Play Tahoe Donner Golf Course Like a Pro

The community of Tahoe Donner sits at roughly 6,500 feet elevation. Such high altitude can impact your golf game from ball travel distance and flight direction to trajectory. Below are a few tips and tricks to make sure you’re playing your best at one of the best alpine golf courses in the Sierra Nevada.

THE EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE ON BALL FLIGHT + DISTANCE
According to Steven Ayoma, a principal scientist in research and development for Titleist Golf, elevation can significantly impact your shot. As you gain altitude, the air becomes less dense. Thinner air exerts less drag force, creating significant differences in how the ball travels.

Greater Carry
A study by Titleist determined that golf balls travel roughly 1.2 percent farther for every thousand feet of elevation gained. Thus, at Tahoe Donner, one might see as much as a six to seven percent increase or about a 14-yard greater distance on what would typically be a 200-yard carry at sea level. These numbers will vary from player to player, but the formula is a good place to start as you adjust your club strategy.

Lower Trajectory
Again, with less dense air and force exerted on the ball, players might see a flatter trajectory, a lower angle of descent and greater roll on long shots or with high-loft clubs. The added distance can be advantageous off the tee but prove more challenging to hold the green. Flighting full-throttle wedges down can help you maintain distance control on approach.

Straighter Flight
If you’re a shot shaper, you might not be able to play your draws or fades as advantageously. Just as carry distance and trajectory are impacted by the thinner air, ball flight direction also tends to straighten out. This won’t necessarily fix a hook or a slice, but

for more experienced players, unless you’re playing into the wind, you’re likely to be a straight shooter at higher elevations, which means adjusting your strategy on dog leg fairways, flags situated to either side of the greens and around hazards.

Now that you’re prepared to do the mental math in high-altitude golf, here are a few additional tips to help you dial in your game:

• Don’t adjust your swing; adjust your club strategy.
• Longer shots off the tee can be advantageous to your game, but approach shots might prove more challenging than at sea level. Flighting down high-loft clubs can help maintain
• distance control as you get up and onto the green.
• For golfers who like to play the draw or fade, high-altitude golf may require a more linear and pragmatic approach.
• Allow ample time to warm up at the driving range prior to your round, taking note of the differences in ball flight with each club.

COURSE-SPECIFIC STRATEGY TO DIAL IN YOUR GAME
According to Tahoe Donner’s LPGA-certified Golf Pro Molly Springmann, you may need to play up or down in your clubs, depending on the pitch of the hole at Tahoe Donner. For the following uphill holes, she suggests playing at least one club up:

• Approach shot on hole #1
• Tee shot on the par three hole #4
• Approach shot on hole #10
• All shots on hole #11
• Tee shot on the par three hole #12

And for the following downhill holes, play at least one, or sometimes two clubs down:

• Approach shot on hole #6
• Tee shot on the par three hole #7
• Tee shot on par three hole #17 (maybe even two clubs down)
• Tee shot on hole #18 (use the fun periscope to make sure others are out of the way – maybe even two clubs down to avoid the creek)

PRO TIP: Playing a “club up” means choosing a club that provides more distance to compensate for the conditions or terrain. For example, if you are 150 yards away from the hole and you would normally hit a 7-iron from that distance – but you‘re downhill of the hole or playing into a headwind – then you might want to “club up” to a 5- or 6-iron. Playing a “club down” means just the opposite!

TAKE A LESSON OR CLINIC
There’s no better way to acclimate to playing golf at a higher elevation than to take a lesson or clinic from a local pro, especially if you plan to play Tahoe Donner often throughout the season. It can take several weeks to sort out the carry distance for each of your clubs, but further still, a pro can help you refine your strategy. Tahoe Donner offers private lessons and weekly skills clinics led by PGA-certified professionals for all ages and abilities to master this challenging yet fun and accessible High Sierra course. To learn more about all programs offered, visit Golf Course website.