Novato, CA

Stafford Lake County Park

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4.315(based on 84 reviews)
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13 2
radsnowsurfer
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.5 years 177 played 49 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has so many jaw-droppingly stunning holes, at least 4 or 5 holes would be signature holes anywhere else.
Tremendous variety in distance with holes ranging from 200' to 1000'.
Course pushes you to use every shot in your bag, dog legs, places for overhead shots, holes where you need pinpoint accuracy as well as a few wide open holes to really let loose.
The changes in elevation made every drive exiting.
Multiple tee pads that really change the flavor of each hole.
Many holes have as many as 5 different pin placements, often spanning as much as a 200' range in distance.
Great new concrete tee pads on every hole, very level, large and with nice ridges at the end of the pads for extra traction.
Maps on the first tee, as well as an informative kiosk and great tee signs diagramming tees and different positions, there were also wheels on each sign showing the current position.
Course is kept in great shape, paths were good and I didn't see any trash anywhere on the course.
Hole #6 from the extended position is a fantastic top-of-the-world hole from the extended tee, #17 comes up as a close second also playing 60' down the side of a large hill.
Amazing natural beauty, just walking the course would be a great visual experience.

Cons:

Walkout from the parking lot to hole #1.
The course could have used a few holes with some thicker foliage.

Other Thoughts:

Playing Stafford Lake for the first time on my trip through California was one of those truly breath-taking disc golf experiences. The first thing that you find is some really intense natural beauty, nestled in giant rolling meadows with towering Bay Oak trees, the course would be a pleasure just to walk let alone disc golf. The course has clearly been taken care of well by the local disc golf club, everything from the tee signs with the pin position indicators to the kiosk at the parking lot and on the first tee just exuded professionalism. I tried to find any real issues with the course but I wasn't able to find any, most of the problems I read in previous posts seem to have been fixed, like the spacious new concrete tee pads in place. With all the variation in pin positions and tee boxes I can see how a course like Stafford might never get old for local players. I would heartily recommend this as a must see stop on any disc golfing trip through California and my only regret was not playing this course sooner.
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9 1
Roguelover
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

New Year's Eve Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 31, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Stafford Lake course was a blast to play. It has great variety in the shots required - I used forehand, backhand and hammer throws. The first 6 holes are up and down with some blind tees and tees over groves of trees. It's a real workout and spotters are a must.
I think that as beautiful as #6 is, Number 2 is a tee shot over a grove, #7 is a tee shot around a grove. Any of these holes could be signature holes for this course, but then there's the longest hole ever when you get to #9 - over 1000ft. I throw about 300' on my longest drives, and had all I could do to get it to the pin in 4. REally long arms will love this hole; it's flat and basically straight so "Live and let fly!"

Cons:

The wind was an additional hazard on the first 6 holes and with side hill lies on many of the shots, the wind could make you take a really long hike! But then again, that just adds to the experience of the course.
The course would benefit from more directional signs between holes. The maps were invaluable because of this, thanks for providing those. Make sure you have one for your first round - you can pick them up at the first tee, or download one from the website.

Other Thoughts:

This course kicked my tail, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. I wish I would have had enough time to play it a second time after I knew the layout and how the holes played.
Walking into the first tee reminds me of Fredericksen course in Poulsbo, WA. On both courses, by the time you walk in, then have to play the first hole which is uphill to a blind basket placement, the course has you on your knees. Stafford is fantastic! I've only been playing for a couple of years, but I think I gained about 6 months worth of experience in this one round.
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11 2
bneely
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.3 years 41 played 10 reviews
5.00 star(s)

A slice of heaven 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 12, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Set on the inland side of a coastal range in Marin county, about 30 minutes north of San Francisco, Stafford Lake is the kind of course that makes one hopeful for future county park/disc golf collaborations. The course has sweeping panoramic views from almost any place your disc may end up, and ample wildlife - the turkeys in particular make for a great "gallery."

The sheer size of the park area dedicated to the course allows for lengthy, challenging holes, several of which qualify as pro par 4/5s. From hole to hole players will be challenged by elevation gain/loss, sharply left and right-turning fairways, and side-hill pin positions that demand focus and attention to upshots and putts.

