DarkHorse Golf Club

I have always wanted to play this course but is about 2 hrs from home. Decided to play an evening round on my way home from the Bay. Really happy I played because it was a fun round. Got paired up with another 2 great locals that made the round that much more enjoyable. Course is in great conditions for the time of year. Would definitely play it again and would definitely recommend it to any caliber of golfer.

I had come here after recommendations from a friend for months. We finally booked and made the drive out from Reno, and this was definitely worth the trip.

There was enough variation in hole layouts and greens that it never felt dull playing here. Tons of risk/reward opportunities if you can place it, but also plenty of playable areas if you decide to either lay up on a par 5 or tee with something shorter than driver on most holes. Toward the latter half of the round, you get a lot of really cool changes in elevation and some great views for pictures and memories. Nothing beats hitting a 300+ yard drive down a 50+ foot drop from some of those tee boxes.

You'll definitely want to be at least semi-competent off the tee and every variation of above feet/below feet/uphill/downhill lies, as this course has it all over the fairways and especially in the rough if you don't get it where you need off the tee. There were also plenty of hazards and forced carries that I wouldn't recommend a high handicap come to play. My wife tagged along and ultimately decided against playing since we knew she wouldn't have a good time here.

Toptracer range for warmup was great and helpful in finding my distances with the change in elevation. The clubhouse is more like a small check-in shack with a restroom attached, and they had a hot dog stand at the turn that made grabbing a snack quick and easy. One thing my wife did note was that restrooms were spaced a bit far apart. I'd imagine topography makes it tough here, so it was better than nothing having at least a couple on the course.

One downside for course conditions, though I know it's only seasonal, was that the greens were recently punched within the last few weeks, so there were a lot of dimples and bumps for putts even as short as 5-6 feet. My friend insisted they're usually in perfect condition, and I presume they may have punched a little early before it warmed back up late in this summer/fall.

Altogether, this course was a great play and worth the trip out. We will likely come back within the year to play again, and I recommend most golfers (mid handicap and better) come try this one out.

Guy at main desk was rude and running late, There were no staff at 1st hole checking tee times, group jump in front of us, Had to wait on at least 5 holes for lawn maintenance. Won’t go back

Course is always in great condition, beautiful scenery and one of my favorite lay-outs around the area. 10 out of 10, EXCEPT for “clubhouse”. They don’t have one. They don’t have food except for a hotdog stand , which may I add is absolutely exceptional. But they don’t sell golf balls, barely have anything to drink where you pay etc.. for a $90 round, you expect everything to be on point so PLEASE get a clubhouse. You have everything else going for you except that

Never mentioned that the greens were aerated until getting to the green of the first hole. Never again.

Greens were deep punched 3

Weeks ago and have still not recovered! Normal unraked sand traps! Pro said they rake twice per week? Overall course maintenance is disappointing!

The course has a great setting but the conditions and maintenance are not up to par. Tee boxes are scruffy, not mowed, soggy and full of divots. Fairways were over watered and had numerous un marked cart/vehicle damage. Fairways needed more consistent mowing. Bunkers needed weeding.

Course was great, but way over watered. Some holes were very wet.

Aerated greens as expected but severe overwatering was not expected! Might be the worst course I have played all summer! Give it several weeks before playing this course. It's usually quite spectacular!

Darkhorse is the nicest public golf course in the greater Sacramento area. It's a Beautiful layout. The conditions are always good to great. They have Beautiful white sand bunkers. I would give this course an A- design & agronomy The prices are fair. You can play Darhorse 4 times for 1 round at Winchester. Which is in TERRIBLE SHAPE, and $150.00 a round.

To pay full price for a round of golf only to find out the greens had been punched and there was sand all over the greens (sometimes a quarter inch above the surface) made it for a frustrating round of golf. Any other course I've played warns you about the punched greens and provides a discount. In addition the course was not marked very well for where you could and could not drive carts wasting lots of time having to back out of "restricted areas" that were areas in play. I won't be returning to this course ever again.

I was weekending over in the area on business and decided to try DarkHorse. Nice high tech driving range, and the course was uncrowded for a Saturday morning. Great track!! Some challenging holes but not so difficult as to frustrate. Fairways were generally in good condition but a lot of bare spots and some spongey areas. They may have some drainage issues on a few holes. Very scenic and serene environment and many nice homes made for pleasant sight seeing.

I thoroughly enjoyed my round but greens had just been aerated and sanded so putting was very difficult. That said, I’d definitely play here again.