This is a well designed, definitely challenging nine hole course wedged in a piece between the freeway and another road. As previous reviewser have stated, it's not the most pleasing looking piece of land, especially in late August when I played. It's really a pretty sorry looking bit of bare dirt, scrub brush, mixed tree and what not with some mixed elevation thrown in for variety. But the designers have done a wonderful job of creating a most challenging disc golf experience here. The winds help with the challenge. The teepads are varying sizes (depending on the run-up needed). There are multiple basket placements for variety. There are uphill and downhill throws. # 7 is a big hyser shot around a large tree.

Hot, ugly desert scrubby enviroment in late August. Freeway noise. No water, bring your own. I don't know where you would park if crowded. The signs were kinda confusing.

This course reminds me of that ugly girl in college, that you kind of ended up with late one night. You know the one that you didn't want your friends to find out about but then she turned out to be really "gifted" or something like that and you had a most memorable time. Give this course a chance. She doesn't look real fine at first glance but if you give her a chance, you'll have a good time! And then, you'll be bragging to your friends about her!

*This is one of above average 9-hole courses around US.
*Two tees to each hole. 1B and 1F, B means back (farther from hole). F means front (closer to hole).
*Well designed with elevation changes and plenty of accurate game.
*Course is well maintained by locals.
*Cool tees with post for your disc bag to hang on.
*There's course directory (map) at 8th tee (where we park our cars).
*Locals keep moving the pins around (each hole has 2 or 3 different places). It always a little bit different every time I play there.

*No water - bring water.
*No restroom
*It can be hot during summer, not much shade to hide from sun.
*In other reviews, they mentioned that highway 101 can be noisy and distraction. It is not for me... cuz I'm deaf. LOL

Same as other mentioned, start 8th hole instead of 1st because that's where the cars park. 8th, 9th, 1st, 2nd.... til 7th.

If you from out of area, be sure you try Parque De La Raza, few miles away. That course is best 9-hole course I ever played (I played over 200 different courses).

-a good use of space
-easy access
-plenty of elevation, obsticals
-and some nice extras like bag holders.

-horrible tee signs, not sure how/why they were designed but need to be replace. did not notate which basket location was in play, some were trash by local scum (yes we all have them).
-some of the cement tee pads need to be leveled/resurface; time and weather has caused cracks and buckling making them a tripping hazard.

The second tee pads makes for a nice change of pace.
Parque de la Raza is just a few minutes away allowing travellers, like me, to get some differenet courses in while away from my
home courses.
This course could be a +4 with a little love, but is still fun to play.

very easy to find. long and short shots. great course for sidearm. open course for the most part. nice mountainside steps installed by boyscouts... thanks guys! most baskets can be seen from tee pad. has long and short Tee pads. (18 total) pretty good course for beginners

starting on #1 instead of #8. very limited parking on sat/sun. no restrooms (on that side) open layout= very hot. highway 101 is kinda distracting. lots of tall brush throughout the year. the signs are horrible and deceiving. they must be clocked 90 degrees to be accurate. long/short tees may be confusing for all the newbies that go there. safari holes are not well-known either.

overall a decent course, you should start at #8 and go down, and around, and back up to #7. do not look at the signs. ask a local whats what. you can also play nextdoor at laraza, and if walking, take the trail going under 101, cross creek (only in summer...lol) and walk up small trail to road, and then walk south on road for a few minutes and you'll be there.

Easy and quick access from Hwy 101. There is a new red practice basket next to parking. Concrete tee pads on all holes with the sizes of tee pads being proportionate to the distance and direction of the baskets. Signage is clear at all holes giving distance, direction of next tee pad, pin locations and pin dial.Pro and amateur tee pads with multiple pin locations. Benches, trash cans, logs or stumps and bag holders ergonomically placed with shade trees throughout. The course challenges all types of throwing styles on a large scale for the pro and amateur DG'er, Especially with the elevation and distance shots. The locals are friendly and pets welcomed. This is a 98% disc golf exclusive course that is rarely crowded!

No restroom facilities available and noise from traffic on Hwy 101 may annoy some. No water available, So bring water. Two areas are prone to flooding or have standing water (holes #8,#5,#6).Tall grass on fairways at times

This is my most played course thus far including my first Ace Race tournament. I've played this course in all seasons and have seen the hillsides very green in the winter and spring and brown during the fall summer months. The local disc golf club (Silicon Valley) has made many improvements to the walkways and attempt to keep up with the growing grass. The convenient way to play the course is start at hole #8 (tee pad closest to Hwy) and continue on to hole #9 and hole #1... Be careful of wind on hole #8. This is a great 9 hole course giving you an experience that makes you come back for more!

