TRUCKEE, Calif. – We’re lost … in the best kind of way.
My wife and I are riding our e-mountain bikes through the 20 miles of wooded trails of Martis Camp Club trying to find the community’s “Lost Library.” Stunning views of the multi-million-dollar homes and cabins and Martis Camp’s famed Tom Fazio-designed golf course distract us along the way.
When we finally discover the cabin, we are shocked to find that we had ridden by it earlier that morning not realizing it was there. There’s no sign. It’s lost in plain sight, a cute little refuge hidden in the evergreens in a sprawling mountain community filled with them. Inside, there’s coffee, snacks, three daily newspapers, a fireplace, cozy furniture, games and all the books you could ever want to read.
It’s cool amenities like these that have elevated Martis Camp to the top of the heap among the best golf communities west of the Mississippi. The prices express the popularity and exclusivity of Martis Camp, which is located 6,000 feet up in the High Sierra near the California-Nevada border. Elaborate homes range from $4 million up to $25 million. Construction is booming. Nearly 85 percent of the community is built out, buoyed by the post-pandemic trend of retreat to quiet, open spaces. Since 2006, Martis Camp Realty has generated more than $1.5 billion in sales.
Some have called Martis Camp a “Disneyland for adults.” It’s got all the recreation opportunities you could ever want, and that’s what ultimately what sets its apart. Yes, there are great beach golf communities throughout the United States and there are other premier mountain golf communities that are beloved by skiers. But there isn’t anywhere like Martis Camp that delivers the best of all three: golf, beach and skiing for the ultimate year-round adventure.
The club debuted its Tom Fazio-designed golf course in 2008, ranking among the top 20ish in California from the start. The 7,741-yard routing starts off gently with a front nine that loops around a neighborhood of gorgeous mountain homes. It returns to the main lodge in case golfers need to fill up on drinks, snacks or lunch at the Martis Perk.
The back nine amps up the elevation changes and the challenge with more forced carries and bolder bunkering. It’s like you’re trying to climb Mount Everest – it gets more demanding closer to the summit.
Martis Camp has hosted two United States Golf Association championships so far. It served as a springboard for current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who won the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur there over a handful of future pros. A decade later, hosting the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur proved the layout’s versatility. It can test and entertain all ages and all skills depending on the tees you pick and how the course is set up to play. Almost all the par 4s and par 5s twist and turn through the evergreens, setting up the best angles to reach the putting surfaces.
All four of Martis Camp’s par 3s are memorable. Clearing the pond guarding the 163-yard third hole from 6,700-yard black tees shouldn’t be too difficult, although it takes a bigger poke to reach the 202-yard eighth. Bunkers ring the 147-yard 14th hole, while misses right on the 161-yard 17th will fall into the forest forever.
When I played it in late September, every inch of the course’s conditions were dialed into perfection. It was playing firm, setting up approaches where the best option was to leave it short or play for the ball to bounce onto the greens. The pull of the mountains made putting simply impossible. I’d need about five more rounds to learn some of the subtle breaks.
For a slightly more enjoyable putting examination, Martis Camp’s 18-hole, all-grass putting course is a bit less taxing. The drink holders and family-friendly vibe make sure of that.
Two comfort stations full of complimentary drinks and snacks are being built. These luxury pit stops are all the rage at high-end public and private clubs. The halfway house, Martis Perk, in the Camp Lodge near the 10th tee also serves great breakfast or lunch options for non-golfers.
As great as the golf course is, it’s the club life that makes Martis Camp feel like a fantasy land. The community amenities have to match the differing tastes of its members. Martis Camp features 671 homesites spread across 2,177 acres. The guest cabin where we stayed (photo above) allows prospective home buyers a chance to sample what living in Martis Camp might be like.
Three different gathering places are all centrally located: the 50,000-square-foot Camp Lodge, the Family Barn and the Park Pavilion. The Camp Lodge is a magnificent space overlooking the course that is home to a day spa, outdoor saline lap pool, a fitness center that’s being expanded and plenty of private spaces for events or meetings. While I was playing golf, my wife relaxed at the spa with a massage. That night, we dined on the Camp Lodge Bar Bistro’s patio as the sun set below the mountains and a guitarist provided live music. That experience was just about perfect.
The Family Barn is the coolest place ever for kids ages 5-15. The two-lane bowling alley and small gymnasium to shoot hoops is where a teenage Jason Deegan would be running wild. Upstairs, there’s a 44-seat theater and art loft. The Family Barn Soda Fountain restaurant serves all the comfort food (pizza, nuggets, burgers, etc.) a kid could want with some solid entrees for adults, too. The outdoor pool is a popular spot every summer. The best part? All the pinball and arcade games are free. My wife set the high score playing Pac-Man, while I floundered at Star Wars pinball. There’s also a catch-and-release fishing pond and lawn amphitheater for concerts and festivals outside.
The Pavilion delivers on the phrase ‘field of dreams’. There’s a soccer field, basketball hoops of all sizes, bocce ball, sand volleyball court, croquet, horse shoes, pickleball, the putting course and more expansion is in the works. A tennis pavilion home to four courts (plus four more pickleball courts) is in a separate location.
The real Martis Camp difference, in my opinion, lies in two other facilities: the private express ski lift at its newly-expanded Lookout Lodge and the Beach Shack that sits right on Lake Tahoe. If you’ve ever been to Lake Tahoe as a winter sports enthusiast or a summer tourist, you understand how terrible parking and traffic can be getting to the beaches or the mountain slopes. Martis Camp’s private ski lodge at the base of Lookout Mountain and ski lift provides direct access to Northstar California Resort. The Beach Shack offers valet parking, along with kayaks, paddleboards, beach toys, towel service, shower suites and casual dining.
If you ask me, both the beach and ski hangouts are virtually priceless amenities. Just don’t tell the realtors.
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