Crescent City, CA

Beachfront Park DGC

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2.585(based on 12 reviews)
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Beachfront Park DGC reviews

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7 2
jasonandsharon
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 40.4 years 501 played 66 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Father’s Day #8: A Beach, a Harbor, a Pier, a Lighthouse, a Seal Hospital, and 24 baskets, Wow!!! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beachfront Park DGC must be played to be believed. I can't believe they got approval to put all these holes in where they are located. You play through the parking lot of a lighthouse. There's a seal hospital smack dab in the middle of the course, I know because they were handing out maps to the course there. I have played almost all of California's courses now and this one must be in the State of Jefferson, because I can't imagine this course being approved of in California. It must be just far enough from the stupidity nexus that is Sacramento to be safe. There are a billion safety concerns here and I find myself writing them in the pros because quite frankly they make the course fun. Let's start from the beginning though, Beachfront Park is a large open grass park between Front St. and Howe Dr. located literally feet from the harbor. The park has a huge horseshoe pit enclosure, a huge kids playground, a city pool, open lawns for other sports and activities, and BBQ, picnic, and pavilion areas. The park is the central core for the harbor area where you can walk out onto the old wooden pier, stroll out on the break waters despite the warning signs not to, and even hike out to the Battery Point Lighthouse at low tide. In the park you'll also find the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center where visitors can see some of the marine animals they are rehabilitating. The disc golf course is 24 holes winding its way through all of this harbor setting. And by through I mean through, Hole 1 tees off from the club kiosk, located about middle of the park right off of Howe Rd, over a small grove of trees that fronts the park into the center of the park. Hole 2 throws right at a pavilion located on the other side of the park. Hole 3 has you throwing at the bathrooms as obstacles alongside a park road. Hole 4 uses the maintenance shed as obstacle with a park road right down the left of the fairway. Hole 5 has you cross the road and seems to be fairly safe, but hole 6 has you throwing at the horse shoe pit enclosure as an obstacle and pin protection. Hole 7 has you cross Howe Rd. to have the fairway play between the few feet between the road and the ocean to a basket sitting on a rocky cliff that may or may not have a beach below. Hole 8 brings you back across Howe to tee off into the park again back at Hole 1 and is a relatively safe throw. You then however must cross hole 1's fairway to get to hole 9's tee in a grove of trees where you really can't see whether anyone is throwing or not above you. Hole 9 is pretty safe, but Hole 10 throws back at the pavilion and bench area. Hole 11 and 12 throw right along front street using it as its right side fairway boundary. Hole 13 throws right at the city water treatment plant. Hole 14 is actually the back fire door patio of the water treatment plant. Had a hard time finding this tee just because I didn't think they would want people this close to this type of building. In any other place in CA this would probably be all enclosed and completely blocked off, here you're throwing from it. Hole 15's tee is actually in the back parking lot of the Marine Mammal Center and is painted on in white striping. Hole 16 has you crossing Howe Rd again and throwing on a narrow strip of park land between the road and harbor. Hole 17 has you throwing across the mouth of Elk Creek to a basket on a small cliff on the other side just feet from B Street. You then turn right and walk down B St for Hole 18 which is a sharp right hook up into the lighthouse parking lot and using the lighthouses bathrooms as obstacle on the left. You then walk back down to Hole 19 which has you playing back toward the harbor right along the side of B St. You then walk back up into the lighthouse parking area again and tee off for hole 20 which is up on an elevated rocky area. You then throw out over the parking overflow for the B street pier and the breakwater to a small cove between the breakwater and the pier. Hole 21 then has you throw back over the harbor and mouth of Elk Creek to a basket back over on the small park strip between the road and harbor. Hole 22 then has you throw from the park to a basket on a rocky cliff above the harbor and between the road. Hole 23 then has you cross back over Howe Rd and tee off directly in front of the Marine Mammal Center down a long narrow tunnel of trees. Hole 24 then has you throw along Howe Rd back towards the club kiosk and Hole 1. It must be played to truly appreciate the craziness of this course. Because of its interaction with the ocean it also completely changes at high tide and low tide. At low tide Hole 7and 22 have beaches often 20 to 30 feet wide that offer a much easier landing zone rather than at low tide when the surf is crashing up against the rocks just below the baskets. At low tide Hole 17 and 21 throw across a mostly beach area and the exposed mud flats of Elk Creek and are not all that difficult a shot, but when Elk Creek is really flowing and at high tide Hole 17 and 21 are completely cut off from the tee with water requiring a complete throw over water to the basket and then a long walk around the treatment plant to even get to the basket or some serious wading. Did I mention that most of the holes are also pretty long many 400 feet, definitely adding to the challenge?