New cement tees on all 18 holes are the icing on the cake, as for many years players had to deal with natural tees while trying to execute max distance drives. Great signs on every hole feature Google Earth images with all pin positions listed, including distance and elevation differential. Most holes have at least 3 pin positions, and in some cases each selection can dramatically change the nature of the hole. Several holes also have "MONSTER" alternate tees, which are not recommended for beginners, but worth a look for folks who can bomb it off the tee.

While most holes are on the longer side, there are still a handful of shorter par 3s that allow those players who are more accurate but have less distance to compete with the big arms.

Finally, the course area is pay-to-play - more accurately, pay-to-park - which for me is always a plus, as it contributes to the rangers who help patrol the area and perform maintenance on the park.

Cons:

There's some low-lying, sticky, nasty tarweed that can junk up your shoes and socks. Certain times of the year, the grass can get tall and make it possible to lose a disc on an otherwise good shot.

A little bit more foliage/fairway obstructions would add a bit more accuracy requirement to some shots, but most folks will be plenty challenged as is.

No water/bathrooms/amenities at the course area itself- they're back at the parking area, which is a 5-10 minute walk away. As you can tell, I'm struggling to find downsides here.

Other Thoughts:

Stafford is worth the trip if you find yourself anywhere in the greater Northern California area. Bring water and be prepared to be humbled; the pain starts on hole 1, which plays anywhere from 430-480 ft, straight uphill with an elevation gain equal to a 10 story building.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the first 5 holes comprise arguably the hardest stretch of golf on the entire course. You'll then be rewarded by the "top of the world"-type shot on Hole 6... make the hike past the regular tee to the new long tee, the view and shot are completely worth it!
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14 2
Magiken
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.3 years 74 played 74 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Fantastic! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 6, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

• Gorgeous views
• Wide variety of holes - long, short, strategic, etc...
• Benches
• Great park overall - plenty of other activities including a shiny new bike park
• Great tee boxes with fantastic markers/hole layouts
• Poles for disc-in-tree retrieval, brooms
• Multiple tee locations
• Restrooms

Cons:

• A smidge difficult to find the route to the next tee on a couple holes
• A smidge difficult to spot some of the baskets from the tee boxes

Other Thoughts:

Tips:
• Bring water
• Bring money for parking ($5-$8 I believe)
• Bring snacks
• Use the restroom before you hike to #1
• Bring a friend/spotter
• There's a warm up area with a basket near the far-right parking lot, which is the best place to park for the shortest walk to the course.
• The photos on this website for this course don't reflect the current conditions. Trust me, it is much improved.
• Don't forget to be out before they lock the gate.
• Don't forget to try the 5 bonus holes just ahead and right of #4's basket

Random Thoughts:
This is a fantastic course! When you add it all up, it's the best I've played so far. It's isolated from the rest of the park, well though out, and has a wide variety of tee/hole/shot selection options on each hole. It's a beautiful park in a beautiful area, and is an absolute pleasure to walk and play through. Having said that: this is not a beginner course. It's quite long (probably a 3 hour round) and there are numerous areas that you can lose a disc, which is why I recommend a spotter. There are also a few shots where it can be a challenge to land your disc in a 'safe' area, which some people might find frustrating. I tend to like the challenge, but I'll confess that my wife did get a bit frustrated. The other thing I would point out is that the front half of the course is quite a bit more challenging from a lost disc perspective than the back half so be patient if things start out rough. The other advice I would give to the beginner is to wave and keep walking when you come to the 'back' tee on those holes that have them. Other than maybe the side of the mountain hole (#6) these tees are REDICULOUS. =) And I mean that in the nicest way. My hats off to the folks that throw from these tees but, as daring as I am, I didn't even try. I figured it'd be easier to wad up $20 and throw it in the forest, because I'm surely not at a level where I'm confident I can make it to the 'safe zone'.

Bottom line: There are so many memorable things about this course from the couple 'bomb it off the side of a mountain' shots to the views and the wildlife walking around to the wonderful attention and care paid to the course, that no review would do it justice. You must play this course!

Update 12/24/2020: It's well past time I did an update on my review above as there have been numerous changes to this course over the many years since I wrote it so here goes:

• There are now a few 'warm-up' holes on your walk in to the course that start on the left side of the road just as you reach the bike track area and continue all the way to the bend that goes left towards the course. Not sure exactly where the tees will be permanently but you can see some flags and roughed out areas. My advice if you decide to play these is 'be right' as in keep your disc to the right, because if you go into that nasty on the left, good luck.

