* Excellent use of wide open space to create some challenge
* Locals are nice
* New baskets improve the course. Now there are 2 placements on 3 and 5
*It's comforting to see pickle-ballers. Also the tennis players are very cool about getting a disc back over a fence for you.
*You can bang out 9 holes in about a 1/2 hr.
*Park is well maintained

*Little variety in shot selection
*No signage whatsoever.
*The map on hole 1 is now out of date
*Tee boxes are short

I take my kid to boxing and parkour lessons in the area and play 9 while I'm waiting for him. I use the course to try out new discs and new shots. As a new player (< 1yr), it's great to gauge my distance as I am increasing able to get birdie looks on longer and longer holes (4 and 8 are in the 330' range). Honestly... after that, I wouldn't go out of my way to seek this course out.

Better than most park courses, with some holes over 300'.
Some wide open holes offer good opportunity for practicing new driving technique.
Playing groups tend to be small or reasonable.
Park well-maintained and grassy.
New tees for #8 and #9 make the walk easier.

New teeboxes for #8 & #9 are too small.
Roadway is the lefthand OB for holes #1-#3.
New locations for #8 and #9 make the course less challenging.
Many fairways are close to each other, resulting in a lot of criss-crossing.

Good for beginners/intermediate players.
Signage to warn pedestrians of flying discs.
Cages in good condition.
Hole 8-9 have been relocated in a better location across from parking in front of Grant Ave.
Good parking.

No signs for tees.
Not easy to navigate and confusing if your new to the course.
Close to a busy street, Fair Oaks Blvd.
Short tee off stations.

The few times I played there, I didn't understand where the holes were as there are no signs. It's more of an improvise and make your own hole as you go course. No clear direction. This course would get a higher rate if it had signs and better tee off stations. Sunday mornings hole 6-7 are closed off due to farmers market. New relocation of hole 8-9 in a better ideal location, however pedestrians are not accustomed this change yet.

Clean park. Some trees makes for some challenge. Some holes go left, roller opportunity, hole 5 seems longer than advertised, can play holes 1-7 or 1-6 twice for a good quick play. Adequate parking. Course map on tennis court fence. Course in decent condition. Good for a mixed group out having fun.

Bathroom was locked, water fountain shutdown, tees a bit small. Holes 7-8 a long walk there an back.

Plenty of room for another 3 holes if City would allow it.

Easy access, low crowds, decent baskets, shade

short holes, two holes are separated from course

This was a fun short, non crowded course in a park, it did not cross much park traffic which was nice. Baskets were in good shape and newer models, not sure what else to say, it had some decent holes, not much in the way of difficulty so it would be good for beginner/intermediate players or advanced players looking for some aces. Don't think I threw anything over a tbird or maybe eagle.

Carmichael Park is a large urban multi-use city park with fairly manicured lush green lawns. It has 5 ballfields, 3 playgrounds, and 6 tennis courts, along with a dog park, basketball court and volleyball court. There are barbecue and picnic areas throughout along with restrooms. The Community Clubhouse, Veterans' Memorial Building, the Daniel Bishop Memorial Pavilion for the Performing Arts, and the Great Wall of Carmichael are also all located within the park. The disc golf course is mostly up front in the park, playing through a very flat area with a few old oaks scattered throughout. The course makes use of the tennis courts as obstacle, more on that in cons. Most holes average from about 250 to 350 feet, leaving all holes aceable or potential birdies for most experienced golfers. The course is designed about as well as can be for the space allowed, there really aren't a lot of obstacles other than a few scattered trees and roads played as OB. The holes are mostly wide open and provide plenty of shot options, but really aren't long enough to really grip and rip for a cannon arm. The corner of the tennis court fence by the first hole is used as a club kiosk of sorts, with a map box there but often empty. Weeklies are held here with often a large turnout. Mike G., the course designer, often hosts clinics at the course. The clinics, the weeklies, and the comradery are really what this course has going for it.