Cons:

Safety Concerns. Almost everything written above could be written down here as well, there are a ton of safety concerns. The course plays to close to roads, benches, parking lots, buildings, and other activities. Pretty much every hole has the potential for some sort of safety hazard. You're going to need to keep your head on a swivel for other park users, light house visitors, and everyone else here enjoying this ocean front. You also may have to carry depending on where people are or where cars are parked.
Navigation. There are no signs other than the club kiosk at Hole 1 making it difficult to find a lot of the tees. The tees are almost all concrete with the numbers engraved in them, other than the ones on the harbor front where concrete would not be easily installed, in which case they are rubber mats. Hole 14's tee is the back patio door of the water treatment plant and Hole 15's tee is in the back parking lot of the Marine Mammal Center painted on the blacktop. Without the map this would have been a difficult course to navigate, print it from here in the links before going for the first time.
Flat Holes. The majority of the holes located at Beachfront are rather flat and open and would be rather boring if it were not for some of the cooler more signature holes along the waterfront and the elevation presented by the roads levy.
Wind. You're on the ocean, so wind is definitely a huge factor here.
Lost Discs. I noticed a lot of the other reviews say that the ocean holes are unplayable at high tide, to me they are just much more challenging.

Other Thoughts:

All in all this is a fun course, we were lucky enough to play it at both low and high tide now and to see the difference in how it plays. Also it is cool to be able to walk over and tour the lighthouse and then come back and find it on an island. Crescent City is a charming little seaside town just a few miles from the Oregon border, and doesn't get anywhere near the tourism as a lot of California's other coastal towns which is nice. It has a rather laid back feel and the disc golf course certainly reflects it. It is a very unique course in both good and bad ways. This is a very difficult course to review, there are way too many problems with the course to justify a higher rating, but at the same time I don't know if I would change a thing, other than adding tee signs. We had a lot of fun playing this course and at the end of the day that's all that really matters. I would definitely recommend this course as a very unique disc golf experience. Every course bagger should play it at the very least. We ended up spending the whole day in Crescent City and had a great time.
We would leave the next morning on the 199 and head into Oregon before coming back down to Happy Camp.
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1 8
thespeedokid
Experience: 10 years 110 played 34 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Open and windy 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 17, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Baskets are decent. Tees are good. A tiny blue arrow pointing to the next tee. Not many people play it. There is a map of the course you can use on your phone. (The link is at the first tee).

Cons:

Too many holes have almost no trees. It's a windy course. Due to the ocean I would guess. Some holes are quite long. Some holes are unplayable with high tide. The grass is long on some holes. Lack of elevation changes. Lack of hole signs.

Other Thoughts:

First eight holes are actually pretty good. Most of the rest are super wide open leaving them vulnerable to wind. The last eight are not to bad either as they play around a bay.
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7 0
Zunz
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11 years 85 played 21 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Delightful 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 30, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Concrete tee pads are numbered and point at the pin locations.
-Blue (or white) arrow on 22 of the basket concretes pointing at the next tee (Course designer said he'd replace the other two when I told him they were missing)
-Maximum use of the available space
-Wide variety of shots required, really makes you work all the tools in your bag
-Great use of what little elevation changes are available
-Wonderful group of local players
-Bring your camera!!!

Cons:

Occasionally holes have to be skipped because of people or parked cars. I can see where this could be worse in the summer, but the end of September it really wasn't an issue.

Other Thoughts:

I stopped in Crescent City for breakfast on my way up to Arcata. Disc golf app said there was a beach course right around the corner so I decided to go play it. I met the course designer and ended up staying a week! Got some great lessons, met a bunch of awesome people and had a truly delightful time. Had I not met any of the people, I still would have stayed a few days to play this great little course more than once. The difference in the water holes between low tide and high tide is spectacular! Not to mention the great picture holes that change throughout the day as well.
Wind can be a factor at various times of day. I'm from the East coast, used to gusty blowing around not steady in one direction.
The locals carry extension poles, some up to 30' long to get their discs out of the trees. I didn't throw any irretrievable ones when I played alone but for some reason when there was a pole available I chucked several WAY up there that got stuck.
Overall this is a really really nice course and if you end up meeting any of the local players it becomes excellent. I would go out of my way to come back here and play the course again.
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1 1
FrankWilliams
Experience: 24.5 years 17 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

City Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Numbered concrete pads aimed at the chains, and nice chains.

Good use of what trees are available.

The ocean breeze and seagulls make for a nice change of disc golf scenery and wildlife.

Public bathrooms available.

Plenty of parking.

Cons:

High tide made a few holes not playable.

Soccer practice made another unplayable.

No tee signs.

Lots of pedestrian traffic.

