Playing Gray's Crossing the evening before also allowed us to squeeze in a bonus round and take advantage of a GolfMoose voucher for Squaw Creek. Technically, I did play one more round after this at t... Continue »

Playing Gray's Crossing the evening before also allowed us to squeeze in a bonus round and take advantage of a GolfMoose voucher for Squaw Creek. Technically, I did play one more round after this at the Tahoe City 9-holer, but that one is not on GK yet. As for Squaw Valley, I wouldn't pay rack here, but the GM deal was pretty solid for a round in season. It was busier than we expected and we were too worn out to slow-play behind other groups, so we did have to get creative with our own layout. It wasn't ideal, but we eventually got all 18 holes in as the groups out on the course were kind of scattered and it allowed us to jump in where we could find openings and play a few holes at a time. Conditions here were disappointing for a "resort" course. It seems clear the golf course here is somewhat of an afterthought and I'm sure it's difficult to maintain given its location on a major ski resort and a short summer season at the resort. The tee boxes were sometimes OK and sometimes just dirt and weeds. The fairways were generally fine. The rough was a mish-mash of a bit of everything. Then there are some deep native areas (swampland) that you'll want to avoid because it's almost guaranteed a lost ball. The holes up on the hillside had a greener look, but were also pretty soft and chewed up from tee to green. Bunkers were okay enough. Greens weren't too bad. A little thin in spots and sometimes a tad bumpy, but mostly rolling decently. The lackluster conditions mar what could be a pretty good golf course. The layout is very challenging and unique, and though they bill it as a "links" it really isn't because there aren't many ground-play options. There are a lot of forced carries and false fronts lined with thick grass, so you still have to keep the ball up in the air if you want to have a chance at scoring well. It also got pretty windy as the round went on, which added another level of challenge. In terms of quality, Squaw Creek doesn't come close to measuring up to the region's other great resort courses. It just feels a bit run down and in need of a good renovation. Also, I should mention the parking situation is rough right now as they are doing a lot of construction outside the resort. You can valet up top or just drop your bags off, then it's a long walk from the self-parking to the pro shop. The signage is lacking here, so there really are no signs to direct you to the pro shop. I wandered around awhile before finally finding it and then it took them about 20 minutes to get my bag from up top to the starter area. Again, golf seems to be an afterthought, especially for those not staying at the resort.