• There is now a 'Hole Zero' just in front of the steps on the road to the course that plays to a basket straight ahead on the hill on the left side of the steps (with a #18 on it, not to be confused with the actual #18 to the left). A really good warm-up hole before you 'make the climb'. Incidentally, course designers, if this is 'Hole Zero', will the prior ones be -1, -2, -3, etc? ;)

• #1 short tee is still in place but it's quite overgrown now. Not sure what the plans are for it but it's still my friend when the basket is up on top.

• You can see the basket from Hole 2 long now! Not sure why the trees got cut down but I threw from this tee for the first time ever today annnnnnnd promptly tugged it a smidge right into the trees. Dang it....

• The bonus holes (4A-4E) now have artificial grass tee pads with fairly roughed out paths to find them. There are also small signs, and it appears, a fair amount of work has been done to clean up this area. In particular, the poison oak is waaaaaaay better now. Nice job course crew! There are a fair amount of downed trees though so do be careful where you step. Bonus tip: 4D is up the hill and back a bit from 4C's basket. Easy to miss as 4E is right in front of you.

• The epic, I so love it, top of the world, 6 long tee box is still in decent shape, however, the trees/bushes in front are now so high that this shot requires ever more precision. You used to have a really wide window. Now, not so much. I'm tempted to bring a hedge trimmer up there and bzzzzzt them all straight across. In any event, still a fun shot, but certainly one I think about a lot more than I used to.

• There's now a #13 1/2 that you'll likely see on your walk to #14. You're throwing to a basket straight ahead and between the old hole in the middle bush and the big tree. Do be paying attention to folks teeing off on #7-left above when you reach the basket (if that one's in play on the particular day you're there).

• There are also now two #14s or a #13 3/4 and a #14 or however the heck you want to play it that day. Basically, there are now two tees and two baskets. There's the original tee under the big tree and another one way up the hill just past #7-left's tee. I think the idea is to have the original tee play to basket that's up on the side of the hill straight ahead, and the long tee plays to the basket way down at the end of the valley near #15 tee. I suppose you could also criss-cross them if you like and that's part of the fun. I usually play the long one to the long basket though, because, well you know: Bombs away! And it's a par 4, so a birdie is very doable.

As you can see, a vast amount of love and improvements have been made to the course and it continues to be a joy to come out and play, even if it's still quite possibly the most difficult course in the Bay Area. Great job course crew!
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7 3
gcoghill
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.4 years 77 played 68 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Beautiful and challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 21, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

• incredibly beautiful scenery
• very secluded
• some phenomenal, world-class holes

Cons:

• course layout can be confusing
• park closes as dusk and they will lock your car in if the Park Ranger doesn't find you

Other Thoughts:

Epic course. When you make the trek from the parking lot just to get to hole one, you feel like you're heading into a disc golf hideaway -- and you are.

The course is completely on it's own in a majestic mountainside setting. The photos here just cannot do this course any justice.

My brother & I were fortunate to have a local -- "Disc Golf Dave" as we named him -- be our guide to the course. Not only a great player, but a patient guy as we played some of the worst disc golf in our lives that day. I think we might have been a bit psyched-out by the course.

Hole one sets the tone with a monster uphill drive. I think the course would have been very disorienting had we not had a guide playing with us.

Hole #6 as has been mentioned is a *killer* hole, and playing from the long tee is flat out incredible. Neck-and-neck with de LaVeaga's hole #27 for awesomeness.

This course is deceiving as much of it is wide open, but you also need accuracy due to wild brush lining the course and the occasional hillside drop-off. Definitely not a course for beginners or casual players.

My review may be incomplete as we did not have a chance to play the entire course. 'Disc Golf Dave' took us to the best holes we could play and still make it back to the parking lot before the park closed. We got to play about 11 of the holes.

I'll be heading back there for sure when I am back out in northern California visiting my brother. He preferred Stafford Lake over De LaVeaga (I preferred DLV), but we both agreed these are top-notch courses.

And a final thanks to 'Disc Golf Dave' for being our course ambassador! Made for a memorable round.
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5 2
Taino
Experience: 15.3 years 21 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Worth the trip... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

HUGE. Biggest course I've played, including some in Canada. Big arms can really stretch. Great tee boxes (concrete). Major elevation changes, challenging hole positions. Similar to the Black Rose in Kamloops, but definitely not the same. Holes are well-supplied with hole information.

