Fore (Skier's) Right! Sights And Sounds From The World's Most Beautiful Golf Course

The line seemed to stretch endlessly along the Alpine Bowl ridge line, but the hundreds of skiers donning their best Caddy Shack-inspired costumes didn't seem to mind.

The sun was shining, the temperature was rising ever so slightly, and majestic Lake Tahoe gleamed in the near distance. What was there to complain about?

As I approached the first tee of Alpine's 38th Annual 10-Hole 'Snow Golf' course I pondered: 'Is this the most beautiful golf course in the world?' 

The accolade is subjective, but as far as scenic views go, I'm not sure how a traditional golf course (of the grass variety) could match up.

Alpine doesn't have the most visually imposing terrain compared to the likes of Jackson Hole or Telluride, but standing here at nearly 8,600 feet, golf club in hand, with an endless sea of Sierra peaks and the Lake at my feet, I felt like I was on top of the world.

Each golfer was given a random club from a bucket of misfits and rejects, and a single yellow tennis ball with our initials inscribed in permanent marker (this will make sense later). No, we weren't expected to play with real golf balls- that would be as dangerous as it would be tedious to locate in the endless white snow.

There was some level of decorum on the first tee, but that went by the wayside as soon as skiers approached their second shot. From there, and for the remainder of the round, it was a free-for-all of neon yellow crossfire.

It was wild, it was unorganized, it was borderline chaotic at some points, but most importantly, it was fun.

Watch as James Parmlee duffs his tee shot on Hole #1. Don't worry, he made up for it by getting a Hole-In-One on Hole #7 (sadly, this wasn't recorded)!

The course wound its way down Alpine Bowl making excellent use of the natural trees and obstacles.

A dog leg left around a small glade would require the skier to make a real golf decision: Hit it over the trees, try to skirt around them, or punch right through?

Surprisingly, the most difficult part of the experience was hitting the ball itself. I'm a below-average golfer (this was my first round of golf in four years), but I pride myself as a stereotypical American with acceptable hand-eye coordination.

With that said, it took a few holes to figure out how to hit the ball without slamming my skis on the follow-through. It took some practice, but I eventually got the hang of it.

I opted for a peculiar method shared by one of my friends with snow golf experience.

Rather than placing the ball between my skis to hit it, I moved it outside of my skis and hit it from the side. It was an odd sensation, but nearly everything about the Snow Golf experience is.

I lost track of time as we made our way through Alpine's once-a-year golf course. I realized that by Hole 5 I was fully enveloped in the game, and had put-off the FOMO of actually skiing that day. It was odd, but I felt content with whacking that silly tennis ball around the snow until completion.

The real skiing could wait.

Despite successes on a few holes, the pressure got to me as I approached the final tee shot. My friends were watching. The crowd sitting around The Chalet was cheering me on. An Avalanche Rescue Dog was barking.

Watch what happened below...

The course completed at Alpine's mid-mountain Chalet with a lively après party in the dazzling California sunshine. I left the mountain that day with a smile on my face and a few reflections that I'd like to share with you.

I hope you'll take these groundbreaking realizations with you in your future journeys:

1. Skiing, no matter how you do it, is fun.

2. Golf isn't fun, but Snow Golf might be the most fun you can have at a ski resort without actually skiing, if that makes sense.

3. Friends make skiing better. I love skiing a few laps by myself, but the joy of shared experiences on snow is unmatched. I'll never forget the laughs from this day.

4. Skiing. Is. Fun. Go. Do. It.

Alpine closed for the season on Sunday, April 29th, 2024, and while I may or may not have experienced a slight existential breakdown about the ski season coming to an end, I know that I have something to look forward to next spring.

Ski ya at Snow Golf 2025, but you better bring your A-Game. I'm coming prepared.

Related: Palisades Tahoe Lays Out Spring '24 Operations Plan

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