Several holes play near/along the parking lot/street.

Other Thoughts:

Don't forget to take a picture of the map to start, as there are no tee signs to look for and its not always obvious where the next tee is.

I was warned by a local to not throw anywhere near the park employees as they will complain and get the course closed.
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6 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 46.4 years 1562 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Variety Of Holes Here By The Pacific! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beachfront Park is a good sized park sitting right on a bay of the Pacific Ocean. The views, although somewhat industrial, are still lovely with the blue Pacific against the blue California sky. The course utilizes this ocean setting by placing some holes right along the water's edge, so close,that you may have to skip # 7 if the tide is in. We did.

The course plays 24 holes of varying distances, everything from wide open bomber holes, to a couple of short ACE runs to three holes that actually play right across the rocks and sand of the beachfront.

The concrete tee pads that are in have a # plate on them and are shaped so they are facing the basket. Helps with the navigation. The baskets have a # on them and also have a blue arrow pointing toward the next tee pad. They also have a gold marine grade coating on them to help prevent rusting.

There a couple of very creative throws here. Start with # 7. It's probably 250' along the shoreline to a basket set in the rocks. When the tide is out, you have approximately 100' of sand if you miss left. Today, the water was flashing against the rocks-no room for error. We skipped it.

# 17's basket was in a very cool placement today. It was in the rocks across the muddy inlet making for an interesting ACE run!

#22 was another great little ACE run. It play 175' to a basket set in the rocks just above the water and just in front of the boardwalk walking path. Leave your disc short and it goes swimming. Anything long is OB on the path. Fun throw.

And # 23 was a also a cleverly placed basket today. The basket is normally set straight down between two vertical rows of planted trees, probably 240', just a straight drive. But today, the basket was set outside the right row of trees maybe 180' down the lane. Definitely changed up this hole.

Cons:

There are lots of pedestrians in this park. At times, you may have to skip a hole because of a group having a picnic or soccer practice or maybe give them a heads up before throwing.

# 7 and the tide is an issue. What's fun would be all the times between high and low tide! Do I play this hole or not? Do I chance it? The winds might really come into play on this hole.

The 24 holes of Beachfront Park would be difficult to play without a local guide. I was fortunate to be shown around by big John. I wouldn't have caught on to the nuances of the tee pads without him informing me.

Other Thoughts:

This course is creative and fun. There are some great holes here not to be missed. It's lovely on a bright sunny California day. I had a great time and am very glad I got to play Beachfront. I would've liked a chance to throw # 7 but that's all right, I got to play the other 23 holes.
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5 2
bdodson
Experience: 17.7 years 26 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Give it a chance 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 20, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Man the PACIFIC is right there. On a beautiful summer day, Crescent City is hard to beat.

The other reviews are accurate in both pros and cons....but remember if you are travelling this and want to stop this is a good disc golf experience.

Cons:

Some of the holes are just dumb. There is no way around it. But get a TWO, then!

There are some cool holes like throwing off the cliff, watch out if it turns over and the tide is up!

It is true if your timing is bad you may have to skip some holes.

Other Thoughts:

Give this a chance. The other reviews on here are critical and rightfully so. Keep in mind this is a tough location where there are many park users. Again this is about the spirit of the game

Also if you need a guide contact me I can get you in touch with people. AM sundays group play is still happening. And you will need a guide!
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4 1
tsunamiscott
Experience: 8 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun at the beach! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 24, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Maps are available at the Cultural Center next to the park.
The tees are mostly concrete and numbered. There is a arrow in the concrete base of all the baskets pointing in the direction of the next tee pad to help you find the next tee.
There are some Long "let-r-rip" shots that are wide open, great for practicing drives.
This is a fun and challenging course.
Beautiful views. (lighthouse, ocean, bay )
All basket course.
Well maintained, you will not have to search forever
in tall grass and bushes to find a disc.
Friendly locals.

Cons:

You may need to skip a few baskets: 1, 9, 11 and 12 could be affected during soccer season.


Other Thoughts:

This is a great disc golf course!
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7 0
DCordell
Experience: 16 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

-new baskets and numbered tee pads
-course can be set-up to challenge most any skill level
-a few epic holes that you can't duplicate.
-course is well-maintained, restrooms available all around course.
-challenges control very well. as well as having a few big holes.
-very friendly locals that will gladly help you out.

