Challenging technical shots, lots of hiking included in layout, uphill & downhill holes.

Poison oak, lots of hiking included in layout, lack of signage, dirt tees (less than half), very short holes.

Lost a disc, darn!

* Beautiful old redwoods provide a classic Californian background for this course *
* Many holes are tightly wooded, requiring careful shots *
* Soccer field right before first teepad lends itself to a great warm-up practice *
* High difficulty due to tight shots, elevations changes, and a rugged hike *
* The whole course is shaded from the sun *

* Many teepads are too small, also with some scary drop-offs, off of the front of the pads even *
* Almost every hole can be described as "dog leg to the right, basket is out of sight" *
* Course is located on a middle school, not playable during the school hours *

This course is a great course, however needs some upgrades and maintenance. I would like it so much more if there were formal teepads on every hole, instead of the dirt pads with roots popping out of them, knocking you off into steep declines, and breaking your ankle or neck.

Also since there is a ton of shade, and elevation changes, its easy for your disc to fall out of sight, and into some bushy clusters. Keep an eye on that flight at all costs.

As it says on the the on-line map, "It's the Maze." That's the way we felt after playing it one very warm August afternoon. Luckily, we arrived just as school was letting out. We found the start of the course easily enough after crossing the soccer field and walking up the stairs into the redwood forrest. The shade was a welcome relief from the August heat wave. The course plays up and down a hillside on a middle school property in the Santa Cruz Mts. The site features many mature redwood trees and lots of thick underbrush. The course is short (most holes are 150' to 250') and very technical in nature. Accuracy not distance is the key here. There are benches to sit on. There are some little white next tee signs. They help some. Being next to a middle school, the regular tee signs have either vanished or been vandalized.

For us navigation was a real issue. Even with the on-line map, we were stumbling around wasting a lot of time. always having to walk ahead, spotting for each other, sometimes throwing to the wrong basket. Having the wrong numbers on many of the baskets didn't help matters. As previous reviewers have mentioned, the pads aren't great. They're really inconisistent, some are blocks, some are just worn spots, some we just guessed at. Watch for the poison oak.

This is really a great little piece of land for a course. The first and most basic thing to do to help us first time players here is to get the correct numbers on the baskets. Now I realize that the constant barrage of gothic middle schoolers dressed in black, pissed at their teachers, parents and everyone else, are going to get their licks in. So every sign that goes in on a course here has to be rock proof or boot proof. It has to be mounted high enough up in the tree so that the little bastards can't get to it. Maybe get a local HS kid to make the tee signs out of strong metal in his metal shop class. I've seen them recently at a new Washington course. They're not the prettiest but they're virtually indestructible.

To the local disc club-Good Luck in this war against the local Youth Natzis! Fight the Good Fight! This course is worth it. I know I'd really enjoy playing this course if I had only known where in the hell in the Santa Cruz Mountains I Was and where the baskets were.

Not much to add. I agree with most of the "Pros" already listed here.

Very difficult to navigate even with a map.

Actually it wasn't too difficult to find each tee with the map.

My gripe is about the holes themselves. There are so many "hidden" baskets that even after you find the tee you have only a general idea where you need to throw. I think on 7 of the first 9 holes I had to walk at least half way down the hole to spy the pin and then back to the tee.

This course is hilly and wooded (beautiful location) so walking each hole 1.5 to 2 times got to be a drag.

Obviously playing with a local would have helped but if you are there solo you're screwed.

I know how difficult it is to acquire and maintain decent tee signs so I can't find fault in that.

I would suggest that some enterprising local (like the guy who took the time to print out the white rat/black mouse helpful hints fliers) to put out a more detailed map including more specific pin locations.

fun, tightly wound course ,some new locations on 3 baskets, locals play more than 18 holes,recently the course has been cleaned up

none really, except , no play during school hours

no guide needed, easy navigation ,small signs great fun shaded course

• Course is easy to find
• Beautiful location
• Warm-up area on the soccer field
• Baskets are in good shape

• Difficult to navigate
• Tee pads are hit and miss. Some are paved and/or defined. Some you'll have to look for posts, sticks, or worn areas to figure out where they are.
• LOTS of Poison Oak, particularly on the front side
• Very criss-crossy. Might not be an issue depending on the course congestion which wasn't bad on a Saturday afternoon.
• Restrooms were all closed when I was there. Not sure if it's like that all the time, but you have been warned. There was a water fountain though that I used to wash up.

Tips
• Your best friends on this course are the little white 8" square signs on the ground telling you where the next tee is. Be on the lookout.
• Even so, a map is a MUST. Even with the maps, you're going to have trouble so definitely look ahead for baskets and tees. Speaking of which...
• When I was there, basket #1 had been moved to the far left.
• I'm not completely sure but there might be mandos on 3 and 4.
• Don't go long on 6. Something tells me going over that fence sucks.
• Yes, 9 tee pad is past 10. Keep walking.
• It seems that 13's tee pad is actually to the left of #12 basket, where 14A was? I never found a pad to the right as shown on the map, but that doesn't mean it's not there.
• A spotter is not a bad idea, although not quite required. I suppose it depends on how tree-wacky your game is.
• Throw short accurate shots. None of the baskets are as far as you think, and they're very frequently tucked into a tight grove of trees.
• Lastly, a lot of baskets are misnumbered so don't trust that.
• Pack out your trash people! I picked up as much as I could but there was still a fair bit left.
• Donate to the course in the collection pole by the entrance.

Random Thoughts:
So if you're a player that needs to work on threading a needle with a disc from 150-200', this course is for you. While you'll probably never throw full power on this course, it will have no bearing on your score. This is a very tightly wooded course that if you succeed in not hitting a tree will set you up nice for a birdie shot, but if you even nick one, you will likely be walking away with bogey. Baskets frequently only have 1 or 2 attack angles so missing the fairway is not a good idea. But here's the good news. It's beautiful in there! I actually stopped to take pictures in a couple spots because of how nice the trees are. And you're going to need a little peace because trying to find the next tee box is some kind of cruel experiment. It's a repeated exercise of 'find the little white sign and look for a flat area with scuff marks'. And then, you very likely can't see the basket. You'll have to walk ahead and find it and then figure out the best path to get there. But once you do all that, you do get rewarded with a challenging risk/reward shot.


Bottom Line: Despite the lackluster course conditions and frustrating navigation, this is a great course for working on your game. While short, it has a variety of shot shapes that demand precision and are fair in the risk/reward arena. Advanced players might decimate this course, but I, as a beginner/intermediate player, found it enjoyable and helpful. With a few improvements and a hostile takeover of the Poison Oak Posse, this course could really shine.

-great use of space behind the school
-in the redwoods for that majestic feel
-plenty of elevation and shot variation
-short holes aren't easy

-no maps, next tee can be pretty hard to find
-can't play during school hours (til 3)
-some holes seemed hopelessly wooded, but i'm the only one here that said that, so maybe i need to go back and improve my aim.

much love to whoever pushed for and designed the course. we appreciate it... hit the donation box before 1 with a buck if you have it.

this rating may have been higher if i hadn't gone there on a very rainy and windy day.