Epic "Top of the World" hole. 27 holes. Cool locals, Great long course with multiple discipline challenges. Fun hiking the mountainside with beautiful views.

Heavily wooded and not well maintained in the more rugged spots, makes for long searches if you're not paying attention. A long day on the course.

Bring your A game or stay home. OK, still go, it's worth it.

Plenty of challenge here, good variety of the types of shots required. From a purely technical standpoint, this is an excellent course.

Not beginner friendly.
Signage is poor at best or was when I was there last - hopefully it has improved.
Several crossing fairways make it dangerous in places considering how frequently you have to throw hard.

The "beauty" espoused by so many in reference to this course is a misnomer. Unless you find hard packed dirt beautiful I suppose. Couple that with uncontrolled erosion, and I think the DeLa club is lucky the course hasn't been pulled - as I have seen such conditions be the cause for other courses to be yanked.

DeLA was one of the early true distance courses, and as such - earned a reputation for its challenge. There really were very few or no other courses that matched its difficulty back in the 80's. Disc technology has caught up to it though, and it has been surpassed on many levels (beauty, technical challenge, variety, you name it) by a number of other courses.
Don't let the CONS keep you from paying a visit if you are in the San Fran/NorCal area - it is definitely a must play. But if MECCA is what you want, try Leister, MA, Charlotte, NC, or Paw Paw, WV

DeLa is a spectacular course. I affectionately refer to it as the "Augusta National of Disc Golf" because it combines natural beauty with a high level of difficulty.
There are uphill holes, downhill holes, long holes, short holes, technical holes, and wide open holes. You need it all in order to shoot well at DeLa. It is a tough course, but a fair course.
When I score well here I feel like I have every aspect of my game working. Good shots are rewarded. Bad shots can be devastating to your score.
The ravines next to many of the fairways are beautiful and unforgiving.
The locals are friendly and proud of their course. Cheap snacks and a good selection of discs are available on most days in the parking lot.
There are multiple pin locations on most holes. The course is well maintained.

There's a lot of poison oak in the ravines and off the edge of the fairways.
The hole numbers are slightly off but it's only because new holes have been added within the last few years and hole 17 was removed. 17 does appear for big tournaments though.
The signage is not as good as some other courses.

I rated this course a "5" because I hold all other courses up to it.
Construction on a new parking lot and drainage system was completed in November of 2008. Holes 6, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, and 27 were affected but are all currently still in place. It's my opinion that the course became slightly easier because many of those holes became permanently shorter. It seems that the long pin placements on those holes won't be in use in the future.
Smoking and drinking are not allowed. Rangers and Santa Cruz Police regularly patrol the area and will not hesitate to pass out tickets if they see you from the road (I know from experience). Any serious disc golfer visiting Northern California must play here. If you enjoy a challenging and beautiful disc golf course, you will love DeLaveaga.

-28 holes of every flavor you can imagine.
-DG cultural hub. I felt i joined the DG community here. great discs and snacks. available at the parking lot/ tee for 17.
-Felt like the course had 5-6 signature holes. i've never been so excited walking up to the next tee pad
-plenty of every shot in the bag will be demanded here.
-friendly, helpful people
-soil was fairly soft and sandy with low ground cover mostly
-very nice long level concrete tee pads
-most intimidating course i've played

-crowded with a couple crossing fairways
-lots of erosion some spots
-i'm not a big arm, so i preferred the wooded holes earlier in the round to the open field blast offs later.
-not hard to sail one into the parking lot from top of the world (my friend did twice)
-a bit out of my ability range. my best round is +6 or 8, i think... and i was on.

-this course will show you who's daddy.
-big selection of some really cool custom stamped discs available there...
-donation box at the tee pad for 1.
-porta potties were the only bathrooms and there were snacks, but no meals available on grounds.

Every hole is fun and challenging. Requires every shot in the bag. Different pin positions that completely change the layout. Skip shots, rollers, tunnel shots, crushes, finesse shots, this courses demands it all. And the wicked fast greens demand great respect. A simple lay-up can lead to disaster.

Incredibly nasty poison oak infested valleys of doom if your disk kicks the wrong way off a tree. Very crowded, with some crossing fairways.

Juliana Korver once asked me "What disc do you throw off of Top of the World?" I answered "All of them." My favorite 24 hours of golf ever was playing DeLa in the late afternoon, catching the Red-eye back to Baltimore, then driving to Paw Paw, WV for a late morning round at the Woodshed.

