Planning a trip to Reno, NV in late March, can anyone give some tips for good courses?
Found Truckee River Regional Park and Bijou Community Park in the course directory, both look to be within driving distance. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Oh yeah, is it cold in early spring in Reno?

Those courses around Lake Tahoe may not be open in March.

Grass Valley, CA would be a good place to hit up and it's not too far.

As far as I know, the only course they pull during the winter is Kirkwood. Make sure you check out Zephyr Cove. It's near Bijou and has actual tees. Bijou can be a tough slog this time of year.

The courses will be open, but there still might be 3 to 4 feet of snow on the ground. Big black dog is right, grass valley would be a great place to go.
However if you are stuck in Reno and really want to play, there is a decent 9hole object course in Reno that not too many people know about. It is located just north of the university on Virginia Street. Heading north on Virginia St. when you pass McCarron St. take your first left and park near the baseball field. You will be throwing near and around the Basque monument. The objects are the little posts with 1square-foot signs attached right at about normal chain height. Good Luck!!!

My brother just got back from Reno today,and Tahoe is capped off.But when the ground is dry,Truckee and Bijou are sweet!Didn't check out Zephyr.Rent a car and ride to Delaveaga.Well worth the trip to play there.

I spent my honeymoon in Tahoe and played Bijou and Truckee - of course that was September and it was still warm and dry, so I had no snow or mud to deal with. I thought they were both fun courses and the views of the Sierra's alone made them worth playing. Just beautiful locations.
If you're staying in Reno, I'd recommend the Truckee River course. It's closer than Bijou (only 5 minutes south of I-80 versus 30 minutes), it has cement tees, it's well marked so it's easy to navigate for first timers.

Thanks for the input/suggestions all!

Maybe its a better idea to try a little later in the spring. The wife is dead set on Reno though.

Definately appreciate the Truckee info and directions to the object course.

What is this Zephyr you speak of? Can't find any info in the directory.

Many thanks.

Zephyr Cove is in Nevada, while the other courses are all in California.

Zephyr cove is tough--especially finding your disc on the up mountain front nine. It's a combo disc golf/survivor kind of course.i think I counted 7 holes with lake views which is defintiely worth the climbs and the lost discs.

In Vermont we just wear snow shoes, and yak traks. Ther's no such thing as bad weather--just bad dress. My baskets now have 3" of snowabove the bottom of them.

Truckee is very sweet--combines Dg and ecotourism/botony--but the awesome views of the Sierras are less than one could find at the party store across the street. So. Tahoe is a "perfect course". It utilizes the best of the Ponderosa pines which don't look as close together as they play(especially to us novice amateurs.)

Grass Valley is my mid February dream this year. Can't wait.

Kirkwood I hear is not happening in the winter.

The other cool thing about Zephyr Cove is the possibility of contracting the plague. No Joke.

I spent two weeks in Cali last June and the best course I played was in Nevada. Zephyr Cove is easily in my top 5 favorites. My favorite California course was Stafford Lake in Novato.
Plaque?

Plague, the black death! Still no joke. There are plague warnings in the parking lot.

Just don't lick your fingers before you throw.

Stafford Lake /msgboard/images/clipart/proud.gif

I'm going skiing next week out in Lake Tahoe. We're gonna ski 6 out of 7 days and take a day off in the middle, and I'd love to get a round in.

This will be my first time in the area. Are any of the following courses available for play this time of year?

Bijou Community Park
Truckee River Regional Park
Zephyr Cove Park
North Tahoe Regional Park

Which is the must-play course? Is one of them a world class challenge with pro par four and pro par five holes? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

(Obviously the course at Kirkwood Ski Resort is closed this time of year. :D)

Bijou is one of my favorite courses. It should be playable even with snow on the ground, depending on the snow depth in town.

Zephyr would be pretty tough with snow, as it is pretty much billy-goat golf though thick manzanita. It's hard to get through without losing a disc in the summer!

I don't have any idea how Truckee would play in the Winter. Couf=ld go either way.

