Explore Carson City Golf Courses
We can’t promise that this article will improve your short game, but taking advantage of numerous premium golf courses in Carson City and the surrounding area just might. We’re blessed to be surrounded by world-class courses in some of the most beautiful terrain imaginable, making for an excellent day on the fairway regardless of your final score. Let’s look at what to expect when hitting the range this summer in Carson area golf courses.
Carson Valley Golf Course
Located just south of Carson City in Gardnerville, Carson Valley Golf Course has been a local favorite since 1965. The course presents a fun, affordable challenge for golfers of every skill level—even with its relatively short yardage—and welcomes a more relaxed dress code, including loud shirts, backward hats, and even music on the course.
Surrounded by shady cottonwood trees and straddling the banks of the Carson River, players can shoot over water nine times during 18 holes, making for unique playing conditions amid tranquil scenery. Carson Valley Golf Course is open year-round, with a driving range, practice green, pro shop, and on-site restaurant and bar to close the day. See why locals love this award-winning course!
Empire Ranch Golf Course
The Empire Ranch is true to its name, named for the erstwhile gold rush town of Empire City—of which remnants of the original construction still dot the course—and spanning a 250-acre historic ranch in Carson Valley. The course is part of the landscape. Sheltered from the seasonal winds by bluffs on either side with fairways meandering through lush wetlands, it offers adventure for high and low handicappers alike.
The Empire Ranch’s customization options are one of the biggest draws, offering five different tee boxes along its championship layout to accommodate golfers of every skill level. Empire Ranch provides 27 fun and challenging holes, a full practice complex, a teaching facility, and a pro shop. Empire Ranch’s PGA professional instructors offer the latest video and launch monitor technology for golfers looking for a technical edge.
Silver Oak Golf Course
Silver Oak is in the heart of Carson City, equidistant from Reno and Lake Tahoe. The course offers five sets of tees with a par 71 championship layout at 6,564 yards. Sophisticated is the name of the game here, with sweeping scenic overlooks of the surrounding valley courtesy of the elevation gains on the back nine and wildlife often visible in abundance. The combination of premium play and natural beauty has made Silver Oak a fan favorite, consistently voted Carson City’s best since 2006.
Toiyabe Golf Club
Toiyabe is named for its proximity to the foothills of the Toiyabe National Forest in Washoe Valley, providing shady tree cover from the surrounding evergreen pines with a stunning mountainous backdrop. A Robert Muir Graves-designed, semi-private course, Toiyabe offers a unique challenge to low handicap players, especially thanks to its blend of alpine and links-style golf.
With smooth, fast greens and dense rough, players of all skill levels will find a fun, challenging course that’s open year-round, with professional instruction, golf clinics, camps, and tournaments, including a PGA Junior League. Plus, there’s on-site dining for a meal amongst the pines after you pencil your final score.
Genoa Lakes Golf Course
Genoa Lakes is unique amongst Washoe Valley golf offerings as it’s actually two courses—the “lakes course” and the “ranch course”—located only two miles apart. As one might presume, the lakes course is so named for its many water features, while the ranch course is a desert-style layout, and motivated players can play both in a single day’s outing.
The Lakes course is rated the third-best course in the state and among the top on the west coast and served as the host of the 2019 U.S. Open Qualifier. The ranch course was designed by golf legend Johnny Miller and acclaimed architect John Harbottle resulting in a visually stunning masterpiece carved into the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada.
Dayton Valley Golf Course
One of the premier golf courses in Northern Nevada, Dayton Valley is situated over 40 acres of water features, complete with strategic bunkers and lightning-fast greens for a beautiful and intriguing day on the range. Designed by none other than Arnold Palmer, technical play and gorgeous scenery have earned Dayton Valley four and one-half stars in Golf Digest’s “Places to Play.”
With tournament play opportunities plus on-site dining and amenities, Dayton Valley is equally suited to laid-back Sunday rounds as it is to team building and charity events. See Northern Nevada golf at its finest!
