Rollicking round of golf thru the hills above Reno/Sparks. Course in excellent shape, Greens still had small tine marks from recent aeration but had no noticeable effect on putting. The greens were li... Continue »

Rollicking round of golf thru the hills above Reno/Sparks. Course in excellent shape, Greens still had small tine marks from recent aeration but had no noticeable effect on putting. The greens were lighting fast and smooth as glass. This layout is like a Scottish links thru the hills, very unique. Many deep bunkers and the greens fell off on a lot of sides leaving difficult recovery shots. The wind howled at a solid 20mph the whole round, I think that's pretty typical out here and just adds to the challenge. It is not private, and some discounts to be found on GolfNow. Well worth checking out if in the area.

This was our afternoon round today sandwiched in between a couple inconsequential short course fillers after Edgewood in the morning. We had a 2:45 tee time, but they actually asked us to go out at th... Continue »

This was our afternoon round today sandwiched in between a couple inconsequential short course fillers after Edgewood in the morning. We had a 2:45 tee time, but they actually asked us to go out at the 2:35 time because that group hadn't checked in yet. We enjoyed the first few holes without anyone ahead and then caught the groups. Still a solid pace of 3:45. Price was very reasonable at $39. The course was in decent overall condition. Early on it kind of had that very dried out "US Open" sheen under the bright afternoon sun, but it felt like the course got better as the round went on (both in terms of conditions and design). Tee boxes were fine. Most fairways were pretty good with some thin areas throughout. Rough more inconsistent. Good grass coverage, but bumpy ground underneath and uneven cuts. Some deep nasty spots and some tightly mown sections. Bunkers mixed. Some firm, some soft, most with plenty of pebbles mixed in. Greens good overall, somewhat receptive and rolling smooth at medium speeds. Early on, I was unimpressed with this course. It felt kind of plain for the first few holes, but then you start going into the "Hills" as the name would suggest. Then, it gets more and more entertaining with an open desert canyon setting. Lots of big changes in elevation. Interesting pot bunker complexes with rough-hewn fescue faces help give the course some character throughout. Hale Irwin designed the course. One thing to note is how crazy windy it was here, just as it was yesterday at Somersett. Similar unprotected canyon and ridgeline setting that swirls the wind all around. I don't know if today represented the prevailing winds here. If so, I question some planning to have several really steep uphill holes straight into the wind. One par-5 on the back was around 485 from the blue tees, but seemingly playing more like 700 with the straight uphill design and 20MPH winds dead in your face all the way up. However, the finishing stretch made up for it with some big downhill/downwind holes that made me feel like a king (I had very un-sixpez-like drives of 280 and 320 yards thanks to some gravity and wind assistance!). Not a top-shelf course for this region, but very enjoyable overall and the price was great for a Saturday afternoon round. I think they alternate which course at Red Hawk is public/private on any given day, but it seems like they are more toward the public side of things nowadays.

Played here Sat May 28, 3:30 tee off, had 5, but they don't allow it, but we did it anyway. finished in 4:15. $39 twilight with cart. Warm start, wind picked up the last 2 hours 20-25 mph and cold. M... Continue »

Played here Sat May 28, 3:30 tee off, had 5, but they don't allow it, but we did it anyway. finished in 4:15. $39 twilight with cart. Warm start, wind picked up the last 2 hours 20-25 mph and cold. My main nitpick is the holes routing seems not thought out... lots of driving btwn many holes. but otherwise, a really fun course. The hills course goes up into the hills... so there are some really uphill holes, and some really downhill holes. luckily the wind was going parallel to the holes, I hate a cross wind. One par 5 named "the beast" 700 from the tips. We played from the middle set of 5 tees and it played 585 downhill with wind. some long uphill holes, into the wind. #16 is downhill 460 downwind... felt like hawaii. A really nice course with 18 interesting holes. Fair and fun. Wanted to play the Lakes, but no time. Would play again.

Played the Hills at Red Hawk on wed. June 6, 2013.
Let me just say, Starting with the pro shop throughout your whole facility, and including the course. Tee to greens. Grade A.
Course was immaculat... Continue »

Played the Hills at Red Hawk on wed. June 6, 2013.
Let me just say, Starting with the pro shop throughout your whole facility, and including the course. Tee to greens. Grade A.
Course was immaculate. Tee boxes, level and very little divot damage. Fairways firm, rolled out very nicely. Ruff was lush but depending on the lie(of course) was playable. Bunkers had this gorgeous white, bright sand and you better know how to play your sand shots because you got out of them what you put into your shots from them. No your game and you’ll be fine….. Greens were fantastic. Rolled true, fast and no bumps, give them a good 10 to 11. Maybe even better than that. I loved them.
The course has very little trees, because it doesn’t need them. The Hills course is up on top of the “Hills”, duh……lol. So the wind will take care of the course on its own and those bunkers seem to be in just the right places. Lot’s of elevation changes, with some blind shot’s and course knowledge or a good Sky caddie is helpful…. Speaking of GPS…. The cart’s are equipped with GPS with a great “flyover” feature that is very helpful for us first timers…. They also have three cart girls(all pretty) working the 2 course’s. Saw all of them and it was very consistent, every 3 to 4 holes. You do not go to the club house at the turn, but the girls have hot dogs, Great sandwiches, which we had and plenty of beverages for all ages.
This is our small groups annual trip to Reno and we are already planning next year’s trip to defiantly including Red Hawk. If going to Reno to golf, make sure you include the Red Hawk course in your itinerary. They also have the “Lakes” course that we want to play next year.
Thank your Staff for being so helpful and making it a great outing for our group.
kwski