I just returned from an epic disc golf vacation. First, I must preface that I plan my annual vacations around playing as many new courses as possible. Sometimes I bag everything in an area regardless of rating or number of holes. I have played as many as 8 courses in one day and followed up with 6 the next.
Tahoe was different. It didn't have a lot of little 9 hole courses to knock out. Nearly all the courses had 18 holes and several had 27. All the courses are at altitude, have rugged terrain and several had extreme elevation changes. Instead of bagging 8 new courses in one day, I only bagged 9 new courses over the 9 day trip. I played two on the way and 7 in the Tahoe area.
I personally love playing rugged, Western courses and especially ski resort courses. Basically, rugged, Western disc golf means lots of dirt & rocks, prickly vegetation & shrubs, and ski resorts mean extreme elevation changes. Tahoe has all this "in spades" and much more: Tahoe also has epic beauty. With every turn on the road around the lake the vistas are amazingly beautiful. Depending on the time of day and the angle of the sun, the water colors range from deep blue and turquoise to emerald green. The year round snow on the surrounding mountains adds to the beauty. There just are not enough adjectives to describe the beauty of Lake Tahoe, it is simply jaw dropping.
One of the things that slowed down the number of courses was the fact there are so many other awesome things to do in Tahoe. After hiking up a mountain and playing 18 holes at Kirkwood Ski Resort, hanging out on the beach or going for a kayak ride on the lake is the perfect relaxing follow up. There are 34 different beaches in Tahoe. http://www.tahoe.com/2011/08/03/lake-tahoe-beaches-map/ Tahoe has epic mountain bike trails, hiking trails and 4x4 offroading. There are also casinos on the Nevada side of the lake for 24 hour action.
There is something here for every budget. There are a ton of campgrounds around the lake and in the area. You can camp in the pines or right on the beach or in the pines on the beach. You can camp in tents or in giant motorhomes. http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/ltbmu/home/?cid=stelprdb5137140&width=full There are hotels and resorts for every budget as well. I stayed at the Grand Sierra Casino in Reno for one night for only $35.00!
Geeze, I almost forgot, about all the awesome disc golf courses in the area. There are 62 courses within 100 miles. Within 50 miles of Zephyr Cove there are 21 courses rated at least 3 stars. http://www.dgcoursereview.com/browse.php?cname=&designer=&holes=0&length_min=&length_max=&holetype=0&coursetype=a%3A2%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bs%3A1%3A%221%22%3Bi%3A1%3Bs%3A1%3A%222%22%3B%7D&terrain=a%3A3%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A3%3B%7D&landscape=a%3A3%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A3%3B%7D&teetype=0&mtees=&mpins=&num_reviews=&rating_min=&rating_max=&yem=&yex=&country=1&state=&city=&photos=&videos=&tourneys=&camping=&nopets=&private=1&paytoplay=1&extinct=&exclude=&ext_results=&page=1&zipcode=89448&zip_distance=100&sort=rating&order=DESC
You could come for just a couple of days and nail a ton of courses. This is also a great trip for the whole family. They can find a billion things to do while you are out on the courses. There are jet ski, boat and bike rentals all around the lake and the casinos in Stateline are next to fancy malls and restaurants (if you like that stuff).
The other thing, is you could also play most of these courses year round. (Of course not the ski resorts in winter, but the rest are open year round.) Reno and Carson City courses would likely be far more enjoyable to play in the fall, winter or spring than in the blazing heat and summer winds.
While in Tahoe, I also played in the 2015 King of the Lake. Competitors played 99 holes on 5 different courses over 3 days. It was an epic event and the perfect conclusion to my amazing Tahoe Road Trip.
I will for sure be returning to play more of the courses I missed, explore even more beaches and enjoy the beautiful lake and mountain vistas.
Tahoe was different. It didn't have a lot of little 9 hole courses to knock out. Nearly all the courses had 18 holes and several had 27. All the courses are at altitude, have rugged terrain and several had extreme elevation changes. Instead of bagging 8 new courses in one day, I only bagged 9 new courses over the 9 day trip. I played two on the way and 7 in the Tahoe area.
I personally love playing rugged, Western courses and especially ski resort courses. Basically, rugged, Western disc golf means lots of dirt & rocks, prickly vegetation & shrubs, and ski resorts mean extreme elevation changes. Tahoe has all this "in spades" and much more: Tahoe also has epic beauty. With every turn on the road around the lake the vistas are amazingly beautiful. Depending on the time of day and the angle of the sun, the water colors range from deep blue and turquoise to emerald green. The year round snow on the surrounding mountains adds to the beauty. There just are not enough adjectives to describe the beauty of Lake Tahoe, it is simply jaw dropping.
One of the things that slowed down the number of courses was the fact there are so many other awesome things to do in Tahoe. After hiking up a mountain and playing 18 holes at Kirkwood Ski Resort, hanging out on the beach or going for a kayak ride on the lake is the perfect relaxing follow up. There are 34 different beaches in Tahoe. http://www.tahoe.com/2011/08/03/lake-tahoe-beaches-map/ Tahoe has epic mountain bike trails, hiking trails and 4x4 offroading. There are also casinos on the Nevada side of the lake for 24 hour action.
There is something here for every budget. There are a ton of campgrounds around the lake and in the area. You can camp in the pines or right on the beach or in the pines on the beach. You can camp in tents or in giant motorhomes. http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/ltbmu/home/?cid=stelprdb5137140&width=full There are hotels and resorts for every budget as well. I stayed at the Grand Sierra Casino in Reno for one night for only $35.00!
Geeze, I almost forgot, about all the awesome disc golf courses in the area. There are 62 courses within 100 miles. Within 50 miles of Zephyr Cove there are 21 courses rated at least 3 stars. http://www.dgcoursereview.com/browse.php?cname=&designer=&holes=0&length_min=&length_max=&holetype=0&coursetype=a%3A2%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bs%3A1%3A%221%22%3Bi%3A1%3Bs%3A1%3A%222%22%3B%7D&terrain=a%3A3%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A3%3B%7D&landscape=a%3A3%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A1%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A2%3Bi%3A3%3B%7D&teetype=0&mtees=&mpins=&num_reviews=&rating_min=&rating_max=&yem=&yex=&country=1&state=&city=&photos=&videos=&tourneys=&camping=&nopets=&private=1&paytoplay=1&extinct=&exclude=&ext_results=&page=1&zipcode=89448&zip_distance=100&sort=rating&order=DESC
You could come for just a couple of days and nail a ton of courses. This is also a great trip for the whole family. They can find a billion things to do while you are out on the courses. There are jet ski, boat and bike rentals all around the lake and the casinos in Stateline are next to fancy malls and restaurants (if you like that stuff).
The other thing, is you could also play most of these courses year round. (Of course not the ski resorts in winter, but the rest are open year round.) Reno and Carson City courses would likely be far more enjoyable to play in the fall, winter or spring than in the blazing heat and summer winds.
While in Tahoe, I also played in the 2015 King of the Lake. Competitors played 99 holes on 5 different courses over 3 days. It was an epic event and the perfect conclusion to my amazing Tahoe Road Trip.
I will for sure be returning to play more of the courses I missed, explore even more beaches and enjoy the beautiful lake and mountain vistas.