Personally I don't see the problem with the size of the tees for the distance of the holes, but I know some consider them too small. The course needs signs, other than hole 1 there is little to guide you through the course. Although the course is small enough to figure your way around navigation would be much easier with some kind of signage. Busy tennis courts used as OB and obstacles. Hole 1 is a sharp right dogleg played down the side of the tennis court and then behind with a mando of staying to the left of the court. For most decent players it probably won't be a problem, but a great deal of beginners and intermediates use this course and it is a safety concern. In fact I have seen several people throw errantly into the courts. Hole 5 uses the administration building as a backstop with the basket being placed right in front. I have heard that a window has already been broken. I personally had an errant skip off the road and hit the building, no damage though, but it does have me pulling my shots a little on this hole to avoid future incidents. The course often plays a little to close to roads and park drives for comfort. The course is closed on weekends sometimes for Farmers Market in summer, check schedule. Holes 8 and 9 are a considerable distance from the rest of the course, and really open field holes, so not the greatest reason for a walk, in fact many players skip these holes all together choosing instead to play 1-7 multiples. The lush green grass when wet is also a major con will leave you with soaking wet shoes. There are a lot of other activities going on in this park that will conflict with play. This is one of the only places I've ever seen LARPers, "Live Action Role Players," playing in the fairway running around putting "spells" on each other. What more can you say? This area of Carmichael also has a sketchy crowd that wander along Fair Oaks Blvd that sometimes find their way into the park for no good.

The Carmichael area was once a shining beacon of disc golf. The Callahans brought disc golf to the area as early as the late 1960's playing in Albert Schweitzer park to first trees, and then tones with the course being recognized officially in 1980. And the parks and recs department teamed up with the DGA to put baskets in parks like Del Campo, Mission North, and one other that I no longer remember the name, and there may have been more that I just don't remember. Back in the 1990's Carmichael was the only city in California listed in the PDGA course directory with 2 courses. The Carmichael area was a leader in the sport of disc golf, long before Carmichael ever became a city, and enjoyed a partnership with the local club The Mutha Putters for years. Over time that relationship soured until every area course was closed with Schweitzer being pulled in May of 2011. Some like Mission North were outdated for new disc technology and in too small an area to expand, others were pulled as the relationship between disc golfers and the city of Carmichael parks and recs deteriorated. Now to be fair, disc golfers share a great deal of the blame with illegal drug and alcohol use being cited as the major reason for closure. But the city of Carmichael took no consideration of the history of the courses in their decision to close them. Now all the courses have been shut down and now they have given us a course near the administration building in Carmichael Park in return. The course at Carmichael park is a beginner style course and really no substitute for the technical play of "little Africa" or Del Campo.

1) Good distance for non cannon arms like myself, 209-360 feet
2) Trees provide enough of a challenge for any skill golfer
3) Bathroom on site
4) Great layout of multiple routes to the basket on holes
5) Public transportation puts you close to the course

1) Teepads too small
2) Depending on the season, course is closed on Sundays for the Farmer's Market (not sure if it's for the whole day)
3) Holes 8,9 are seperated from the first 7 holes by the dog park
4) Little League season can slow you down on holes 8 and 9, since they're near the baseball diamonds
5) After a good rain, drainage is not the greatest so bring galoshes, :-D

The only MANDOS that I know are on holes 1 (to the left of the tennis court fencing) and 2 (to the left of the ball wall next to the tennis courts). Holes 2 and 3 are guarded by trees. Holes 5 and 7 are seperated by a roadway, which is considered OB and can be pretty gnarly on your discs. 5 is the longest (360) so I lay up, because I don't have the cannon. 7 is 250 but there is a tree about 60-80 feet to the right. Don't be fooled by hole 9. Too much hyzer and your disc is gonna get gnarled up by parking lot, OB.

Check the tennis court fence by hole 1 for upcoming events in the park. You can find a map of the course around there as well, if available.

-Good use of terrain
-Moderately varied shot selection
-Great map at 1st tee (also take away maps)
-Well maintained by the city

-Holes 8+9 are frequently surrounded by sketchy crew.
-Holes 8+9 are also a trek from 1-7 (between this and the weirdos I usually skip these).
-Tee pads can be slippery
-holes 4-7 fold back on themselves, can be annoying during even medium traffic times.

Great place to tune up some shots. LOTS of ace runs. Not worth a long drive, but great if you're in the area and want to get in a few rounds.

grass that is watered and mowed often. not a lot of other golfers on the course so you can play quickly. excellent starter and family course. has both tee pads and baskets.

it is 9 holes. 8 and 9 are on the other side of the dog park and hard to find. not to challenging with either of the length or obstacles. this is both a pro and con but the course has sprinklers so if you golf early you will want or need a towel.

carmichael is a good place to get back in to the game or keep you game up to date!

