The best of golf in the High Sierras
The Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern Nevada and California makes for spectacular natural scenery and a collection of the mountain and desert west's top golf courses.
At an altitude more than 6,000 feet, Lake Tahoe is one of America's most spectacular natural wonders and is a top resort and gaming destination. South Lake Tahoe is home to the region's most famous, golf course, Edgewood Tahoe, which finishes spectacularly on the south shore.
Just north of Lake Tahoe, the village of Truckee has experienced a growth in golf and residential developments in the mountains, including the newest course, Schaffer's Mill Club. Truckee is remote, but Graeagle is more so, a small, laid-back village in Plumas County, which is home to more mountain golf, none better than Whitehawk Ranch.
The golf season can be all too short in the High Sierras, sometimes not opening until late May or early June depending on the course's elevation. For four-season golf and 24/7 gaming and entertainment, Reno-Sparks boasts affordable, sunny high-desert courses year round, including semi-private Red Hawk Golf Resort, while also serving host to the PGA Tour's Reno-Tahoe Open at exclusive Montreux Golf Club.
Here's a look at the many different sides to golf in the High Sierras, Reno and Carson Valley.