Divining Greatness: Northern Nevada
The best place in the West to fill out an epic nine-day golf vacation without breaking the bank isn’t where you think it is. Well, maybe it is, if you’ve gone down its road before, among the sagebrush and cottonwoods and winding snow-fed rivers. But make no mistake, the Carson Valley-Carson City-Dayton collection of high-desert courses known as the Divine 9 is the real deal, and we’re not talking Texas Hold ’em — though that’s available too, 24 hours a day, along with any other game of chance you can think of. No Northern Nevada region has seen more golf growth over the past decade than Carson City-Carson Valley. Ideally situated a half hour south of Reno and 20 minutes from Lake Tahoe, the Silver State’s capital city and environs has transformed itself from an outpost of Western history, agriculture and politics into a stand-alone golf destination that, for variety, rivals places like Bend, Ore., or the Oregon Coast — and blows them away if you’re on a budget. In the late 1990s — nearly 150 years after the Mormons established Nevada’s first permanent white settlement in Genoa, and 140 years after a young writer named Samuel Clemens plied his pseudo-journalistic trade in Virginia City — the Carson Valley’s tourism bureau and golf operators came up with a clever name for its collection of excellent courses: The Divine Nine. Ranging from an old-fashioned tree-lined parkland track with small greens to modern championship-caliber courses designed by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, Peter Jacobsen and John Harbottle, they are examples of high-desert golf at its most refined, challenging and inspiring. At least three courses are perennially named among Nevada’s best, and a couple others are getting closer as they mature and gain character. Within a 40-minute driving radius, players will find snow-dusted mountain views, dense wetlands, windswept sagescapes and awesome elevation changes. The region’s climate is nearly perfect for golf, with nearly no humidity and temperatures ranging from the 70s to mid-90s in the spring, summer and fall. Most courses are playable year-round, the service is outstanding at all of them and Northern Nevada’s favorite cornucopia of outdoor (and indoor) fun, including Lake Tahoe, is just beyond the final green. Let’s dive into the divine in alphabetical order, starting at Carson Valley Golf Course in Minden, a 20-minute drive south of Carson City. Tom Brooks and his wife took over this course from Brooks’ parents several years ago. “We love the small town atmosphere, it’s a great place to raise kids and we’re very pro-active with community issues,” says Brooks, who’s worked in all facets of the golf business since his teen years. “We bring new philosophy to an old golf course.” Carson Valley opened in 1963 as a private nine-holer, then added a second nine several years later. Dan and Lynn Brooks bought it in 1983 and put a lot of work into its condition, only to see much of the then-back nine (now the front nine) wiped out in a January 1997 flood. “Then they rebuilt it, and now it’s back in great shape, with more trees than any other courses in the area, a lot of big cottonwoods,” says their son. That’s one of Carson Valley’s best features, especially on hot days when shade is in short supply. There are no lakes but lots of water — creeks and drainage ditches. Greens are small, and it’s a flat, walkable course of only 6,003 yards, but that doesn’t mean it’s a pushover. “You’re forced to make a lot of decisions,” Brooks says. “You don’t need to hit driver on every par 4, but you’ve got to hit it in the right spot. It’s a great place to learn the game, friendly and non-intimidating.” With 16 years under its belt and a brand-new full-service clubhouse finally in place, this Arnold Palmer-Ed Seay product (their first in Northern Nevada) just gains momentum as a go-to place for quality- and challenge-minded Carson area visitors, including scads of groups. Set in a brown-and-gold-hued valley ringed by the Pine Nut Mountain range, it’s dotted with lakes, bunkers and contoured and mounded fairways that create a links-style feel. The course begins with several good but comfortable holes that allow the player to get into the flow of the game. Then each nine builds to a crescendo of very strong finishers. Members lay claim to their own version of Augusta National’s “Amen Corner” on holes 6 through 9, which include the challenge of water on each. No. 9, a 450-yard par 4 from the back tees, resembles No. 18 at Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and is one of the most difficult holes in the region. Back toward town, the 36-hole Eagle Valley Municipal Golf Complex comprises Carson City’s oldest golf experience, and thanks to the efforts of General Manager Jim Kepler — who started his career here and returned in fall 2006 after a decade and a half at Dayton Valley — it’s on the upsurge in conditioning and presentation. “We’re really putting some money and effort into both courses to bring them up to the standards guests and regulars expect,” Kepler says. “And they’ll still remain the city’s best bargain.” Then there’s the West, which gets most of the ink, and rightly so. It offers unmatched views of Nevada’s capital city as it winds up and around the foothills on the northeast side of town. Seven new bunkers were added a few years ago, and the balance were re-contoured and reshaped to match the original design intent. Just across Highway 50 is Empire Ranch. The Divine Nine’s only 27-hole complex opened in 1997 along a tranquil stretch of the Carson River, near the low hills just east of Carson City. Each nine has its own character, though taken as a whole, the design has more in common with traditional links than modern desert layouts. The three nines offer a different look every day, which makes Empire Ranch a natural for locals — even people from Reno who would rather make the half-hour drive and play once a week instead of pay higher fees at some of the courses there. Empire Ranch really presents three “flavors” of golf, and all have their fans. The Blue or “Sierra” course is friendliest, The White or “River” course is longest and the Red or “Comstock” course is tightest. Standout holes include the Red’s final stretch — No. 8 is a short but tricky par 3 that usually plays straight into the wind, while No. 9 is a nearly reachable par 4 with water skirting