I always enjoy playing a course that I hadn’t played before, but as Ponderosa Golf Course is only nine holes, it was not on my must-play radar. That was my mistake. The two things I look for when I visit a new golf course are: it must be fun and it must be fair. Ponderosa is certainly both. I played it six days after it opened for the season so it was not in mid-season condition, and only six holes were used. That’s not important. The layout was interesting and enjoyable. A course doesn’t need to be difficult to be good and since 75 percent of all golfers cannot break 50 for 9 holes, is difficult always necessary?
9 holes | par 35
Yardages: 2556 to 3022
Slope: 119 to 123
Ratings: 66.6 to 73.6
When you look at the scorecard, the holes appear to simply go back and forth, but there is actually some dogleg to most of them. Trees direct you at an angle to the green, so the holes play a club or so longer than the yardage on the scorecard. You could cut the corner, but the risk/reward is not there. The greens are for the most part small and sloping, so you could have a 15-foot putt with 6 feet of break if you get in the wrong place. I would not say that the fairways are tree lined, but if you get wild off of the tee, you may be punching out frequently. Beware, too: out of bounds pops up on all but two holes.
The two things I look for when I visit a new golf course are: it must be fun and it must be fair. Ponderosa is certainly both.
The best hole is No. 9, a par 5 of 461 to 507 yards. It is a dogleg right with out of bounds all along the left side, which borders Brockway Road, and a tree at around 175 yards from the tee you need to avoid. Around 160 yards from the green another large tree interferes with the second shot. Even though it is a short par 5, it plays much longer because those trees again direct you away from the green.
Ponderosa Golf Course was opened in 1961 by the Truckee townspeople and run by public utility district. It was purchased in 1968 and family owned until 2008 when purchased by the Airport District that leases operations to the Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District. Locals are proud and protective of their course, as they should be. You would be hard pressed to find a better place to play a quick 9 after work or have fun with friends on a Sunday afternoon at a good price.
