Clear Creek Tahoe

‍Favorite Hole

No. 14, par 4, 320 yards

We often talk about holes using width to test a player’s decision-making and strategic understanding for a given day’s hole location. It’s rare for me to praise a hole that defends with trees, but I find the 14th quite fun and different from your typical Coore and Crenshaw short par 4. At 6,000 feet of elevation this hole is supremely drivable, but the trees narrow as you get closer to the green. Hitting a tree brings any number into play, as a ball can be lost, bounce further into the forest leaving you jailed, or you could get even lucky and it could carom back into play. The green itself has some pretty neat contouring, too.

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Overall Thoughts

The issue with mountain golf lies in its name: it exists on a mountain. Mountain landscape is traditionally severe and rugged, and while severity can yield dramatic moments, a large dose of it rarely results in a cohesive golf course. According to superintendent Mike Cunniff, before his arrival at the Clear Creek property Bill Coore questioned whether he could build something compelling. As he came over the pass from Lake Tahoe, he saw a lot of rock and massive slopes along that road, two things that aren’t conducive to great golf. But pulling off the highway and onto the property he spotted the mellow meadow adjacent to where the entrance hut now stands. The sight gave him hope that the trip wasn’t just a nice visit to a beautiful part of the country, but rather an opportunity to build a world-class golf course.

Clear Creek delivers exceptional mountain golf because of the routing that Bill Coore was able to find. The property spans over 2000+ acres in the outskirts of Carson City, Nevada and the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Coore’s routing works because he was able to wonderfully navigate a severe portion of land for the front nine, before taking golfers into a serene mountain meadow on the back that features exceptional golf holes. Bill Coore has often spoken about his fondness for Cypress Point and how it seamlessly transitions through its various environments: dunes, cypress forest, and oceanfront. At Clear Creek, his routing is able to achieve a similar feat with its beautiful blend of rocky outcroppings, severe mountain topography, and the aforementioned alpine meadow.

The key to unlocking this routing: navigating the severity of the Sierra Nevadas. After playing uphill on the par-5 first and then into the dramatic rock outcroppings of the par-3 second, you’re confronted with the most dramatic moment in the round at Clear Creek: a plunge downhill for the 508-yard par-4 third. When I say dramatic, I mean it, as the dogleg third drops nearly 200 feet as it winds its way to the right along the mountain. The fairway is bisected by a creek, and the green sits at the low point of the property. At this point in the round, a player might wonder if they’re going to hang out down there for a bit.

The answer is no. You are definitely going back up, but Coore and Crenshaw know not to try and make the trip in one steep climb. Instead, over the next four holes they slowly pull you back up the mountain. Too often when an architect throws you down a hill, the climb back is a painfully tough slog. That is not the case at Clear Creek. The holes playing up the hill are some of the most compelling on the course, with No. 5 and No. 6 being particular standouts.

The short par-4 fifth plays up to a small, clover-shaped green. Playing out to the right, away from the fairway bunkers on the left, leaves an approach shot over more bunkers to a shallow green. The best line off the tee is up the left side and over the bunkers if you can make the carry. A long hitter might even give this green a go.

No. 6 plays up and to the left and is a reachable par 5. This reachable par 5’s interest derives from its green site. The green sits on a hard right-to-left angle and features a vicious false front that will reject both wedges with too much spin and attempts in two with just a bit too much mustard. The green is amazing, but the best features of the complex exist short and to the right, the most popular bail out place for anyone attempting to reach the green in two. Anyone ending up there will have to contend with a series of knobs and mounds which create a spot of bother for anyone hoping to walk away with a birdie. From the right of this green in firm and fast conditions, a lot of players will frankly just be hoping to keep their third shot on the green.

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Both the fifth and sixth are great scoring opportunities, and that is perhaps the magic of how Coore and Crenshaw get you back up the mountain. It’s not just a slog of long, uphill holes. These two holes cover a ton of ground and make up a bunch of elevation, but the scoring opportunities presented at both fuel your climb back towards the ridge that the routing plays off of all day. To be clear, the series of holes that bring you back up still contains plenty of challenge. The mid-length par-3 fourth is exacting and the long par-4 seventh is as demanding as it gets, but sprinkling in those “fun” holes really helps a player enjoy the climb back to the meadow, a place you’ll want to spend the rest of your day.

Something magical happens when Coore and Crenshaw find a meadow. They just know how to build tremendous golf holes in those settings. Much like the meadow stretch of Bandon Trails, the run from 10 to 16 at Clear Creek is as fun a run of golf holes as you will find. It’s a stretch that possesses supreme variety thanks to the gentle movement of the land which produces fairways with just the right amount of camber. That movement is paired with hazards both natural, like the wash that winds through the 15th, and created, like the dramatic bunkering on the epic par-5 13th. This section of holes is unforgettable thanks not only to the spectacular backdrop of the Sierra Nevadas, but also because they meander along land which features a number of golf-perfect ridges on which to drape fairways and place greens.

The routing at Clear Creek proves that with the right architect and property, mountain golf can be both walkable and supremely compelling.

2 Eggs

Clear Creek jumps near the top of the list of courses I would most want to play regularly. The visual aesthetics of its native areas combined with the stunning Sierra Nevada and compelling strategic golf architecture make it as satisfying of a walk as there is. I will say, though, that the residential development has taken away from some of the beauty of the course. Roads cut in front of some tee boxes, and I found myself wishing I had seen the course pre-homes. (That being said, I would love to own one of those homes.) I wonder if Clear Creek could do it all over and open today as a private, golf-first facility, would the housing development have been needed to make it all work? I think with a little marketing it could have become THE destination golf club on the West Coast.

The golf course is that good.

Course Tour

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