The location and nature of the terrain that the course sits upon is so perfect for disc golf, that it might be hard to better it with a ball golf course budget and an army of bulldozers. Rows of coastal redwoods line sharp hills, which slope down into dusty hardpan, with the whole course bordered by steep and sudden ravines.

This provides the backdrop for a course that is diabolical but fair in design. It's no coincidence that the reigning USDGC champion and two-time world champion Nate Doss cut his teeth at De La, where even a solid Advanced tournament player will be pleased to post a score of 81 for a 27 hole round. Fairways vary widely in distance, density of trees, shape, and elevation change. To score well here, the ability to throw a long distance through medium-to-narrow gaps is at a premium.

The aforementioned ravines are used to great effect on a number of pin positions, and most players will face one or two "death putts" each round, staring into the mouth of a dropoff into the redwood forest. Exposed tree roots provide barriers for rollers on some holes, but otherwise that shot can be used to great effect on several holes.

Tees and baskets are in good condition, and many holes offer an alternate position- for most of these pins, it's a 'hard or harder' option between the two settings, with very few easy birdies available on the course.

The Top of the World finishing hole gets all the publicity, and while it's a fantastic way to end a round(don't forget to note that there's OB twenty feet behind the pin!), I think that I-5 is the best test of golf on the course. Coming away with a 3 on the hole means you were either very good, very lucky, or more likely a bit of both!

Crossing fairways in three separate situations, which one tends to forgive because they were needed to allow for two great golf holes in each location.

Signage could definitely be improved- playing with a local the first time through isn't absolutely necessary but would make for a smoother experience.

There can be trash on some/many of the tee areas, which is unfortunate, but in my opinion doesn't detract greatly from the golf experience.

Not an appropriate course for beginners, and can frustrate intermediate players as well. Can still be enjoyable, as long as the expectation of a big score is understood.

Out of the 27 holes, about 4-5 are fairly uninteresting or flawed in design. Still means you're playing 20+ quality golf holes in one round, but there'd still be room for improvement/redesign.

De La is the course I use as a measuring stick for all other courses, often in conjunction with how far of a drive it is. E.g. "Would I drive as far on a random Saturday to play this course as I would De La?". On this scale, De La clocks in at about 3 hours. Lucky for me it's only 1.5 hours away!

As others have mentioned, there's food/drink/discs for sale in the parking lot most every day. Don't stop at the ball golf pro shop and buy discs, you'll be paying $3-5 more per disc and browsing a vastly smaller selection.

Will test every part of your game. 27 diverse holes offer the player a disc golf challenge like no other. Long holes, short holes, hyzer, anhyzer, uphill, downhill, tight, wide open, the list goes on. The course design fits right in with the terrain. Beautiful views, good parking, easily accessible. Several signature holes, Top of the world, I-5, the list goes on. Huge course can handle a weekend crowd. If I had to choose only one course to play the remainder of my days as a disc golfer, it would be Dela, Santa Cruz. Dedicated disc golf club keeps Dela in playing shape despite limited/no help from the city/county.

High fire danger at times, years-old rumors of the National Guard/city selling land and developing condos, and like just about everything in SC, an air of entitlement by the locals can make itself seen from time to time. Overall, most locals are friendly, helpful and simply love their course. Other cons, most of the tee signs have been vandalized in some way.

Soapbox Alert: This course is a gem. The SC city council, for a council so in tune with the tourism industry, needs to wake up and figure out what they've got right under their noses. They need to make some minor improvements (i.e., devote some budget to maintenance of the course) in order to cement Delaveaga as a major PDGA tour stop. (not that it isn't already) I, like many disc golfers across the nation will continue planning vacations in S.C. to play the course. As a beneficial side effect, we are also staying in area hotels, eating at several great SC restaurants, shopping downtown, etc. Since transplanting to Austin, Tx. about 3 years ago, Delaveaga disc golf is on the short list of things I miss most about Santa Cruz.

this place has every type of shot out there, you shoot uphill and downhill. tight shots and open shots that you can throw as hard as you want on.trees are a big factor on all hiles and cliffs come into play on 18 holes on this course. holes 13, 14, 15, are the hardest holes on the course, but the challenge and diversity of these holes represents what de la is.

santa cruz has now paved the parking lot, while this is nice there are around 15 - 20 less parking spots. $1000.00 fine for smoking anything, so be careful. rangers now come by and often park there truck on or aroud hole 8A and the fairway of 9 and 10. they will get out and walk around these holes and may even come to talk to you.

i live in san jose but make it over the hill at least twice a month to play de la. some say it is hard to navigate this course but once you play it more than once. i find this to be the case with all new disc golf courses that i play, you can easily navigate and even try new shots.

