Martis Camp: A Pictorial!!! (all 18 holes posted)

[Kyle Henderson]

Range 5

Range 4

1b

1d

1f

1h

[Tim Leahy]

I don't see any snow, so I am guessing that these pictures weren't taken at the Kings Putter!

[Jason Goss]

Not taken at the Fish and Fowl either!

[Joel_Stewart]

Great photos.  They did get 2 inches of snow on Tuesday but now the weather is nice. They do have sub air systems so they can blow warm air and get the greens ready fairly quick.

[Kyle Henderson]

Tim,
I did make a snowy lap of Martis the day before the KP with the assistant pro, but these were taken in the July of 2011 when I finally got to play the course.

[Kyle Henderson]

2b


2c


2f


2h

[Kyle Henderson]

Great photos.  They did get 2 inches of snow on Tuesday but now the weather is nice. They do have sub air systems so they can blow warm air and get the greens ready fairly quick.

They've already redone ("neutered" them into much flatter surfaces) a few of the greens since the courses' opening. I assume these kinds of alterations can be made done without altering the sub-air, as that would be extremely cost-prohibitive.

[Kyle Henderson]

3a

[Kyle Henderson]

4b


4d


4h


4L


4n


4o

[Kyle Henderson]

5a


5a2


5d


5h


5j


5p

[Jackson C]

Hi Kyle,

So how do you rate this course?
I've played several of the other courses in the area - Old Greenwood, Grey's, Coyote Moon, and Shaeffer's Mill.
If you are familiar with these other courses, how would Martis compare in terms of playability, fun, walkability, difficulty, firmness, conditioning, greens, etc.?

[Kyle Henderson]

Hi Kyle,

So how do you rate this course?
I've played several of the other courses in the area - Old Greenwood, Grey's, Coyote Moon, and Shaeffer's Mill.
If you are familiar with these other courses, how would Martis compare in terms of playability, fun, walkability, difficulty, firmness, conditioning, greens, etc.?

Indeed, I hosted the King's Putter 2010 on all of the courses you listed (plus the presently defunct Clear Creek Tahoe).  I've also played Lahontan. Of that collection, CCT was the best, IMHO, with Martis Camp the runner-up.

Martis Camp is quite playable. The fairways were not always monstrously wide, but the rough was not very long and it extended into the tree lines, making recovery shots quite manageable. Also, while many of the greens still have some decent contour, the more extreme surfaces were softened, making them easier to score on but less interesting by my tastes. The only major issues with playability are a few forced carries (unavoidable in the mountains and minimized from the shorter tees) and the highly photogenic but VERY deep and penalizing fairway bunkers.

Conditions were very firm and true. The front is solid. The back side is much more fun and memorable, particularly the short par 4s (12  and 16) and the par 5 15th. Walking is a possibility, but the separation from the 9th green to the 10th tee is on the long side (ditto Old Greenwood).

[Joel_Stewart]

I rate CCT and Martis Camp even.  I think they are both very-very good golf courses, the best in Tahoe by a wide margin.

I'm not sure I agree with Kyle that Martis Camp is playable, espcially to the high handicap player.  The depth of the bunkers is very penal and if you're in a bunker, it's an absolute penalty shot.  I found CCT to be playable, most courses with no rough are.

BTW, CCT is being sold.  I expect the new ownership to be announced very soon.

[Jackson C]

Thanks Kyle and Joel.

I am shocked to hear CCT is being sold.  I figured as the 'best' course in Tahoe it would survive as formulated.
Any idea whether it will convert to public like many of the courses in the Truckee area?

[Kyle Henderson]

Joel,

CCT has no rough, but that often means drives run straight off into the scrub and bushes. The course has very little turf (I believe 55 acres total was the number I heard... not sure if that included the range), and slight misses can mean a lost ball. I think poor players would fare better at Martis Camp from the tee. That's really the only flaw I see in CCT. Otherwise, I think CCT offers a far greater variety of holes, more strategic bunker placements, more rewards for players able to shape their shots, and more compelling contours in the fairways and greens. Martis Camp is very good and probably appeals more to tournament golfers, but CCT is the clear winner in my eyes.

Jackson,
CCT was sold at auction last year. Joel writes of a second sale.

[Alex Miller]

From the pictures, this is by far the most interesting, even best Fazio I've seen. It's nice to see a course surrounded by pines with wide playing corridors.

[Kyle Henderson]

From the pictures, this is by far the most interesting, even best Fazio I've seen. It's nice to see a course surrounded by pines with wide playing corridors.

It is the best of the Fazio's I've played, though that list is not a very long one (Pelican Hill North and South, UNC Finley and some renovations). To me it fits the Doak 7 definition of "An excellent course, worth checking out if you get anywhere within 100 miles. You can expect to find soundly designed, interesting holes, good course conditioning and a pretty setting, if not necessarily anything unique to the world of golf."

The crew did a good job of disguising most of the earthworks and holes rarely fight the land. Tree clearing was done thoughtfully for the most part. Mowing lines could use a little refinement.

Neighborhood amenities are also outstanding, including a lovely 18-hole putting course that loops along a man-made brook.

[Kyle Henderson]

6a


6b


6c


6g


6h


6m


6n

[Kyle Henderson]

7a


7b


7c


7g

[Joel_Stewart]

From the pictures, this is by far the most interesting, even best Fazio I've seen. It's nice to see a course surrounded by pines with wide playing corridors.

It is the best of the Fazio's I've played, though that list is not a very long one (Pelican Hill North and South, UNC Finley and some renovations).

It's the best Fazio course I have played as well.

[Sean Leary]

Hard to tell from pictures but all the holes look, well, similar... Does it ever some out of the tree lined fairways?

[Kyle Henderson]

Hard to tell from pictures but all the holes look, well, similar... Does it ever some out of the tree lined fairways?

It is all in the trees and the front nine holes do blend together a bit in one's mind. The back nine has more variety, making it more memorable in my experience.

[Kyle Henderson]

8b


8h


8i

[George Freeman]

She sure is pertty

[Carl Nichols]

She sure is pertty

loverly