- gigantic tees
- 3 pin positions per hole
- fun and challenging pin positions
- nice map by tee 1
- not crowded like most California courses
- benches on every hole
- very nice tee signs (with basket position indicators)
- some safety nets in places where an errant shot could cross fairways or hit a group on another tee
- creative layout with the space they had
- every hole is a little bit different
- lots of other fun things to do in Golden Gate Park other than disc golf too

- no bathrooms or drinking fountains anywhere near the course
- not much parking because you have to park along the side of John F. Kennedy, which is the main road through the park
- some holes don't finish anywhere near the next tee (after 6, you have to walk back down the entire fairway to get to 7's tee, which is right next to 6's) (after 9, you walk up the path past tee 1, for about 400 feet to get to tee 10)(18 back to the cars is a long walk)

This course is a great course, no matter your skill level. For the new player, every hole is fun and not overly challenging. For the advanced player the long pin positions and tight lanes make for a challenge each time.

Some holes, especially on the front 9, are very short and won't challenge a skilled player, but are still extremely fun to play.

About 3/4 of the holes are very creative and fun, either in the fairway design and/or pin positions... but the other 1/4 of the holes are more like filler holes, and that's what keeps this course from getting another half disc. (ie: 2, 10, 14)

Golden Gate is definitely worth stopping at if you're headed anywhere near San Francisco. Relative to many of the great courses, Golden Gate is still very young (2.5 years old), and need some more development, but this course will be at the least, above average unless people start to graffiti the signs, etc. Right now, it definitely is in nearly new shape, and that in itself is an experience in disc golf. Play it and you won't regret it.

This is an excellent course in one of America's finest city parks. There is a great deal to see and do in San Francisco, but if you love disc golf you will definitely enjoy a trip to Golden Gate Park for a round of 18, you can even throw in a trip to a museum or concert or other activity in the park. As usual, the atmosphere is relaxed and as always San Francisco seems to have a festive feeling to it, and this place is no exception.

One is first struck by how nicely the course has been laid out and prepared. Very nice concrete tee pads, wonderful signs at each tee (on angular cut round wood posts), and well-maintained fairways, steps, and paths (the paths are even lined with wood in many locations).

When Golden Gate park was established after the great earthquake of 1906, much of this land consisted of sand dunes that stretched all the way to the beach to the west. The area where the course is located contains many large trees (a mix of pines, redwoods, eucalyptus) which in turn provide a nice canopy over most fairways and make for very nice obstacles.

There are a front 9 and back 9. On the front 9 the hole lengths range from about 230 ft to maybe about 330 ft, the fairways are somewhat tight but not wicked, and you might think the course is too easy. But the back 9 seemed to be much more challenging (at least to me), with more obstacles and trees, much longer distances (over 400 ft for some placements), lots of up and down hill action, and risks galore.

My favorite was probably hole 10. In one of the pin placements the basket is on a large stump down in a ravine, and you tee off from high up the side of the ravine. There is a mandatory that makes you throw a big left-turning air shot downhill. A birdie on this hole would be very satisfying, since running at the basket instead of laying up can be hazardous.

The course ground is a bit dusty, even when the air is moist and foggy. Bring a dust rag and dampen it occasionally with water to wipe off the discs. Follow a group of locals to be sure where the next tee pad is, or you might be a little lost on a couple transitions (9-10, 14-15, etc.).

This portion of the park is very nice, and is used to host several large outdoor concert festivals throughout the year. Check the course web page before making a trip to be sure it isn't closed.

I don't live in San Francisco ($$$), and usually travel into the city on BART into the Union Square area (Powell station). It is really easy to get to the course from Union square by taking bus line 38 west on Geary until you get to 25th Ave. (about a 20 minute ride). Then just walk south downhill to the Park and you'll easily find the course to the right across Fulton.

There aren't many stores immediately nearby the course to pick up beverages, so you might want to grab some before you head into the neighborhood.

After a round, go west on Fulton until you get to the beach, turn right and head uphill and go to the Cliff House (a National Monument) for the greatest bar in all of the city.

As somebody who helped build this course, I'm a little biased. 1. Golden Gate Park. 2. It's great for experienced players, as it offers challenges in the form of OBs and trees that force accurate, narrow flight paths. However, it is accessible enough for beginners, and families, especially the front 9, where the holes are not super long. I've brought my baby out in a jogging stroller (Holes 11-13 are a little tough for this). 3. It's easily accessible by public transportation. 4. There is a practice basket. 5. There are multiple basket positions. 6. It's really hard to lose discs and the club and its members make every effort to return them. 7. The course is well maintained by the local club. 9. The SFDGC is very welcoming to new players, whether to the sport or to the course.

It gets really crowded on week-ends and afternoons. The traffic noises (sirens, car accidents, horns) can sometimes ruin a drive or a putt.

Love ya SFDGC. Miss you guys very much.

This course was my first one player in Cali. I loved it! There was a great mixture of holes left/right dog legs, great use of elevation, and multiple blind throws around obstacles. The front 9 is definately a little easier then the back; more straight on shots and a few elevated baskets. On the back was hidden baskets on almost all the holes along with one being right on the side of a straight drop down a hill. The multiple tee locations was a great amenity to this course. You get the feeling that everytime you play this course it will be different, I really enjoyed that fact.

A couple of the tee maps were worn off so you had to run up and look where the basket was. Holes 17 and 18 throw over each other and was probably the only instance where I had to yell "fore" on the whol course.

The course itself is pretty dry and most of the dirt is sand(so rollers might have some issues here). Other then that very clean, well maintained, friendly players, and the only course in San Fran. I would definately recommend this course for any skill level if you happen to be taking a trip to San Fran.

