It is not too tough to find this course, although it is out in the wilderness a bit (about 30 min from Truckee). From Dog Valley Rd, the turn off is signed (Boat Launch) heading south, but is not signed heading north (coming from Truckee). The key indicator is a big rock revetment (like a small dam) west of the road. If you are driving from Truckee, turn left onto the road when you see that rock wall/revetment. If you cross the dam spillway while heading north (from Truckee), you've gone too far and need to turn around. You'll see the Boat Launch sign on the way back. Once on the Boat Launch Access road, the first parking lot on your left is where you want to park, at the far (western) end (free parking). The course map is on the left (southwest) on the downslope side.
Hole by hole description from 5 JULY 2019 for RHBH
#1. "A" 261'. Slight downhill, with trees crowding the fairway nearer the pin, but with a large opening to pass through. Essentially a straight drive with a little fade at the end and you have a chance to putt for a bird.
#2. "B" 261'. Level shot, with basket hidden behind a pine. Straight or slight left to right shot, but drooping branches guard the last 30 ft.
#3. "C" 342'. Very slight uphill, trees to either side of fairway. Slight left to right and a long shot, but there is space to air it out.
#4. "A" 240'. This requires good shot shape, either straight at it or a forehand to pass around guardian pines. After this hole, head across the parking lot, heading up and to the right, closer to the lot entrance for tee #5.
#5. "A" 287'. Gentle uphill drive with an open, well-defined right to left window to hit.
#6. "B" 222'. Slight uphill with many trees and a couple of tight windows, largest a left to right anhyzer or forehand. These trees are early in the fairway, and it opens up if you can get past them.
#7. "A" 186'. A short uphill, with several hyzer routes, or really just a straight shot with a fade at the end. A soft touch shot, but you feel robbed if you do not birdie.
#8. "B" 201'. Another short drive, but downhill, and it is easy to overshoot the basket. Large pine in middle defines left and right approaches.
#9. "B" 384'. I really like this hole. It is a downhill shot, with a defined but narrow fairway full of trees on the margins. A slight left to right shot with a finishing fade left can have you in the circle for a birdie putt. But the numerous trees also punish errant shots off the tee. You end back at the parking lot. If you need something from the car, get it now, since you won't be back in this area until finishing hole 18.
#10. "B" 231'. Slight uphill that is guarded by mature pines as you get closer to the basket, and one young pine in front of the basket. Another hole where a straight drive gets you there.
#11. "A" 384'. You cannot see the basket from the tee, and it is up the hill, then slightly down and nestled in a cluster of mature pines. The hill is sloped from your right down to the left, and there are lots of trees in the fairway. This is more about where you land on the drive to give yourself a good second shot with a decent approach. Walk down the fairway to assess that, then think how you will attack the basket on your second shot. The approach upslope on the right has lots of young pines (bushy) but there is an over the top route. Even the "A" position will have lots of 4s. The deeper positions are for sure par 4s.
#12. "A" 315'. This is the first hole that requires a good forehand shot for the easy birdie. Downhill drive and the slope is also canted from right to left, and the pin is up on the right. Pines on the right block that path effectively, but the left side is fairly open. After playing this hole we got a little lost. Head down towards the lake and the tee for 13 is close to the edge of the reservoir.
#13. "B" 255'. This is the first hole where the lake can come into play. This is another drive that favors a forehand, but that can take you close to the water. Pines guard the pin, and the landing area is sloped right down to left, and ends in the water. There are also lots of rocks on this green, and they could either cause a disc to stand up and roll, or knock down a rolling disc before it hits the water. Being too far up the slope from the basket presents you with a putt that has a lot of water behind the basket, and if it sails by, it will be wet.
#14. "A" 180'. Yes, this is very short, and goes flat to downhill, and the basket is hidden. The risk is that a shot can easily fly past the ace run and into the lake. Lots of rocks on the green. Edge of lake is about 40 feet downslope of the pin. We had a person stand at the edge of the lake during drives, just in case.
#15. "A" 243'. The tee sign shows all routed as a forehand over the water, then fading back towards land and the pin. I opted for a low, straight shot (slight left to right). There are lots of small pines to hit, and any of them could cause the disc to ricochet into the lake.
#16. "B" 228'. This is up slope from hole 15, basically coming back in the opposite direction. Walk up the fairway to see the basket, which is protected by trees. A slight hyzer can get you there, and my buddy hit the cage the first time throwing this hole. But you can also hit one of the many pines along the tight fairway.
#17. "C" 258'. Uphill to a flat green, left to right flight path on a slow anyhzer or a forehand. This is a technical shape shot, and slightly uphill, it plays longer than 258'. If you can avoid the early trees, it opens up as the hill flattens.
#18. "B" 920' par 5. What a huge hole to end on, and so different from the rest of the course. You are driving downhill, with the slope left to right. Trees block the left and there is one large pine in the middle of the right hyzer route. Even after your drive, it is hard to see where the basket is located. There are large trees with full branches in key places that prevent easy, long drives. You will need to shape your second drive, with perhaps a little more space on the left than the right. Finally, the basket in view, there are pines scattered about and a 15-20' ceiling, so approach with care for a chance at a birdie. More than likely, though, you'll need all 5 strokes to finish this long hole.
I really enjoyed this course, not just for the scenery and shot shapes, but because of the quiet and solitude. Playing here on a weekday you might not see another disc golfer. It is so rare to have a course all to yourself, and particularly such a good one!
Kudos to course designers Craig Getty & Joe Akhavan, on a job well done.