The Stadium Course reviews
2
0
snoho
Experience:
7.9 years
40 played
18 reviews
Good use of terrain, some confusing baskets 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 23, 2017
Played the course:once
Pros:
* Several "top of the world" shots where you can feel like a pro and get some free distance
* Clever man-made obstacles to make an otherwise straight shot at the basket more challenging
* Good quality tee pads and signs
* Clever man-made obstacles to make an otherwise straight shot at the basket more challenging
* Good quality tee pads and signs
Cons:
* Baskets don't have numbers on them
* No markers on signs indicating current pin position
* No markers on signs indicating current pin position
Other Thoughts:
Played this course twice over two days and quite enjoyed it. It's a lot of fun to stand at the top of the hill on holes 10 and 17 and pretend you're a pro chucking a disc 500 feet. The poles on hole 6 seem so easy, and yet you'll hit them. Or go OB. Or both. Not that I did both...
There were several holes where the location of the basket wasn't clear, even with the good tee signs. With no indication of whether the basket was in the A or B location, and several holes with baskets almost on top of each other, I threw to the wrong basket on more than one occasion (even with the assistance of the udisc course map).
Overall this is a fun course and I'd definitely stop in to play it again if I'm in the area!
There were several holes where the location of the basket wasn't clear, even with the good tee signs. With no indication of whether the basket was in the A or B location, and several holes with baskets almost on top of each other, I threw to the wrong basket on more than one occasion (even with the assistance of the udisc course map).
Overall this is a fun course and I'd definitely stop in to play it again if I'm in the area!
3
0
geodude
Experience:
40 played
38 reviews
Great Course for Mixed Group 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Nov 27, 2015
Played the course:once
Pros:
Challenging enough for a Pro, doable enough for a casual player to have fun. Good course to bring a not so strong or older player who has some game. Nicer part of town. Bathrooms across the street from hole 1. Warm up basket at hole 1 tee. Quiet and some nice views. Good use of a flood basin park, thank you Salinas! Lots of folks out throwing, feels good. People are friendly.
Cons:
Lack of trees, could use a few more trees planted. Some steep hillsides to climb need some steps cut in or RR tie steps for safety. No drinking fountains. Park is a bit trashy, play in a group in broad daylight. It's Salinas. Lot of walkers and hangerouts to avoid.
Other Thoughts:
Will definetly come back to play when in the area.
1
0
BoKeazian
Experience:
2 played
2 reviews
Beautiful course and most fun in the area (imo) 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 4, 2015
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Well marked tee boxes and pin placement. Great obstacles. 18 holes. Well maintained.
Cons:
The area itself is kind of sketchy (all of Salinas is pretty sketchy, really). Lots of places to lose a disc. Open park - depending on time of day, there can be a lot of pedestrians walking through/around the course which can cause slight delays.
Other Thoughts:
This was one of the first courses I played. It's very challenging if you've never been there or don't have someone with you who knows the layout. If you have a slightly wild throw, it would be a good idea to not go alone because there are a couple holes where a spotter is almost required. The heavy traffic of pedestrians can sometimes be troublesome and there are a lot of places hidden in the creek that are full of debris and trash from sketchy activities that go on in the area. All in all, this is a must play if you're a local and has a few good places to practice skill shots and overall technique.
11
1
Worth the drive 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jan 18, 2015
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
2016 update:
I recently played this course for the third time on March 29, 2016. Hole 2 has a series of retaining walls under the basket, and hole 3 is now on a raised set of layers, like a pyramid. Lots of rain this winter altered some of the course. Hole 9 has a pond full of water. Signs indicating next tee are wrong. Hole 10 appears to have been removed due to flooding in the area and a fallen tree. This is not surprising since the basket is in a river bed. Basket 11 is in the usual spot, but a massive amount of foliage has been removed and the tee is not apparent. Very swampy if there has been recent rain--pick your path carefully. For hole 12, there is now a basket on the hillside halfway up the slope--I think this is basket 12, which used to be further down the way but is now gone. Not sure where to tee from for this basket, or if it is an alternate pin placement for the tee up near the street. A new tee was poured for basket 13 but not marked as such, but is right behind the existing tee. Tee 14 is still on the hillside, but we could find no basket 14, so we shot to basket 7 again. Basket 15 was in a new position to right of tree window just passed the drainage ditch.
