A short drive from downtown Truckee brings you to Schaffer’s Mill Golf & Lake Club. It is part of a gated community and is private, but the public can play on Mondays. Opened in 2008, it was originally called Timilick Tahoe and was designed by John Harbottle and Johnny Miller. It was also voted Best New Private Course in California for that year. The development sold and was renamed Schaffer’s Mill in 2011.
Par 71 | 18 holes
Yardage | 5,394 to 7,010
Slope | 126 to 141
Rating | 68.1 to 73.2
The first surprise when visiting Schaffer’s Mill is the varied terrain. The golfer gets some amazing views of the surrounding Martis Valley and majestic mountain peaks from just about every tee. The front nine is called the Meadow and it weaves its way through homes — well out of play — and massive pine trees. The back nine is named the Mountain and gives you the feeling that you are the only group on the course as you view waterfalls and rocky landscaping and deal with almost 400-foot elevation changes. The greens are undulating and roll faster than they look. Do not leave yourself a downhill putt. Fairway and greenside sand traps are strategically located and very much in play. The fairways are not particularly narrow but stray a little too much and you will find serious trouble.
The signature hole would be Hole 17, a downhill par 4 of 410 yards. Once you compose yourself from the stunning view from the tee, you will be happy to find that your drive will get a lot of extra roll on the down-sloping fairway. The tee shot is blind but be careful not to go too far left. Water is short and right of the green to catch many a miss hit. There is some room left of the green to bail out if necessary, so depending on your confidence in your approach shot you may want to take that route.
Schaffer’s Mill Golf & Lake Club deserves the accolades it has received since its opening. It has gathered a fantastic reputation and some feel that it is the best course in the Tahoe Sierra. The yardages from the white or blue tees are very playable for most golfers, but if you really want to challenge yourself take the walk back to the black tees. Combined with superb conditions and amazing views it should not be missed. | (530) 582-6964, schaffersmill.com
