Lizard Peak DGC is a 27 (or 30) hole course set in Sun Valley Recreation Area. The course consists of three distinct loops that all start and end near the parking lot which makes for numerous different ways to play this one. There's also a 9 hole pitch and putt course onsite as well. Up to 39 unique holes in one place is pretty impressive and quite the feat to actually play them all in a day.

The park itself is gorgeous. There's views of the surrounding mountains all through the course and you can see Reno proper from many places too. The course is laid out in high desert terrain with tons on sage brush and junipers on every hole. The course name is fitting too. We seen probably 15 different lizards during our round as well as ground squirrels and a number of jackrabbits.

The course features undulating terrain with some fun up and downhill throws to go along with some awesome valley shots. There's a few elevated basket positions and they do a good job of tucking many of the pin placements back behind so of the trees to make for challenging approaches where placement is key to score. Just an all around well designed course for this style of terrain.

The baskets are Innova Discatchers with the yellow bands. These stood out nicely against the dull backdrop of the land. The lower loop also features three red banded ones that serve as a way to split three of the longer holes on that loop into two shorter holes, which is how we played it the course. The middle and upper loops only have the one basket per hole. All the baskets were in excellent shape and caught great. There's two, sometimes three, pin positions per hole as well. Each basket has a next tee arrow attached to the bottom of the tray too which was a lifesaver in a few spots.

Nice sized and grippy rubber tees that are framed up with wood borders and a gravel base. All of these were installed nice and level. Zero complaints with these. One tee pad per hole.

Great tee signs. Very detailed hole map on each that shows off distinct landmarks and any trails or roads. These also show each of the pin positions with the par, distance and even elevation loss/gain for each pin. Additionally there's next tee arrows and a description of how to play the holes that have two baskets on them. Awesome, awesome signage out here.

There's benches all over on the course which is needed for such a hilly and shadeless course. free to play and in the ground year round.

This type of golf, no matter how well it's done, will get a little repetitive over 27 holes. There's just not that much variance in this high desert terrain so the holes start to blend together by the end. And that's even on what I'd consider a VERY well designed course.

There's some longer walks between holes which just adds to the fatigue level. I get it, it's done to create the best holes possible out here. Nevertheless it gets annoying about halfway through the round. On top of that it would make navigation nearly impossible without a map.

There's a very real chance of lost plastic on this one. There's some pretty long holes where you're going to want to bite off a good bit of distance off the tee. In doing so you're risking losing not only a disc but time searching for it. The bad thing about courses like this are that the further you get from the tee the harder it is to keep track of where you thought it landed. There's no "landmarks" on courses like this. All the sage looks the same. Not to mention that you have to look down to see where you're stepping and it just compounds the problem. That said, we managed to play 39 holes out here without losing a single disc.

Not a con, more of a warning. You're going to want to wear sturdy footwear. Lots of rocky terrain with sandy slopes all over. Treacherous in spots if you're not cautious, even if you are honestly.

Apparently it's a sketchy area, even though there's school on your way in. Be sure to lock your vehicle before playing.

This was a very fun course. We played the pitch and putt first followed by the 30 hole version of this one. It took us over three hours to accomplish this feat and we were beat by the end. This was on a 50 degree morning/early afternoon in mid September with mostly overcast skies. If this was any earlier in the year or hotter there's probably zero chance we play them all. Glad we did though. This was new terrain for us and it was a great experience. I'd recommend this one for sure, especially if you're not used to desert golf. Very fun course.

Great Elevation changes. Fun obstacles and trees throughout. Beautiful views on the back half of the course. Each hole has multiple cages to choose from depending on experience level. Also has a fun 9 hole Pitch n Putt course for a quick run or for kids.

Some of the cages are hard to find when out navigating but this is pretty common on most courses. Not too much else to complain about. This course is great.

fun big course set in sage and juniperoriginally set up for the big arm folk but many holes were split into two short holes for those new or still learning basic mechanicsim totally in love with sage and juniper courses, fresh smells, a lot of peace but def can be challengingjunipers are disc flight killers and if too close make impossible to shoot out ofsage can be quite mysterious in the way they hide your discs. because of the nature of small leaf desert plants there tends to be a highly pixelated light and dark pattern that makes it hard for the eye to focus. wherever your disc lands be sure to find a landmark in proximity to give a refrence point when finding.....or bring your drone if you play the short holes finding your disc will be easy but if your bombing deep over junipers and dont see where your disc landed you might be in trouble i personally wouldnt risk itin effort of guidance the course has little wooden stakes painted green to point the way to next tee pad, although useful these can be lacking and many tee pads have huge gaps between previous pin and next teethis course will make a man out of youand subsequently if you are even half decent at this course you will crush bijouhole 11 is a monster 800 foot uphillbut then multiple downhill shots after that onea surprising fun number of downhill shots and one top of the worldpads had super fresh sticky rubber as of september but are a bit short for full runupbeing at higher elevation your discs will fly more stable which takes some calibratingthis course is of many great high desert coursesif you like the style also check out indian hills, pine nuts, and turtle creek

