NorCal 2/18-2/28 - Course Conditions?

[Countchunkula]

Hey NorCal Discers,
I will be out in your area in mid-late February and need a heads up on course conditions. I plan on playing Dela and Stafford for sure and am wondering if these courses are soggy. Has it been good discn' weather of late?

I will be heading up to Anderson Valley after Stafford, other than that I want to bag a few more courses and am open to suggestions (the only CA course I have played is GGP in SF). I have 2 or 3 days to devote to DG, after that were heading to Tahoe for some skiing.

Your help and suggestions are appreciated,
Countchunkula

[Cnote]

Weather has been pretty nice lately. 50-60 degrees some light rain here and there. DeLa is in pretty good shape, only a few puddles and soggy spots (bring a towel). I know you are going North but Cypress at CUSMB is almost all sand...never seems to get soggy. Aptos High School is also pretty sandy so it stays pretty dry too. Black Mouse in Felton is in the trees so it too stays pretty dry although you do have fallen tree branches to deal with. Both Black Mouse and Aptos are within 20 minutes of DeLa.
Not sure about Stafford conditions I have only played there in the spring.

[Countchunkula]

Weather has been pretty nice lately. 50-60 degrees some light rain here and there. DeLa is in pretty good shape, only a few puddles and soggy spots (bring a towel). I know you are going North but Cypress at CUSMB is almost all sand...never seems to get soggy. Aptos High School is also pretty sandy so it stays pretty dry too. Black Mouse in Felton is in the trees so it too stays pretty dry although you do have fallen tree branches to deal with. Both Black Mouse and Aptos are within 20 minutes of DeLa.
Not sure about Stafford conditions I have only played there in the spring.

Thanks Cnote, this is just the kind of info that I'm looking for. I'm planning to only spend one day up north of the Bay area. I will probably try out some of your suggestions on the day we go to Dela. BTW, we will be staying in Oakland (forgot to mention that in the OP).

[Countchunkula]

Anyone been out to Stafford Lake recently? How are the conditions?

[elevated plastic]

Stafford is green and beautiful. Where you skiing in Tahoe?

[Countchunkula]

Stafford is green and beautiful. Where you skiing in Tahoe?

Thanks for the info, EP. I want to hit Heavenly since we skipped it last year. Probably will do Squaw Valley as well even though their chairlifts give me the willies. Last year we were in Tahoe same time of year, there was a big powder dump (2' or so at squaw). Then we got more snow at Kirkwood. I was the only one of my friends who had skiied the deep stuff before. It was fun watching them try to adjust their technique to the new reality.

[Countchunkula]

Any thoughts on the course in Napa?

I think we will be going wine tasting one day and thought a round of DG could break things up a bit (and delay the drunkeness).

[bneely]

The Napa course is outstanding, in my opinion. Well worth setting aside a few hours to get a round in. Feels like a disc golf country club, it's set a quarter mile up trail from the parking lot.

The course is super hilly and a great workout(especially if you make an errant throw down into the many valleys alongside holes!)

Scenery-wise, it's not quite in the league of Stafford but still a beautiful setting. $5 per carload to enter the park, so make sure you've got a full car :)

[Countchunkula]

The Napa course is outstanding, in my opinion. Well worth setting aside a few hours to get a round in. Feels like a disc golf country club, it's set a quarter mile up trail from the parking lot.

The course is super hilly and a great workout(especially if you make an errant throw down into the many valleys alongside holes!)

Scenery-wise, it's not quite in the league of Stafford but still a beautiful setting. $5 per carload to enter the park, so make sure you've got a full car :)

Thanks, bneely. I will definitely hit this one up, it sounds like the antithesis of my local courses (flat as a board).

[Peterb]

If you're staying in oakland, you should play aquatic park in berkeley. Unique course in many ways. Play it on a sunny morning and you'll be psyched.