Great intermediate park. 9 holes, with plenty of parking and access. Now has Baskets. Great place for learning to drive with putters and midranges.

sundays during the farmers market, holes 6 & 7 are not allowed to be played while market is there. Till about 1 or 2 pm i think. dogpark splits the first 7 holes from the last 2

in the process of getting t-pads installed. was supposed to be last week, now on hold as of 4/21/2013

Some decent distance shots. No real short gimme holes, but most are potential birdies for experienced disc golfers. Tennis courts are in play on 3 holes and are out-of-bounds. Hole 1 is where they are most in play as the fairway wraps around a corner of the courts. Some baskets are very nicely placed within groups of large trees. There is one sign with the course layout on it posted on the corner of the tennis courts by the first tee which is near Grand Ave. and the northwest corner of the tennis courts. Well maintained grass throughout course. Newer course with not a lot of people playing usually so creating alternate layouts or playing the course backwards is often a possibility, as well as making it a good course for beginners or throwing multiple discs.

Natural tees, no signs, and a lot of wide open shots. Only one tee and pin location on every hole. There is a walk from the hole 7 pin to holes 8 & 9 around the dog park. Hole 9 ends a little ways away from hole 1 so there is a little walk to get back to your car or play another round (not bad at all though; maybe 250-300 yards). Completely flat and sometimes subject to flooding and muddy areas.

The sign at hole one with the course layout on it shows where holes 8 & 9 are located, but it isn't completely obvious where to go after finishing hole 7. Follow the road straight past the dog park and the 8th tee will be on the left once you get around the dog park in the corner of the grass. Shoot for the furthest basket (not the one 80 ft. away, that's hole 9's basket). There is a weekly random doubles league on Monday's at 3PM. The tees get muddy after rains so it can be necessary to throw from behind or on the side of them.

Carmichael Park is a pretty, green multi-use park with tennis courts, ballfields, a dog park and a playground. I started with # 1 playing over the tennis courts and finishing with the long walk to #'s 8 and 9. The course information sheet called those holes over there 1 and 2 so I'm a little confused already.
The course has dirt pads, the baskets are okay and there are no tee signs. When I reached # 5, I had no idea where that basket had snuck off to.
There's about a 1/3 mile walk past the dog park to the last (first?) two baskets. This area has a park sign designating this area as "Disc Golf Only". These two holes are fairly basic in nature without much in the way of obstacles.

The first hole I played is a problem waiting to happen. Having players of all abilities throwing over the tennis courts is just asking for trouble.

The dirt teepads are not great. The lack of signage is a problem. I don't know where # 5 basket was?

And there was the long walk out to 8 and 9 and then you have to walk all the back to where you parked. All in all, not a smooth natural flow.

Carmichael Park is a typical little city park but the disc golf course suffers from a poor design.

Another thing is suffers from is a clearcut case of HBB (Home Boy Bias) in it's inflated rating of almost 3.0.
How does a flat 9 hole rec course with dirt pads, no signs, terrible design flaws, long walkout to 8 and 9, mundane holes with little or no obstacles, a missing basket, long walk back to parking and a major safety flaw on # 1 merit a rating of a 3? Sorry homies, this course is way overrated!

- Well manicured park
- Easy to find
- Hole 1 has a left to right turn
- Baskets are in good shape
- Crowds seemed much smaller than the other Sacramento area courses I've played
- Maps available at the first tee
- More friendly locals than I have encountered in other areas of Sac
- Playground in the park, though not close enough that there would be any risk of discs hitting kids
- A few baskets have interesting placements

- Tee's are dirt marked with a concrete block with the hole # on it
- Long walk from hole 7 to holes 8 and 9, with a long walk back to your car after hole 9
- Most holes are straight ahead without any real obsticles
- Homeless people hanging around some areas of the course
- Holes have good distance for am's and kids, but players with more experiance will end up prety bored
- Right next to a major road, so road noise is inevitable
- No tee signs
- A little difficult to navigate at times, even with a map
- No elevation change
- Other park users walking through the course at times

The map that is in the links section is outdated. Hole 1 now starts where they had hole 3 listed. To find holes 8 and 9 you have a long walk, past hole 7's basket and past the dog park.