I don't even know where to begin. This course is a beast!!! It will let you throw max distance and test your game as well as your mental aspect. Very nice layout that gives you the chance to just play 9/18 or all 27 as 9 and 18 end up back at the parking lot. Amazing navigation with next tee signs at bottom of basket and green steaks guiding you to the next hole. Good tee pads and amazing signs letting you know which placement the basket is in. Some really cool views and signature holes. Hole 12/24/27 all have top of the world type feelings and our really cool throws. The views here our incredible and this course will test every part of your game.

can get super windy and playing a course this long in the wind can be rather difficult. Some blind shots/spotters on a couple holes isn't a bad idea. The sagebrush can hide discs pretty well. Desert terrain isn't the prettiest on the course but views our immaculate. Most holes our super long, but not that technical more of a throw max distance feeling. Dosen't require many shots to be shaped.

Bring water and let the begginers play the pitch and putt. I wish this site did quarter rankings because to me it's probably closer to a 3.75 it's one of those courses play once for sure but wouldn't really want it to be my home course. I still enjoyed it a lot and is probably the best course in the area but I like more of a technical design.

Great views, variety of hole lengths, challenges players with a variety of shots. Unique topography with fantastic elevation changes and cool features from rock outcroppings to peninsulas and more. Keep your eyes peeled for wild life- large variety of lizards with unique coloring, owls, jack rabbits and red tail hawks. 27 well planned championship holes (total par 92) with each 9 hole loop circling back to the parking lot. In addition, there is an extremely fun pitch and putt that is great for warm up, practice, beginners or introducing new people to the sport. Shaded gazebos by the parking lot with drinking fountain are great for breaks, hanging out and meals with bathrooms. Great innovations are present from the arrows you'll find in the bottom of the basket pointing you to the next tee pad to the swivelling flags atop the baskets on longer holes (which also help a player read the wind). One of the only championship courses in the region - a "Must Play"!

I love it and find the challenge that others find daunting is good for my game. While there are many great folks chipping in to do their part and keep the course clean, some people don't respect this great park that has been given to them and litter can be seen at times during a round. While issues have been few and far between, a car was broken into in the evening in the upper lot. Local tip: park in the gravel lot across from pitch and putt during evening hours- lot is more visible and we have never had an issue. Come experience one of the best courses around!

- Multiple tee locations
- great views
- Great signage, probably the best I have ever seen
- Well marked green sticks to the next tee box from each basket
- nice tee pads, concrete, and level
- nice benches at most holes
- lots of elevation changes and tricky shots
- bathroom at parking lot
- holes 1,9,10,18,19,27 all start/end right at the parking lot

- Getting shit stolen off your vehicle....
- Long long long holes
- cant see basket from many tee boxes
- no trash cans on course only at parking lot
- can get muddy and slippery with some rain or snow on the ground with all the hills/valleys

We showed up and played 9 holes once we returned we saw someone had stolen our generator off the back of our RV so that was a very big disappointment. Would recommend not keeping anything in or on your car or make sure there are others around and its a busy day.

Other than that it was a well thought out course, definitely get a map, the best one i got was one you could download and it overlays on your Google Maps app, Super Easy!

I came out to play this course expecting it to take me most of my morning and for it to be an adventure. And I must say that I was very happy with this course.
- Good tee pads that I was skeptical of at first but grew to like throughout the round
- Good new basket all with numbers
- Great tee signs that give you all the info you need
- A huge variety of distances and pars. Ranging from 200 feet to over 800. And plenty of par 4s and par 5s. Multiple longer holes have the option to throw to a short basket and turning some of the longer holes into 2 short holes.
- Tons of elevation change throughout the entire course with hole 27 being a massive 700 foot top of the world throw
- with 27 holes this course will seriously force you to throw every type of throw you can think of
- And the navigation! I was so impressed by how easy it was to navigate across this massive course, every basket has a "next tee" arrow and almost every trail is lined with green stakes. I felt like this was my home course with how obvious is was
- the course is laid out as 3; 9 holes courses, having holes 9,18 and 27 all coming back to the parking lot. Making playing just 1-9 or just 19-27 or 10-18 very easy.
- bathrooms and trash cans at the parking lot
- some great basket placements making for a some real interesting putts and approaches

