Pros:
- Definitely has that beach feel, with the sand, grasses, bay winds, and gnarled cypress trees.
- A few chances to let your disc rip in the open air, although hole lengths aren't too long
- Loved playing by the abandoned military barracks. The uniqueness of this aspect was one reason I really wanted to play here.
- Not too hard to find off CA-1
- The front nine holes definitely have a little more challenge, as the elevation and wind come into play more, and the baskets are placed precariously by the trees to make upshots a little more tricky. The back nine holes, on the other hand, seem like the same shot 8-9 times over.
Cons:
- Parking. You probably will have a hard time finding free parking. I didn't even want to chance it, so I just put two hours in the meter and then I could park wherever.
- Signage has seen better days; only some of the signs actually have maps, hole numbers, etc.
- Inconsistent tees. Some have those awesome circular teepads, yet others have uneven sandy tees that don't allow for good X-stepping.
- Navigation is a little tricky, and a map will probably help you out a lot.
- The Monterey Bay winds will torment your throws. I was throwing champion firebirds that were being turned over like sidewinders. After awhile, I found that the only way I could avoid the winds from thwarting my throws was to just throw thumbers and tomahawks.
- Finally, a word about the shot selection: it isn't too diverse. While it's true that there are some elevation changes, most shots are straightaway throws to the basket with little in terms of doglegs or technical wooded shots. Some trees come into play, but not enough.
Other Thoughts:
I was passing through Monterey on my road trip and didn't have a lot of time, so I decided to play the easier CSUMB Cypress Course instead of the Oaks Course. The other reason was that I was excited to see all the abandoned military stuff around. All in all, I wasn't too disappointed about my choice, but it would have been cool to play both. Perhaps the best part about playing here was seeing all the stuff advertising the upcoming PDGA Worlds events! Just to play where all the pros are going to play was worth the trip.
The course is clearly worn, but it's not a terrible round. Wind will be a factor, so come on a less windy day (if that's possible in the bay area) or bring a bag of discs suitable for these conditions.