Golf in Reno, Nevada: A Local Guide
Reno's high-desert courses sit at around 4,500 feet, where the ball flies noticeably farther and the golf season follows the snow. A guide to the courses, the climate and the best times to play.
Reno is a very different kind of desert golf from Las Vegas. The city sits in the Truckee Meadows at about 4,400 feet, in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada, with Lake Tahoe less than an hour's drive away. Summers are warm and dry, winters bring snow, and the thin air at altitude adds real distance to every shot. Together with neighboring Sparks and the surrounding valleys, the Reno area has a wide choice of courses.
The Courses
Our database lists eight courses within Reno and more in Sparks and the surrounding area. Among the best known:
- LakeRidge Golf Course, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that opened in 1969, famous for its par-3 15th hole: the tee sits on a rocky ridge high above Lake Stanley, and the green is on an island.
- Washoe Golf Course, owned by Washoe County, one of Reno's oldest courses, with a classic tree-lined layout.
- Wolf Run Golf Club and Sierra Sage Golf Course, public courses on the south and north sides of the city.
- The Club at ArrowCreek, with 36 holes in the foothills of the Carson Range in south Reno, and private clubs such as Hidden Valley and Somersett.
See the full list, with a playability forecast for each course, on our Reno and Sparks golf weather pages, for example for LakeRidge and Washoe Golf Course.
The Climate
The National Weather Service's 1991–2020 normals for Reno-Tahoe International Airport show an average high of about 48°F in January and about 94°F in July, with about 7 inches of precipitation and about 21 inches of snow in a typical year. Because the air is so dry, days and nights differ enormously: in July, the average low is only about 60°F, more than 30 degrees below the average high.
When to Play
- Spring (March to May): courses come out of winter dormancy and the season gets going, though cold mornings, wind and the occasional late snow are common.
- Summer (June to August): the heart of the season, with hot, dry afternoons, cool mornings and long days. Afternoon thunderstorms are occasional, and wildfire smoke from the Sierra can affect air quality on some days.
- Autumn (September to November): often the best weather of the year, with warm afternoons and crisp mornings, until the first cold snaps of November.
- Winter (December to February): courses stay open when the weather allows, and many sunny winter days are playable, but frost delays, snow and frozen ground mean frequent closures. Check with the course before heading out.
How Far the Ball Flies
Altitude is Reno's big advantage for distance. Our carry model estimates that a drive that carries 230 yards at sea level on a 70°F day would carry about 243 yards on an average January afternoon in Reno, and about 253 yards on an average July afternoon. That is roughly a club more than at sea level on iron shots, so it pays to adjust your yardages. Our course pages calculate this for every tee time, using each course's elevation.
Getting Started
For the best conditions, plan a Reno golf trip between May and October, and use the cool mornings and warm afternoons to your advantage. For more on how altitude and weather change the way a course plays, see Course Rating and Slope Rating Explained, and check the forecast for your tee time on our Nevada golf weather pages.
Photo: Crystal Peak Golf Course, Verdi, Nevada, west of Reno, by Ken Lund, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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