Great wooded course, with variety.
Plays to all types of throwers.
Shady enough so you don't get too hot.
Good signage, and not to difficult to navagate.
Well kept, it is obvious that the people who groom this course care very much.
Very pretty course (although all the courses in this area can say that)

A bit of a tough walk.
Make sure you bring water.
A bit out of the way, not much around
Really not much negative about this course

A must if you are in this area, it took time out of a weekend trip to Tahoe, it was 100% worth the drive.

- Jaw dropping beauty, you must not forget to stop and look around while playing this course.
- You can get the course to yourself: fairly uncrowded, even in Summer.
- Plenty of elevation shots.
- Every kind of shot in the bag is required: huge turnovers, long-distance hyzer-flips, forehand, backhand, etc.
- Benches at every hole!!
- Trashcans fairly present: At holes 1, 4, 10, 13, and in the campground.
- Bathrooms at the campground, port-o-potty at hole 1.
- Teepads are more than sufficient: rubber and large, minimally lumpy, sit in a wooden frame.
- At least one legitimate par 5
- A few "must get" birdie-able holes (shorter par 3s)
- A creek runs through the course: flows most of the year, and perhaps year around depending on snow pack the winter prior.)
- There are freaking hot springs near by, but you must pay $10 to enter.
- Just an absurdly fun course.

- Fairly isolated, unless you live in one of the 3 nearby towns, you're gonna have to go on a trip to get here.
- The sagebrush: you're gonna have to look around for your disc on some of the holes, though this problem isn't nearly as bad as some other high desert courses.
- There is no shopping near by: pack all your drinks and snacks ahead.
- It is somewhat rocky, but again, no where near as rocky as some other courses out there. I personally don't find the rocks an issue.
- There could be some more tightly wooded fairways, but there is still more than enough challenge to hit your line.
- The scenery can be somewhat repetitive, but there is still plenty of variety (small meadows, elevation, creek can come into play, etc.)

I personally think this is in the TOP TWO of Sierra courses. There is one other out there that I'll let you do the searching for, it's relatively new, and nothing short of mind blowing.

But anyway, the reason I love this course so much is two-fold: it is so beautiful and so much fun. If you aren't playing up to your desired level, stop and take a look around with a nice deep breath: now that's living! The surrounding mountains and ridge-lines are some of the most serene the Sierras have to offer. The environment is also rather uncommon. It is a mix of high desert brush and mature pine trees, a combination which isn't rare per se, but the amount of pine trees here is higher than what you'd normally see in that ecosystem.

I will have to admit, a lot of the lines you have to hit are fairly generous in their spacing. There aren't really any super-tight wooded shots like you would see in other areas and I'm OK with that. Why? Because many of the shots still require PLENTY of power to land the birdie-two. Take hole 6 for instance: it requires lacing between two main guardian trees about 150' from the teepad, but you still have another 250' or so to get to the basket after that, so it requires about 400' power to get there (in the long position.) If you're one to just play for par, you may find this somewhat boring, but smashing one, having it slowly flip up, hitting that line, and having a look at two on that hole is one of the funnest things about disc golf to me. There are at least four holes that are "must get" birdie-twos if you're that kind of player (Holes 2, 3, 8, 10, 15 or 16 come to mind.) They are mostly open, minor shot-shaping holes with the basket in plain site less than 300' away (depending on pin position.) On the other hand there are several holes that are well over 400'. Some are fairly open, some are not: particularly hole 11, a 700'+ hole that has a fairway that seems to bottleneck the further you go down a dogleg left. This hole will majorly punish you if drill a tree and kick in the wrong direction, as it is one of the most densely wooded parts of the course. Be prepared for a big number on this hole.

To be clear, if you have someway, somehow mastered the slow, gentle turnover shot that lands flat, the single hardest shot to master in disc golf (regardless of throwing style) this course will do what it can to pay off. At times, depending on the pin position, the course basically flips you the bird and sees what you can do to land a 3, let alone 2. High caliber flex shots can be rewarded.

Reading the signs and seeing what they call a 3 on some of the holes borders on absurd (to me.)

Hole 13 deep right is a par 3 and man, you better flip up dead straight for a while, have it *slowly* continue to hold the turn, and then hit the upshot from there.

I'm not as good as I thought after playing this course when it's in a bad mood (trust me, if she's windy and in long pins, even the elite would get frustrated.) It can whip your ego into shape real quick if it wants.

Championship level stuff out there depending on layout.

