Golf Travel Guide To Carson Valley

An Interview With Jan Vandermade, Executive Director at Visit Carson Valley

By Brian Weis

Looking to plan the perfect golf trip to Visit Carson Valley? Planning a buddies trip or a romantic golf getaway can be a full time job not to mention pressure filled to deliver a memorable experience. Below is an interview with Jan Vandermade, Executive Director at Visit Carson Valley who shares some insider information about golf and traveling to Carson Valley, must play courses, a sample itinerary and where you can go for more planning tools.

Give our readers an overview of your destination and why they should consider it for their next golf trip?
For starters, clean mountain air and a stunning high sierra setting send your tee ball soaring (base level skills required). True diehards manage to find time to golf in the morning and ski in the afternoon during winter months. Yet, it's the other three seasons which truly pay off as to why Carson Valley.

Your next journey is closer than you think. Just 45 minutes south of Reno, NV and only 12 miles east of South Lake Tahoe, Carson Valley offers an abundance of authentic experiences.

Carson Valley is a true outdoor playground, with activities year-round. It's about finding the sweet spot not just in golf, but for your entire vacation. The rugged peaks surrounding Carson Valley embrace a unique outdoor paradise, offering an unprocessed, unparalleled experience. Hikers and bikers enjoy lush green trees, vibrant wildflowers, and abundant wildlife along more than 50 miles of open trails. Known for its wild-horse viewing, Carson Valley is a place where you're sure to find a horse basking in the riches of open space. Outdoorsmen come from all around the world to fish for rainbow, German brown, or Lahontan cutthroat trout, and largemouth bass. The great Minden-Tahoe Airport, a general aviation facility, is one of the top three places in the world for soaring. Glider rides are available year-round. Nearby, Lake Tahoe is home to ski/snowboard resorts and sandy beaches. Need a few more reasons? Visit our website.

What are the must play courses in Visit Carson Valley?
Carson Valley offers 4 championship golf courses, each with it's own unique qualities and character. The four courses are also proud partners in the Divine 9 group where you'll find nine championship golf courses under 40 minutes apart in Carson City and Carson Valley.

Carson Valley Golf Course - Since 1965 Carson Valley Golf Course has been home to affordable, friendly golf. The cool rush of the Carson River and the shade from giant cottonwood trees, give the golf course a unique character. The goal is to make golf fun! Enjoy plenty of shot making opportunities in the layout for serious golfers, yet you'll have a good time while you're there and leave with a smile on your face.

Genoa Lakes Golf Club (Lakes Course) - Luxury and performance are the name of the game on the Lakes Course. Co-designed by PGA Champion Peter Jacobsen and John Harbottle III, this links-style course with rolling fairways meets head-on with the eastern slopes of the breathtaking Sierra Nevada Mountains. Lush wetlands and the winding Carson River bring water into 14 holes of play, making long, straight drives the order of the day. Home to a U.S. Open Qualifier.

Genoa Lakes Golf Club (Ranch Course) - Built for power and distance, the Ranch Course cuts into the rugged Sierra Nevada foothills, just two miles from the Lakes Course. Johnny Miller and John Harbottle III were the driving force behind this course, which offers wide open spaces and spectacular high desert views. Over 300 feet of elevation changes, more than 100 bunkers, unpredictable mountain terrain, afternoon breezes and a waterfall challenge players to a crash course in championship golf.

Sunridge Golf Club - Prepare yourself for an unparalleled golfing experience. The course is a pleasure for golfers of any skill level to play. Sunridge Golf Club will challenge you while providing a relaxing, picturesque backdrop. Test your accuracy with the fairways, water hazards, and sand traps; we have everything you need to challenge you and improve your game.

What is the hidden gem and/or best value course?
Carson Valley Golf Course - easy to walk, plenty of challenges for any player, with competitive rates year 'round.

Can you provide our readers with an ideal itinerary for a long weekend?
Music, Rhythm and Blues -
- Day one "Music" - arrival - catch a live outdoor concert at TJ's Outdoor Corral (while the sun sets) Check listings for concert scheduling.
- Day two "Rhythm" - Play 18 in the morning at Genoa Lakes or Sunridge.
- In the afternoon, tour one of the valley's two museums or take in the historic Dangberg Home Ranch.
- Grab dinner at a local Basque restaurant.
- Day three "Blues" - Play another 18 at the Carson Valley golf course in the morning from the blues.
- Soak at David Walley's Resort Hot Springs & Spa. Take time to reflect and plan for your eminent return.
- Book another night - you're too relaxed to leave now. Congratulations! You've unplugged.

After golf, what are the "must do" things or attractions to see?
A few highlights for every traveler include
- Genoa Bar - the oldest thirst parlor in Nevada.
- Jacob's Family Farm - we challenge you to find a better jar of jam.
- The Pink House - offers a fine selection of artisan products, including cheese, charcuterie, beer, wine, and specialty coffee. Their menu sandwiches, salads, cheese plates, and other light fare. First built in 1865.
- Soaring NV - wanna take in the entire area including Lake Tahoe from the sky? The sound of silence, awesome views, pure joy.
- JT Basque - tasty family style dining that comes with a challenge. Get a bill of any denomination to stick to their ceiling. Try it!
- Topaz Lake - fishing, swimming, and a plethora of water activities.
- There's more gems to be found. Check out the Visit Carson Valley website.

What is the best time to travel?
Fall in Carson Valley is magical. The leaves are changing, moderate temps and lush fairways or greens. This local contributor has had more than one "it doesn't get any better than this" moment out on the valley's golf courses.

Anything else you would like to share about the Visit Carson Valley?
Carson Valley carries with it the moniker - "the land of legends". A biker, a baker, a birder and a foursome walk into a bar. No seriously.

Come capture a truly unique experience . . . here for the finding.

Where can golfers go for more information to research and plan their trip?
Please visit our website at
http://visitcarsonvalley.org/. More specifically view our golf directory here.

More Information »

Revised: 06/27/2017 - Article Viewed 25,766 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.