Thanks Rhett; sounds like Bijou is the place. I've got some old beat-up plastic that is colored so I'm ready to go. :cool:

Zephyr Cove Park, Zephyr Cove, NV – It takes a few holes to climb out of the trees, but once you get to the basket of hole#5, the views of Lake Tahoe and the mountains are to die for! This course is an awesome “billy-goat” course with some extreme elevation changes and grueling hiking required. The signature hole is a toss-up between hole#10, which has an elevated tee pad and shoots about 375 downhill into a clearing in a valley, or the 400-foot hole#15 which tees directly towards Lake Tahoe and shoots downhill some 30-40 vertical feet. There are some tight shots between pines and Douglas firs, and some interesting rock formations which make for some really neat greens such as on hole#16, the basket of which lies between some large boulders. While there are no pro par four holes at this course, there are some very tough par threes that will challenge even the seasoned golfer. With some steep hiking required at Zephyr, whoever designed the course was a sadist. But if the climbs don’t take your breath away, the views certainly should make you a masochist who will enjoy every breathless minute of it.

Zephyr would make for one of my top courses if it was better marked & maintained. Perhaps the permanent signs are removed in the winter, but with only a metal pole to mark teeing areas, finding one’s way around this course is tedious if you’re not already familiar with the layout. Golfers with experience, and better knowledge and control of their discs, will enjoy this course more than beginners, who will no doubt spend considerable time searching through the manzanita bushes for their discs, if they are able to find them at all. The manzanita is ubiquitous and omnipresent throughout the entire course, with long pants a must, and I’d advise bringing plastic you don’t care about losing. Novices and those in poor physical shape might be better off at the flat track down in town at Bijou. Also, no matter how sparsely the fitness course is used, that it shares the same space with the disc golf course is an unacceptable safety risk.

Throwing over the manzanita on hole#7.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/10/picture002nr5.jpg

Hole#10: The basket is between the trees straight ahead and far below you. I gasped when I first stepped on the tee of this hole. It's a 'bag-emptier.'
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/9342/picture004ik5.jpg

I threw my drive between the trees, and ended up about 15 feet left, and made the deuce putt, woo-hoo!
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/7469/picture006vx8.jpg

Looking back up at the tee
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/2043/picture007so8.jpg

Hole#15: Awesome views of Lake Tahoe and snow-capped mountains.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/9982/picture010st9.jpg

The polehole is in the snow about in the center of the picture.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/5695/picture011me5.jpg

Looking back at the tee.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/4884/picture012ea3.jpg

Bijou Community Park, South Lake Tahoe, CA – The 27 holes at this course play in a mostly flat space of pines and Douglas firs on the outskirts of the town of South Lake Tahoe. While the lake can’t be seen from the course, there are fantastic views on the back eighteen holes of the mountains and portions of Heavenly Ski resort. I played the course on the off-day of a weeklong ski trip to the area in January, and even in the dead of winter I was impressed how the local club had been maintaining the tee pads with cinders, and how many people were out at the course. The amount of traffic in the snow made for paths that allowed one to easily find one’s way to the next hole. The tee signs were professionally done, with a nice graphic and sponsor for each hole. (I was amused that hole 24, at 420 feet long, was sponsored by Tahoehemp.com) There are benches and picnic tables on just about every tee, and I was also delighted to see a minimum of three pin positions on every hole, with the current position marked on each tee sign – that’s a nice touch. With snow and ice on about 2/3 of the course, the layout was understandably short with most pins in the A position, which resulted in a lot of pitch-n-putt. But I could see from the distances on the tee sign that with most pin positions in the longest positions it would provide for a serious test of golfing skills and some borderline pro par four holes. The signature hole is arguably hole #16 in the C position, which tees towards the mountains and plays about 530 feet downhill and across a small seasonal creek. My least favorite hole was probably hole 7, for which the tee of which lied in a place where poor drives on hole#6 would land. Additionally, strong drives that make it clean through the woods on hole#7 could overshoot the basket and easily end up in the road outside the park. However, for beginners and a less strenuous disc golfing experience, playing Bijou is a treat, and is much preferred over the extreme terrain and hiking required over at Zephyr Cove.

Hey Doc. Got a guy on the ground in Reno doing the leg work for you as we speak. Do you know Barry Sealey from Elkin, NC? He's working in Reno and has been for a couple of months. I'll track down contact info from his brother and PM you. :cool:

Nice reviews as always, Jeff. I didn't think Zephyr would be playable with snow on the ground, but it looked like it was just patchy coverage. Good deal.

