 |
|
(photograph by Rob Brown) |
More than 20 Golf Courses Line Historic Route 49 Through the Scenic California Gold Country
By Dave Carter
H
ighway 49, California's Golden Chain Highway, links the historic
small communities of the Gold Country from Oakhurst in Madera County on
the south and Sierra County on the north. Today, all along the Golden Chain,
travelers are finding more than links to a rich golden past; they are also
discovering links of the golfing variety. More than 20 golf courses line
today’s Highway 49, bringing new visitors, new activities and new opportunities
to this tourism-dependent region.
Golf along Highway 49 is friendly and uncrowded; a relaxing
outdoor experience the way golf is supposed to be. There are top-notch,
beautiful and challenging golf courses, some rated among the best in the
state. For the most part, they are inexpensive by California standards.
Plus, the communities along Highway 49 offer some of the state’s best
historical sites and artifacts of the Gold Rush, especially this year when
special events are being held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of California’s
statehood.
The quaint, rustic and Victorian communities of Highway 49 are filled with
cozy bed and breakfast inns, wine tasting tours, galleries, museums, fine
restaurants and other interesting diversions and side trips.
So, pack up the clubs, climb behind the wheel and join us for a tour of
Highway 49 golf courses. We begin at Oakhurst, near the southern entrance
to Yosemite National Park, at the southern tip of Highway 49.
Located at Ahwanee two and a half miles west of Oakhurst, is the Ahwanee
Golf Club, an affordable semi-private 18-hole, par-70 layout that attracts
a regular clientele from the Fresno, Merced and Madera areas. Tees range
from 4,841 to 6,401 yards. The course is open to the public seven days a
week; rates are $25 or $35 with a cart.
Also in the area are River Creek, a 9-hole public course off Highway
49 between Oakhurst and Mariposa ($10-$22); and Wawona, a 9-hole track off
Highway 41, north of Oakhurst ($12.50-$20).
Northward, two miles off Highway 49 just south of Sonora, is the Mountain
Springs Golf Club, a well-manicured 18-hole par-72 public course with
lots of water lining the fairways.
At the 1,800-foot elevation, above the fog and below the snow, Mountain
Springs is a walkable (most ride) rolling, foothill-style golf course. It
offers a good challenge, scenery and a quality golf experience for the price;
$23-$34 with a cart for two at $24.
The Sonora area also offers two well-established and challenging 9- hole
courses; the Twain Harte Golf Club ($10-$15), in Twain Harte east
of Sonora which dates to 1962; and Phoenix Lake ($8-$14), off Phoenix Lake
Road outside Sonora, which opened in 1969.
Located in Copperopolis, southwest of Angels Camp, is the semi- private
Saddle Creek Golf Club. The popular Saddle Creek is open to the public
daily; rates are $60 Mondays through Thursdays including cart; and $75 on
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Local and Northern California Golf Association
(NCGA) discounts are offered. Plus, the golf course teams up with local
innkeepers in Angels Camp and Murphys to offer deals on golf packages. Rental
bungalows along the fairways are now being completed and should be available
later this summer.
Saddle Creek offers an 18-hole layout with five sets of tees stretching
from 4,471 yards in front to the PGA championship tees at 6,829 yards. At
the 1,000-foot elevation, rains are lighter than up the hill and the course
is almost always in top shape.
In Angels Camp, just off the Highway 49-Highway 4 junction is the site of
The Resort at Greenhorn Creek, a five-year-old course that has undergone
a dramatic redesign this year into a Robert Trent Jones signature course.
Marketing director Bob Trinchero says the $1.2 million golf course renovation
is part of an overall $2 million upgrade that has brought new restaurant,
banquet, pool and spa amenities to the golf-residential community. The on-site
restaurant, Camps, is noted for its excellent menu.
Greenhorn Creek is a natural-feeling, lay-of-the-land 18-hole championship
golf course. It is remarkably scenic with views of distant snowcap peaks
and of New Melones Reservoir. The par-72 course has four sets of tees ranging
from 5,181 to 6,849 yards and is friendly to all abilities. Slope ratings
range from 119 off the front tees to 130 off the back tees. The configuration
is fairly unique with five par-5s and five par-3s.
To introduce golfers to the new, improved golf course, the Resort at Greenhorn
Creek is offering a special introductory rate for the remainder of this
year; $37 weekdays and $52 weekends with $15 per rider for carts.Pro Shop:
(209) 736-8143.
For those wanting to stay at the course, the resort offers 80 rental cottages.
