Arcata, CA

Mad River Pump Station #4

Permanent course
2.865(based on 14 reviews)
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Mad River Pump Station #4 reviews

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1 1
Crum
Experience: 29 years 14 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

MadRiver - Warup round 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2000 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very simple course that is perfect for a warm-up, practice, or test and tune round. Can be played very fast and is perfect to refine your throw.

Cons:

Not very creative, but it is what it is and that is a-ok
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1 2
Chad McBallerson
Experience: 20.8 years 122 played 9 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Mad River Pump Station #4 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 17, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Mad River is a great intermediate course for the area. Its pretty wide open to work on any drive you want to get down to the basket that's along a river that doesn't come into play.

Cons:

Small tee pads , not super creative
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2 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Decent 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays down and back through a narrow riverside park. There are some nice views of the river, and easy access to hang out down by the water before or after a round. Half of the tees are concrete, the rest are gravel, all are at least adequate. There are a couple longer holes when the pins are in long positions, and a couple holes that make you shape left and right turning shots. Two holes offer narrower straight shots, and there are a few places where you have to deal with a low ceiling. A few areas of brush add some punishment on errant shots occasionally.

Cons:

There are some conflicting fairways here, the park is narrow so holes throw right on top of one another. There's a walking path running through the course, it didn't seem like it gets much traffic though so I doubt it's much of an issue. Hole 9 ends in a way that you have to walk back through previous holes to get to the parking lot.

The course is fairly open, only a few places make you pay for a bad shot, and even then it's easy to recover for pars. Several holes are just open hyzers and don't present interesting line shaping opportunities.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners can have a great time at this course. There's enough variety to make it interesting, but it's not tough enough to get frustrating. Experienced players shouldn't expect much of a test here, only one or two holes present a challenge and you'll be negotiating large groups of beginners. This was my favorite of the area 9 hole courses, it's a perfectly fine place for a no-stress round with friends.
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4 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Kind Of A Grunge Feeling To This Course! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Mad River Pump Station course is between the Mad River and the highway. There's ample parking and a kisok at the beginning with lots of disc golf info as well as concerts, etc.

The course is a simple little nine with some holes playing right next to each other. With lots of players on the course, I could see some safety concerns.

The course is recreational, mostly open and features new tee pads on three holes. The course is flat and no holes stood out as being really special. Just a solid rec course.

Cons:

This just isn't a real pretty park. It doesn't look like the type of place where yuppies parents would bring their kids to play. It looks like the type of park where folks would come to smoke weed and play a little disc golf. And that's kind of the impression I got of the clientele who were here playing the afternoon I played. Like playing disc golf wasn't their # 1 priority today.

Other Thoughts:

Seems like a decent little course to come and shoot a quick nine. There was nothing really outstanding here but then again neither were there any glaring problems occurring. I'm glad to see some of the local discers improving the course w/new pads.

Makes for a nice little trifecta of nine holes courses around here with Manila Bay and Cooper Gultch. Enjoy all three!
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2 4
rcbclbcdb
Experience: 11.6 years 5 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Wait and go 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Long holes.
Open area.
decent placement of trees.
Large parking lot.

Cons:

Cross traffic on some holes you are throwing in the same lanes as the next person.
Busy, sometimes a good long wait.
Pot Heads and dogs off of leash.

Other Thoughts:

People need to stop smoking weed while playing disc golf, it gives a bad rep to the sport.
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2 1
freakyflyer
Experience: 13 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

PUMP HOUSE 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 9, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

SHORT NINE PLAYS QUICK AND EASY. GREAT PLACE TO BUILD CONFIDENCE. SHORT HOLES MAKES FOR A LOT OF BIRDIE ATTEMPTS.. GOTTA LOVE THAT

Cons:

WAITING FOR A CLEAR PATH , HOLES CROSS OVER EACH OTHER AND MAKES IT DIFFUCULT ON BUSY DAYS OUT THERE.

Other Thoughts:

IT IS A FUN COURSE OVER ALL, i LIKE PLAYING THE PUMP HOUSE THAN MINILA THAN A ROUND AT COOPERS. THAT IS A DAMN GOOD DAY OF DISC. ALL 3 SHORT COURSES. JUST AS YOUR DONE WITH WAITING IN ONE CROWD YOU GO TO THE NEXT COURSE. ONLY TO PLAY THESE THREE .
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3 0
nelsofthewoods
Experience: 12.8 years 39 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

enjoyable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 13, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Not much brush to lose a disc in
-I haven't seen it get overly busy.
-About a medium difficulty. A beginner and an expert can both enjoy a round here.
-For a 9-hole course it offers a surprisingly diverse range of shots.

