The last round for the weekend was at Coyote Moon. DeepSea14 has raved about this course, and now I can see why. Absolutely stunning. Set in the A... » More

The last round for the weekend was at Coyote Moon. DeepSea14 has raved about this course, and now I can see why. Absolutely stunning. Set in the Alpine forest, fairways are lined with tall mature pine trees. And just for added challenge, there are a couple of holes with trees in the middle of the fairway. Adding to the beauty of the course are the numerous huge boulders lining the course and greens. When I say huge, I’m talking the size of a large SUV or small house. Course is set on a mountain so there are plenty of elevation changes both up and down. Whereas Grizzly Ranch mainly goes East/West across the mountain, Coyote Moon goes North/South to really accentuate the topography of the mountain. A few lakes are added in for some bonus beauty and challenge. And just incase the scenery itself didn’t “wow” you they throw in plenty of chipmunks and coyote sightings.

Conditions were great all round. Greens were very smooth and rolled at a medium-fast pace. All greens had double tiers with a few having multiple undulations to navigate. The greens were a challenge but not gimmicky or ridiculous. Enough, that you wanted to be on the correct tier, but not so severe that if you weren’t, you were staring down a 3 or 4 putt.

Fairways were very green and nice and lush. Pretty much the perfect combination of generous roll out yet offering a plush hitting surface. Tee boxes were level and lush. No divot issues on the par 3 boxes.

First and second cut of rough were both manageable, outside of that and you’re in the forest. 50/50 chance of finding you’re ball unless of course you’re Rob1563. How we kept finding some of his shots is beyond me!

Staff was very nice all around.

Etc/ Coivd: No range, but they do have a two station hitting bay into a net. Carts are gas powered with no GPS or sand. If using a GPS/Phone app be patient. There were a few times it would take a few seconds for mine to lock on. The numbers would bounce around before settling in. Cups had foam noodles and no rakes. They did allow us to ride double in the carts. Masks required inside the pro-shop. Restaurant is take out only.

Definitely a highly recommended course. I’m already planning a trip for next season and taking a mountain bike up to throw in the mix with golf.
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I finally got to experience Grizzly Ranch. And what a wonderful experience it was. A huge shout out to Matt P. for setting it all up. The setting is... » More

I finally got to experience Grizzly Ranch. And what a wonderful experience it was. A huge shout out to Matt P. for setting it all up. The setting is up in the forest about an hour outside of Lake Tahoe. I stayed in Reno and it was about a 40-45 minute drive from there.

The entire course is framed by pine trees and there are a couple of water hazards on the course as well. The setting is very peaceful and serene. With only a few cabin style houses (maybe 10?) throughout entire place, you have a feeling of complete tranquility. Just you and the wildlife. Plenty of deer roaming around the course and I’m sure coyote sighting are normal in this place.

Naturally there are plenty of elevation changes throughout the track as it’s build on a mountain. Having said that, there’s nothing extreme or gimmicky about the elevation changes.

Course conditions were very nice from tee to green. Everything was in the 8-9 range. Staff was outstanding as well. The greens on the front nine or fairly tame. The greens on the back nine have a lot more "bite" to them with multiple tiers and undulations.

A definite must play and worthy of a destination course tag. My only complaint is that I didn't get to see a Grizzly Bear (or any bear for that matter).
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I was looking for a course halfway to Reno to break up the drive for the upcoming Grizzly Ranch weekend. I chose The Reserve at Spanos Park because ... » More

I was looking for a course halfway to Reno to break up the drive for the upcoming Grizzly Ranch weekend. I chose The Reserve at Spanos Park because I had heard decent things about it and I had to cancel playing here twice earlier in the year.

I’m sad to say that the course conditions are below standard right now. There is a ton of water features on the course (especially on the back nine) which I obviously liked. Other than that the course was a yawner. Most holes are dead straight, though the water hazards and waste areas (a la Poppy Hills) help put a premium on accuracy. Fairways are generous in the landing area for the most part.

Staff was friendly and the price includes a bucket of balls for the all grass driving range. I walked on the easily walkable flat course.

Greens all had disease, pitch marks and then of course the late afternoon back nine had spike marks. A number of putts in our group were effected by bumpy greens.

Fairways were thin with a lot of brown spots throughout all fairways. The back nine seemed to be better conditioned somewhat. Tee boxes were ok at best. A couple of the Par 3 tees were garbage. Speaking of par 3’s. No imagination whatsoever in the design. Whereas the course had a ton of great water features, none were in play on the Par 3’s. All were flat in the 150-170 range.

Because of the friendly staff and all the great water features, I might be inclined to play again if I’m in the area. But if driving through…. Just keep driving
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A quick update since my recent review. Course remains in the same shape as before, though greens were rolling super fast on Tuesday morning when I pl... » More

A quick update since my recent review. Course remains in the same shape as before, though greens were rolling super fast on Tuesday morning when I played. I elected to take a cart as the smoke from the nearby Creek Fire was heavy on the morning I played. Staff said some days are better than others depending on the wind. NOTE: An email was just sent out and they are aerating their greens next week (9/29).

COVID: Dragonfly is inching their way back to normal operation. None of the employee’s were wearing masks. Pro-shop is open though they do have lines for customers to stand back 6’ from each other. The small indoor seating at the café was blocked off. Putting green didn’t have small flags but I think that’s normal for there anyway. Still no rakes in the sandtraps. Cups are back to normal with no noodles or rings. We left the flagstick in on every hole but that was more of our doing. Not sure about carts as I was a single and joined up on the 5th hole with another single.
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I haven’t played either Bayonet or Blackhorse since the COVID restart but have used the all grass range a few times. Played Black Horse yesterday with... » More

I haven’t played either Bayonet or Blackhorse since the COVID restart but have used the all grass range a few times. Played Black Horse yesterday with an 8:50 AM tee time. Weather was absolutely beautiful with the sun out early and no wind. The excellent views of the bay were like looking out on a lake. Blackhorse is always a tough track with fast greens that have several undulations. With two three putt bogey in the first three holes I went into defensive mode right away. Greens are firm, fast and roll true. There were 2-3 greens with some top dressing on them, but they didn’t affect the putts at all. Fairways present a lot of tight lies but on the flip side offer decent roll out. Fairways do have some thin areas. You have to be comfortable with hitting off a tight lie at Blackhorse.

Tee boxes were all in real nice shape. No issues with the bunkers. Some gorgeous white sand some brown but all very playable. The area I was disappointed with was the skirt areas around the greens. They are cut down super short so putting (Texas wedge) from 4-5 feet off the green is usually very doable. Unfortunately, most of the skirt areas were chewed up pretty bad forcing a chip shot.

Blackhorse is a tough but scenic track. There are views or peaks of the ocean on 16-17 holes. Every hole has some sort of elevation change. There is still some tree work going on so if you play mid-week be prepared for some occasional chain saw noise in the background.

COVID – Only two people allowed in the pro-shop at a time. Pro shop has plexiglass barrier between employee and customer. Putting green open with mini-flagsticks in, Range balls pre-stacked down a the range. Single rider carts. Foam noodle in the bottom of the cup, no rakes in bunkers, no sand bottles in carts.
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