasn’t long enough. I visited only for a couple of days, but I loaded up on a heavy doses of those Tahoe blues.
First up on the agenda was a visit to South Lake Tahoe and Edgewood Tahoe. Every year, Edgewood plays host to the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. Celebrities and athletes like Justin Timberlake, Steph Curry, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Ray Romano crowd the shores of Lake Tahoe and golf hard.
Those “Keep Tahoe Blue” bumper stickers are working.
Edgewood Tahoe is located right next to the casinos of South Lake and is an excellent place for a golfin’ and gamblin’ type trip. I wasn’t hitting the casinos on this particular visit, but I have been known to lose $5-$10 on a friendly Nassau. The best part about Edgewood is that it is a public golf course and anyone can tee it up. Just book a tee time and golf like a celebrity.
The 18th hole at Edgewood is one of the best finishers in Tahoe.
The 10th hole starts off a terrific back nine.
Beware of the bunkers on the 16th green at Edgewood
For the afternoon, I headed up to the north side of Lake Tahoe to visit another public gem called Coyote Moon. Located in the pristine forests of Lake Tahoe, there isn’t a single home spoiling the view at Coyote Moon. Numerous rock outcroppings really add to the ambience.
The golf ride at Coyote Moon is also a lot of fun. With ample landing areas off of the tee, you won’t lose too many balls and will have plenty of chances to go for broke or birdie.
With the elevation and the significantly downhill slope, you could hit 3-4 clubs less on the 13th hole.
Shadows fall on the 16th green at Coyote Moon.
The par 5 12th hole is a great eagle opportunity and a personal favorite.
The following day it was a visit to Old Greenwood. Old Greenwood is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design and always a crowd favorite with the visiting golfers. Even though the golf course is lined with trees, it’s very playable and still presents a challenge to the scratch player. I casually strolled by Anika Sorenstam as I headed into the pro shop to check in. If Old Greenwood is good enough for Anika, it’s good enough for me.
The view from behind the 18th green. This uphill finishing hole is one of the finest holes on the property.
The short par 3 3rd hole at Old Greenwood.
The public options for golf in Tahoe run pretty deep. Not only do you have a large number of courses to choose from, but you also have plenty of high end public golf courses as well. Where some destinations have a large concentration of private golf clubs, Tahoe has a great percentage of public golf that anyone can enjoy. I made a quick visit to another public course and area favorite called Schaffer’s Mill.
The 8th hole at Schaffer’s Mill.
Good bunkering, good shadows.
After a rousing good meal at “The Sawyer,” a newly renovated restaurant at Schaffer’s Mill, I retired to my quarters for the evening.
When you are bouncing from hotel room to hotel room, a lot of the accommodations tend to blend together. However, my accommodations for this trip were especially unique. The River Ranch Lodge has white water rafting, a restaurant, and rooms that you can stay in right on the Truckee river.
The Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee also stood out. Just look at that fancy bed. How often do you take pictures of a hotel room bed? They also have these fancy shower heads that they will explain to you when you check in. So fancy that they require an explanation.
In the morning I loaded up on a serious breakfast situation and headed out for the final round of the trip. I had managed to secure a tee time at one of the few private courses in the area called Clear Creek.
Designed by the Coore Crenshaw team of architects, Clear Creek Tahoe opened for play in 2014. It’s regarded as one of the best places to play in the Tahoe area and I had the course to myself. I was feeling pretty special.
Every golfer hits the skids every once in a while and for the past several weeks this guy had been going sideways with the golf ball. That was all going to change with my solo mission around Clear Creek. The birdies flowed like mountain fresh spring water rolling down the mountain side. Even when things got a little questionable, I would roll in a long par putt to keep the momentum going. It was one of those days that makes the golf soul smile. I tapped in for birdie on 18 and a satisfying even par 71.
The short 17th emits a strong Pine Valley vibe.
Before the sun had time to set on another blue and beautiful day in Tahoe, I was off to my next blue destination… Hawaii