GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
3.7
301 Reviews (301)
5 Stars
72
4 Stars
107
3 Stars
58
2 Stars
36
1 Stars
28
Conditions
3.4
Value
3.6
Layout
4.2
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
4.3
Amenities
3.6
70.4%
Recommend this course
193 out of 301 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
12 Reviews (12)
5 Stars
5
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.4
Value
4.4
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.7
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.9
100.0%
Recommend this course
12 out of 12 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.0
29 Reviews (29)
5 Stars
10
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
1
Conditions
3.8
Value
3.9
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.6
Amenities
3.9
StaffFriendliness
4.6
86.2%
Recommend this course
25 out of 29 reviews
Read Reviews
frame.svg
AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
circle-star.svg
Course Highlights
The accommodating staff consistently impresses golfers, from flexible booking changes to patient, helpful service throughout the round. The course layout stands out, with a notably challenging forest-lined back nine that rewards experienced players.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Style Links
Par 72
Length 6820 yards
Slope 140
Rating 73.0

Northstar California Golf Course has a unique layout that was seamlessly integrated with the rugged, wooded terrain of Tahoe. The front nine plays through a scenic, rolling valley while the back nine plays through the towering pines of the forest. The first nine holes have a classic links layout and the back nine demands precision with its tree-lined fairways and small greens. Native vegetation and scenic water hazards are scattered throughout the golf course. Strategically placed sand bunkers add another challenging element. The signature hole at Northstar California Golf Course is the par-3 15th, which requires a shot over a creek to a small green.

Book a Tee Time at
Northstar California Golf Course
Powered by GolfNow.com

Course Details

Year Built 1974
Fairways Blue Grass
Greens Blue Grass
Golf Season May - October
Architect Robert Muir Graves (1974)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - $25
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Lodging

Lodging Available

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards
The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+ Annual
golf ball.svg
$120 in monthly tee time promo codes
waivedfees
12 rounds of waived fees
redeemtrophy
GolfPass Member Pricing
teetime protection.svg
Tee Time Protection

Reviews

3.7
301 Reviews (301)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 12
Patio Dining 9
19th Hole Scenic Views 6
Course Challenges Include:
Narrow Fairways 19
Forced Carries 18
Elevation Changes 16
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 14
Advanced Golfers 11
Locals 8
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 18
Worth the Drive 15
Near Local Attractions 11

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Beautiful Scenery

Front 9 was pretty open with wide fairways. Back 9 was more challenging with more narrow fairways and more target golf shots. Course was in good shape with very fast greens.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

The Tale of 2 Nines

The front nine is in the valley and relatively straightforward. The back nine on the other hand is in the mountains. It is very beautiful, but quite difficult. If you have not played here, pay attention to the scorecard which gives a nice description of each hole's layout. It is a shot makers paradise and a lot of fun.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great course and great staff

Staff was super friendly. Had issue with my GolfNow reservation being not acknowledged by the course, so I showed up with no tee time, but they squeezed me in anyway and gave me a discount to boot. As far as the course, the second 9 was very difficult compared to the first due to much more rugged terrain. I played terribly, but not because of course conditions. I would recommend this course and hope to get a chance to play it again.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Back 9 is great

Back 9 is beautiful and fun to play, but, local knowledge is required.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Disappointed

Unfortunately we were treated like Interlopers. Booking on GolfNow tagged us has something other than Preferred Guests. We were told for an additional fee we could go out at a more 'preferred' time, so the Tee Box at the beginning stood open for about an hour --- a completely ridiculous response by the golf course to the good deal we got through golf now. Back nine is a very cool layout while front is barely average, so, overall a worthwhile round in spite of the silly management trick thet tried to pull on us.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/20/2016

Golf rates change depending on time of day. The customer purchased a discounted round, then wanted to go out earlier, in a more expensive tee time period. They were given the option of paying $10 more to tee off early. The real price difference should have been much more. Hardly a trick, as we tried to give the customer a chance to tee off well before their "deal" tee time.

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a year
I Recommend This Course
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Very challenging, but enjoyable

Staff was friendly & helpful. A tale of two courses. Front nine was wide open & rather warm; back nine narrow had to lay up but was cooler. Good thing we had a 89 year old man who play the course 3 xs a week , was a great help to how the holes played

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Pace Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/29/2016

I didn't rate the course, layout, or anything else but excellent. There was not a place for s response like "did I apply". I gave those course an excellent rating

Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Greatcourse

Beautiful views easier front 9 and challenging back 9 holes. It helps to read the tips when you play.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 34
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Wonderful!

This is the second time we've played Northstar. We really enjoy this course. The facilities are immaculate. The carts are top-notch electric carts. They have an extremely friendly starter (Jim) who makes sure that golfers know the layout of the course and that pace of play is strictly enforced. We saw several rangers during the course of the day who were making sure that golfers were keeping pace. This was great as we played as a twosome and didn't have to worry about slow play holding us up. There were quite a few comfort stations on the course, so that wasn't an issue. Also, they had a beverage cart on the course and we saw her frequently. This is a a great course to play and we highly recommend it.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Great setting, okay course.

