Review: Tough course, hard to find, but worth the effort

Review by Jason Aceves and Jerry Miller, special to Reno.com
August 1, 2006

The buzz about Northgate Golf Club in Northwest Reno is that it makes golf a game of inches, not yards, due to its challenging landscape. If you can finesse the ball, you may just have the advantage over long-shot artists at this course. Owned and operated by the Reno/Sparks Convention Authority, the course played was host to the Hogan Tour in the early ‘90s, and while it can be a little difficult to find, it’s worth the effort.

We chose Northgate because only Jerry played there before. We figured it would be a good idea to play a course that one of us knew a little about because that way, we have all of our bases covered. If I stunk, then my “I had never played that course before” excuse card will definitely come out of the bag. If I played well, then “Thank God Jerry knew every inch of that course” would have to be said (Gotta give props when they are due.). Plus, it is a hidden hotspot that I wanted to check out. But who are we kidding? We could have played in a bucket of sand in Hell and it’s STILL golfing, right?

The course has quite a few elevation changes, with rolling hills on a majority of the holes that can play havoc with your game, unless you’re careful. Fairways are clean-cut and mostly well-groomed; we noticed some rough, patchy spots, however, and the local critters have had their way with the fairways in a few spots. But the greens are tidy and fast with quite a few of them pitching here and there. Pin placement is good, with some out in the open and some more challenging, like between sand traps on the thinnest part of the green.

One of the downfalls of this course is the rough. If you aren’t on the fairway, then you have several different types of turf with which to contend. In some places, you have your typical 3-4 inch rough, but in other places you will be hitting off anything from hard, rocky dirt to soft silt. The maintenance crew needs to be re-motivated, because on our one round, we saw 4 dead critters, two of them right off the tee box.

As far as amenities, Northgate is average. There is a bar and snack bar that serves your typical no-frills meals, with most items running about $7-$8. One nice service is a small menu and food order speaker on the 9th hole, so you can place your order and have it waiting for you when you make the turn. Not a groundbreaking innovation, but it is a nice little addition. Make sure you have cash or a credit card, because there is no ATM on the premises. You can count on a water bucket and paper cups every three holes and a few restroom facilities spread out through the course. If you are planning a tournament, Northgate offers a large barbecue and a covered area with picnic tables.

After taking into consideration the location, views, playability of the course, amenities, and the price, not to mention the fact I didn’t play too badly, this course deserves 3 out of 5 stars overall.

If you go ...
What: Northgate Golf Club

Where: Located in Northwest Reno on 1111 Clubhouse Drive, Reno, NV 89523. Call (775)747-7577

How: Take I-80 west to W. McCarran Blvd. exit. Turn right on W. McCarran Blvd. Turn left on Mae Anne Ave. Go west 2 miles and turn right on Avenida de Landa. Turn left on Beaumont Parkway. Turn left on Clubhouse Drive.

How much: 72-par 18 hole course; Monday - Thursday fees are $42 and Friday-Sunday, $48. After 11 a.m. it’s $32 and after 2p.m. it goes down again to $27; all costs include a cart. A large bucket of balls will run you $5 for those times you need to work out the kinks at the driving range.

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