Last week, I played golf for the first time in 2020. It's crazy to say that, but I've actually been enjoying this break and I will probably go right back into hibernation. The only things that would tempt me to briefly come out of semi-retirement with all that's going on in 2020 would be the... Continue Reading →
Overtime in Olympic Valley
The original plan for this last Northern California trip had Gray's Crossing and Old Greenwood as my final two rounds on Tuesday before a long drive home. However, you may have noticed that a couple rounds got played earlier than anticipated along the way and that left only Old Greenwood to play that morning. Ultimately,... Continue Reading →
Keep on Truckee-in’
The main goal for my most recent trip to Northern California was to knock out all of the "Lost Sierra" region, which is basically all the courses in Plumas County (11 courses total) and also Diamond Mountain as the lone Lassen County representative. With the long summer days and, good planning and some fortunate circumstances,... Continue Reading →
Course Review: Grizzly Ranch Golf Club
I played quite a few "must-play" courses on this trip, but none was more anticipated than Grizzly Ranch Golf Club in Portola. I have heard nothing but great things about this course in recent years and it was on the top of my list for courses I hadn't played yet in Northern California. Speaking of... Continue Reading →
Climbing the Mountains in Clio
It's no secret that I love mountain golf, which is why I had been looking forward to this trip for awhile. There are several courses in this Lost Sierra/Plumas County region that I've been dying to play for years, so it was rewarding to see it all come together in one whirlwind visit. I've been... Continue Reading →
Long Summer Days and Lots of Golf in the Lost Sierra
Sunday turned out to be an exhausting 81-hole day starting at around 5:30 in the morning at Diamond Mountain and ending just before dark around 8:45 in the evening at Chalet View Lodge. I've already chronicled the three short courses played that day, along with the morning rounds at Diamond Mountain and Bailey Creek. Originally,... Continue Reading →
Looking for Diamonds in the Rough
We're going to go a little out of order as I review the various courses from my most recent Northern California trip that took me all over the "Lost Sierra" and down into the Truckee/Tahoe area once again. I will pair up the course reviews geographically to make things easier. After staying the night in... Continue Reading →
Course Review: Orinda Country Club
This last Northern California trip was a whirlwind three days with plenty of driving and a lot of golf during the longest days of the year. I have one more course to review, though, and I certainly saved the best for last. Orinda Country Club is something special in the East Bay Area. Like Marin... Continue Reading →
Course Review: Napa Valley Country Club
As my reviews from this come to an end, I get to the best two courses I played on this particular visit to Northern California. One was Orinda Country Club, which I will review last because I played it last. The other was Napa Valley Country Club. The tease of playing this private club has... Continue Reading →
Course Review: Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course
As I mentioned in my I-5 Short Course Blitz, I pretty much had a free afternoon by myself on Thursday after we finished at Wilcox Oaks. I went ahead and knocked out Glenn and Arbuckle because they made sense, but then I still had plenty of daylight before I headed to Napa that night. That... Continue Reading →