Anyways, the course wraps up with the final holes giving you some more room to absolutely smash your furthest flying discs, as the fairways open up, but sit in that 450'-600'+ range. 18 is uphill with plenty of room but clear road OB.

If this course had a little more variety in scenery, and one or two more holes that were in that "super-tight" fairway class, I would seriously consider this a 5-star course. It's that good. The designers and locals could not have done a better job. Thank you guys.

So, if you are a hyzer-flip wizard with both 400'+ power and a big forehand, you will do great here. But with that skill set you should play pro! As for me, I get more than my fill of wooded line-hitting shots on this course. I get to smash drives with 100% power, and potentially get rewarded for doing so. I get to hit big lines through woods. I get to breathe in the fresh Sierra air, and hear that Sierra breeze which creates that distinct hum among the pines.

This course is an island unto itself. It is my get away, a home away from home. Immensely recommended.

Good tees and signs. It was easy to navigate the first time I played it. All the baskets have flags, and with the exception of the par 5 777 foot hole, you can see the baskets from the tee pads. Great combination of shots. Good use of terrain. There's some relatively wide open shots and some tight tunnel shots. Long and short holes. Course maps with scorecards were available.

The ground is covered with rocks. If you get off of the trails it is easy to turn an ankle. The baskets are older DG baskets Mach 3, I think. It is not a good afternoon summer course as there is not much relief from the heat.

If you can hit your lines you will score well here. I was able to finish at 3 down with a bogey on the par 5 hole. I like the fact that you can rent a camping site in the middle of this course and from your site you can go into the woods and start playing. With the new freeway extension in Carson City this course got a little closer about 45-60 minuted drive from Reno.

I played two rounds today after being told by a friend that it was worth a visit...and it was.

Kudos to the designer and locals who maintain the course; it's a little gem that shines from the obvious TLC put into it.

-Every tee had benches, poles to hang bags on, clear signage, and cool metal turtle sculpture.

-Well groomed paths along the fairways and between holes.

-Helpful directional signs to direct newbies to the next hole.

-Good balance of long/short shots, uphill/downhill shots, open/technical shots.

-The ground cover of volcanic rock bangs up your drivers.

-Very quiet the day I played. Like just me during 4 hours of play on a Thurs. afternoon. Would have been great to run into some locals to play with and learn their lines.

Definitely worth a visit, and definitely going to return with my own friends to play some rounds. Nice course, and nicely maintained!

Nice course design, excellent tees, good benches, free to play, delicous water to drink, all the emenities you could ask for, no crowds.Campground next door. There are trees to hide under for shade. Good mix of heizer and anheizers. Awesome bag hanging posts. This place rocks! Could easily be rated a 5.

Hot climate, out of the way, hard to get to, no water after you start, tough on allergies for one player, which was a surprise being that it is high desert/meets the pines. Scenery a little repetitive. Hole 13 should be a par 4 on longest setting. requires driving over high mountain pass to get there.

Wear a white shirt, bring lots of water. If you could walk down to tee 9 with a giant water jug and leave it there that may help. Chamber of commerce should run a pvc pipe down to tee 9 and leave a drinking fountain. that would help. If they built a second course in a creek bottom filled with trees, maybe even a 9 hole, that would make Markleeville a DG destination, if it isn't already. This course we drove 2.5 hours each way to play and it was worth it, once.

As I live here and play this course 3+ times a week I feel I might be a little biased. Pros: clean and not crowded. Great design and use of the natural terrain. Lots of challenging shots to nail and a few spots that will punish aggressive putting.

Can't think of any but if pressed, it would be the rocks which make a tough trek sometimes. Wear sturdy shoes for this one.

Hey, a big shout out to Andy Lovell who is tireless in maintaining the course. He is out there all the time emptying the trash cans, clearing brush and rocks and basically busting a** making this one of the best courses out there. If you see him and dewey the dog make sure you give a thanks for the work!

Clean. Everywhere. The tee pads each have their own broom. Baskets are easily seen with new flags. Map at every tee box with distance. Plenty of seating.

Clearly marked signs to next holes and formal paths to the next tee

Holes are challenging but not stupid. You are rewarded for making a good shot and some tree love comes into play at times.

Some good elevation changes - up and down and even some gradual slopes to make the longer holes even longer.

Course can play long if all baskets are set back but it was a good mix.

Campground adjacent to park/course look nice and clean

These are nitpicky:

Shadows make it tough to find discs at times
The course is out of the way and probably requires some planning.