Challenging with a good variety of holes; always fun to throw from an extreme elevation.

Need to update/improve the signage. Some 'prison' shots.

There was work being done on the parking lot, so the course had to be 'modified' somewhat - so there may be a kiosk with maps, etc. but it was difficult to know where to go due to some of the baskets being removed, etc. (I never did find a basket location for #17, I think?). I want to thank the 'disc dude' - the guy sitting on the tailgate of his truck who finds lost discs (and sells others). He retrieved mine from high in a tree and placed in on the windshield of my car while I was still out on the course, and he was gone before I could thank him. Do not use the 'map to course' link on the course page in your GPS, this will most likely take you to the lower park; follow the directions given.

each hole presents different challenges. there are the long holes where the big drive is advantageous, and there are the shorter holes where accuracy is a must. definitely a great course if you're coming out for a difficult day of disc golf

unless you've been there before, it's hard to know where to go. also, because of the parking lot construction, some holes are not playable

on busier days (saturdays, some weekday afternoons), there is a guy in a smaller white van that sells discs right in the parking lot. he sells new discs (innova, discraft, and others), and he buys and sells used discs. he also has buckets full of lost discs, so if you lost a disc there, it's possible it wound up in one of his buckets. if no one claims the disc after a certain amount of time (i don't know how long, but probably at least a few months), he puts it in the used for sale bucket.

Hole 27 is the most memorable hole I have ever played. This course really makes you bring your A game. You will need every shot in your bag. The locals were great. Good pro shop. I must for any disc golfer.

It was crowded, but unlike some courses I never really had it effect the group or I. No really bad water hazards. No golf carts. No beer girl driving around selling beers.

It was a while ago when I played this course. But decided it I should review it because it is the BEST COURSE I HAVE EVER PLAYED. There was not a trash problem when I was there. The locals were really great and made the experience even better. Their is some little things that could be better. Overall the best in my book.

This place is the epicenter. I loved this course. The two holes I actually birdied I will cherish forever due to the uncompromising challenge on every hole. Dela has Crazy up hills, dog legging down hills. The course is in a beautiful setting surrounded with huge trees that make tunnels and guard baskets. I love standing on a tee box and thinking, looking into my bag and wondering, "Do I have the confidence to pull this shot off?" It never stops, there is not a throw away hole on the entire course.

This course is hard, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The holes are not unreachable either, they provide a doable challenge that keep your interest from one to twenty-seven. I feel that the layout has not been given enough props. 27 holes that sort of make a four nine hole loops from the parking lot meaning that you could easily skip part and play just one part and be back in the parking lot, and not have to follow the herd. Another impressive feat is that they have managed to accomplish all this beauty on donations. If charging were mandatory, then I feel they could have better signs and tee pads.

So many great holes, it is hard to figure out what ones I like that most, aside from the top of the world hole, which is the best hole I have ever played. 26A is a beauty, with a dangerous drop off, in fact there are dangerous drop offs present throughout. I only wish that I could play this course everyday. I do not think I would ever grow tired of it and for that reason, I am totally jealous of all the people of Santa Cruz.

There has been a lot mentioned about the 'trashyness' of this place, and as much as I wish I could deny it, I cannot. Plus I cannot not forgive them for claiming to be the best yet not updating their map to show that 17 is missing and 26A is in place. Honestly though, the people and the "scene" of it make up for it completely. Open your mouth get out of your shell and ask one local and they'd be glad to help you. I struggled with my rating for this course, wanting to give it a 5, yet knowing that these flaws exist. If I could give it a 4.75 I would, in the end I just feel that the challenge and uniqueness if every single hole deserve a five.

The scene at the parking lot made me feel that I was in the most popular disc golf course in the world. It is a party, a celebration of the sport I love. I felt like a tourist, I bought a stamped De Laveaga disc in the parking lot from a prominent local pros dad, if they had other tourist things like those you'd find in a tourist trap gift shop I would have bought them too because I was so excited to be there, and play a round of challenging golf on such a famous course. Ever since I started traveling to play disc golf people have told me to come here. Now that I been here, I can say it is the best course I have ever played (as of, 9-5-08).

Nice pro-shop with discs for sale. Large variety of shots required to compete on the course. Good terrain mix, with lots of elevation changes. Friendly locals. Awesome practice basket with bricks marking distances from 10'-40'. Best I've seen of that. #27 signature "top of the world" hole is a great view of the basket (and easy to lose a disc with a RHBH throw that hyzer's too much).