UPDATE: The local disc golf club has made great improvements to the course by planting additional trees and completed the staircases. This is one of my first reviews and after playing it recently I realize that the score should be higher, so my rating has also been changed.

• Very easy to find and navigate
• Warm-up basket
• Nice variety of holes/throws
• Pretty good concrete tee pads
• Multiple tees
• Clear signage
• Disc golf exclusive

• Pretty heavy hole/disc cross traffic
• Road/freeway/cars/nasty areas outside the course are in play on a couple holes
• I did see a little poison oak

Tips
• As mentioned elsewhere, I guess the right place to park is on the opposite side of the freeway. This also is apparently where the restrooms and additional holes are located. Unfortunately I missed that tip so I'll have to check it out next time.
• Don't park behind 7's and maybe 4's basket. Discs can go long there and give your car a shiner.
• Play Parque De La Raza while you're here. It seems like you should be able to walk there through the tree line from here, but maybe there's a fence/barrier? Anyone tried?

Random Thoughts:
This course is just an ingenious use of space. I must admit, when I first saw the course from the road, I was concerned I had driven a long ways for nothing, but halfway through the round I had the biggest smile on my face. I just couldn't get over how cleverly designed the course was considering it's in a seemingly small pocket of land. And it's not like every hole is short here. They're surprisingly lengthy, with even a few bombers in the mix. And the additional tee pads aren't throw-ins. They actually are slightly different shots.

Bottom Line: While it's only 9 holes (you could argue 18 with the additional pads) and an errant throw could land over a fence or on the freeway, you owe it to yourself to check out this course. It is quite clever and quite fun. Bravo to the course designers!

Many types of shots; down hill, uphill, over trees, under trees, around trees, thru trees. Great Use of land available, as this land really can't be used for much else besides disc golf. Concrete Tees pads (all have short and long tees), benches, bag hooks, trash cans and tee signs with distance and pin location. multiple pin locations. Elevation used well, and many challenging shots, but nothing a decent player can't handle. Course flows well and usually isn't crowded. 98% disc golf exclusive. Friendly locals. #5=Bowl Hole

Only 9 holes, but dual tees pads make 18.
Not the most beautiful course, aesthetically speaking, but after it rains it will get very green. Hole #8 should be #1 because that is where you park. Every once in a while some oblivious people wander onto the course. Course tends to be windy which will mess with your shots. Possible to lose a disc in the rough with a bad throw on 1, 8, and 9

My home course and the first place I ever played, so of course I am biased. However, this course is definitely under-rated. The site of this well established course was once a landfill that was converted into a park. Silicon Valley DG club takes great care of the course, and improvements are always being made, like how #8 now has stairs to go with the the railing when walking down the hill. Also I love the tree stumps decorated with beer bottle caps by #5's long tee.
If you are in the area, warm up with this course, then hit up La Raza which is much more challenging.

Bag holders, and benches at every pin.(or almost)
very creative course.
decent people.
open, yet complicated.
pin placement is marked on signs, with a bolt, or stick in the hole, thats very nice.

not enough parking.
playing front and back tee boxes do not make this a fullsize course.( it left me wanting more.)
101 is loud and annoying. teebox 1 is all the way on the other side of the park, so you gotta play 8 and 9 to get there (Stupid IMHO)

i was in SJ for thanksgiving, thought i'd get some golf in, played La Raza first, then came here. ended up going back to La Raza to finish my day.

Two concrete teepads at each hole. Signs at each teepad, showing the 3-4 possible positions for the basket, and also indicating the current position. Benches and bag hooks at each of the longer teepads. Excellent map/scorecard showing all the teepad and basket positions, the relative location of the brush and trees, and comprehensive distance information for every combination of pad/basket for each hole. Practice basket. A perfect complement to longer-but-flatter Parque de la Raza just a few minutes away.

Only 9 holes, so could get crowded quickly. Constant buzz of nearby 101. Every hole will likely play as drive-then-approach/putt.