Cons:

-Gets muddy in places, so bring good shoes.
-Some tees are near enough to other baskets that you could get hit by a disc if you don't pay attention.
-Oh how I wish it was longer!

Other Thoughts:

Charming 9 hole course with holes that require a diversity of shots. Next to the river so a great summer course since you can go swimming before/after. It's not earth shattering but still a fun mellow course worth checking out.
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4 1
trashmonster1985
Experience: 16.9 years 130 played 13 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Solid 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 9, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

OVERVIEW: Though the Pump Station is a small course, it offers a variety of shots that other park courses don't always offer. Some narrow allies and good basket placements can make it harder than it looks. Though some pin placements leave one wanting a little more. RECENTLY, a Par Infinity work party has laid gravel tee-pads on #1, #4, and #5. Which, for those that know the course, is a huge improvement. Great locals, and some fun alternates make The Pump definitely worth playing.
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1 3
Dirt4dinner
Experience: 17.2 years 72 played 17 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Perfect for a tune up round 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Perfect little course to squeeze in a round when time is tight. Or....better yet, get loose for a round at the Curtain. If you want to mix it up, try taking a creative line to the basket...you don't have to throw right at it on the easy holes. This course allows you to make it what you want.

Cons:

It's pretty easy...but it's fun.
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1 4
tehrain
Experience: 23.8 years 12 played 10 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 1, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Out of town, good afternoon weather away from the coast. Right beside the river.

Cons:

Holes parallel each other with little vegetation to catch discs, makes the course crowded and slow. Most of the course is straight and open, not much variety.
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6 0
welshjohn74
Experience: 28.8 years 23 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A Good Nine Holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 10, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice baskets. Course is very easy to follow. The Mad river is right there if you're in the mood for a swim. I've caught a couple of steelhead there prior to playing a round - sweet. Every basket has two positions so there is some degree of challenge to the course.

Cons:

Big groups can be a pain to play behind. Wear boots in the wet months. Keep your eyes open for stray throws - seriously! Locals will get upset with anyone who displays bad etiquette (rightly so) so behave yourself and follow the rules.

Other Thoughts:

Actually none of the fairways cross each other, but due to their close proximity to one another and errant toss can be hazardous. This is very easy to avoid however if you don't walk through someone's fairway. I nailed a guy once because he simply wasn't paying attention - even after I called FORE and everyone but him ducked. If you're playing solo you can move through nine holes in less than 30 minutes. Hole 5 always experiences a bottleneck, but you can play through the big groups on the next hole very easily.
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8 1
DSCJNKY
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.6 years 682 played 129 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Improving! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

They have improved the course.
Some of the holes have block tee-pads.
New pin position on #1 makes the hole more exciting.
Several pins are guarded by creeks (ob).
Longer more challenging holes than other 9 hole courses.
Mad River locals are less sketchy than the other local 9-hole courses.
The Mad River.

Cons:

Crossing Fairways Everywhere! I think only one fairway doesn't cross another fairway. I've been hit! And am nearly hit everytime I go out there. FORE!
Super muddy in the winter; and wet grass.
Crowded on sunny weekends and late weekday afternoons - with huge groups (9-sums).
A few of the tee-pads not improved yet.

Other Thoughts:

I would only consider two of the holes challenging. (although some newer pin positions are increasing the value of the course). Otherwise there are a lot of ace runs and low scores to be had. Since the park is about 100 yards wide and 1/8 mile long, they did a good job utilizing the space. However, I have never seen a more dangerous course. Keep your eyes open and be prepared to duck.
My best score: -6
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4 1
mike shoys
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.6 years 25 played 24 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 6, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-nice park by the mad river
-few trees, but big ones
-fair distances for course acreage
-9 nice baskets
-good for an easy, mellow round or two

Cons:

-i think this is the most crowded course in humboldt
-crossing or close fairways make the scene feel a bit cramped
-no elevation changes
-not that challenging on an "on" day

Other Thoughts:

this is a nice easy course located closely between the curtain and fieldbrook (2 hard courses) i only rated it a 2.5 because it is typical, but sometimes thats what i feel like playing... glad its here.
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9 1
humchris85
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.8 years 143 played 77 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good for when the Curtain is closed 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 2, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Nice baskets on every hole
More holes are getting concrete tee pads
Varity of holes is intersting
Next to the Mad river
Good for beginers
Multiple pin locations on some holes
Good Signs
Close to town

Cons:

A little too open for my taste
Big groups
Only 9 holes
Gets muddy during the winter
Holes cross back and forth
Expect to hear at least one FOUR in your direction per day
Gets realy busy when the Redwood Cutain is closed

Other Thoughts:

This course has some holes that play through tight allys but most of them are pretty open. Some holes have nice views of the Mad River.
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