Red Hawk Golf and Resort, located in Sparks, Nev., offers visitors and members two distinctly different courses — the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Lakes Course and the signature Hale Irwin-designed Hills Course.
The Hills course is a 7,106-yard golf course and very well known for its small greens (Bent Grass ), dramatic elevation changes and deep bunkers. The undulating fairways, surrounding mountains, big sky views and natural wildlife create breathtaking panoramic views of the entire Spanish Springs Valley. Incorporating aspects of what was once a working ranch and adding crystal clear lakes for an additional challenge, Hale has created a course that brings every club out of the bag and into play.
The toughest tee shot on the Hills Course at Red Hawk Golf comes at the 529-yard eighth, which runs uphill from the tee boxes and into the prevailing wind. The fairway from the vantage point of the tees looks no wider than a shoestring and has OB up the hill to the right and a steep, yet playable, drop-off on the left.
Signature hole #10 is a 700-yard par 5 and appropriately named “The Beast”.
The Lakes Course is one of two championship courses at Red Hawk Golf & Resort in Sparks. It is considered one of the best golf courses in Reno.
The public Lakes Course sits upon Audubon Certified protected natural wetlands and features natural lakes, murmuring springs and mature cottonwood trees. The 7,140-yard golf course has A-4 bent grass greens and more than 100 bunkers to create a challenge for players of every skill level. This scenic course challenges your game in an artfully designed setting to create a memorable and enjoyable day of golf.
Signature hole #17 : Probably the staunchest hole on the course (even for straight hitters who manage not to pelt any houses along the way) is the brutish, 241-yard. Even from the blues (221 yards) or whites (198 yards), the tee shot across water is daunting. Happily, there’s a large bail-out area to the left of the green, which is also closer to the tees. Also handy is a drop area on the other side of the water, just in case.