Robert Muir Graves must have been a fun guy to play golf with. I will never know, but my guess is that he loved a good, challenging par 4 with natural obstacles and he always took a few minutes to admire the view from the tee box.
Hole #3 | Courtesy Northstar California
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about golf course design and I haven’t played a lot of the courses that Graves designed in California. However, if you’re up for a good time at a reasonable price, the 18-hole, par-72 Northstar Golf Course is one of his best.
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“This 6,781-yard course offers a classic front nine that
takes you through Martis Valley … and then turns into the pines
and tightens up for a challenging and precise back nine
that may require an extra ball (or three).”
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This 6,781-yard course offers a classic front nine that takes you through Martis Valley, playing adjacent to the scenic Waddle Ranch Preserve, which sits across the highway, and then turns into the pines and tightens up for a challenging and precise back nine that may require an extra ball (or three).
But before you get into the trees, be sure to take some time to enjoy the views that Graves designed around on the front nine — especially on the super-long, 590-yard, par 5, seventh hole where you can square up facing Castle Peak and Mount Lola and send it home, hoping for a solid 250 yards (maybe 300 if you’re lucky) off the tee.
Hole 2, and later on hole 18, will also call for everything your driver has, but it’s lucky hole 7 that will settle who pays for the drinks.
Holes 8 and 9 bring you back up the valley and around to the clubhouse and Martis Valley Grille before heading into Northstar’s tree-lined fairways – where there is little room on this natural-flowing course to accept my slice or your hook.
And it’s on the downhill par 3, hole 15 and par 4, hole 16 where you’ll want to try and make up the shots you may have lost earlier in the day in the valley.
Finally, don’t let the tight takeoff on the 18th hole scare you. There is a wide-open fairway once you get across that creek and a large, welcoming green at the other end. You’ll make it, I promise.
For all of its variety, Northstar California offers a great Tahoe golf experience and it is one of the best places to take clients, a work group, visiting family members or to simply get out for a few lessons with the PGA pros on staff and work on correcting that slice.
After 4 p.m., 18 holes will cost you $50 Mondays through Thursdays and $55 Fridays through Sundays. Prices vary depending on times and days of the week.
By Justin Broglio
For more information or to book a tee time, visit northstarcalifornia.com or call (530) 562-3290.
Justin Broglio is a husband, dad, skier and science storyteller for the Desert Research Institute. You can read more on his love – and utter frustration – with the sport of golf on deathofthepressbox.com and jbroglio.com. Read more about Tahoe area golf courses at TheTahoeWeekly.com.
