Old Greenwood Golf Course, Lake Tahoe, California - A Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in the Lake Tahoe Area

Old Greenwood Golf Course at the Tahoe Mountain Club is nestled amid 600 acres of beautiful vistas, including towering pine forests and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Truckee, California, which is part of the Lake Tahoe area.

Old Greenwood is one of Jack Nicklaus' Signature Courses, which means it received his highest level of personal attention and ranks among his most impressive works. The course has been rated #4 among America's finest new "Upscale Public Courses'' by Golf Digest magazine. The magazine also rated it as one of the country's 10 Best New Public-Access Courses.

The 18-hole course winds through elegant pine trees and blue sagebrush to the tune of more than 7,500 yards from the back tees, with a USGA rating of 75.8 and a challenging slope rating of 149. Old Greenwood also features a number of beautiful water hazards, along with lush, undulating greens and fairways. The course design meshes so well with the natural landscape, in fact, that it was the first course in California to earn an Audubon International Golf certification.

Holes 6, 7, 10 and 15 are prime examples of Nicklaus' use of water, as all four holes curve around hazards. No. 7 features an expansive green that hugs a small lake and challenges golfers to shoot for the flag situated on a long, undulating green by carrying the wet stuff. Many other holes feature an extensive use of bunkers, and No. 15 has a green surrounded by no less than six sand traps.

Hole No. 6 is considered the signature hole on the course, and as a classic risk-reward par-5 that plays to 578 yards. From the tee, golfers must avoid the enormous sand trap on the left and trees on the right. For aggressive players who pull a fairway wood from the bag on the second shot, they'll have to carry the lake or play a big draw around it. Once on the green, golfers will find a putting surface 46 yards long that slopes from back to front.

Practice facilities at Old Green include a 1,500-square-foot learning center equipped with an indoor and outdoor hitting bay, and an outdoor classroom that features two all-grass tee areas, a five-acre short-game facility, several putting and chipping greens, as well as sand play.

Old Greenwood is also home to the Old Greenwood Golf Academy, which offers a performance-based curriculum and a director who is ranked among Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.

Old Greenwood is also a premier, four-season resort, as well as a community that offers luxury homes in the North Lake Tahoe area. The resort is open year-round, offering golf, tennis and snow skiing in Tahoe's Northstar ski runs.

For drinks and dining, the Terrace Grill at Old Greenwood features breakfast and casual luncheon fare and a selection of beer and cocktails. It also makes for an ideal setting to watch golfers on the finishing hole, framed by the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Old Greenwood also features a family "oasis'' known as the Pavilion. Kids and adults can swim and frolic in the family pool, water slide, and splash pool. The Pavilion also offers tennis, a game room, fitness center, and spa to cater to just about every need. There's also a steam room and an adult-only lap pool with three lanes, and every pool has a hot tub for a soothing soak. Upstairs, The Retreat offers additional treatment options that help rejuvenate, renew and inspire the body, mind and spirit.