Phoenix or San Francisco early 2014

[blazerico]

I have the opportunity to go to either San Francisco in January or Phoenix in February. Whichever one I choose, I will be attending a conference, then taking a day or two for disc golf. Any thoughts on where I should go? please provide reasoning. thanks

 

[delaveagabeast]

First of all, I have not played the Phoenix area so I will let someone else describe them for you. Second, I am bias because I'm from the SF Bay. I would come to Northern California and stay in the East Bay or South Bay.

Courses worth checking out:

1. De La Veaga Park, Santa Cruz - Course is about an hour from the Bay Area but a *must* play if you are a disc golf enthusiast. Many diverse holes, makes you use just about every shot in your bag.

2. Stafford Lake, Novato - Long course, lots of elevation changes, epic scenery, and wild life.

3. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco- Course is overrated but definitely worth checking out. Upheld well, sometimes backed up, but a cool spot.

4. Hellyer Park/ La Raza Park, San Jose - Two courses located right next to eachother. I learned in Santa Cruz and ended up moving next to these courses for a couple years, lots of friendly people there and fairly easy to navigate.

There are more courses in the area, but those are the ones I would try to go to if I had the time. If you want to drive further up North, there are a bunch of good ones. If you end up coming this way and need someone to show you a park, feel free to shoot me a PM~

 

[JR Stengele]

Phoenix is warmer but the courses are MUCH better in SF. Lived in the bay area but have visited Phoenix. Cant go wrong with either but if you want some of the best courses imo...SF all the way!

 

[mashnut]

Phoenix is warmer but the courses are MUCH better in SF. Lived in the bay area but have visited Phoenix. Cant go wrong with either but if you want some of the best courses imo...SF all the way!

This is pretty much what I was going to say. You'll have more driving in SF and not as nice of weather, but the courses you can get to are a lot better. Phoenix has more courses close in to the city and better weather but nothing that really stands out as a destination course.

 

[blazerico]

what kind of weather could I expect in San Fran in January? cold, rain, cold and rain? how cold are we talking?

 

[The Hammer]

The courses here in Phoenix aren't exactly great.

 

[allinpflop]

I have taken both trips......the San Francisco trip was a week and we only played for 2 days of the trip and Phoenix was during the Memorial and we played or watched the entire week. I am sure that I am biased bc I was in Phoenix the best week of the year for disc golf but it was a much better trip. My impression of disc golf near San Francisco was very hit or miss. We played Golden Gate and enjoyed it very much and loved Dela but hated hated hated both Stafford Lake and Hellyer. The driving required for disc golf was a huge turn off for San Fran. I guess I am spoiled by the amount of great disc golf destinations (Charlotte Auston etc.) with high course density.
Phoenix on the other hand has more courses closer together and also more middle of the road courses. I can think of only one that I hated and the rest were all very playable but not super memorable. The 2 tourney courses were the best and had a very cool vibe with the pro shop near Vista and the huge poop lake at Fountain Hills.

As far as everything else that most disc golfers look for in a trip (or at least I do) San Fran had much the better of food drink and music along with touristy stuff.


In summary of this super long post if you are just going on a disc golf trip I would pick Phoenix but if you are vacationing and will disc for part of it San Fran.

Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.

 

[DoOgSauce]

Go to Phx the last week of February and play disc golf and go to spring training games all day.

 

[blazerico]

^that would be nice if I thought baseball was even the tiniest bit interesting. thanks anyway

 

[Norcal]

We played Golden Gate and enjoyed it very much and loved Dela but hated hated hated both Stafford Lake and Hellyer.

Blasphemy. Stafford hates you too.

 

[allinpflop]

Blasphemy. Stafford hates you too.

I wouldn't play that course again if you paid me.....but it must be noted that we spent the first 40 minutes trying to find the first tee and it felt like at least that much time walking up and down the same mountain

That course combines my least favorite aspects of disc golf.

 

[delaveagabeast]

Blasphemy. Stafford hates you too.

Some people hate good, challenging courses?