Cons:

Very little signage between holes; finding your way without a map would be difficult. Barely adequate signage from parking area to course. Incessant wind up to 40 mph on the day we played.

Other Thoughts:

In all, this course is excellent. Every hole is different, requiring lots of varied shots. Tees not really long enough for the distance on each hole; adequate, but I'd prefer more. No water anywhere. You must be in good shape to do this course - definitely not Golden Gate Park, play in your sandals course!

I don't think this course was designed with the beginner or intermediate player in mind. It's obviously a big guns, advanced course with one hole reaching over 1000' and several over 500'. That said, it's a great course on which to challenge yourself.
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1 11
jacksonatstafford
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

All Tees Are Concrete! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 12, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

We are happy to report that all 18 holes have at least 1 concrete tee pad now. #3, #7, #11 and #18 have two concrete pads.

Cons:

If you are lazy, out of shape or cannot throw it over 200 ft., you will not like this course.

Other Thoughts:

Stafford is Avery Jenkins favorite course. What else do you need to know?
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1 10
gmoney
Experience: 8 played 8 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Paradise 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 8, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is disc golf heaven! Course design is first class. Big arms can let it fly. Hole #6 is the best in Northern California.

Cons:

Locals are picky Marin jerks who think they own the course. Hole #9 is ridiculous at 1000 feet. Could fit another eighteen in all the available space.

Other Thoughts:

There is no comparison to this gem in Northen California. Delaveaga gets the hype, but Stafford is the jewel!
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16 2
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.3 years 776 played 417 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Scenic Challenge 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 24, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Scoresheets and brochure available at course, course homepage at http://www.staffordlake.com/, and map available on this site provide loads of information about the course. Portion of larger park, scenic hillside running down into a small lake, area dedicated to disc golf - plays up, down, and across the hillside, with lake in constant view, and near a few basket locations. 2-5 basket positions per hole, most with 3 or 4. Multiple tee positions on about ½ of the holes. Most teepads are concrete. Signs at each teepad which indicate various baskets positions, current position, and even the elevation change from teepad to all basket positions! Fantastic variety in length and shape. Bathroom, water fountain, and practice basket near parking lot.

Cons:

Costs up to $8 to enter the park. Bit of a walk from parking lot to first tee/last basket. Some baskets not easily visible - flags, coloured poles, and/or bright coloured bands on the top of the basket would help. Signs didn't indicate if it was the primary or alternate tee location, which wasn't always obvious.

Other Thoughts:

Variety - most holes are very different from each other. Elevation - major/minor/no change. Shape - left/right/S/no turning, some opportunities for tomahawks. Distance - just over 200' to just over 1000', a few legitimate par 4's/5's. Approach shots - due to some holes being extremely long and/or steep, your second (or third) shot will also often require some shape/touch to it.

The day I played - and given the topography of the course, I imagine this is a rather common occurrence - there was a steady breeze coming from the West. This meant I had a tailwind about 1/3rd of the time, a cross-wind 1/3rd of the time, and a headwind about 1/3rd of the time, so the typical flightpaths of your discs could vary greatly from what you normally experience. Since I was on vacation, I only had ten discs with me, and at one point, I could only trust my heavy Firebird to fade as expected - my other lighter, less-overstable discs were turning like Roadrunners!

Many of the baskets are fairly open, but don't let this lull you into a sense of security - most are on some type of slope and/or have a steep drop-off nearby, and when combined with the steady breeze, this increases the level of difficulty on many seemingly "easy" shots.

Favourite Holes: #3A from the long tee, a blind, long right-turning initial drive around the side of a hill will leave you with a long approach across a small depression and through a gap between to small treelines to the basket; #6B/C, just under ~400, a major downhill bomb to a basket with a drop-off and woods just a few feet behind the basket, with a view of the lake and neighbouring hills in the background.

This course is certainly worth the effort to visit if in the Bay area - to make it worth the entry fee, try to allow enough time to play two rounds! Given the extra length and walk to/from the parking lot, allow an extra 30-45 minutes than you normally take to play a typical 18-holer. Adding more alternate tees, making them all concrete, and adding a bit more signage would make this already very strong course top-notch.
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9 2
TalbotTrojan
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.2 years 112 played 104 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very Cared For 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course had great tee signs taht were super accurate and helpful, there were great maps at the first tee that helped explain things, and trust me you will want to read this and adhear to the directions that it gives. The course itself had a great mix of distances that included the insanely long 1000 ft hole 9. There was not a lot of people there when I was there and the course itself is in a part of the park that will only get used for Disc Golf. There are some great views. This course is super challenging. There is a place to fill up drinking water at a picnic area just before crossing the bridge to the first tee.