- as most of the other reviewers say, this is a vast course with some huge throws over quite a bit a sage, making it easy to lose a disc. I played alone, and I played every hole and walked straight to my disc on all but one drive and that one I found after looking for 5 minutes. Maybe I got lucky? Maybe I was having a good day? It certainly surprised me how easy it was to find my discs
- some of the longer holes do become daunting but playing all 27 holes is sort of a challenge in its own
- Some holes had binder clips marking which position the basket is currently in but some were missing

I'm from Colorado and most of the courses I play are rugged mountain courses. So maybe that's why I liked this course more than some of the other reviewers. Be prepared for a rugged course with tons of up and down and tons of exposure. Bring water and hiking boots. This one of the best free public courses I've ever played.

-Great facility and amenities
-Pitch and Putt for warmup, short game work, or just some fun
-36 holes in total!
-Every loop ends right at the parking lot/bathrooms/gazebo
-Great signange
-Great teepads
-Great baskets (all new)
-Benches at every tee
-Something for everyone: PNP for beginners, Loops for Rec/Pro
-Huge variety of distances from 150ish (PNP) to over 800 feet!
-Uncrowded
-Easy navigation (green stakes and basket arrows)
-Variety in elevation
-Variety of distances
-Panoramic views of Reno basin and surrounding Sierras

-Isolated unless you're a Reno/Sparks local
-No trashcans or bathrooms once you're in a "loop"
-Fairly open and lacking technicality
-Hot in Summer (95F avg high), Cold in Winter (45F avg high)
-The clips for hole desigantion were nearly all missing
-Easy to lose discs without a spotter
-Novice players probably wouldn't enjoy some of the distance required on some holes (over 800 ft.)
-Repetitive scenery
-Lacking challenge for power throwers

This course is not just a course, it seriously is a complex. It feels like you're playing in the Wild West, nothing else is really around and the scenery just gives it that vibe. You're almost expecting some wild Mustangs to roam around here. The triple loop design is perfect, you play 9 holes and end up back in the central lot for rehydration or rest. Navigation has these bright green stakes in the ground you follow to the next tee, along with an arrow in the basket pointing to the next tee. I absolutely loved the teepads, like nothing I've ever seen before. Tees were like rubber but more reliable, hard to explain but they just felt better. Signage is all very new, and usually easy to spot the basket from the tee. However, the clip design to designate holes doesn't work well, as punks will just remove the clips. The elevation, distance, and wind are what make this course a challenge. If you flip over your drive on some holes you can be further than when you tee'd. Lots of downhill and uphill drives here. I can see a powerful player desiring more challenge with this course, as huge hyzers will practically guarantee a par, if not birdie or ace on some holes (but aces are always fun.) There are just enough trees around to protect many of the baskets or block that line you want to hit. Shrubs make footing difficult at times. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how great this facility was! If you're in the area, check it out and have a spotter if possible.

I came back the second day prepared to really hate this course. Instead, I found myself being throughly impressed. I had played the first nine the previous night, by myself (not a good idea). I came back the next morning and had my wife along as a spotter and we followed two locals playing the middle holes (10-18).

There are so many reasons to love this course. The amenities are first class all the way. The teepads are this composite material, resembling concrete. They're super. The tee signs are excellent colored ones showing all the needed information. The basket placement was indicated with a large binder clip snapped onto the side of the sign. Simple system as long as the vandals don't mess with them. The baskets are Discatchers, bright yellow, which makes spotting them in this harsh terrain a lot easier. The baskets have a next basket arrow set just below the chains. They much helped the navigation. The path to the next teepad has little green stakes to help you. There are these great store purchased benches on many holes. They are like 1/2 of a picnic table. I've been informed they're called "Lifetime Convertible Bench" and were purchased at Costco for $75 to & $150, depending on sale pricing. Every course should have them.

Another excellent design feature is the fact that each nine hole section loops back to the starting area This starting area contains a nice picnic shelter which would be an excellent tournament staging area, as well as restrooms and a practice basket.

The course is tournament long with mostly' guarded baskets, many of which are blind off the tee, or uphill throws, and enough smallish trees to navigate through, around and over. But there are plenty of birdie ops and a couple of ACE runs (#18 is just 267' and fairly open).

