About the Course

Toiyabe Golf Club

Toiyabe Golf Club is a semi-private golf club nestled in the foothills of the Toiyabe National Forest and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Washoe Valley, Nevada. The club’s signature 18-hole Robert Muir Graves-designed course is a natural blend of links-style and Alpine golf that will challenge low handicap players, as well as golfers of all abilities.

Lightning W Ranch was originally established as the premier cattle ranch in Northern Nevada by Antonio Sala, who settled on the ranch in the 1850’s to provide dairy products to the miners of Virginia City.

In 1954, Grant Weise purchased the ranch after retiring from an electrical manufacturing company. Combining his logo of the lightning bolt with the initial of his last name, Grant registered the ranch as “Lightning W Ranch”. Ownership of the Lightning W Ranch changed hands in 1976 when Grant’s son, Bob Weise, purchased the ranch from his father.

Although the ranch was successful in its ranching practices, changes outside the historical white fences eventually led to the decision to transform it into a golf community. In the early 1970’s, the Franktown Road area began transitioning to rural estates and continued over the next 20 years. During this same time, Washoe County devised a new regional plan restricting the growth in Washoe Valley.

With this new plan, and dedicated to preserving the beauty and integrity of their ranch, Bob and his wife, Cathy created a private golf club and estate community to enhance the beauty of the valley. The 335-acre golf course development permits the preservation of more than 200 acres of groomed fairways and mature open space.

In 1994 Roger & Gayle Block became Founding Members of the Golf Club at Lightning W Ranch. As owners of PolyPhaser Corporation, a successful lightning protection manufacturing company, it seemed to be a natural fit.

In 1999, Roger and Gayle purchased the Club from the Members and because of their success in lightning protection, they renamed it Thunder Canyon. Their vision and dedication to the operation allowed the Club to continue thriving and eventually earned Thunder Canyon the award of Nevada Golf Course of the Year in 2011 by the National Golf Course Owners Association. Gayle and her late husband Roger provided the Club stability and a lasting legacy. In 2016, although it wasn’t an easy decision to leave the Club that she and Roger had invested so much time, passion and effort together while owning, Gayle sold the Club to a long-standing friend, Stan Jaksick. Gayle wanted to ensure the Club would be placed in the careful hands of someone who could lead the Club to a successful future as a premier golf course. The timing was perfect and Stan looks to carry on Gayle’s vision for developing it into a premier golf course.

Address & directions

Address

19 Lightning W Ranch Road
Washoe Valley, NV 89704
775.882.0882
www.toiyabegolfclub.com

Driving Directions

Toiyabe Golf Club is nestled at the base of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range in Washoe Valley, just 20 minutes south of Reno, 5 minutes north of Carson City and 45 minutes from both the north and south shores of Lake Tahoe.

From Carson City / South Lake Tahoe
From Hwy 580 (US-395), take the East Lake Blvd. exit – exit number 44
Turn left onto NV-428/East Lake Blvd. Continue to follow NV-428 (.1 miles)
Turn right onto NV-429/Old US-395 South (2.2 miles)
Turn left onto Lightning W Ranch Rd. (.4 miles)
Once through the gated entrance, bear left and follow the road to Clubhouse on the right (.4 miles)

From Reno / North Lake Tahoe
From Hwy 580 (US-395), take the Bellevue exit – exit number 46
Turn right onto Bellevue Rd.
Turn left onto NV-429/Old US-395 South (.4 miles)
Turn right onto Lightning W Ranch Rd. Once through the gated entrance, bear left and follow the road to Clubhouse on the right (.4 miles)