- good condition concrete tee pads
- good condition baskets
- good variety of distances, 200 to 400+ feet
- tons of technical shaping shots through the trees
- multiple baskets placements on every hole
- good tee signs that give you all the info you need

- it may seem small to some but the navigation of the course is incredibly frustrating. With the multiple basket placements sometimes you can be 500 feet or more from the next tee pad and have no idea where to go. I know on the tee signs it tells you where the next hole is, but it's not always easy to remember. Especially after hit a bunch of trees and taking a 6.

I really wanted to love this course, but left frustrated. I would easily rate this course a 4 if it had improved navigation signage.

Challenging layout. Numerous obstacles. Natural surroundings. Great location.

Hole 1 is nowhere near hole 18 and is tough to find, if you've never played there before. Parking, on a Sunday, is hard to find. No pro shop. Very muddy in winter.

Hanging Oaks is played almost entirely under a canopy of grabby oak trees. While providing much needed shade on those hot Cali days, they also are the signature feature on this course oftentimes forcing you to shape your shot or throw a low tunnel approach. The courses features excellent, descriptive teesigns complete with pictures of the holes as well as the ever helpful washer just below the sign with the A-B-C-D and sometimes E and F basket positions. I found this to be immensely helpful with navigation and shot selection. The course has Mach 3 baskets and nice concrete pads. There were benches and garbage cans throughout the park area.
I found the course to be challenging but fair. Many baskets were set in the longs and I didn't feel overwhelmed and I'm a old man and can barely get it out to 300'.
Although high and dry, the moat hole looked like it would be a blast to play when filled w/water.

And to repectfully disagree with my esteemed previous reviewer, "Speedly". # 18 was in the long position when I played it. To me, it looked impossible so having the box, I tried some ridiculous shot I pulled out of my ass and ending up bogeying the hole. My two local partners simply threw low tunnel drives and both finished with easy pars. My point is, that hole, especially in the long, looks daunting, but is very parable.

I can't think of any major cons. There were other groups on the course this day but I didn't feel endangered or crowded. The course area seems disc golf exclusive.
Even in the "longs" I didn't feel totally overwhelmed.

I really enjoyed my experience here at the Oaks. Combined with Condon and Auburn Regional made for a great day day of experiencing new courses in the area. It'd be great to live down here and be able to golf the year around in pleasant weather.

-Nice hole design. Good placement of your drives is key on this coarse.
-Lots of trees for obstacles
-technical, narrow fairways
-Couple of the holes have nice elevation change
-Well maintained
-Nice baskets, tee pads, and signs
-Fairly easy to navigate
-pretty setting

-Some of the holes became a little monotonous. Over abundance of long, flat, straight, narrow holes.
-Very easy crack a disc with so many trees
-Found myself wanting a little more elevation change given that it's in the foothills
-Couple of wide open holes would be sweet

Overall great coarse. Of the two however, Grass Valley takes the cake. Grass Valley is the destination coarse and this is the coarse you play because your already in the area.

A really nice course in a nice park. Seems to favor right handed players, which is a pro for me. It definitely tests your ability to throw down long narrow fairways. Baskets, cement tees, benches, trash cans - all good features of any course.

This popular course gets busy and can involve a lot of waiting. The long narrow fairways can lead to a very frustrating high score involving hitting a lot of trees.

Make it a day-of-disc (45 holes!) by playing this course (Penn Valley), Browns Valley, and Grass Valley. Don't forget to bring lunch and plenty of water.

Concrete Pads
Multiple (and I mean a lot) of Basket Placements per hole
Signage is good. Bolt-in-the-hole system to tell you where the basket is.
Some really amazing use of topography, including several holes where water comes into play (I just uploaded a pic of the signature island basket placement - take a look)
Mix of short technical and long open holes
Benches on each hole
Practice baskets

A few of the holes are very close together and presents the opportunity for injury from stray discs.
Some of the long placements are very long (for me anyway) and are a bit tight considering the distance.

I love comming down from Reno/Tahoe during the winter, getting some warmth, seeing some green, and playing three courses in a day. Either Auburn, Grass Valley, Penn Valley, or GV, PV, and Browns Valley. Each course is unique and makes a fun outing.

The locals start at hole 17 and have placed a practice basket near the gazebo there. Perhaps it is time to renumber the holes?

This course has a great variety of long and technical shots. Some great holes and some picturesque greens. There are some water hazards that if played o.b. add great challenge to the round.(was dry when I played). I thought this course played very well. This course rewards control and can definitely punish errant shots. Even putts can be challenging with small island greens or hazards close to the pin.

There are a lot of pin locations. I was fortunate to be playing with some locals who were a big help with pin locations. Some of the tee pads felt a little small. There was one hole that I felt was a bit poke and hope.

I think that this is a great alternative to Condon. They play differently but I definitely liked both courses. This course is a little more open without the manzanita but still has some tight fairways that require accuracy.

Fun course. Lots of different pin placements. Keeps it interesting.
When the pins are set short, it makes you feel good about how you are playing.

When pins are set deep, it is very hard to get down to them. (for me anyways)

Penn Valley is one course you should play if you are in the area.

Nice course. Nice hike. Challenging lanes, dodge the trees.

All the pins are pretty much straight ahead.

This is DG country so prepare to wait or cut ahead.

A fun, challenging course appropriate to all ages and skill levels. The long pin placements will challenge the big arms, while the shorter ones offer technical difficulties.

Situated in a public park that once was a working cattle ranch, the mostly level terrain features native California oaks and seasonal water hazards. Hole 3 is the signature "moat" hole, an elevated island surrounded by water, with small ponds on Holes 9 and 11.

A good alternative for Sacramento-area golfers when those courses are busy (meaning "always"), especially when they bring money for doubles, which are held Tuesday afternoons except when they're not.

Big arms may not find this quite challenging enough, and some wooden poles have been placed on the course as artificial obstacles where trees have been damaged or removed. Some people like them, for various reasons, but I find them objectionable. Plant trees, not poles.

To get to the first tee, drive to the first large parking lot after you enter Western Gateway Park. Walk west across a grassy field; you'll see a brown A-frame sign near the tee pad. Locals use a dirt lot on Penn Valley Drive just west of the park entrance, which puts you at the tee pad for Hole 17 (and prevents your car getting locked in the park after hours). Bathrooms available at the top parking lot and also the pavilion next to Hole 18.