There are also several hotels and bed and breakfast inns in nearby Angels
Camp and Murphys. Water sports abound at New Melones and wine tasting is
popular here; there are seven wineries in Calaveras County.
In Murphys, east of Angels Camp, is Forest Meadows Golf Course, an
18-hole, par-60 short course that measures 3,886 yards. It’s open to
the public at rates of $15 to $30 with carts at $22.
In Valley Springs, northwest of Angels Camp, La Contenta is a popular
and well-established semi-private 18-hole golf course. It’s a par-71
with tees ranging from 5,203 to 6,235 yards. Rates are $21-$33.
To the north, in El Dorado County outside of Placerville, is the all-new
Apple Mountain Golf Resort, which until its recent upgrade was known
as Gold Creek. The 18-hole public resort course is in Camino, near Appe
Hill.
The course itself has inspiring snowcap views, several of which are from
elevated tees with downhill tee shots. This is a cart-mandatory course that
features lots of ups and downs between the 2,500 and 2,800-foot elevations.
Pro Shop: (530) 647-7400.
Other El Dorado County courses include Sierra Golf Course ($8-$12)
in Placerville, a 9-hole public layout that dates to 1930 and is among the
region’s oldest; Green Valley Oaks ($16-$20) in Rescue, a 9-hole course
open to the public; and El Dorado Hills ($17-$22 plus cart), a public,
18-hole Robert Trent Jones course that measures 4,012 yards with a par of
61.
North, across the American River and past the California gold discovery
site at Coloma, is Placer County, home of The Ridge, newest golf
course along the 49er Gold Trail. Located in Auburn, The Ridge opened in
1999 and has been recognized as one of California’s best new public
courses. It’s an oak-studded par-71, 18-hole track with five sets of
tees ranging from the junior-senior set at 4,954 yards to the gold tees
at 6,734 yards.
“People tend to look at our scorecard and say it’s a short course,”
says marketing director Karin Bickel. “Later, they’ll say it plays
much longer. Most people find it to be challenging but fair.”
The course is contoured into a 170-acre site that features rolling hills,
mature oaks and vivid contrasts between the lush greens and surrounding
foothill brush. With good drainage, it remains in good shape and playable
all year. A new stone and wood clubhouse with restaurant, “Lanterns,”
opened earlier this year.
As far as a signature hole, Bickel says that golf pro Greg French loves
hole No. 13, a narrow par-4 requiring an accurate tee shot, followed by
a high approach over bunkers to the narrow putting surface.
The Ridge has been drawing golfers from the local area as well as Sacramento
and Reno and has been developing packages with Auburn area innkeepers. Rates
are $40 weekdays, $55 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and $30 and $35 for
twilight. Carts are $12; strong golfers will find the course enjoyable to
walk.Pro Shop: (530) 888-7888.
Also in the Auburn area is the Winchester Country Club, slated to
open this spring in the woods near Meadow Vista. The private Robert Trent
Jones Sr. and Jr. signature golf course is the centerpiece for an exclusive
residential development. The senior Jones, probably the most influential
figure in golf course design in the world today, pioneered such design innovations
as bracketed landing areas and framing greens with bunkers and water. His
courses are known for their visual drama and extraordinary challenge.
Jones, Jr. often called the Frank Lloyd Wright of golf course design, has
a sensitivity for the natural landscape. Though his courses tend to be visually
spectacular, they are also cerebral, providing several options for playing
each hole.
For membership information and real estate sales at Winchester, call (530)
878-6500.
Other nearby courses include Black Oak, a popular and long (3,160
yards) 9-hole, par-36 course in Auburn ($9-$20) and Raspberry Hill ($6-$17.50),
an easier, par-29 layout just off Interstate 80. This convenient course
also has an excellent restaurant, Headquarter House, and may be reached
by calling (530) 878-7818.
From Auburn, Highway 49 winds north to Nevada County and the 18-hole championship
course at Alta Sierra. Alta Sierra is a semi-private course that
offers public play some afternoons. Rates are $40 to $55 with carts at $22.
For tee times or membership information, call (530) 273-2010.
The northernmost golf course on Highway 49 is the venerable, 1930s-era Nevada
County Country Club ($12-$18) in Grass Valley. The semi-private 9-hole,
par-34 layout in Grass Valley is walkable and offers a good challenge.
Visitors to the Grass Valley-Nevada City area can choose from 15 local bed
and breakfast inns, a number of very good restaurants and can tour Empire
Mine State Historic
Park, site of California’s oldest and richest gold mine.