Looking forward to making a weekend trip and camp overnight. Nearby Markleeville has some restaurants and could probably get down to Tahoe for an afternoon round

Great use of land and elevation
Tee boxes are in great shape
Shot selection is a must
More technicial and less grip and rip type of course
Uphill and downhill shots
Baskets are in great shape
Locals are friendly
Popular course, but you hardly see any other players on the course
Quiet and peaceful location
Benches for relaxing after a few holes
Trash recepticles at holes to keep this looking nice
Donation box at the front for those that like to donate to keep this looking as good as it is

If you make one of those oops kind of shots, you may have to look around to see where it actually landed. There is the potential for rollers or discs that will hide in the bushes. Campers in the area usually don't come into play, but if they aren't always paying attention.
There are a few par 5 holes that are super long, especially the 777 footer. Most holes are not that far.

This is always going to be on my favorite list. It is fun to play and if you can get a camping spot, you will be able to get several rounds in. I will always come back to play this course when in the area.

-Good signage at each hole
-Very serene
-Nice elevation changes
-Excellent scenery
-Uncrowded

-Very rocky (although that could be a pro for some people) which will chew up your discs
-Some spots are really brushy which can make it hard to find discs

A little bit out of the way to get to but well worth the trip.

Accurate tee-signs and pin indicators.
Arrows and tee sign indicators that direct golfers to next holes.
Outstanding serenity, quiet and clean.
Camping on site

Definitely off the beaten path
Bear Country- Signs at hole 1 warn of them.

Extremely well laid out course in the middle of nowhere. Multiple pin positions with accurate indicators that let you know which position it's in. Considering that the course is extremely long, with multiple par 4 and 5's, the footage helps you navigate the course. Just enough elevation to make you alter your drives and upshots. Possibly the best course in the Lake Tahoe area, and that's saying a lot.

The best course conditions I have ever seen. The tee signs are descriptive and clearly state pin positions, and the orange-white-and-green "next hole" navigators stand out extremely well. The teepads are rubber, but there's a broom at every tee if you need to sweep off the dust.

This course has an interesting feature of being both open and technical. A good example of this is hole 11, a seemingly endless 777-foot chunk in the long pin position. While heavily forested, there is a clearly established fairway, and there's enough room between trees to work out a shot should you find yourself off-fairway.

Finally - Turtle Rock. Legend of Zelda fans will understand what I mean here.

Apparently, loose rocks here are an issue of concern. Given the problems that I've seen on other DG courses, if this is the largest issue they have, that says something.

Being in the middle of nowhere, the terrain is rough and amenities are limited. Dust, rocks, and brush will leave their mark on your discs, and you'll want to bring your own water for the back 9.

No smoking allowed on the course (fire hazard), and there's a sheriff's substation next to the first tee.

On a family vacation to the eastern Sierra, I figured we'd drop by and play a round just to see how it was.

Holy smokes.

I was met with a challenging, immaculate, pristine disc golf course that we pretty much had to ourselves. Two-and-a-half hours of hiking and throwing later, I had completed one of the most satisfying rounds I'd ever played.

While it is a ways from anything, Turtle Rock's rural location gives it tons of advantages. Theft and vandalism are nonexistent. Chuckers etc. are completely out of the picture, as almost everyone who hoofs it out here has a serious intent of playing. This is a seriously good disc golf course with serious players only - a disc golf haven, or heaven if you will.

At the kiosk before hole 1, visitors are encouraged to "feed the turtle" to help with course maintenance. I donated before the round, and again afterwards, because this course deserves it. I give it my highest recommendation, and would love to play it again if the chance comes up.

Excellent rubber teepads
Excellent Tee Signs with accurate hole location
Excellent signage to next Tee box
Great mix of shots off tee
Great mix of distance and tech skills
Locals

Just a bit outside the beaten trail (or is this a pro?)
Bear Country (how cool is that?)

First off let me preface by saying I am a complete novice with maybe 30 rounds played. However, I have played some very highly rated courses in CA, OR , and AZ. The Turtle hangs. It is so well designed that it keeps your head on your throws rather than on where the next tee is. Signage is the best I have ever seen. The mix between short technical holes and huge bombers is perfect. It allows a beginer like me to rebound from devastation nicely after taking an 8 on a 650ft hole! (2 tree thunks and a creek)
The setting is stunning with pines and boulders and creeks aplenty! Running in to the designer and another pro right before my round was very cool as well. Its this kind of course and attitude that has completely hooked me on the sport. Playing The Turtle capped a full day of skiing at Kirkwood. This will be my Spring Skiing routine for years to come!