Pleasanton, California, July 2009

[swatso]

I will be visiting family in the Pleasanton, California area for a couple of weeks in mid-July. While there, I hope to go out and play some new-to-me disc golf courses, of course. Anyone care to recommend some courses to play? A few things to keep in mind:

1) A few courses close together or along the same route would be a bonus - I think the Hellyer/ParqueDeLaRaza/VentureChristianChurch trifecta fits into this category;

2) Since I’ll likely be by myself, and a first-time visitor, courses with maps and/or are easy to navigate and/or don’t have too many blind shots are good, courses that don’t have these attributes would not be good choices

3) I’m willing to go as far south as Monterey, north as the Napa environs, east to Yosemite (we’re going there for a few days, anyway), or west to San Francisco.

Thanks in advance.

[DSCJNKY]

OK... so I checked out your wish list and you have to go play Stafford Lake and DeLa. Although it would be hard to get both in one day... it's possible. Plus, you could also get Golden Gate in between. I would dodge the San Jose and Berkely courses for the opportunity to get those.

If you're into bagging multiples in one day then you have to go East to Sacramento. Rocklin, Orange Vale (Shady Oaks), Auburn, Grass Valley, Penn Valley, Hangtown, etc... Lots of cool stuff here. Plus you could hit this area on the way to Yosemite.

Another option on the way to Yosemite would be to hit Orange Grove in Stockton and New Hogan Dam (12 miles away). There are also courses in Modesto and Manteca on the way down... but I would avoid these in favor of the better options.

While in Pleasanton (if you drink beer) hit up the Main Street Brewery. Awesome beers there.
Also, if near Stafford - Moylans is an Awesome brewery. Great IPA.
Also, if in Sacramento - Sacramento Brewing Company's Red Horse Ale is awesomely great.
Also, if heading south on 99 and in Manteca - the Kelley Bros Brewery is decent.
And, you can always PM me if you need more advice about where to go. I worked in Yosemit last summer as a ranger and danced around this whole region on my off time playing courses and drinking brew... and, I can tell you what to do in Yosemite as well (if you need suggestions).

Hope I helped,
DSCJNKY

[swatso]

Was in Pleasanton most of the trip, with a few-day visit to Yosemite. Had many non-golfers with me on the trip to/from Yosemite, and San Francisco also, so wasn’t able to take very much advantage of DSCJNKY’s advice.

However, I was able to play eleven courses in fourteen days, and was able to re-visit Moraga Commons, Hellyer, and Parque de la Raza, as these were all quality courses not too far from Pleasanton. I’ve written reviews for all the courses, so see them for more details, but here is an overview of my impressions:

4.5 Stafford Lake County Park Novato - scenic, challenging, variety
4.5 DeLaveaga Park Santa Cruz - lived up to its hype

3.5 Hellyer Park (Coyote Creek DGC) San Jose - short up/down/around with multi-tees

3.0 Parque De La Raza DGC San Jose - many holes over 400', dedicated area

2.5 Moraga Commons Park Moraga - three of nine drives are downhill bombs!

2.0 Black Mouse DGC Felton - hillside of redwoods

1.5 Crane Creek Rohnert Park - open and easy to follow, good for beginners

1.0 Chabot Park San Leandro - pitch-n-putt, avoid other park users
1.0 Venture Christian Church Los Gatos - more than one group and there will be cross-fire

0.5 Lucchesi Park Petaluma - invent-a-tee, avoid other park users
0.5 California School for the Deaf DGC Fremont - invent-a-tee, avoid other park users

Hellyer Park (Coyote Creek DGC) and Parque De La Raza DGC are only about five minutes apart and very different - as a combo, I’d rate them as a 4.0 experience.

If I was put equidistant between Stafford Lake County Park and DeLaveaga Park and told I had time to play only once course, it would be an extremely tough choice. I’d put DeLa a bit ahead, but Stafford has more room for improvement, and if it did, wow!

[Huk Finn]

Damn, sorry I missed this. I live in pleasanton. Bummer.

[DSCJNKY]

Sounds like an awesome trip. Glad I could have been of some service.
DSCJNKY

[DSCJNKY]

Main Street Brewery in Pleasanton has some awesome beer. Good people, good food, good beer.
DSCJNKY