I should point out one thing, though: It's the "Tahoe Hemp Company", dude. "THC". heh heh. Get it? :)

Yea, I got it. :)

Our timeshare was in Zephyr Cove, so I had to play the course. Additionally, one day the ski lifts were shut down due to high winds so I actually had two days off with which to play disc golf. Also, I forgot my camera at Zephyr and after playing a round, went back and retrieved it and played another! It's too bad because the late afternooon sun ruined most of the pictures of the lake & mountains; I would have gotten much better pictures during the first round earlier in the day. :(

Lung, thanks for the reviews - I'm going to Reno at the end of Feb so I'll definitely have to try those out. Any other advice while out there? :)

Lung, thanks for the reviews - I'm going to Reno at the end of Feb so I'll definitely have to try those out. Any other advice while out there? :)



Keep in mind that these courses are convenient to hit if you're based in South Lake Tahoe. If you're staying in Reno or the north side of the lake, it's at least an hour's drive to these courses, and if coming from Reno, up some very steep winding mountain roads. From Reno, it may be much easier to hop onto I-80 and head just up the road to the Truckee course.

If you plan to play Zephyr Cove, bring disposable plastic you wouldn't care if you lost.

This is a down snow year so far. Avoid Squaw Valley until they get another 4 or 5 feet of snow - the thin cover off KT-22 and the Headwall Express lifts was quite disappointing. I recommend Heavenly which is one of the few Tahoe resorts with extensive snowmaking. The Mott Canyon expert area has good natural coverage and was some the sickest terrain I've ever skiied.

I can't recommend the all-you-can-eat buffets at the casinos. They aren't nearly as good as the ones in Vegas.

When playing video poker or slots, always bet the maximum bet. I got four aces in video poker and could have won $200; instead I only won $40. :(

From: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20070413/Sports/104130085/-1/SPORTS


It's spring cleaning time for Bijou park's disc golf course


Lake Tahoe Action
April 13, 2007

Disc golf anyone?

The Lake Tahoe Disc Golf Association will have a course cleanup fundraiser and barbecue on Saturday, April 14 from noon to 4 p.m.

The course is at Bijou Community Park on Al Tahoe Boulevard. It features 27 baskets with multiple placement options. It was built and funded by volunteers and generous community members, organizations and businesses.

The park cleanup starts at 10 a.m. The barbecue and golfing events begin at noon. There will be live music, a raffle and amazing demonstrations of disc golf, Lake Tahoe's greatest activity.

Bijou is the site of Tahoe's first disc golf course. Zephyr Cove Park's course began as a target course and gradually added baskets in the late 1990's and early 2000s. Kirkwood Mountain Resort and Truckee Regional Park put up courses in 1998. A nine-basket course in Tahoe Vista is under construction.

Looks Reno may be getting its own course:

From: http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...02140322&Ref=AR (http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20080214&Category=NEIGHBORHOODS02&ArtNo=802140322&Ref=AR)


<font size=4>Frisbee golf course to take shape in Reno</font><font size=1>
Martina Beatty ([email protected])
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
February 14, 2008</font>

Reno's getting its own disc golf course.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Washoe Board of County Commissioners approved plans for Rancho San Rafael Park to be the site of a new course for the sport of disc golf, also known as Frisbee golf. Currently, the closest courses include Bijou Disc Golf in South Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Grass Valley's Condon Park (Calif.), the Hanging Oak course in Penn Valley (Calif.) and Truckee Regional Park.

"Some people think when we say disc golf course, we mean a regular golf course," said Michael Jacobus, president and founder of the Reno Disc Golf Association. "(But) we're not irrigating anything, we're just putting up some baskets and pads."

A metal basket is the "hole" and a tee pad is the official starting point for a round of disc golf. Jacobus said a tee pad can be a concrete, rubber or wooden mat. The only other requirements for a disc golf course are signs to successively number each of the 18 holes.

Jacobus, 41, of southwest Reno, founded the Reno Disc Golf Association in 2007, with the goal of getting Reno its own course. The RDGA has

70 members so far, and Jacobus said the group will begin placing the tee pads, baskets and signs once weather permits.