the entire right side. The riverside holes on the White are memorable, as well. After heading south on US 395 and making a right toward Tahoe, golfers find The Golf Club at Genoa Lakes — now two courses strong since owner Mario Antoci acquired Sierra Nevada Golf Ranch in 2005, the final piece of an $18 million renovation and upgrade that also saw him build a huge new clubhouse. The original John Harbottle/Peter Jacobsen-designed Lakes Course is annually rated one of Nevada’s best, and remains the gold standard of Northern Nevada public golf, while its sibling just up the road, also authored by Harbottle with a big assist from Johnny Miller, is about to get even better this year with the debut of six new holes on the back nine. “Every piece of land is unique to itself. This course combines everything — the wetlands, the high-desert plains … it’s just a great site,” Jacobsen says. “And we managed to build a great variety of holes, with forced-carry holes like the par-3 No. 12, drivable holes like the short par-4 11th, the long par-4 10th, the tough par-4 18th. We didn’t build it as a tournament-tough course; we built it as resort course where people could have fun.” Draped across sage-studded foothills, Genoa Lakes’ Resort Course is primed for its best summer yet. Guests will find some of the area’s best practice facilities, full-service banquet-wedding-special events amenities, a fully stocked pro shop and a general private club-type atmosphere — all spiced with carefully concocted Old West touches. The former Sierra Nevada was originally a working cattle ranch homesteaded in the 1850s, but these days, calls of “go in the hole!” or “be the club!” have replaced wranglers’ whoops and hollers. Not to say a whoop wouldn’t be in order should you break 80 on Miller and Harbottle’s intriguing course, which negotiates some very challenging terrain. They’ve scattered more than 100 bunkers along its 7,000-plus yards, though many act as tee targets and others are welcome ball-catchers for shots otherwise headed deep into the sage. Landing areas are often wider than they look from the tee; greens are large and well-contoured, though many of them are accessible with a chip-and-run, especially on some of the area’s best risk-reward 4-pars, such as No. 4 and No. 8. The new holes are on flatter ground than their predecessors, while the final scenic stretch moves links-like back to the clubhouse; the par-3 No. 17 and par-5 No. 18 both require tee shots over or around water. The Divine’s newest track, Silver Oak, is another bargain delight on the north edge of Carson City. Opened in 1999, this Tom Duncan-Sid Salomon design flows naturally and almost secretly through a sage-swept valley, at the center of a 300-home housing development. Holes sneak up on the player, serving up interesting tee-shot strategies, hidden traps and lakes, occasional sweat-inducing approach shots and tricky, tiered greens. There are swales and grass bunkers, rock outcroppings and fingers of rough that creep into driving areas. There is the unusual feature of back-to-back 3-pars, which face in opposite directions and are among several holes that offer sweeping, dramatic and potentially distracting views of Carson City and the hills beyond. Silver Oak is always in good condition, and the addition of a permanent clubhouse several years ago made it more attractive to visitors and tournaments. South Reno residents can be on the tee in a half hour, and the word has long since gotten out among tourists that this course is an almost unbeatable deal. In all, for a track that measures only 6,564 yards from the tournament tees, Silver Oak’s twists and turns are challenge enough — especially if one of those familiar Washoe zephyrs cranks up out of the southwest. At the opposite end of Carson City, just over the Douglas County border, Sunridge drew gasps of delight — and sometimes frustration — among golfers when it opened in stages, beginning in November 1997. They loved its five tee boxes, elevation changes, eagle’s-nest views of the Carson Valley and Pine Nut Mountains to the south and east and Sierra Nevada to the west, as well as first-time architect Bill Wellman’s widely varying hole designs. Word got around that to score well on this track a golfer needed patience, a bit of local knowledge and a few well-placed bounces. Sunridge has a way of eliciting strong comments from even the most passive players. Many are surprised at the incredible elevation drop on holes 14 or 16, for instance — two hard-to-describe pieces in what’s really the most unique jigsaw puzzle-type nine in Northern Nevada. After negotiating the level lies and sneaky water hazards of nos. 10 through 13 — which is now reachable par 5 — all of a sudden you’re gingerly steering your brand-new “mountain cart” up a quarter-mile-long stretch of steep concrete to the 14th tee, which affords not only the best view on the course, but hits you right between the eyes with a tantalizing free-fall tee shot to a tumbling, rolling fairway. From there, it’s quite a ride to the final hole, which used to be a very tough par 5 but is now a much friendlier straightaway par 4. The front nine offers its own charms and surprises. The first five holes are fairly flat, with water coming into play on all but No. 2 — the easiest par 4 on the course at only 350 yards from the tips, a solid drive from which leaves a fade wedge into the wide, shallow green. No. 8 is a drivable 310-yard hole where you can fly, bounce or weave the ball beyond its seven bunkers, while No. 9 is a severely downhill dogleg-left, with a babbling brook along the left side emptying into a lake guarding the green, and lots of landing area but few level lies to the right. For visiting golfers, it’s yet one more reason why the Divine Nine lives up to its heavenly (and affordable) reputation, year after year. FG THE DIVINE 9 Dayton Valley Country Club Eagle Valley Golf Course Empire Ranch Golf Course Genoa Lakes Golf Club Silver Oak Golf Course Sunridge Golf Course WHERE TO STAY Gold Dust West, Carson City Bliss Mansion Bed and Breakfast, Carson City Best Western Carson Station Hotel-Casino, Carson City The Plaza Hotel & Conference Center Carson Nugget/City Center Motel Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Carson City reader comments
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Classic ClownSpring 2007
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