Cons:

There were no good tunnel shots on this course, it was alway over or around something. There are a few holes when it is easy to loose a disc. You have to hike to the first tee and you have to pay $5 a car to get into the park. It got really hot while I was there and with all the up and down hill you will need plenty of water. This course is defiantely not for beginners. The tee pads are not consistent, some dirt and some concrete, but they do appear to be working on this. There is a claim that there is some poison oak on this course.

Other Thoughts:

The first thing that I thought when I got to the first tee was that there were some good disc golfers who put this course in to be a standard for what should be done. I loved the tee signs and how helpful they were. At the same time I was slightly disappointed by the layout of this course. I think they could have done a lot better in design, while at the same time keeping the challenge level where it is at. You will not want to play this course by yourself as there are a couple of holes when a spotter is almost necessary. I nearly lost a disc on hole 2 I think it is but was able to come back before playing hole 17 to find my disc. Be prepared for temperatures to be hot and the wind to provide little relief.
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2 4
Mergz
Experience: 26.4 years 48 played 13 reviews
4.50 star(s)

AWESOME! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is very challenging & humbling. It will make you a better player for sure. There are lots of elevation changes and interesting shots. Never crowded. Some wildlife

Cons:

It can get very hot. Poison Oak in places.

Other Thoughts:

Don't go alone. It's a long hike in & out and not heavily traveled.
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4 3
Peterb
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.5 years 81 played 32 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Stafford 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 1, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is a game changer. Hole 1 sets the tone right away. Hole 3 long is major. Awesome scenic beauty, pay to park makes money for the county park system, which in turn makes disc golf more viable as a sport (and it keeps jerk-offs away). Moist-Tee (hole 6) is the most epic shot I've played in California, though it makes me wonder if it should now be played to 7's pin. Facilities are great, tee pads are looking good. Wind gets challenging in the afternoons. Awesome wildlife, especially the wild turkies!

Cons:

not too many. I wish there had been a few more tightly wooded shots, but the designers did an amazing job with the landscape.

Other Thoughts:

I wish there were another 18 on the premises.
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2 2
916er
Experience: 24.6 years 23 played 11 reviews
5.00 star(s)

I miss Apple 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 14, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The people, scenery, and the course are all top notch. I would play there every day if I lived in the north bay, it's just that good. Almost all cement tee pads now, bathrooms, drinking fountain, picnic tables, benches, and a practice basket. Hungry fish swimming in the lake.

Lots of room to warm up on the walk to #1.

Maps and scorecards available at 1st tee.

Cons:

Maybe the parking fee, but it's worth it. Most people pay more to go hit a bucket of balls at the driving range.

Other Thoughts:

Bring some food and water. The round will take at least 3 hours and it's not an easy trek. We usually stop at the Moylans spot next to the 8th tee and eat something. You will be tested physically on this course even if you are in good shape.
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3 2
RedC
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Top Notch DGC 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 5, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Beautiful Marin County park landscape with mountainside and open field play. An epic "Top of the World" hole and long monsters. Well maintained. Never been there on a crowded day. A good course for exercise. It's size and diversity makes you have to play your whole game. Lots of local wildlife to see. Zero non-golfer interference. Hole placements changed frequently to change it up.

Cons:

$5 to park, but worth it. Few tees are cemented, but are boxed with level soil for the most part. Some poison oak to watch for. Little signage makes it tougher for those unfamiliar.

Other Thoughts:

I love this course. Glad I found it and you will be too. Bring the right footwear a snack and some water and you're fine.
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15 1
JHern
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.3 years 82 played 50 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Incredible Course: Must Play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 30, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course rates a 4.5 for me, even considering all the substantial cons (see below). That should illustrate how incredibly the pros outweigh the cons, and how good this course's best traits really are.

Set on a large northern facing mountainside south of Stafford Lake lies some of the best disc golf holes ever devised. The mountainside exhibits multiple alluvial fans that accumulated by ancient erosion, were then uplifted by tectonic motions (the San Andreas fault is nearby to the west) and subsequently incised by creeks and rivulets to form multiple staircases, mini-valleys, and protrusions to play on, over, and through.

