Wow. What is the club drop there? I'm thinking hit it about 140? I've never played with a tee that elevated.

I keep laughing at these courses. I was talking to a guy on Saturday who was starting to be driven insane about the "target golf" around here (Northeastern PA). He was a 7 and now is playing to a 10-11 because he has all kinds of problems with the small greens and tight doglegs. I have no idea how I would handle a wide open 7200 yard course.

The Nationwide tour came through town this week. Northeast PA Classic

Slight Brag: I shot a 90 here on the media day.

Beat: was 6 over when I came to the 14th and snap hooked back to back drivers into the woods. took a 10. Then alternated par bogey in and three putted from 4 feet on 18 for bogey.

It's also at elevation (> 5000') so I think the right distance was about 160. I'm a pretty short hitter, so would take a 5I into a 170 yd hole at sea level and expect to be below the hole. Here, I hit a 5I and it went way over. I would have felt like an idiot teeing up a 6I from outside of 200 yds, but that was probably the right club for me.

Wow, that Truckee hole must be incredibly difficult if a wind gets whipping through that canyon, even more so because the green isn't very deep at all.

That's the type of hole I [censored] hate if I'm new to a course.
You got a good round going, then you come to some tricked out joke of a par 3 with that elevation drop.
Keep it.

I Google Mapped the Truckee course to see WTF was going on and it doesn't look like the course has a driving range! Huge foul.

Correct. And the greens fee was $160.

From my memory that picture actually doesn't do the elevation change justice-- but on the other hand, I remember the green being much deeper than the picture suggests, and more room long and short off the green. So while it might take experience or good guess work to get it just right, finding the surface isn't hard (maybe I just lucked out though). You tend to face stuff like this whenever you go somewhere new, and times ten in mountain courses.

Funny, all the rounds I've played in Tahoe, Truckee, etc., I don't remember playing in windy conditions. It must suck.

edit: "The range" is a net you can hit into behind the first tee.

$160 for a round and a net for a driving range. Is Truckee a really high-end area because of its proximity to mountains and Lake Tahoe? Is the land just too expensive to buy that acreage or is it not flat enough?

I think I passed through Truckee a few years ago on my way to some whitewater rafting, and also played Edgewood Tahoe and some goat pasture-ish course nearby that I think is called Lake Tahoe Golf Course, but both at least could afford land for a range.

Disclaimer: (I'm making stuff up.)

I think there's comparatively limited development generally in North Lake Tahoe and that Tahoe-Donner (Truckee) area has managed growth pretty well-- second get-away home, vacation home, investment opportunities-- good recreation options year round. It's a short golf season and they get resort type traffic and they charge resort type prices because they can, yo. What's golf in your neck cost during spring training?

Coyote Moon was put in a meadow right below a housing area and it may just have been a question of useable real estate. Come to think of it, and it was a long time ago, but when Tahoe-Donner was new it didn't have a range. (I'm not sure if it does now, or not.)

In this particular case, it's part of this "Tahoe Mountain Club", along with a couple of other golf courses, real estate developments, and resorts. I suspect the rates are more reasonable if you buy a house in the area.

Rack rates for nicer courses are generally in the $100-200+ range during that time, but I can't think of a single top notch course that doesn't have a large, generous range so I figured something else was coming into play here (availability of flat/usable land or the cost of the real estate).

When I played Edgewood Tahoe a few Augusteses ago I think we paid $240 each, tied with Cabo del Sol for most I've ever paid to play golf. Damn was it worth it though. Also, I heard they were gonna reroute the 9th hole to bring the lake into play which makes sense, but not sure if they've done that yet.

Yeah, no range = teh suck, but overall I felt better about the $320 we spent here than the 4-something we paid at Troon North last Christmas.

Tahoe-Donner does have a driving range now. I played it a couple months ago. Beautiful course. Respectable (for me) 84 (40-44). I think it was $85 but that was playing with a housing association member.

I liked T-D better than Edgewood. Edgewood seemed a little plain to me considering the price except for the few holes where you get good looks at the lake. Of course maybe I was just bitter because I didn't play well.

Never played Coyote Moon but heard great things. Twilight (after 2:00) is $100 so thats not too bad.

Ban plz.

Wow. South Lake is a bit of a different situation, I think. To my taste there are better options north (or, at least there were when I played). It would be nice to go back, because my memory of Edgewood has never been as favorable as others-- not saying I didn't like/enjoy it.

I really like T-D too. Brag: 1980 I watched Watson, Nicklaus, and Stadler play an exhibition there. Just those three and a maybe a couple thousand(?) spectatin. (Stads chili dipped wedge on 18 in a bunker and then buried the club head with a hearty "FRuck!" Classic exhibition fare, prolly cost him lunch.)

shot 88 at Hiddenbrooke in Vallejo , CA on Friday. Blue tees and it was my first time on that course. I was 12 over par on par3's and had 3 three putts.

I meant considering the price. $200+ for that course seemed way too pricey. Tahoe-Donner is just as good, if not better, and was less than half the price.

The best deal in the area is Apple Mountain, a mountain course near Placerville (about an hour from South Lake), that is absolutely beautiful and costs only $45. Its a course you either love or hate due to tons of side, up, and down hill lies

45 for nine holes. Wasted four shots punching out of the trees on two holes, one stupid three putt. Otherwise was pretty happy with how I played. It's coming.

Shot +3 on a par 71 6400yrds...wasn't very happy with my round though. Had to spot my dad 18 strokes and was 3 down through 6, but was ahead and dormi after 16, and won on 18...drinks on him :P

Brag: I was trading him a round at a really expensive course (130/round) for 2 rounds at other courses (around 60 each) so he went in to pay for our rounds (our 3rd had already paid), he goes in and they ask if he's paying for one...he says 'no, for 2' and they said one had already checked in (of the 3)...but they only chraged him for the one round...nice!

Maybe my 3rd round this year. Shot 87 on a ~121 slope. Gave away a ton shots on mental errors, short sided my self on easily 1/3 of the holes. Very tired I forgot how tiring walking 18 carrying your bag was

I have played one round of desert golf in my life and I ran into a rattlesnake (i.e., I walked to < 4 feet away from it while looking for my ball in the scrub). Luckily I had my lob wedge in hand and I waved it furiously in its direction while I high stepped out of the hazard like Deion Sanders in high heels.

BREAKTHROUGH!

First time I have ever broken par for 18 holes.

Two under par 70 today, blue tees.
14 GIR, 29 putts.

Maumee Bay State Park - Arthur Hills design

I got a couple good breaks coming within six inches of the heather on one hole. And having my ball stop on a bank that sloped down into the water on another a la Freddie Couples. I also executed some excellent shots. I drilled home a 15-footer for par on the 8th hole. Birdied 9 to make the turn at -2. Then played a sand bunker shot to 16 inches to save par on number 10. I was rolling the ball great with the putter today, though I missed a couple chances for birdie down the stretch from around 20 feet.

Does anybody read these?

I do...well done! Always an impressive/awesome achievement.

No.

Good job though. Did you tip it out?