The course will be in the north end of Rancho San Rafael, north of North McCarran Boulevard near the Reno Sports Complex. There will be

nine holes to the north of the trail that leads to the Basque monument and nine holes between that trail and McCarran.

"It's nice in Frisbee golf to have variation in the topography," Jacobus said. "So we ended up looking at Rancho San Rafael, on the north side. Part of the consideration there was parking."

While searching for the perfect piece of land for the course, Jacobus said he found a spot in Hidden Valley, but in deference to nearby neighbors he didn't want disc golf enthusiasts to have to drive through residential areas to get to the course.

Also, Jacobus said, the Rancho San Rafael spot provides easy access for out-of-towners.

"For people who come to Reno from out of town, if you don't just want to hang in the casinos all day, Rancho (San Rafael) is really easy to go to," he said.

When he first called the city, Jacobus said he knew his plan would take hard work and cooperation.

"They get suggestions all the time," he said. "There are a lot of hot-button topics and disc golf isn't one of them."

But Jacobus said that some county personnel helped him and were integral to getting the course approved.

"My first contact was with Al (Rogers, assistant director of Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space), who suggested I create a proposal," Jacobus said. "Once the location at Rancho San Rafael was chosen, it fell within the operational area of Doug Mullens, (North Region operations superintendent for Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space), and he has been involved ever since (as) my primary liaison and contact.

"Both these gentlemen and Andy Mink, a Washoe North Region representative for Rancho who works with Doug, have been huge assets and invaluable in their interest and support of the disc golf course concept."

Mullens said he thinks the disc golf course will be a successful addition to Reno's recreational scene.

"I used to work up in Truckee, and they opened up a course there just as I was leaving (about 8 years ago)," Mullens said. "During good weather, they'll get

200 to 300 people up there playing. "It's a great family activity, and it's certainly an affordable recreational activity."

According to the Professional Disc Golf Association's Web site, www.PDGA.com (http://www.PDGA.com), there are about 600 courses in the United States and Canada.

"If the Web site's accurate, this will be the first one in Nevada," Mullens said.

Tournaments are part of the future plans. Jacobus said the national Disc Golf Association already has offered to sponsor Reno's first disc golf tournament, slated for May.

"I'd like to think of it as something that will draw people to this town for those kind of events," Jacobus said.

Now that county approval is secure, he's seeking sponsors, as well as more members and volunteers, to help make the association's plans into a reality this spring.

To sponsor a hole or join the group, go to www.renodiscgolf.com. (http://www.renodiscgolf.com.) Membership in the RDGA is available for $40 per year for adults, $25 for those younger than 18 years old.

Jacobus moved to Reno from the Bay Area in 1994 to be a promotional and marketing consultant for the casino industry. In addition to founding the RDGA in 2007, he also launched Geocacher Magazine, devoted to the sport of geocaching, and is the magazine's publisher.

Not necessarily a lifelong fan of disc golf, Jacobus said he heard about the sport recently from a friend and liked the idea.

"I have three kids, and I'm always looking for ways to get them outside," he said. "All ages can play it. And once you buy a disc (as little as $6), it's free."

Looks Reno may be getting its own course:

From: http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...02140322&amp;Ref=AR (http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20080214&amp;Category=NEIGHBORHOODS02&amp;Art No=802140322&amp;Ref=AR)


&lt;font size=4&gt;Frisbee golf course to take shape in Reno&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=1&gt;
Martina Beatty ([email protected])
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
February 14, 2008&lt;/font&gt;

Reno's getting its own disc golf course.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Washoe Board of County Commissioners approved plans for Rancho San Rafael Park to be the site of a new course for the sport of disc golf, also known as Frisbee golf. Currently, the closest courses include Bijou Disc Golf in South Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Grass Valley's Condon Park (Calif.), the Hanging Oak course in Penn Valley (Calif.) and Truckee Regional Park.

"Some people think when we say disc golf course, we mean a regular golf course," said Michael Jacobus, president and founder of the Reno Disc Golf Association. "(But) we're not irrigating anything, we're just putting up some baskets and pads."