The is a fine example of how to turn "unusable" land - in this case, a roughly 600' by 1100' sunken bit of dry, mixed tree/brush/bare ground land wedged between a major highway and another road - into a good disc golf course by taking advantage of the terrain and plant-life to create holes requiring a good variety of shots. While obviously the tee you use and the basket position that day will affect what awaits you, you'll typically find the tee-shot to be a:
- #1 left-turning, with a slight drop, to tree-guarded basket
- #2 right-turning to a basket in an elevated crater.
- #3 left-turning, longer with more drop than #1, to a basket amidst a cluster of trees
- #4 right-turning, across/slightly-up a slope, trees behind
- #5 left-turning, major downhill, basket near trees
- #6 right-turning, halfway up the slope you just came down, tree just in front
- #7 left-turning, up to the top of the slope.
- #8 similar to #5, not as long, bigger tree grouping to go around
- #9 slightly left-turning, must clear high brush at start, flat

The two teepads on each hole are often quite a good distance from each other, making the same hole play quite differently, depending upon which tee you use, so can seem like 18 if you switch tees for a second round. If you park on Hellyer, from which you can see the entire course, you should start with either hole #5 or #8. The practice basket, between the two, is in red - when you play #4 and #7, remember this factoid, otherwise you might find yourself throwing towards this basket when you tee-off. Play this and Parque de la Raza back-to-back, and you'll enjoy a great variety of disc golf that day.

Off the 101, more like on the 101.
Different shots on every hole.
People where cool.
Not too packed.
No problem breaking.
alot of trash cans....and the Sheriff's just cruz by...

a bit windy at times...a lotta the time.
no bathrooms, but plenty of bushes.
poison ivy...just be careful.

This is a kickass 9 hole course. The Hellyer course was placed in the best little area one would squeeze in nine with enough room.

-Big elevation changes
-Good distance on most holes
-Easy freeway access
-Nice tees and pins (multiple locations)

-Often gets very windy in the afternoons
-Poison oak off some fairways (and in the isolated pockets on the course)
-Freeway does not help course aesthetics

This was the only course I played when I got into disc golf. I would later be punished for learning to drive on such a wide-open course. There are a couple holes where you can really bomb it though, which is still fun. I don't think playing the short tees to make 18 adds much to the course. The club does a good job with upkeep and changing pin locations, and have made other improvements over time, like the cement tee box on #3. If only they would eradicate the poison oak...

Close to freeway
multiple tees
multiple pin placement
well maintained
friendly folks
trash cans availalable at almost every tee
bag holding stand at every hole
uphill/downill/flat and tree shots

parking is limited
No bathrooms

I am not a pro but I am not a total amateur either. I enjoyed this course and would play it often if I lived close by. I shot a 38 (+11) for 9 holes. While I was there someone showed up with a weedeater and other implements to maintain the course. (Cool) My brothers have been there pretty often and say the holes are moved often. I played both this and LaRaza and enjoyed this course more. See my LaRaza review

IMO, this course is a perfect example of how 9-holers should be designed. The long tees give a very different look and feel from the shorts, so playing 2 rounds is basically equivalent to playing a full 18. Great creative design on this course! I have only 5 of 95 9-holers ranked higher.....and 3 of those no longer exist.)

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 9 hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B
(Nothing too punishing (water, "early trouble", tunnel shots, etc) can be found on this course, but you can get yourself in some predicaments if you are way off line.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == B+
(Other than a couple of the long tees and a few gimme short holes, this course is a rewarding experience to score well on.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == B+
(Great use of terrain and obstacles to force creative shot making. Well above average for the typical 9-holer.)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B-
(Definitely not lush and green and the location being right off the 101(due to terrain and trees you don't really see it, but you do hear it) detracts from the otherwise nice inland CA beauty.)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == N/A

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well this course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. See my profile for specifics on my rating philosophy.

I fancy myself as a connoisseur of good course design and I am a competitive Blue level (950-ish rated) with mid-level power (accurate to 300' with max D of 360'). Since I have played a decent number of courses (150+ 18-hole, 90+ 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me.....and that's the fun of things here.

i loved the variety of shots and density of obstacles. on most holes you have to heave it pretty good to get there, and miss an obstacle or two. i threw about 50/50 backhand and forehand drives. great mix of elevation shots up, down, and flat. somewhat challenging, but not difficult.

none. i was expecting to dislike course location being so close to hwy 101, but it never messed with my high. i had a great time there today.

okay one... as others have mentioned, its waaay easier to start on 8 and end on 7 because thats where you park...

we went to play de la raza, but they close the gates and pull the baskets jan 1- mar 31. It was a beautiful holiday today and hellyer still wasn't too crowded. play it you're going by, i mean its 15 seconds off the freeway...

good layout for the lack of acreage. the holes are satisfyingly long for this size course. i would have rated it a 2.5 because it is a multi-use park, but the elevation changes and nice variety of driving situations bring it up to a 3.0

Easily accessible. Plenty of parking along road. Course utilizes elevation changes and patches of trees. Decent tee boxes. Great for getting in a quick round.

