Grizzly Ranch Golf Club is a High Sierras must-play near Graeagle
PORTOLA, Calif. -- Grizzly Ranch Golf Club, located near Graeagle in Portola, is one of the newest golf courses in the High Sierras.
Originally opened in 2005 as a private club with real estate, Grizzly Ranch now offers public, promotional play on this Bob Cupp design. The course is set at an altitude of 5,200 feet (much lower than the courses of Lake Tahoe, which yields a longer golf season).
The design comes with four sets of tees -- playing more than 7,400 yards from the championship tees -- but there are plenty of birdie opportunities. There are two short, drivable par 4s on the back nine, the 11th and 15th, both of which play less than 330 yards.
There are some tough holes to balance the short ones out. The 12th hole is a beast of a par 5, playing 649 yards from the back tees. A second par 5 on the back, the 18th, is more of a risk-reward shot, though the elevated green is well protected by water on the left side.
Other amenities at this new development include hiking and biking trails, fly fishing and a lake house -- and all take advantage of this area's natural, unspoiled beauty.
![The green on the par-4 ninth hole at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club sits beside a pond.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44520.jpg)
![The opening hole at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club is a short and easy par 4.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44521.jpg)
![The par-5 third hole at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club requires a carry on the approach shot.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44523.jpg)
![Grizzly Ranch Golf Club is located in remote Portola in the High Sierra mountains.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44525.jpg)
![Grizzly Ranch Golf Club was designed by former Jack Nicklaus associate Bob Cupp.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44526.jpg)
![Unspoiled mountain backdrops are behind many holes at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club in Portola, California.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44527.jpg)
![The eighth hole at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club is a straightaway par 4.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44528.jpg)
![The 18th hole at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club is an uphill par 5 guarded by water.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/44529.jpg)
- Destination Guide: Great golf and more in the Lake Tahoe/High Sierra region
- Course review: Graeagle's Whitehawk Ranch G.C.
- View photos of the nearby Dragon at Nakoma Golf Resort