A metal basket is the "hole" and a tee pad is the official starting point for a round of disc golf. Jacobus said a tee pad can be a concrete, rubber or wooden mat. The only other requirements for a disc golf course are signs to successively number each of the 18 holes.

Jacobus, 41, of southwest Reno, founded the Reno Disc Golf Association in 2007, with the goal of getting Reno its own course. The RDGA has

70 members so far, and Jacobus said the group will begin placing the tee pads, baskets and signs once weather permits.

The course will be in the north end of Rancho San Rafael, north of North McCarran Boulevard near the Reno Sports Complex. There will be

nine holes to the north of the trail that leads to the Basque monument and nine holes between that trail and McCarran.

"It's nice in Frisbee golf to have variation in the topography," Jacobus said. "So we ended up looking at Rancho San Rafael, on the north side. Part of the consideration there was parking."

While searching for the perfect piece of land for the course, Jacobus said he found a spot in Hidden Valley, but in deference to nearby neighbors he didn't want disc golf enthusiasts to have to drive through residential areas to get to the course.

Also, Jacobus said, the Rancho San Rafael spot provides easy access for out-of-towners.

"For people who come to Reno from out of town, if you don't just want to hang in the casinos all day, Rancho (San Rafael) is really easy to go to," he said.

When he first called the city, Jacobus said he knew his plan would take hard work and cooperation.

"They get suggestions all the time," he said. "There are a lot of hot-button topics and disc golf isn't one of them."

But Jacobus said that some county personnel helped him and were integral to getting the course approved.

"My first contact was with Al (Rogers, assistant director of Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space), who suggested I create a proposal," Jacobus said. "Once the location at Rancho San Rafael was chosen, it fell within the operational area of Doug Mullens, (North Region operations superintendent for Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space), and he has been involved ever since (as) my primary liaison and contact.

"Both these gentlemen and Andy Mink, a Washoe North Region representative for Rancho who works with Doug, have been huge assets and invaluable in their interest and support of the disc golf course concept."

Mullens said he thinks the disc golf course will be a successful addition to Reno's recreational scene.

"I used to work up in Truckee, and they opened up a course there just as I was leaving (about 8 years ago)," Mullens said. "During good weather, they'll get

200 to 300 people up there playing. "It's a great family activity, and it's certainly an affordable recreational activity."
<font color="red">
According to the Professional Disc Golf Association's Web site, www.PDGA.com (http://www.PDGA.com), there are about 600 courses in the United States and Canada.

"If the Web site's accurate, this will be the first one in Nevada," Mullens said.</font>

Tournaments are part of the future plans. Jacobus said the national Disc Golf Association already has offered to sponsor Reno's first disc golf tournament, slated for May.

"I'd like to think of it as something that will draw people to this town for those kind of events," Jacobus said.

Now that county approval is secure, he's seeking sponsors, as well as more members and volunteers, to help make the association's plans into a reality this spring.

To sponsor a hole or join the group, go to www.renodiscgolf.com. (http://www.renodiscgolf.com.) Membership in the RDGA is available for $40 per year for adults, $25 for those younger than 18 years old.

Jacobus moved to Reno from the Bay Area in 1994 to be a promotional and marketing consultant for the casino industry. In addition to founding the RDGA in 2007, he also launched Geocacher Magazine, devoted to the sport of geocaching, and is the magazine's publisher.

Not necessarily a lifelong fan of disc golf, Jacobus said he heard about the sport recently from a friend and liked the idea.

"I have three kids, and I'm always looking for ways to get them outside," he said. "All ages can play it. And once you buy a disc (as little as $6), it's free."





Did they use a directory from 1996?
That's the last time there was 600 courses, and I guess Vegas doesn't count as being in Nevada.
But congrats to the guys for their hard work in getting the course in!

Maybe the old directory "helped" in that process. :eek:

Plague, the black death! Still no joke. There are plague warnings in the parking lot.



I've seen that in the parking lot many of times on the board. What the hell are they talking about though. How would it be contracted? Mosquito bites, the plants, animals?

Yup, LaGrassy, they are putting up a course here (I say here in case you didn't know I moved to Reno). There's an inaugural tournament planned for April. (It's quicker to put courses in out west when you don't need to worry about taking trees out. Like ANY trees.)

Very cool, I'll get to play while I'm in Reno for business.