Has the feeling of a course that was slammed into an available area. 9 holes with two sets of tee boxes. Some of the holes run close to each other, some chance of stray discs flying your way. Catches wind more often than not. Terrible pollen during allergy season. Many easy par 3s.

Not a bad course if you live nearby. I would just as soon get in the car in be teeing off at Dela in 30 minutes. Some good ace runs and many birdie opportunities makes Hellyer worth playing. If you have hayfever don't bother.

this course will challenge your wind game. four pin locations and two tees for every hole. 2 baskets on the other side of the freeway behind hole one. you can play these holes and make 4 other holes. well maintained and very clean. awesome elevation changes and some serious distance on some holes. many holes play much longer due to the high winds.

wind sometimes. my normal round there is -2 but when the wind gets going i can see it go up to +4.

there is a nine hole course 3 miles driving distance but only 1/4 mile in a straight line. the other course is the best nine hole course i have ever played and is the best in cali. bring your force, destroyer, or boss if you have it.

some say starting at hole eight is a problem, that's because they park by it and there is a specific use parking lot on the other side of the freeway which will start you with the two practice baskets and put you by hole one.

Like most of you I find myself daydreaming of what a course might look like on various pieces of land while on a road trip. I always carry that daydream onto the exit ramp dismissing the exit ramp land as a waste, after all a disc course could go there. Hellyer Park is that course come true. You never quite get the silence you might at a course that isn't five feet from the interstate, but the experience is still unique. The teeboxes here are in great shape, lots of skill effort and money went into their creation. Refer to the photo titled "#3 teebox" to see what I mean.

Two teeboxes per hole, alternative pin positions, and well signed holes make the course rank pretty solid. The elevation changes are great. For me the big selling point of Hellyer Park is that the course has a pretty high fun factor. The course plays pretty fast, so I ran through it twice and played the alternate positions, I would have had no problem playing a third round but I was pressed for time.

Playing from the whites make everything pretty short (not really much of a "con" since there are more than one box and that reds are all solid, but it was short. The parking situation is tight. Number one is in the middle of the park, I just started playing at number eight since that is where my car was parked. I also didn't feel comfortable walking through other players just to get to number one as marked. I threw my disc over the fence on #8 and had to go around to retrieve it, which was dangerous since it was only about three feet from the 101. The drainage water was so nasty that I had to go buy another pair of shoes, there was no way I was boarding a plane wearing those shoes after sinking my feet in that mess. (I know, that's not really much of a con either since, the course doesn't have you go directly through drainage water).

I find it really cool that the two nine hole courses are so close to each other, I imagine a local would just play one then the other and still get in 18. The description says, "Facilities on west side of freeway with 2 practice baskets beside the lake." I never saw facilities or a lake. I guess that's what I get for playing a course without getting my information from DGCR. I really would have liked to see the lake too.

Long story short, Hellyer Park is surprisingly well established with all the necessary disc golf amenities that is on an exit from a highway that turns out to have a high fun factor of play.

i moved out of state a couple of years ago, so I havent played it in a while, but I remember great elevation shots, nice locals, quick play, not too crowded

next to major freeway so its really noisy, lots of wind, poison oak,

i would play it again if I was ever in the area. Its definitely a good course if you want to improve your wind game.

signage is pretty clear - it is easy to tell from the sign what position the pin is in. there are many challenging but birdieable holes.

only nine holes, and in the afternoons it can get very crowded.

the wind makes it a challenging course. the ground foliage changes dramatically from dry and pretty clear in the summer to grassy and dense in the winter.

A great place to learn because there is most every type of shot to take, but none are super challenging.

Not a lot of parking, restrooms are a short drive away. Kinda noisy from the freeway. Lots of people walking around wondering what these people are doing throwing frisbees into wierd chain contraptions and not getting the clue to perhaps get out of the way.