This course is like two different 9 hole courses, which I didn't care for. Some course design issues in my opinion. You should have a well struck and well placed tee shot bounding out of bounds off mounds and strangely angled fairways. This happened on several occasions. Greens were very slow and course was maintained to the level you would expect to find on the local muni. The staff was nice.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/18/2016

The course has a unique layout, which many people enjoy. A well placed tee shot by a 5 handicapper will not go out of bounds. In fact, the course has no out of bounds, just laterals. We give specific guidelines to playing the course, so players can choose the correct line and distance off of the tee. Best value in Tahoe.

Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Fantastic course

It is such a amazing and beautiful course. It was the first time, but I could play well because the direction on the score card was very detail. I wanted to go play again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Great time, but slow!

This is the second time playing the Northstar Course for me, and I found it better this time around. It is in surprisingly good condition considering how early it is in the season, and the rough made you pay for errant tee shots! It stacked up quite a bit on the back nine, which is the only complaint I have.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Northstar Sep 25, 2015 golf

enjoyable afternoon of golf for my wife and myself. Played as a twosome and had a great time. Very friendly staff. A good, challenging golf course that is very playable and designed well to be fun, scenic and a memorable experience worth the value.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Used cart

Resort Course or Muni? You decide

I was expecting a typical resort course type experience but the it was more of a muni -type. The greens were good but the rest of the course conditions were far from ideal. I played the Ponderosa 9 hole the day before and it's conditions far exceeded Northstar. Mats for the driving range - balls are not included in the green fee....

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 40
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

One of the best courses ever played

On a beautiful morning we played on this course. The staff greeted us, and although we were earlt we we were allowed to start as soonas we were ready. The course was in pristine condition. The layout with lots of doglegs was interesting and well built. On a few holes there were blind hazards which raised our score, but thR is all in the game.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

Windy

Course was in great shape and played really tough on the front 9 with the wind blowing.

But overall was a great experience and thought the back 9 was a lot of fun.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Northstar

The course was in very good shape and the tee times went as planned. Front nine is very different from the back side, which is a mountain feel with more trees.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Affordable Tahoe Golf

We got a great deal and had a fun time. Well worth it.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

narrow fairways

slow as a 5 some was allowed in front of us. Thiscaused backup for several groups behind us and we were hit into 3 times. The fairways were narrow as the second cut on a lot of holes was high and made it more difficult for my twosome who ar16-20 handicaps

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
4.0
Previously Played

Challenging Course.

Very challenging course with beautiful scenery. Really fun course for an experienced golfer.
Course marshal tells you to play faster when you are 1/2 hole behind. Then when you catch up you wait hole after hole. Do not stop for lunch, under-staffed cafe will keep you waiting and then when you tee up at # 10 the Marshal comes back and says you are behind. Lunch is poor and slow. (they staff 1 person on a Saturday but have a marshal driving around telling you to speed up -- what the h-XX.). Marshal ruined the day: we are still talking about it. Probably need a new management team -- just saying. Lots of great golf at North Shore, no need to put with this.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 29
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

A tale of two nines

Front side good, backside bad. Front is an open meadow with good routing and great views, back nine is jammed in and around houses, narrow, goofy layout with just a few straight forward holes, very pretty though. Can get very windy on front nine. Green are in very good shape and fast with some subtle slippery breaks but a true roll, good putters will like them. Staff is great.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Nearby Courses
Truckee, California
Private
0.0
0
Truckee, California
Private
0.0
0
Truckee, California
Private
4.7142857143
7
Truckee, California
Private
5.0
4
Truckee, California
Public
4.143944291
110
Truckee, California
Resort/Semi-Private
4.585956918
89
Truckee, California
Resort
4.6023433764
53
Kings Beach, California
Public
4.0982142857
65
Truckee, California
Public
4.6991840214
162
Truckee, California
Semi-Private
4.4014221073
175
Olympic Valley, California
Resort
2.9780518659
201
Tahoe City, California
Public
3.3742296919
48
Golf Packages

The Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
MONTEREY, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Poppy Hills Golf Course, Bayonet Course, Black Horse Course, and Del Monte Golf Course.

The Inn At Spanish Bay Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
PEBBLE BEACH, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Inn at Spanish Bay and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Del Monte Golf Course.

La Quinta Resort & Club Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
LA QUINTA, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at La Quinta Resort & Club and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of PGA WEST - Nicklaus Tournament Course, PGA WEST - Pete Dye Mountain Course, PGA WEST - Greg Norman Course, PGA WEST - Pete Dye Dunes Course, and PGA WEST - The Pete Dye Stadium Course.

The Casa Palmero – Pebble Beach Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
PEBBLE BEACH, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Lodge at Pebble Beach and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Del Monte Golf Course.

The Lodge At Pebble Beach Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
PEBBLE BEACH, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Lodge at Pebble Beach and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Del Monte Golf Course.
Now Reading
  • Home

  • Memberships

  • Library

  • Account