For a supposedly legendary course I thought it felt kinda trashy, the tee signs were in need of repair, there was trash about, there were old sofas sitting out in the open. Basket #17 has been removed due to erosion and there's no sign saying that. The tee sign for #17 is also gone, so you could waste some time wondering what happened and looking around for naught. Several crossing fairways. Multiple pin positions indicated on the tee signs, but not all signs have distances for all pins. "Current pin" pinwheels on the tee posts may or may not be correct. Some blind holes not very accurately represented on tee sign maps. A temporary con but, road construction made it somewhat difficult to find the park.

Hole #8A was added between #8 & #9. That's noted on the DGCR course map as the "?" hole. The basket removed from #17 was moved to make a new hole between #26 & #27 called "#26A". This hole is not noted on the DGCR map. When we played in July the ground was very dry and hard which produced a lot of skipping discs. It was a nice course, but I didn't get that overwhelming "ohhh-ahhh" that I was expecting from the reputation this course has.

-Open and tight holes while not too open on the open ones and not too tight on the tight ones
-Tunnel holes
-Distance
-Left and Right handed holes
-Uses every shot in your bag
-Hole 27 "Top of the World" is one of the most amazing shots in disc golf
-Friendly Locals
-Great Variety
-Concrete tee pads
-Signs
-Baskets
-There's a guy with a van in the parking lot that sells drinks, snacks and discs, both used and new at good prices.

-Some tee pads getting old and beat up
-One hole is completly blind (though I almost aced it)
-A few holes are not the best, but when you have 27, one or two being ok is not too bad

This course is rated as one of the best in the world, but I still think that there is room for improvement. The tees on some holes being worn out is just a fact of life when you have a course that gets as much use as this one.

I would recomend this course to anyone traveling through the area.

Very long, so it's good for those who like to really haul off and throw it. I think this course might be a lot of fun once you know it very well, but it's definitely unfriendly to newcomers.

Poor signage. In many cases, it's really impossible to figure out where the basket is, unless you ask someone.

Very crowded, even at 2:00 on a Monday afternoon.

Dusty, hard fairways mean that discs skip and fly far beyond what you'd expect.

Finally, a number of holes are next to a deep gorge, which means a poor throw results in a dangerous climb down a steep hill to retrieve your disc.

This course is very difficult, really to point of being not fun. I like a challenge, but unless you know this course inside-out, forget it - don't even bother to keep score. Many baskets are placed in the middle of a clump of trees - there is simply no way to get a decent score.

Also, some of the other reviews talk about how scenic it is. I didn't see it. I brought my camera, and I didn't take a single picture. There's nothing striking or beautiful, other than the ball golf course you drive through to get to the disc golf course.

I'd heard about this course and read the reviews on this website, but it's not worth it. I've played many other courses that were far superior to this one.

I'm sure I'll get poor ratings from people who play this course a lot, but if you've played at any other well-regarded courses, you know that this one is good but definitely not great.

Amazing variation of shots, with a number of challenging holes utilizing length, and pin placement. Some good fairways and very nice elevation change.

Locals seem quite helpful as well.

Very challenging

Not quite what I had expected. There were way to many holes that just seemed like gamble shots with very little to absolutely NO fairway. I personally don't see PRISON pin locations as golf holes. There were are 4 rather short holes that had basically no possible line to hit basket no matter how amazing a shot you had, and thus seems like poor holes to me. Even with a stunning shot, it still feels like pulling on a slot machine hoping you don't hit a tree. There is a couple of blind holes with VERY VERY poor tee signs... they would be completely impossible to find and play without a local guide or some extensive searching. Maybe after playing the course a few times this would be seen differently.

There are also a couple of crossing fairways, and on big crush holes too. There is lots of traffic and many blind holes, had to send out spotters and many holes and had people playing into us on about 5 holes because they didn't send out spotters.

Again, not exactly what I had expected, but after played a few times I'm sure it is an awesome place to play.

Beautiful course, in one of the most ideal disc golf settings imaginable. Big Monterey pines and scrubby oaks along a ridge-line with deep inscribed canyons make up the natural backdrop of the course, all of which look down over the city of Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay. Simply gorgeous. There are at least a dozen epic ocean views at various spots on the course, if one pays attention.

The challenge here is amazing. Mistakes are punished brutally in subsequent throws...e.g., stray only a few feet off the fairway into the big trees on most of the holes, and you'll be hard pressed to have a subsequent upshot at the pin.