There are a wide variety of holes to play. The holes are mostly open, however, the tree stands that do exist are well incorporated into several holes that play around and through them. Some of the mountainside holes like #2 offer interesting and unique challenges for lofting high shots with the danger of runaway fade down slope.

What makes this place special for me is that there are some holes that simply could no exist in many other courses on Earth. Examples are the super long hole 9 with its beautiful open fairway, or the long dowhill shots at holes like 6. Simply beautiful in a pure disc golf way, these epic holes will be burned into your mind forever.

A course map is available online, and with this in hand I had no problems whatsoever in finding my way around the course. The markings are often very nice, and you can certainly tell that a lot of love has been put into this place.

Cons:

Mud tee pads are present on some of the holes. It is impossible to get foot traction for your drives on these holes, so you just have to shoot for par instead of going for that birdie. Be careful not to slip and hurt yourself on the wooden sides of these mud pit tees.

The hillside can be muddy and slick on some of the holes. Hole 1 is a great example, where you have to throw up a steep slope to the basket on an unstable and slick slope, making par almost completely impossible. You might want to skip these holes if it is particularly wet (e.g., for several weeks after any rain).

Lack of facilities near the course itself make it less desirable, especially for women to play long rounds where full bladders might be inevitable.

Pay to park. OK, it's only $5 and that money goes to park upkeep and maintenance and all that good stuff, but if you played here often it would probably become annoying.

There is a modest walk from the parking lot to the first tee, about 10 minutes. Not a bad walk, by any means, but the course is definitely set away from the more civilized portions of the park.

The ranger shoos everyone out of the park well before sunset. This is kind of annoying since daylight is so precious to us disc golfers, especially in the winter months.

Other Thoughts:

Hole #6 is simply incredible. No power is needed to throw down this steep slope, just put a good little snap on the disc for stability and let it sail down the mountainside toward the basket which lies on the peninsula-shaped protrusion and flat area that juts out the side of the mountain about 150 ft below the tee. A mature tree line backs the basket, but treeless steep slopes lie along the sides so a great run at the basket may well skip down yet another hill.

We found a nice gem just down the road from Stafford Lake: Tagliaferri's Delicatessen 2051 Novato Boulevard, Novato, CA 94947. Stop by and pick up a sandwich for you round, or some homemade pastas or raviolis for dinner on your way out. You'll notice some Stafford Lake stamped discs on the wall near the bathrooms.

People will naturally be interested in comparing this course to DeLaveaga in Santa Cruz. They both come out as phenomenal in my rating. While Stafford Lake simple has some of the best holes in all of disc golf, DeLa has a better situated property, better maintenance, and a more consistently designed course. Play them both and decide for yourself!

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5 3
mike shoys
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.2 years 25 played 25 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 8, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-unique course. mostly open with good use of the scattered giant trees there, and big open meadows.
-loooooong holes seem perfect for the area. its cool to watch your disc sailing over the rolling hills. you can choose whatever line you please and let it fly most of the time.
-the view from almost anywhere on the course is awe inspiring.
-we were one of 2-3 groups out there on a beautiful weekend day in april.
-our first time through we spent little extra time searching for tees.
-top of the world (#6) is right up there with Whistler's top of the world shot now that its been moved farther uphill, 3, 9, 14 (monster tee) and 17 (long) are huuuuge too... 600+ with plenty of wind all 4 trips i've made.

Cons:

-pay to park, but you can park up the road a couple hundred yards and walk in if you forgot cash or whatever. then ask the guy at the gate for directions. they were cool with parking outside and walking in.
-small amount of trees makes some of the holes feel redundant due to lack of obstacles. mostly trees with grass. i prefer accuracy to distance, though.

Other Thoughts:

-this is a truly incredible course. from the setting, huge distances on the holes seem to reflect the expansive views. we saw deer, wild turkeys, hawks, a fox. an epic experience. This course has more open bombs than wooded shots, but thats what the landscape calls for and the course was integrated perfectly into it. I can't imagine any way to improve this course.

-i had this course rated a 4.5, but have since vastly improved my distance and control when driving in windy conditions, which makes me feel more in touch with what the course calls for, bringing it to a perfect 5.

