5 Must Do’s When Playing Edgewood Lake Tahoe

[GolfSpy Dave]

 

It was a few years ago when I first played Edgewood Tahoe. That time through, I took extensive notes, and ended up writing a comprehensive, but admittedly long course review. If you made it to the end, you earned a reading endurance merit badge. Here's the LINK to that review.

 

Well this past summer, I made a return trip to Edgewood, and rather than rehashing all of the past points, I thought it would be more valuable to give you a few quick hits on Edgewood's high points, or, if you will,

 

5 Must Do's When Playing Edgewood Tahoe

 

1. Get There Early

One of the mistakes I always make when playing is that I don't get to the course early enough. I can't tell you how many times I've walked from the car directly to the first tee. Obviously, this is not a recipe for success.

 

At Edgewood, you will want to get there early so you can warm up. This will help on that first tee, but it will also allow you to use the driving range. It's a cool looking range, outlined by beautiful Tahoe trees.

 

The putting green is also a worthy stop. The view of Lake Tahoe is amazing from the practice green. That green also runs pretty close to the course greens, so you can get an idea about what to expect when you play.

 

Don't forget to take a photo with the iconic Edgewood Tahoe clock. I seem to remember seeing another one of these at a fairly well known California course...

 

2.   Hit the Restaurant

This is sound advice, even if you are not playing the course. The food is excellent, and the patio looks out on the course. It's a nice place to relax before or after the round.

 

One of the bummers of this trip was that my brother and I were forced to skip the after round pint on the patio, as beer plus possible lightning did not seem like the ideal combination. Yes, these photos are from August, not October. Weather happens...

 

Here is a direct LINK to the menu to get you hungry.

 

3. Get a Milkshake at the Turn

Keeping with the food theme, you need to get a milkshake from the snack shack at the turn. Order it from the food phone at the 9^th tee. Pay the $6, and then spend the 10^th and 11^th savoring its goodness. I can't tell you what I shot on those holes. Maybe double snowmen. I don't remember, or care. That milkshake was killer.

 

 

I went chocolate banana. Once the shake part was gone, finding chunks of banana in the bottom was a sweet surprise. Man it was delicious.

 

4.  Take the Time to Enjoy the Unique Holes

Holes 1-15 at Edgewood Tahoe definitely have some unique character, and are diverse enough to make lasting impressions.

 

The blind shot up the hill on the 15^th was especially cool. As a rule, I usually hate blind shots they are not cool. The cool on 15 comes from cameras down hole and the monitor near the tee box. They allow you to know for sure when the fairway is clear.

 

I have not seen a camera/monitor system at other courses. The closest thing to Edgewood's video system I've found at other courses is watching carts ahead of you on the GPS. The camera was cool. Feel free to choreograph a fairway dance routine when you reach your tee shot. Those waiting behind you at the tee box will love your moxie and definitely buy you a beer after the round. Definitely.

 

Edgewood Tahoe is a great track, but it's no stretch to say that the proximity to Lake Tahoe is Edgewood's greatest asset. Coming down the hill on 16, seeing the lake as you pass the tree in the fairway is just so cool. It's a fun hole to play as well. Look at those bunkers!

 

The 17^th is a great little par 3 right on the shore. Playing it with wind this time was quite a challenge. Maybe my favorite putting green on the course. Probably not because the green itself, but rather the somewhat noticeable lake behind it.

 

The 18^th is a great finishing hole. Reachable in two, if you are willing to take the risk. We had to rush this one a bit as the sky was looking nasty, but when the weather is nice, it's such a classic way to finish the round.

 

Take the time to enjoy these holes as well as play them. Take photos. Be a tourist a bit. It's a special place. You may only play there once. I'll forgive you if you slow down play a bit.

 

5. Have Fun

I would hope that this would be an essential goal of playing a resort course, but I know from experience that the fun factor can be lost when playing at special courses. Personally, I usually begin the round at places like Edgewood Tahoe in a bit of a anxious state. I want to play well, as the course is amazing, and I'm not sure if I'll ever play there again.

 

This makes for a tight-body, stressful experience for the first few holes. Not much fun.

 

Instead, my new goal is to not care so much and have fun during these rounds. I know that I am likely going to hit my ball into the roses, but now I'm making the time to smell them while I am there.

 

I give a ton of credit to the starter at Edgewood for guiding me toward this revelation of play. When we were waiting to tee off, he asked what tees we were playing from. We were debating between two, and he suggested playing the closer ones. Why? To make our round more relaxed and fun. He had another suggestion as well, which I loosely quote:

 

Be sure to cheat a little out there.

 

Golf purists are now clicking over to other threads, but I probably lost them anyway at chocolate-banana-milkshake-gasm. The starter's smiling suggestion of foul play was a great stress killer. I don't think that either one of us actually cheated during the round, but his suggestion was enough to take a ton of stress out of that first tee shot.

 

The ohmygodthiscourseisfancyandIhadbetterplaywell stress just wasn't there this time around. My number on the card was still well above tournament winning, but the round was fun and that's what I'll remember.

 

Edgewood Tahoe Report: PLAY IT!

If you get the chance, play Edgewood Tahoe. It is a special course, and should be on the bucket list for any golfer. When you do go, have fun. Get a milkshake, play up a tee, and spend the moment to enjoy the view of Lake Tahoe. Feel free to kick you ball out from behind a tree. I'm totally cool with that. Grind over your game at your home course, not here. You are on vacation, remember?

 

 

BONUS INFO: EDGEWOOD REMODEL

While we were at Edgewood, we learned of the huge remodel that is currently going on there. They are changing the course to make the 9^th a lakefront hole (YEAH!), and also making huge changes to the infrastructure as a whole. Here are some of the highlights:

·      A New Lodge with 154 guest rooms

·      Private Residence Club of 40 cabins

·      Lake Front Activities

·      Three redesigned holes (7, 8, & 9)

 

I've scanned the flyer so you can see exactly what is going on. It looks like they are making and amazing course into an amazing resort destination.

 

Hopefully when it all comes together in 2017, my brother and I can return there and give you the full Stay-and-Play experience. I want to play there again for sure.

 

[SeeRed]

I'm too close not to get up there and play that course. My brother-in-law has and also says it's fantastic. Too bad about missing the obligatory after-round pint, though. Looks like a great place to sit and sip and tell stories about the round. Thanks for the write up!

[The Dansome]

#andknowingishalfthebattle

 

Thanks for this great write up Dave

[markb]

Great photos recalled to mind great memories of Edgewood.  

 

I lived in Reno for two years in the early 90's, went the to the celebrity event there twice.   I was standing in the right rough on 18 fairway behind the ropes when the marquee 3some came through that everyone was waiting for -- it was MJ's group, of course.   All the little autograph hounds started baying to get Michael's autograph and waving their little cards, but his Airness would not deign to look up from his ball in the fairway.   I was standing behind a little wheelchair bound cerebral palsy kid who was doing his best to be seen in the throng and get his hero's autograph, but it wasn't working.  MJ didn't budge.

 

Then one of the other members of his group saw us out of the corner of his eye, left his ball, and crossed the fairway, straight for the kid in the wheelchair.  He bent down and signed the kid's card, saying, "Here you go.  This may not be the Mike you were hoping for, but it might be worth something."

 

Mike Schmidt, greatest 3rd baseman in the history of the game, grew a little bigger in my esteem that day.