The daily fee Coyote Moon Golf Course opened in 2000 and plays at 6300 feet above sea level. White tees are 6211 yards and blue tees are 6704 yards. But due to the elevation it plays shorter. Locals suggest adding 10% to your average carry distance to make the math simple, but I find 7% is more accurate.
Designed by former PGA player Brad Bell, it is in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Truckee, California. There are no homes on the course to spoil the dramatic scenery. Cut through thick forests over mountainous terrain playing Coyote Moon Golf Course is like a gentle mountain hike. Holes have large elevation changes, multiple chasms, lakes, and thick rough making for entertaining shots. Wildlife sightings are commonplace at the Coyote Moon Golf Course.
Hence, there are few wide-open tee shots in which you can “grip it and rip it”. Despite the visual challenges, the landing areas are usually more generous than it appears.
Coyote Moon Golf Course is well maintained. This is an accomplishment in mountain environments with the change in temperatures, significant elevation and the limited growing season.
The back nine is sensational. Perhaps the most interesting hole is the 227-yard Par 3 Hole #13. The required tee shot is 200 feet downhill over a creek to a small well bunkered green with no bailout option. On the day I played, the pin was completely blind, tucked behind trees in the upper right portion of the green. That was a rare and bizarre feeling.
The layout is excellent, the scenery is spectacular. A mountain lodge style clubhouse with patio is serene. The excellent service is notable.
Coyote Moon holds its own with the higher end public access courses and some private courses in the Lake Tahoe area. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for more golf while relaxing there. It’s one of the finest mountain courses you’ll ever play.
High resolution photos at:
www.quintessentialgolf.com/destinations/coyote-moon/
If You Go:
Course Info – Coyote Moon Golf Club (www.coyotemoongolf.com) is a municipal owned daily fee golf facility with a single eighteen hole championship golf course.
Location – Near Highway 80 in Truckee, California in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Thirty minutes from the shores and villages of Lake Tahoe.
Lodging – Boutique hotels in Truckee two miles east. Chain and casino hotels in Reno, Nevada, forty-five minutes east.
Quintessential Golf (https://www.quintessentialgolf.com)
A source of golf travel inspiration, Quintessential Golf online magazine spotlights the most spectacular, enduring and scenic courses, resorts and golf adventures. Written from a player’s point-of-view, articles include magnificent high-resolution course images. Brought to you by Chuck Fox, single-digit golfer, writer and photographer based in Danville, California, he is fulfilling his passion and dream to play, photograph and share the romance and beauty of golf throughout North America.