[Countchunkula]

If you're staying in oakland, you should play aquatic park in berkeley. Unique course in many ways. Play it on a sunny morning and you'll be psyched.

I looked at the reviews for Aquatic Park and decided to skip it due to the lack of signage. Do you think it is easily navigable without a guide/map?

[Peterb]

I looked at the reviews for Aquatic Park and decided to skip it due to the lack of signage. Do you think it is easily navigable without a guide/map?

It's not. But there are usually friendly locals playing who'd be happy to allow you to join them. Heck I'd meet you up there if you're still around. Tomorrow am?

[Countchunkula]

It's not. But there are usually friendly locals playing who'd be happy to allow you to join them. Heck I'd meet you up there if you're still around. Tomorrow am?

While I totally appreiciate your offer, I'm not in your neck of the woods just yet. I'm flying out next Thursday. Time/fiance permiting, I would like to play Aquatic. Stafford Lake and DeLaveaga are my top priorities though.

[DSCJNKY]

^Skip Aquatic!!! If you were going to hit up a third course... play Golden Gate.

Unless you play Aquatic at 7:30 in the morning, you might as well forget about it; and even then, you might as well forget about it. The whole course is 1/2 mile long and 100 yards wide and is bisected lengthwise by a walking path that hundreds of people use minutely (as opposed to hourly) completely oblivious to your presence. As soon as the walker is clear... a bike rider comes through... before he's clear two moms with a stroller are in the way... then a dog walker comes the other way and the moms want the kids to pet the dog... etc............ At almost every tee-pad we had to wait sometimes 4-5 minutes to throw.... And, we played it at 7:30 on a Sunday too (it might have been a Saturday).

Furthermore... at 7:30 in the morning, as we pull into the parking lot, the first thing we saw was a "pimp" and a "ho" buying something (crack / heroin???)out of the window of a white van... and then they walked into the bushes that run next to a couple of holes. Fun!

The only cool thing about the course is the three or four shots that you have to hang out over the bay and hyzer back in on. Otherwise...

DSCJNKY

[Peterb]

^Skip Aquatic!!! If you were going to hit up a third course... play Golden Gate.

Unless you play Aquatic at 7:30 in the morning, you might as well forget about it; and even then, you might as well forget about it. The whole course is 1/2 mile long and 100 yards wide and is bisected lengthwise by a walking path that hundreds of people use minutely (as opposed to hourly) completely oblivious to your presence. As soon as the walker is clear... a bike rider comes through... before he's clear two moms with a stroller are in the way... then a dog walker comes the other way and the moms want the kids to pet the dog... etc............ At almost every tee-pad we had to wait sometimes 4-5 minutes to throw.... And, we played it at 7:30 on a Sunday too (it might have been a Saturday).

Furthermore... at 7:30 in the morning, as we pull into the parking lot, the first thing we saw was a "pimp" and a "ho" buying something (crack / heroin???)out of the window of a white van... and then they walked into the bushes that run next to a couple of holes. Fun!

The only cool thing about the course is the three or four shots that you have to hang out over the bay and hyzer back in on. Otherwise...

DSCJNKY

I can't honestly believe you had to wait that long at 7:30 in the morn. True Aquatic has is major faults...but many of the shots are excellent. Two are RHBH anhyzers over the water, more are hyzers. But they're all pretty fun. The park is getting cleaner, including the city clearing the bushes on the south end. True the bike path is loaded with people sometimes, and generally GGP is a better place to play for a relaxed experience...But there's plenty (water, wind, and good shots) that makes this course an excellent challenge.

[Countchunkula]

So the jury is out on Aquatic? If I have some free time, I will try to get out there, but it may not happen.