Over all this course is an ok little city park course, well mannicured and making good use of the trees that are there. It's fun for locals wanting to avoid the crowds that are usualy at Shady Oaks or Roseville (though they are both beter courses), or to show their girlfriend or kid how to play disc golf in a less intimidating place. It's also good for someone wanting a quick round on thier lunch break if they work in the area. For players wanting more challange I would recomend waiding through the crowds at Shady Oaks or Rocklin, or taking a drive up to Tahoe and playing some hardcore courses.

For those that live around Shady Oaks in Orangevale, this is a decent place to hit close by if the Oaks are impacted (as often is the case.)

Long walk between 7 and 8 is odd. If the second nine is added and this is revised to be part of a second nine, the nice walk between front and back could be nice.

I would slot this course between Elk Grove and Marconi. Again, for those Orangevale folks, it is a closer drive than Marconi and a much better area. It is wayyyyy closer than Elk Grove and a more challenging/better layout. It is what it is, a quick practice round during a lunch break!

-shady
-nice baskets
.......thats about it

-dirt tee pads
-hard to navigate
-hole 8-9 couldn't find the first time

ehhhhhh play it to mark it off the list but other than that i wouldn't recommend it..

Course Close to me.. Nice Park with lots of grass and nice big trees.. Great Baskets and well marked tee box..Good people..Nice placement of pins and usage of the space the course is in.

Couple holes are ontop on each other making a wait time sometimes. 8 and 9 are away from the first 7 holes and far away from hole 1.

- Park is in pretty good condition.
- Designers did a lot with a small amount of space.
- All the holes are driveable with good form and/or power.
- I'm told it makes a nice night golf course, although I didn't do it myself.
- Not entirely flat and open, it takes some skill to get around the course efficiently.
- New baskets have been placed to replace the old poles.

- I feel like the course was wedged into the park.
- A few holes bring outside dangers of damage into play. The road on to the left on 3 and the house/side road almost directly in play on 7 come to mind.
- The distance between holes 8 and 9, and the rest of the course, kinda sucks.

I'm not a huge fan of courses with dirt teepads, especially ones that call for full-power shots sometimes.

Please note that I understand that they had to do well with what room and budget they had, and I did not factor that into the number score I assigned this place.

Hole 1 feels gimmicky to me, and presents the danger of either throwing into the road if you make a poor shot, or shooting into the tennis courts where you could strike an unsuspecting player.

It was a decent experience, and if I lived close, I would definitely play there again. I wish Schweitzer was still around so I could experience it, but alas, those times are behind us.

Course has a simple but fun layout with most holes having numerous flight paths for you to take.

Third hole could get you into trouble with traffic.

Good place to practice and bring newcomers for a quick and easy round.
I actually like tossing at the wooden "baskets". I feel like it will improve my putting accuracy.
I think this course should be a model for new/under budget courses trying to take off. The designers did very well with what they had to work with.

Even though I had a tough time locating the 1st teebox, I found that the course layout is very intuitive and quite optimized for the given space. Nice variety and options with teeshots. The trees are mature, and are very well positioned whether they are fairway obstacles, surrounding a pole, or framing a teebox. I really like how the designers went with a minimalist approach to the course, with poles instead of baskets, and cement strips instead of traditional slabs. It seems they did too good a job, which explains why there is so much "Disc Golf warning" signage all over the place.

The #9 pole isn't very close to the #1 teebox; no matter where you park, you'll have a walk a little. Can get HOT in the summertime.

This course plays a lot better than it looks driving in. No signage, but I think that was by design. This course compares to Fern Park in Woodland.
=================
Uniqueness: B+ (nice wooden pole targets; optimal layout; minimal but decent teepads)
Difficulty: B (flat; not long; great usage of trees)
Fun Factor: A- (9 unique holes; never boring)
Aesthetics: B+ (clean; very discreet course)
---------------------
Overall: B+

Obstacles abound
Varying shots, many with hard turns
Nothing too long if you are a short thrower
Didn't see any other disc golfers

Very busy
Lots of people walking through the course
Some of the obstacles are buildings and cars, which can be damaged
Tee type is... different
Near impossible to find the tees without a map

Thought it was a very fun course, though had to play it safe because I went at a very busy time. I really liked the holes, though the "baskets" took a while to get used to.