City: Genoa, NV

Category: Golf

Telephone: (775) 782-4653, (866) 795-2709

Address: 1 Genoa Lakes Drive

Description: A semiprivate club with the amenities of a private one, Genoa Lakes is located in Nevada’s oldest town. This Peter Jacobson/John Harbottle–designed course is spectacular and rests against the slopes of the eastern Sierra with miles and miles of valley and mountain views. Built around a large wetlands, this links-style course is long and extremely challenging. Water comes into play on 13 holes, and its huge sand traps have a propensity for reaching out and grabbing even the best golf shots. Home of the 1998 U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament, this course will definitely test every part of your game—but again, the views are so magnificent you won’t mind shooting a mediocre game of golf. The signature hole is the 13th, a 652-yard par 5, the longest in Nevada. The trick to this course is a well-placed tee shot. Any other type of tee shot is trouble with a capital “T.” Partnered with Genoa Lakes Golf Resort (formerly Sierra Nevada Golf Ranch), this course is also known as the Lakes Course. Yardage: 5,969 Par: 72 USGA rating: 67.0 Slope: 122 Greens fees: $60 to $120 Reservations: 7 days in advance

City: Genoa, NV

Category: Golf

Telephone: (775) 782-7700, (866) 795-2709

Address: 2901 Jacks Valley Road

Description: Formerly Sierra Nevada Golf Ranch, Genoa Lakes Golf Resort (nicknamed the Resort Course) was acquired by Genoa Lakes Golf Club in 2005. Because the two courses are paired, you can schedule tee times for both at the same number and Web site. It was designed in what golf architects call a nonparallel format, meaning holes don’t run next to one another. This gives the effect that you and your foursome are the only golfers on the course, because you can’t peek over onto the next fairway to see anyone else. The holes are laid out with a sense of solitude in mind. The front nine begins on the valley floor and climbs 300 feet up the eastern slope of the Sierra. The back nine snakes its way through desert terrain. Water comes into play on four holes, including a spectacular waterfall on No. 17. The course also has 114 sand bunkers and several grass ones lining the greens and fairways. The 10th hole is one of the prettiest, with the entire right side framed by a cascading creek. The signature hole is No. 17, a 165-yard par 3 with a huge island green surrounded on three sides by a lake with a waterfall located in back. The hole with the best view from the tee is the 478-yard sixth. The green on this hole seems to float above the purple-hued valley with the Sierra looming in the background. This is also the number-one-handicapped hole, so don’t let the wonderful view distract you. The facility offers 10 acres of practice area, which the club calls “The Shooting Range” instead of the driving range. It also has the largest clubhouse in Nevada, a 20,000-square-foot wood-and-stone building that used to be a hunting lodge. Yardage: 6,207 Par: 72 USGA rating: 69.7 Slope: 129 Greens fees: $50 to $90 Reservations: 1 week in advance