The variety of shots on this course is wonderful. You'll find just about every kind of throw will be needed just to stay at par. Uphill, downhill, right, left, flat, open, tight, tunnel, gut shots, low ceilings, you name it. Nevertheless, the route to perfection is possible, and each hole tantalizes the player with the possibility for that perfect shot off the tee.

Hole 13 is the most difficult "par 3" I've ever seen. The locals call it "I-5" as one is lucky to get there in 5 throws. If you have a big arm, try to hyzer a shot into the trees and get a big skip back toward the tee. Otherwise lay up in the meadow and try to navigate the oak limbs.

The old school locals and the Club at DeLaveaga are of course legendary, you'll run into numerous world champions, disc golf hall of famers, disc golf professors, and everything in between. The distance of the park from the city center ensures that only disc golfers will be encountered up here, so it is a bit like a disc golf nation. Good stuff. Lots of different age groups play at DeLaveaga, from under 10 to over 80 years old!

UPDATE, February 2011: New tees on holes 1, 5, 14, 15, 26, and 26a, and lots of new erosion control, wood chips, retention walls being installed. The course is getting a huge makeover for the 2011 PDGA Pro Worlds.

Some of the holes are thrown in seemingly as afterthoughts, in order to connect one hole to the next. But these still offer great play.

The only drawback I can possibly think of is that the park road figures prominently in vicinity to most of the holes/fairways/baskets, so one's peace is a bit disturbed by cars going to and fro, and the ever-present OB hazard of the road itself is a bit annoying, even if adding to the challenge (I would prefer if it were a river instead). But it is hard to think of anything that could realistically be done about it.

I would rate this course a 5, but I must hold out and think there will be an even better course out there somewhere...at least, that is the way it seems in my dreams.

The general diversity of the course is amazing. The beauty with the Pacific Ocean in the distance. The overall challenge of the course. The fast greens, how treachorous they can be to quickly turn a birdie opportunity into a bogey 4. The competition a player can find there. If you are a top player or think you are or want to become a pro, then you need to make the effort to play this course. The chance to play #27 which is probably the single most famous hole on any disc golf anywhere. I don't think it the prettiest hole I've ever played but it's the one that I'd like to return to play again and again.

The two crossing fairways is not a preferred option. Playing up the hill to get to #27. As a weak, armed, amatuer type player, I felt the course was too "big" for me. Not too long off the tees neccessarily like Paw Paw or the Texas Circle R Ranch courses, just the overall experience.

Can the average ball golfer duffer enjoy a round of golf on a championship course that challenges Tiger Woods? I say yes to some degree and in other ways, it just leads to degrees of frustration. Maybe DeLaveaga is that. But in stating that, Golly, I want to go back and play #27 again.

Nice Tee Pads, Fairways, Drop Offs, Trees to go around and through, makes one think out to throw off the tree and throw there 2nd throw.
Has some beautiful view of Santa Cruz. Has a world champ as a course pro and some Big Guns that are up and comers.

Crossing fairways/crowds/dumb people/etc.
Smokers and the ones that don't pick up their
butts. Some Pin Positions stay the same(yes I know the "there is no alt Pin on that hole") sorry that does do.

Grip It To Rip It
Teach people Disc Golf
If you see a beginner on a course, take some time out and teach/show them a bit about either driving or putting.

Elevation, diversity, and beautiful scenery. What folks have said about getting to use every shot in your bag is true. Outstanding use of elevation, and not just for the Top of the World drive (#27), some of the side-hill looks give you an awful lot to consider (especially #15). #12 is a cool shot from the top of a hill. When the pin is to the right you have a choice, a long straight anhyzer out to the left or the adventurous can try to cut the dogleg off to the right. Be prepared for a long search if you try this route and are unsuccessful. Most holes you're (me anyway) happy with a par but tehre are some birdie opportunities mixed in

Two sets of crossing fairways, 5 & 6 and 13 & 16. This course is where I found out I have an immunity to poison oak as I've spent hours trapsing through the rough here. Tough to navigate the first time you play.

When playing for the first time and you're approaching the pin and you see the ground drop off on either side of the green, don't throw there, it's worse than you can imagine. This course does have some things that could be improved, particularly the crossing fairways, but it's simply the one course I would choose to play if I could only pick one, and I've played close to 100. There are tougher courses, and some maybe even as pretty, just none that are more fun to me which is why I've pegged it at a 5. If you're coming from San Jose take your time and take care, highway 17 is beautiful and dicey. If it's raining beware of mudslides.