Here's what I am thinking so far:
Day 1:
Delaveaga
As many as time allows from: Black Mouse, Aptos, Parque de la Raza, Hellyer, or CSUMB Oaks

Day 2:
Stafford Lake
Anderson Valley (I really love beer)

Day 3:
Wine tasting
Skyline in Napa
Wine tasting

Day 4-6:
???
Staying with a buddy in Placerville, will try some of the courses around the Sac/foothills general area

Day 7-11:
Head up to Tahoe for some skiing

[Cnote]

Just played Stafford today. The weather was awesome and the course is in great shape. Make sure to grab a map at the first tee.

[Countchunkula]

Just played Stafford today. The weather was awesome and the course is in great shape. Make sure to grab a map at the first tee.

Awesome, Stafford is probably the course that I am looking forward to playing the most.

[Countchunkula]

Day 1:
Delaveaga
As many as time allows from: Black Mouse, Aptos, Parque de la Raza, Hellyer, or CSUMB Oaks


It looks like I will only be able to play one course after DeLa. Of the courses listed above, which one should it be?

[Peterb]

CSUMB: doesn't make sense to play this since you need to head north. Otherwise I think this is an excellent course, and has two others nearby that are also great (ryan ranch and cypress). Maybe next trip...

Hellyer/LaRaza: separate nine holes in south san jose: in the right direction at least. La Raza is one of the best nine holes I've played. Technical and long. Hellyer is fun, but not a major challenge.

Black Mouse: Short, very woodsy, unique and fun. Also close to Dela and north.

Aptos: Skip it.

Pinto Lake: new 18 hole course that has a lot of challenges. Close enough to Dela to easily play both in a day.

GGP: you've played it...but it is very nice right now.

[JMONEY]

Hit up shady oak park in sac

[Cnote]

I would say Aptos (they have done a lot of work lately, clean up, new tee pads, ect.) or Black Mouse.
The only issue would be these are both a schools and in theory are not to play them until after 3:30p

[Countchunkula]

CSUMB: doesn't make sense to play this since you need to head north. Otherwise I think this is an excellent course, and has two others nearby that are also great (ryan ranch and cypress). Maybe next trip...

Hellyer/LaRaza: separate nine holes in south san jose: in the right direction at least. La Raza is one of the best nine holes I've played. Technical and long. Hellyer is fun, but not a major challenge.

Black Mouse: Short, very woodsy, unique and fun. Also close to Dela and north.

Aptos: Skip it.

Pinto Lake: new 18 hole course that has a lot of challenges. Close enough to Dela to easily play both in a day.

GGP: you've played it...but it is very nice right now.

Thanks for the heads up Peterb, as it turned out though my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I played Dela (fun course, I need to respect those deep ravines more though) on thursday after flying into Oakland in the morning. By the time we got done it was near dark and time to head back to Oakland. Oh well, the others may have to wait for next time.
We played Stafford lake yesterday, and I couldn't be more impressed. It is like a hike in the mountains and a round of DG rolled into one. Amazingly, we only saw one other group while we were out there. They have some of the best and most descriptive tee signs that I've come across. This made it much easier for first time players to navigate.
After Stafford, we drove up to Boonville to play the course at Anderson Valley Brewery. I love their beer, and the thought of a brewery and DG combined was too much to pass up. There course was actually nicer than I expected, I just wish that I would have had more time to hang around the tasting room and try some of the beers that are only on tap there.
We're going wine tasting today, so no DG. I'll probably play another course tomorrow, don't know where yet as were meeting up with some other friends.

Anyway thanks to everyone who has given me advice, you guys have some really cool courses out here. Its gonna be a shame going back to Chicago with plenty of snow still on the ground.:(

[LocalsRoute]

If your staying in Placerville go to the Finnon lake course. If you loved Stafford you will love Finnon.

[humchris85]

Neer Placerville, Finnon Lake and Lions Park are both prety fun courses. There is one hole at Lions park that is stupidly designed IMO, you have to go over a bunch of trees, with no look at the basket, and no posible way to make it through the trees:wall:. But Finnon is realy fun, or at least was the last time I played it, before the redesign. Too bad you didn't have time to make it up here to Humboldt, we've got some realy epic courses.