This coarse is one of the finest, and cleanest I have played. Every tee pad is concrete with a medalion stating who sponsored it. The paths to the next tee are all very well marked except for one. The paths are lined with wood chips. The holes themselves are well designed with many different challenges. Many straight and anhyzer shots. The trees are huge and there is little scrub brush to if you do not land in the fairway it is no biggy except for one hole. I played twice once on a week day and once on a weekend. I did not find much of a wait at all, the players were all helpful and friendly.

The holes are a little short for todays discs.

The police do patrol on very quiet motocross dirt bikes.

Amazing tee pads, three to four positions for every pin. Well marked and pretty easy to follow.
Great local scene.
Very technical with a ton of trees, plenty of OB and a few mandos. Nice elevation changes and wind.
C placements are quite difficult with a few long holes.

Very crowded on weekends and weekday afternoons. Be prepared to play slow and wait at some holes. A few holes are a bit on top of each other (6,7,8 and 17, 18) so watch behind you for drives.

There is a Sunday weekly at 8:30 am it can be crowded so get there early.
There is absolutely NO poison Oak (no Ivy on the west coast) period.
I love this course definitely a great one!
Remember that the paths on 3,4,5,14, 15,17,18 are OB. So is the meadow off 11, 15, 16.

For where it is and the amount of people the it serves, GGP is an excellent course. Good shots abound, the OB is well thought out, and it is pretty technical in spots. Great club, lots of work put in, excellent scene, weeklies, tournies, and doubles.

Too many drunk idiots, people who think of disc golf as something to do while they drink, tee pads can get slick, must take the course out during the music festivals, trash (people...seriously, PACK YOUR TRASH!), the only course in SF when there should be at least two (are you reading this SF Rec and Park??? Get ON IT )

Slowly but sure the big trees here will fall down: they're over 120 years old most of them! Then what? Well the club has begun to plant some other trees and such so that at some point, 20-25 years from now, this place doesn't turn into a barren wasteland of sand and eucalyptus.

Before the white man came to San Francisco, this area was apparently a scrubby live oak woodland. With good planning, it could be again.

-clever design of different hole locations. you can play this course two days in a row and it feels like a different course if they moved the baskets (which they do satisfyingly often)
-great hole variety. only a couple ridiculously wooded shots. only a couple fairly wide open shots.
-there are a couple of long holes, but its more of a shorter technical course
-all nice baskets
-the front 9 is surprisingly different from the back 9. more elevation and length on the back, fewer trees but still wooded
-good for all skill levels.

-gets crowded as hell even on weekdays. if you want to play a nicely flowing round, get there early on a weekday.
-a couple of holes were designed in a way that i end up shooting right at the teepad for the next hole, so traffic can majorly bottleneck, or things get dangerous.
-not easy to navigate in some spots, but there will usually be someone close by glad to direct you
-there can be oblivious foot traffic passing through. most people are kind and interested in watching the discs fly

this is my local course that i've played many many times. its possible to finish under, but never easy.

*applause for the course designer(s)

so many different hole locations. great for wooded shots, some open shots, and some elevation. the course looks amazing and almost all of the nets are gone now allowing for better lines on some holes. great tee pads and maps on the tee. pin indicator lets you know where the pin is at and how far it is. great locals, and friendly passers by.

several paths through golden gate park go through the disc golf course. people typically do not interfere with play but some take a while to walk down the path and this is when you have to wait.

the meadow is a great place to get in some warm up drives and also hit some approaches to make sure your ready to take on the course. its conveniently located next to the first tee.

This is a very pretty course and also quite challenging with a lot of trees to shoot around and through. The course is pretty rugged, with some good hiking as you walk the course. There are multiple pin positions, but I found it dificult to locate some of the baskets from the tee box on my own. There are concrete tee pads and good baskets.

This is a tough course to navigate on your own and is hard to find in Golden Gate Park if you've never been before. An errant shot on this course can easily end up in some brush where it will be dificult to find your disc. There are nets everywhere to protect the trees giving the course a little bit of an aritificial feel. Some other reviewers have commented on how crowded the course is, but when I went it was not crowded at all. I wish there were more people there because I could have really used some help finding my way around.

This course is in the middle of a HUGE park. I mean HUGE. I know because I ran all over the western half of it trying to find the DG course. (For some reason it wasn't pictured on the map that I had) I played the disc golf course while my wife and sister and brother in law rode bikes...and I definitely made the right decision on that one because this was a fun course to play.

The holes are picturesque and the terrain is varied. Some really hard holes! Great hole maps. Just a really fun course that demands many shots. I really like hole 11 (think that is right) across the valley.

Weekend crowds. Just drags. Back 9 can be hard to navigate, esp. holes 13-17. Getting from a finished pin to the next tee tends to be confusing. Friendly folks will help you.
You see a lot of dog walkers and the like on a few holes and there are some tight OB markers surrounding their trails. The tree nets are the mean disc catchers that they look like.

I really like playing this course, but appreciate my local guide! Might get lost otherwise!

Completely professionally installed course, from elaborate support walls holding up elevated tee boxes, signage, this is a work of art. Set in a beautiful park setting, with tall eucalyptus trees providing a lot of the challenge as far as tee shots are concerned. Mostly wooded, but a handful of more open shots. Three pin positions for each hole, in some cases with drastically different difficulties. Course can play very easy in all A positions, or fairly difficult in all C positions. Excellent variety of lefty/righty holes.

Some of the most interesting and challenging C pin positions are only able to be used in tournaments. Course can be crowded on weekends, but if you start early there should be no problem.

The SF Disc Golf Club is a true testament to perseverance and hard work, for fighting 7 years to get this course installed, raising over $50,000 to install it, and doing a perfect job of design, installation, and maintenance. Huzzah!