Stafford is perfect for intermediate/advanced players, good to bring my wife too because every hole has benches and it's nice for a picnic. I just don't see the faults of this course? Especially considering it's hands down the second best course in Northern California. Maybe some people are fat and don't like hiking? Plenty of bowling alleys in the area

 

[allinpflop]

I have played some of the most challenging courses across the country. Feel free to check my courses played (lots in the top 50 on this site). Maybe I'm being too tough in saying I would never play it again. Perhaps having a local guide on a day that was much cooler and the undergrowth was less severe and i might enjoy it more. Either way I don't review courses on here so you locals don't have to worry about me lowering the ratings. Speaking in general though the Cali golf I have played doesn't come close to the golf I have played in Charlotte, Austin, western Michigan and Maine.

Even though second best in the area doesn't mean much if you only have a few courses.

 

[stevefolfer]

I want good weather if I'm traveling to lay Disc Golf in winter. To me that means PHX over SF. Fountain Hills, Vista, and Buffalo Ridge are my favorites in PHX and there is no poison oak. Seems like there is poison oak everywhere in Nor Cal.

 

[Norcal]

I have played some of the most challenging courses across the country. Feel free to check my courses played (lots in the top 50 on this site). Maybe I'm being too tough in saying I would never play it again. Perhaps having a local guide on a day that was much cooler and the undergrowth was less severe and i might enjoy it more. Either way I don't review courses on here so you locals don't have to worry about me lowering the ratings. Speaking in general though the Cali golf I have played doesn't come close to the golf I have played in Charlotte, Austin, western Michigan and Maine.

Even though second best in the area doesn't mean much if you only have a few courses.

There are some cons at Stafford, including heat, wind, tall grass and burrs in the summer. Of course, some (many?) people simply hate the ass whippings that the course regularly delivers. I'd say try it again at another time of year if you like to test your game. Then again, some of my favorite aspects of the course are its natural beauty and solitude, so it doesn't bother me when people decide they'd rather play DeLa or Golden Gate instead- more peace and quiet for me and mine!

Regarding the overall quality of California courses- there's certainly room for improvement. That said, our State does produce the best players, so we must be doing something right.

 

[mashnut]

My biggest complaint at Stafford is open fairways with prairie grass rough. It doesn't add strokes to a bad drive, nor does it affect your shot from a lie off the fairway. All it does is add frustration and occasionally lost discs. It's not a good disc golf challenge, it's just a pain in the ass. There are some really fun holes out there, but there are also some pretty boring ones.

 

[Norcal]

The "prairie grass rough" is only an issue 2-3 months out of the year, if at all, depending upon the mowing. It is not a design feature of the course.

Stafford is not a course that you can fully appreciate after 1-2 rounds, or even several rounds. Each hole has multiple pins, and many have multiple tee pads, that drastically affect the way the course plays. Because elevation is so prevalent on the course, natural conditions like wind also have a huge impact on play.

There are no boring holes in my estimation. I've heard complaints about the 1000' + ninth hole, and if you don't throw far, it doesn't play as intended and is indeed boring. However, even the holes that are "wide open" demand control given there aren't many flat lies on the course. Some holes are better than others, of course, and I can conceive of ways the course could be improved. Still, it's one of the best in California- granted, there are a few courses missing from my 'played' list.

 

[mashnut]

I'm not saying it's a bad course, just that it's a bit of a 'homer' statement to say that there are no faults at all. I rated it 4 discs and enjoyed my round there, just pointing out that it's not perfect.

 

[Norcal]

I gave it 4/5 myself. It is my home course and I'll admit to being biased in its favor, but no one said it's faultless- I'm not sure where you got that.

 

[mashnut]

Some people hate good, challenging courses?

Stafford is perfect for intermediate/advanced players, good to bring my wife too because every hole has benches and it's nice for a picnic. I just don't see the faults of this course? Especially considering it's hands down the second best course in Northern California. Maybe some people are fat and don't like hiking? Plenty of bowling alleys in the area

This is where I got that, he said specifically he doesn't see faults with the course.