This is most definitely a course you need to play in a group or with a spotter, if you're lucky. Reviewer jasonandsharon, wrote that this is definetly a love it or leave it course. I gotta agree with him 100% on that. I was just surprised to find that I was in the "Love It" camp

As every reviewer has stated, the biggest drawback here is the desert terrain which makes finding your discs so extremely frustrating. The thick sage brush makes spotting your discs very difficult. I couldn't how many times I almost stepped on my discs before actually seeing it. This isn't the course where you your throw your disc and the walk right up to it.

The distances and some blind basket placements are more than likely going to eliminate some recreational players.

Playing the whole 27 holes will put many players to the test. The soft sandy ground adds to your fatigue factor. There is some elevation and some deep and treacherous ravines to navigate around.

I don't fit the target audience at all. I'm a 64 year old, out of shape, total recreational player, with a long drive barely getting out to 300'. But I really enjoyed by second round here, mostly because I had my wife serving as spotter. I was able to birdie a couple of holes and when I didn't throw well, a couple of the longer holes abused me.

Although, the course is primarily set up for the tournament crowd, a rec player can enjoy himself here. Just bring a spotter, water and a positive mind set.

I do have one suggestion for the course honcho. The clip system works fine as long as no one takes or changes the binder clips. My suggestion is you drill a small hole in the sign just to the left of the hole marker A or B. Then insert a small screw with a colored washer which indicates which placement the basket is currently set. The course honcho just has to carry wrench and maybe a screwdriver around when changing the placements. And this makes it all together difficult for any of the teen vandals to change them.

Sun Valley Disc Golf Complex! There's a lot to like here. Basically 4 9 hole courses in 1 location, 36 holes of disc golf counting the PNP. All four are on a loop that bring you right back to the central parking lot and picnic area and bathrooms . Long bomber course with lots of open space to air it out. The holes are long with legitimate par 4s and a 5, even most of the threes play long. I like the loops design and the fact that it has a central core picnic area, this course will be great for tournaments, in fact it will be hosting the opener for STS in a couple of weeks. Although the course is brand new there are very well laid out paths marked by little sticks in the ground, very easy to follow the course. Maps were by the bathrooms on a club board but really weren't all that needed.

The biggest con is the one thing that the designers can't do anything about and that is that it is located in the Great Basin Desert. It means snow in the winter and blazing hot sun in the summer.

Technical Difficulty. Not a very technical course, it is very difficult to be technical and a long bomb at the same time. There is a top of the world and quite a few elevation shots both down and up that keep it interesting. But most of the course is pretty wide open with just some small pines that creep into play and frame a few shots.

Length. Can this be a pro and a con. This course is 27 holes all quite long and you're walking in very soft desert soil, think sand. It makes a lot of the holes very tough. It feels like you're walking much farther than you are. I don't think I've ever played a 27 hole course this long, I have played several 18 but not 27. To be fair I parred or 1 overed every hole on the course my first time playing (except hole 27 my fault though) so the holes aren't insanely long, very doable, but it does "feel" overly long.

No benches. The holes play really long and it would be nice to have benches on the holes. Really a nitpick because there are plenty of flat topped rocks to sit on but still. Also the design of the course means that you only have to play 9 holes without benches.

No Water. There's a water fountain in the picnic area, but like most city parks it doesn't work (what's up with that by the way), and no water in the bathrooms. It gets hot and the air it the desert is insanely dry if you're not used to it. Be prepared bring water.

Bag Trees. I know, I'm reaching for cons. Obviously you can simply set your bag down in the dirt just like you would at 99% of courses not to mention on your shots but still.

Disc Hunting. I don't think I've ever spent so much time looking for discs, which is funny because most of the course is wide open. Most of the area is covered in these small sage brushes that all look alike and when you're walking up and down the little hills and vales that permeate the course it all kind of blends together especially when you're throwing as long as you have to for this course. Also when you're disc lands in the soft soil it tends to get covered by it making it hard to spot. I didn't lose any discs but it did take a lot of time looking for them. Definitely would have timed out during a tournament. Spotters highly recommended.

Wind. The desert wind blows quite hard and can easily take a disc off its line or roll it over.