Cons:

-Lots of non-disc golf traffic
-course would be somewhat hard to follow without a local or map.
-possible to throw into traffic on a couple holes
-gold baskets are somewhat hard to find
-the trees really catch discs well

Other Thoughts:

I think this course would be blast to have as your home course. It uses the terrain well to make it challenging. There are holes ranging from under 200'-500'+. Some holes are dramatically affected by the tide. The trees catch discs better than I could have ever imagined. I think its overall a plus for the course. They play well as hazards. It makes some of the shorter holestougher. You can't throw high hyzers into the basket without the risk of getting stuck high in a tree.
I'm sure when they get the course completed it will be easy to follow.
There was a lot of non disc golf traffic. That is the main con for this course otherwise I would rate it much higher.
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6 0
Scottycb1
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great views, some challenging holes, only course i have ever played where a decent teeshot can end up in the pacific ocean. The beach holes are greatly affected by the tide, changing the whole dinamic of the holes. Good variety of distance with the holes, some long some short, a lot of 300ish holes. Overall the course was a lot of fun to play in a 40 person doubles tournament.

Cons:

Non disc traffic, both cars and people, there was a lot of families (some of which spoke very limited english) that were in the way on a lot of holes. Its not exactly the best place for a course because of the danger posed to other park users. Some holes are just way too short, its alright to have 1 or 2 gimme holes in a round but in the 21 hole setup we played there was probably 5 or 6 real easy birdie holes, like 200 feet and under, mostly open, little trouble.
There is a lot of OB, some of it in dumb places right next to baskets.
Just a little pro complaint here, the baskets have the chains linked to rings at the bottom of the basket and if putts come in low and firm it spits them right back at you. The course have beautiful Mach 5's but they need to add a few more chains or alter the way the chains are linked at the bottom

Other Thoughts:

Although this is not a championship style course, its still a ton of fun to play. It was worth the 3 hour drive to see the views and experience what i wish we had on the oregon coast. Good work Crescent City crew on getting this course put in
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12 1
humchris85
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.4 years 143 played 78 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Beachfront Bleah... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 25, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Gold colored baskets not only look good, but also help keep them from rusting
-Friendly Locals
-Ocean Views
-Use's the little bit of elevation change to its advantage
-Bathrooms on site
-The concrete holes that are in, are nice and numbered
-One big water hazard, the Pacific Ocean

Cons:

-If the ocean was not there, it would be a basic city course
-Lack of obsticles on some holes
-Had to skip a few holes due to soccer playing kids
-ONLY PLAYABLE WITH A LOCAL FOR A GUIDE
-Trees that are there, are disc catching machines
-Lot's of other park users can get in the way of disc golf
-Some holes play way too close to parking areas, and a beginer can very easly end up hiting a car.
-Far end holes smell like they are draining the bathrooms right into the ocean there.
-Many holes not marked at all, just seemed like random spots in the field
-No signs anywhere to point you where to go
-Some holes are still tonepoles, some becuese they are still trying to get aproval to put in baskets, others becuese they just don't have enough baskets.
-Multiple baskets viewable from most tees, with none of the baskets marked.

Other Thoughts:

This course is still a work in progress, and very much shows it. They had just put in a couple more teepads before I played it. When I first rolled up all I saw were baskets placed randomly in a field, luckaly I ran into a group just starting out that helped me find the course.
There are some holes that they are trying to put in, but not able to put in concrete, becuese of the soccer fields they are afraid that some kid will bust themself up on concrete. My sugestion is just to put rubber teepads in instead on those holes. There are also some holes that play right along the ocean so they can't put in baskets on those holes till they get aproval from the costal commision.
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6 2
AnotherPrimate
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The ocean, the tree hazards, and, most of all, the regulars.

Cons:

Sometimes (rarely) you have to skip a hole because of tourists or soccer players, but there are 24 holes.

Other Thoughts:

First played here five years ago, and lucked into a Sunday morning regular learn-and-play. Head over every month or so to enjoy the course and the people. Loved it with tone poles and am loving it even more with baskets... Where else do you get to throw over the ocean? Play in the morning to avoid the wind, play in the afternoon to practice the wind. Bring a long pole because those trees are the disc-catchingest trees imaginable. Nice pub right across the street from the corner hole for those who like a mid-course breather, too.
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7 2
mike shoys
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.2 years 25 played 25 reviews
0.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 6, 2007 Played the course:once

Pros:

-we didn't hit anybody

Cons:

-roads, or picnic tables, or baseball fields, or sunbathers, bikers, and hikers come into play on most holes.
-the day we were there, there were no baskets, but a local showed us targets they use.
-all flat, one water hazard, but thats it as far as excitement.
-this seems like an unrealistic place for a DGC unless we were there on an abnormal day

Other Thoughts:

if you're making a DG trip through the area, don't bother with either course in crescent city... if this course had baskets when i visited, i would've rated it a 1.5 due to lack of challenge, other than not hitting cars or people. overall one of my more uncomfortable rounds ever...
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