Original review:
-Mach 5 baskets
-Excellent tee signs with extensive OB and Mando descriptions
-Two fun, long, downhill shots
-Shot distances are good, 190 ft the shortest and 520 ft the longest (all par 3s), and a driver is needed most of the time, with full-power throws
-Cement tee pads on all but one hole
-Good flow, looping through park and ending very close to tee #1 and parking
I recently played this course for the third time on March 29, 2016. Hole 2 has a series of retaining walls under the basket, and hole 3 is now on a raised set of layers, like a pyramid. Lots of rain this winter altered some of the course. Hole 9 has a pond full of water. Signs indicating next tee are wrong. Hole 10 appears to have been removed due to flooding in the area and a fallen tree. This is not surprising since the basket is in a river bed. Basket 11 is in the usual spot, but a massive amount of foliage has been removed and the tee is not apparent. Very swampy if there has been recent rain--pick your path carefully. For hole 12, there is now a basket on the hillside halfway up the slope--I think this is basket 12, which used to be further down the way but is now gone. Not sure where to tee from for this basket, or if it is an alternate pin placement for the tee up near the street. A new tee was poured for basket 13 but not marked as such, but is right behind the existing tee. Tee 14 is still on the hillside, but we could find no basket 14, so we shot to basket 7 again. Basket 15 was in a new position to right of tree window just passed the drainage ditch.
Original review:
-Mach 5 baskets
-Excellent tee signs with extensive OB and Mando descriptions
-Two fun, long, downhill shots
-Shot distances are good, 190 ft the shortest and 520 ft the longest (all par 3s), and a driver is needed most of the time, with full-power throws
-Cement tee pads on all but one hole
-Good flow, looping through park and ending very close to tee #1 and parking
Cons:
-No amenities (e.g., bathroom, water) readily available
-Mostly flat or hyzer shots since there are many wide-open holes
-Low chance of losing a disc on most holes (but beware #11)
-Mostly flat or hyzer shots since there are many wide-open holes
-Low chance of losing a disc on most holes (but beware #11)
Other Thoughts:
Street parking available on Nogal Drive next to tee #1.
Hole 1 (370'): Fun hyzer shot downhill with a huge field for a landing area, so bombs away!
Hole 2 (240'): Mid-range straight at it or a spike hyzer, but some small oak trees and bushes guarding the pin. Uphill shot and pin is on a slope.
Hole 3 (340'): Flat shot across a wide-open field.
Hole 4 (360'): Another flat shot with OB along left side--beware of pedestrians on the OB path. Planted trees will make the hole tougher in 5-10 years.
Hole 5 (200'): Short, flat shot but the fairway is lined with 8 very tall posts, 4 on each side. These are all mandos and about 50 ft apart, making a wide fairway for the short shot.
Hole 6 (345'): Flat shot with thickets behind pin.
Hole 7 (190'): Shortest hole with left or right approaches. Tee is painted box on asphalt path.
Hole 8 (410'): Fairway dotted with small shrubs, pedestrian path on left OB.
Hole 9 (200'): No cement tee pad and sign is low to ground near the footbridge. Tee in dirt and shoot across a shallow, muddy pond. Putter at pin for an ace run.
Hole 10 (350'): The pin cannot be seen until you walk halfway down the fairway. Sharp left from the tee, but need a low shot to get under trees. Ground covered with wood chips and sand, and there is a seasonal creek, so disk will not skip and could get wet, but easily retrieved.
Hole 11 (~300'): Another blind pin, extreme left, and again lots of wood chips. Thickets surround the pin, which sits in a cluster of trees.
Hole 12 (455'): After 11 climb up the hill following a faint path. Tee #12 is near the road, and the pin is again hidden. Pin is along the slope of the hill next to the walking path, so make sure no one is on it before teeing.