-it has been pretty windy every time i've been there. missed lots of 15 footers :/

-all nice concrete tee pads now of satisfying size, contradictory to the pictures you see here.
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6 1
Jesse B 707
Experience: 18 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Stafford Lake 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 1, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Gorgeous area,very challenging,great elevation changes,very dynamic wind,multiple tees (on some holes),multiple pin positions (on all holes),mowing and weed wacking are well kept up (these days)

Cons:

Not all tees are concrete(yet),extremely rough on rec players,if you cant get out to around 400 its going to be fairly hard to score well,the hike can be pretty taxing if you're not in good shape

Other Thoughts:

this is a great course to go out and really work on airing out some big distance lines, some of the holes that stick out as the best are, #1 this is a daunting uphill shot that at its longest position is around 500 feet with over 100 feet of elevation!, #6 (long tee) this newly built long tee has transformed one on the highlights of the course into one of the highlights of CA disc golf, located a good hundred feet up the hill behind the original tee it turns what was already a tough and fun extremely downhill shot into the biggest elevation shot ive seen anywhere,#9 1000 footer with just a couple of well placed trees along the fairway, a tough 4 and rarely seen 3, #14 (long tee) in the 5 to 7 hundred foot range(depending on pin position) with the elevation to carry you there if thrown right, #17 big shot playing both down and along the side of a huge hill that usually plays into a considerable headwind
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5 1
upsloser
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 30, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful views, very quiet, very challenging,multiple pins and tees.

Cons:

No water or restrooms on course.

Other Thoughts:

Loved this course. People who aren't in good shape, expect steep hills, with lots of hiking. Took about 3 hours to play. When you get to the first tee, you'll get an idea of what your in for.
This time of year, bring several towels onto the course as the short grass is wet.
No water or bathrooms on the course, so bring water will you. As for the bathrooms, very clean nice ones at the parking lot. So do your # 2"s before leaving.
Don't recomend this course to beginners, unless your ready to walk long distance's to get your disc. Holes 3,6,17, are awesome holes, but if you leave your throw to high, expect walking way, I mean way down hill to get your disc and throw way back up to get to the basket.
Hole 9 is 1000' long and is the only hole with a slight downgrade and has plenty of room to throw.It's wide open. Golf course is on your right so just stay left alittle and enjoy throwing as hard as you can. I made it in 5.
Lot's of the tee pads shown in the photo's are now concrete pads instead of dirt. Saw deer, and a huge flock of wild turkey's while playing. So peaceful, such great view's, can't wait to throw this course again. It's a must course for your list to play.......
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5 1
pineappaloupe
Experience: 11 played 6 reviews
5.00 star(s)

I can't wait to come back! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 17, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful area, well maintained (brush is fairly well cleared for play AND environmentally the course has very good erosion control measures A++!), a great work out, unique, takes advantage of topography and vegetation to make great holes, great hole diagrams with aerial photos, multiple tees and baskets, very friendly locals (the best sign of a good course), The oak trees are absolutely gorgeous. I am very impress by the erosion control and the environmentally conscious management of this course.

Cons:

Playing solo for the first time is hard. Many holes seems like disc eaters but are actually OK if you know the course. It isn't free, course closes at 5pm in winter (locked gates!!! booo!), Even with a map I couldn't find some holes, little directions to the next tee pad

Other Thoughts:

Getting to the course can be confusing. Follow the road until the unpaved parking area, and walk along the dirt road through the field (about a 200 yard walk to the tee). Get a map!
I had less than 2 hours to play this course so I had to skip some holes and play conservative to not lose discs and time... but I was blown away by the character of this course. The next time I am anywhere near it I will make a point to play it again. The locals were super friendly, hang around long enough and you can find an experienced group to play with,
This course is definitely worth $5.
I am used to playing at 6300ft so watching my discs soar down the big hills with massive right hand bends was soooooo fun!!!!
Head Wind + elevation drop = ???? FUN!
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3 7
Starwraith169
Experience: 21.5 years 48 played 21 reviews
3.50 star(s)

fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 15, 2005 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

very tecnical with some great elevation shots. Only course I have played with a 1000+ ft shot on it. Beautiful area, especially in the spring.

Cons:

Grass can get tall in spring, so really spot your disc, you have to pay to park,

Other Thoughts:

overall a nice course, especially if you are looking for a workout.
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