This is definitely going to be a love it or leave it course. For those who can't throw at least 300ft you're probably going to fall into the later category. The course sits upon a mountainous area overlooking basically the sparks area, the reno downtown area is kind of hidden except for a few places on the course where you can catch views of some of the casinos. The Grand Sierra Resort is clearly visible rising up out of the desert but most of the other skyrises are blocked by an outcropping. Reno(Sparks) is not the most photogenic city from above anyway. There may be some great views down on Virginia St. but not really up here. There are some great views of the basin as well as the sierras in the background. The course is well designed for tournament play and I really like the loops out and back and the 9 hole pitch and putt/practice area that you can warm up on. I really wish a lot more courses were able to implement this type of design. Hole 1 on this course is I believe the longest opening hole I've ever played at 800+ feet and fairly flat, and I've played close to a 1000 courses. I've played longer holes to be sure but not as the opener. I definitely am more inclined to the more technical courses, think dela, GGP, or most of tahoe, as opposed to desert courses for sure. I shot an 8 on hole 27 a top of the world shot. The hole was located about 600 feet to the left and I threw and turned over and landed about 600 feet to the right making for one long 1200 foot hole on fairly level ground. I should have just reteed and gone for bogey but i'm a glutton for punishment.

excellent terrain for a course with awesome views of Mt Rose and Reno. Lots of different elevation makes for some fun downhill, uphill, and sidehill throws!
There is a very nice 9 hole pitch n putt, nice for warm up or kids n rec players.

Although there is a pitch n putt course its still a bummer that the 27 holes couldn't have been more balanced when it comes to length. Just a few more par 3 under 300ft would help keep us average distance throwers not feel so overwhelmed.

My original review was 4 years ago, when I was new to the sport and had no knowledge of how courses were developed. Now that Ive been a major contributor to 2 course installments my hats are off to to that core group who brought this 36 hole project to completion!! After reading Erics response that mostly tournament players helped him with the project I completely understand catering to them. We now have 2 reno disc courses and both are basically "pro" length courses. But as Eric mentions in his response a great option for the rec player or newbie is to play the short 9 and then one of the main 9 hole loops. Installing a 9 hole pitch n putt was a great idea!

This course has a wide variety of holes. They have done a good job of using the trees they have to make it more interesting. Although Junipers guard many of the baskets, you can find open lines to the basket. Besides the par 3 holes, there are 9 par 4s and a par 5. The overall course par is 92 for all 27 holes. There is an additional 9 hole pitch n putt you can warm up on. Also a great place to take beginners. Then you can throw for the horizon on the first tee. There are three 9 hole loops that start and finish at the gazebo and practice basket. The water is working, except for the winter months. The tee signs are actually overhead photos that have been colored in with basket and tee positions, so are therefore extremely accurate. The next tee signs are attached to the baskets under the cage and make navigation fairly simple. They have also added 10 meter strings to almost all the baskets so you can easily measure whether you landed in the circle or not. Metal markers show which basket position on each tee sign. They have added a Rock Circle to hole #18 which makes it fun to play like an island hole.

You will have some blind shots. But with 1 or 2 exceptions you can see all the baskets from the tee pad. The Junipers and Sage brush make it hard to find your discs especially on the longer throws or blind shots. If the tee pads get sand or dust on them they get super slippery. I've actually fallen a few times. It's an extremely long walk to do the whole course, and there is a lot of up and down hiking in soft soil. If you get off of the trails the foxtails get in your socks and shoes. Wearing Gaiters is highly recommended. If you land in a juniper it acts like an out of bounds penalty because you almost always have to throw out. The new rule that lets you throw from behind the tree with a penalty makes this better. If you already have incurred a 2 meter penalty you don't have to take an additional stroke. There are few holes labeled as par 3s that I think should be 4s. Holes #2, 4, 14, and 20 in the long positions are impossible to get 2s on for 99.5% of Golfers. The wind comes up almost every afternoon, which is good or bad depending on your preferences.

I play this course all the time, but I rarely do all 27 holes in one day. Just special occasions and tournaments. I have found early morning rounds have the best conditions in the summer, but even in the winter the mornings are pretty good. I have been able to see some pretty amazing sunrises. The views are so big, you can see 50 miles or further in multiple directions. I also enjoy the wildlife. There are jackrabbits, and cottontails everywhere. Coyotes are always around, but not always seen. Several kinds of Lizards and snake are on the course. It's not uncommon to see them on the poles of the tee signs which makes for pretty cool photo opportunities. I've seen hawks, crows, ravens, quail, doves, owls, magpies, sparrows, robins, and some others. Bag holders on the tees would be nice, but the benches on all the holes make them unnecessary. It is still the best course in Reno, but the mountain courses nearby give it a run for the money.