Hole 13 (255'): Short hole, kind of boring unless you go for the ace.
Hole 14 (260'): Missed this hole playing though the first time, since the tee for #15 is close to the pin for #13.
Hole 15 (270'): The pin is next to the path and has a large window of trees framing it.
Hole 16 (200'): Drive up the hill with a mid-range but beware pedestrian traffic here.
Hole 17 (520'): Another fun, downhill bomb of a shot.
Hole 18 (250'): A huge cyclone fence partially obstructs your shot. You either shoot the gap (straight mid range) or go for the spike hyzer and hope you calculated the wind right to get over the 15' high fence. I really think this is a cool hole and it reminds me of the bamboo shot at USDGC Winthrop Gold.
Final thoughts: I live in Santa Cruz, so driving to Salinas is not that far. I really liked this course and will definitely play it again, perhaps on the way to or from the Monterey courses (i.e. Ryan Ranch and CSUMB). While there were lots of other park users, the holes are not in areas they use, except for some of the pathways. This is a new course and still needs a little work on paths to and from holes, but that will come with use. Definitely a good addition to the inventory of Monterey Bay courses.
Hole 1 (370'): Fun hyzer shot downhill with a huge field for a landing area, so bombs away!
Hole 2 (240'): Mid-range straight at it or a spike hyzer, but some small oak trees and bushes guarding the pin. Uphill shot and pin is on a slope.
Hole 3 (340'): Flat shot across a wide-open field.
Hole 4 (360'): Another flat shot with OB along left side--beware of pedestrians on the OB path. Planted trees will make the hole tougher in 5-10 years.
Hole 5 (200'): Short, flat shot but the fairway is lined with 8 very tall posts, 4 on each side. These are all mandos and about 50 ft apart, making a wide fairway for the short shot.
Hole 6 (345'): Flat shot with thickets behind pin.
Hole 7 (190'): Shortest hole with left or right approaches. Tee is painted box on asphalt path.
Hole 8 (410'): Fairway dotted with small shrubs, pedestrian path on left OB.
Hole 9 (200'): No cement tee pad and sign is low to ground near the footbridge. Tee in dirt and shoot across a shallow, muddy pond. Putter at pin for an ace run.
Hole 10 (350'): The pin cannot be seen until you walk halfway down the fairway. Sharp left from the tee, but need a low shot to get under trees. Ground covered with wood chips and sand, and there is a seasonal creek, so disk will not skip and could get wet, but easily retrieved.
Hole 11 (~300'): Another blind pin, extreme left, and again lots of wood chips. Thickets surround the pin, which sits in a cluster of trees.
Hole 12 (455'): After 11 climb up the hill following a faint path. Tee #12 is near the road, and the pin is again hidden. Pin is along the slope of the hill next to the walking path, so make sure no one is on it before teeing.
Hole 13 (255'): Short hole, kind of boring unless you go for the ace.
Hole 14 (260'): Missed this hole playing though the first time, since the tee for #15 is close to the pin for #13.
Hole 15 (270'): The pin is next to the path and has a large window of trees framing it.
Hole 16 (200'): Drive up the hill with a mid-range but beware pedestrian traffic here.
Hole 17 (520'): Another fun, downhill bomb of a shot.
Hole 18 (250'): A huge cyclone fence partially obstructs your shot. You either shoot the gap (straight mid range) or go for the spike hyzer and hope you calculated the wind right to get over the 15' high fence. I really think this is a cool hole and it reminds me of the bamboo shot at USDGC Winthrop Gold.
Final thoughts: I live in Santa Cruz, so driving to Salinas is not that far. I really liked this course and will definitely play it again, perhaps on the way to or from the Monterey courses (i.e. Ryan Ranch and CSUMB). While there were lots of other park users, the holes are not in areas they use, except for some of the pathways. This is a new course and still needs a little work on paths to and from holes, but that will come with use. Definitely a good addition to the inventory of Monterey Bay courses.
