Dubbed “The Biggest Little City in the World,” this Nevada staple is well known for its casinos and abundance of ski resorts. Its geographical location in southern Washoe County (the city is nestled between the jaw-dropping eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the beauty of Lake Tahoe) make it a prime destination for for biking, camping, fishing, and yes... golf! Believe it or not, but the Reno altitude causes golf balls to fly farther. And with more than 50 courses within a 90 minute radius of the city, there's a course for every experience level of play.
The topper of many Reno golfer's “best-of” lists, Red Hawk Golf and Resort offers two excellent distinct courses including the Hale Irwin-designed Hills Course and the Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed Lakes Course. The Lakes is quite arguably the best public course available to play in the Reno area. It stretches out to almost 7,000 yards with springs, natural lakes, cottonwood trees, and over 100 bunkers. For those in hot pursuit of a challenging game, the course is best known for a signature hole which plays 240 yards completely over water. Since opening in 1997, Red Hawk has upgraded their practice facilities to include a short game area and a 10,000 square foot putting green.
Courses like Red Hawk are the essence of Reno's golf scene, as clubs have become the city's favorite suit. Since the 1980s, the 60 mile radius surrounding Reno (and Lake Tahoe) has seen 35 new courses sprout up. Many of these are crowning achievements of top designers (with others crafted by some of the country's most promising new architectural minds), and include linksy, high desert eighteens, and pined mountain layouts. Green fees are also generally low, which further cement Reno's longstanding reputation for fostering affordable getaways.