This course is one of the better 18 hole courses I have played in Cali so far.

Great variety on holes, some are long and open, others are short and require quite technical shots.

Great shade to protect you from the sun.

Pro shop with good disc selection.

People people people. Let me elaborate because this is the biggest Con with this course.

1) Pro shop staff. Pretty rude when asking about the course and play. I just asked the question, "It's busy out today, are there any holes that you would recommend me starting on since I'm a solo player?". I thought this was a decent question because at most courses I've been to, you can start at 2-3 different holes near the parking lot to avoid a large crowd at hole one and I am a very quick player. His response was, "If you don't want to get in a fight, start at hole 1".

2) Locals. After following the "advice" of the shop owner, went to hole one where a group of 8 locals wanted to cut in front of me to start and made a big deal about me playing. C'mon guys, 1 player vs 8? I'm not going to slow you down. Also, people take bag tags too seriously around here. They are just numbers, and this is just a game, no reason to be rude to non-locals or get so serious about something so trivial to the point of wanting to fight someone.

One of the best courses in the area, I have had a great experience there and a bad experience there, based on the crowd/people who show up.

Great layout. Numerous Trees to keep you guessing. Very removed from urban environment.

A small creek runs right down the middle of many holes and you might be fishing.

Lots of right bends, so make sure you bring your anhyzer game.

I am lucky enough to play here almost everyday. The multiple pin placements and frequency of change keeps it fresh. A mix of long and short, right and left keeps the round fun mixing shots. The creeks and trees changing throughout the year is also a game changer. Having a pro shop may be a downside for my wallet. The locals are a good group, my game has improved greatly since I started playing the Get Bent Daily random draw doubles.

Lately parking has been hard. I am amazed at how seriously folks take bag tags, it's a key chain with a number on it for christ sakes. A thousand people play here everyday, I'd like to see more help with the course maintenance.

OV for life! Get Bent.

Moderate elevation change throughout course. Concrete tees and multiple pin locations on every hole. Quality signs on every hole showing hole layout and pin locations with distances and a washer showing the current pin location. Garbage cans at every hole. Great pro shop on site with a great selection of discs and gear, as well as drinks and snacks. Water in play on many holes. Challenging technical shots with many obstacles to shoot around. Good variety of hole layouts not favoring any single throwing style and requiring a lot of shot shaping. Well maintained course with a great group of regulars. Several tournaments hosted annually. Good scenery throughout the course.

Only one tee on all holes except for hole 12 where there are 2. Some holes are pretty open and depending on the pin placement can be fairly easy. This is an extremely popular course (and for good reason) so it is often busy, especially in the afternoons, which means you will often have to wait. Several holes are pretty flat.

This is the best course in the Sacramento area and one of my personal favorites. The course isn't extremely challenging but is still a lot of fun to play even if you're a professional. Holes 4-8 are the most memorable for me as they play through a wooded area with a winding creek running through. I would recommend arriving early if possible. I have very rarely run into a big crowd before 11AM but if you arrive after noon on a nice day you will most likely be waiting for a bit at a few holes. No alcohol is allowed on the course, and this rule has been enforced a lot by undercover cops this summer at this course. Also refrain from using herbs around hole 5 as the neighbors have been known to take pictures of disc golfers breaking park rules. I have heard that these neighbors have even made attempts to shut the course down, so please be on your best behavior on hole 5. Update (01/17/2013): Police still enforcing no alcohol policy on course; several people were cited around holes 4 & 5 by a plain clothed police officer.

- Pretty good layout, only a few fairways overlap

- Best Pro Shop I've ever been to on site. I cant imagine theres a disc they don't sell.

-Some really memorable holes. Love 4-8, which run along a creek bed and require pretty precise drives. Back 9 is pretty good. Two big ole bomber holes that I can remember.

- Course upkeep is nice. All the lines are well worn in, and trash is surprisingly sparse, given the number of people that go through on a weekly basis

- Crowded as hell, and not always a good crowd either. Even at 7am there are waits on some holes. This wouldn't be too bad if a lot of the crowd wasn't kind of douchey. Almost pointless to go on a weekend or holiday.

- Rough going when wet. Day or two after a big rain will leave the course super slick and muddy. The large number of golfers that come through really tear up some areas (hole 3 specifically).

I'm from socal, but my wife is from El Dorado Hills, so I get up to play this one 5 or 6 times a year. I really like the layout but the course is practically unplayable on weekends or afternoons due to the long waits. One of the best courses in the area though, and if you can get a weekday off I'd recommend checking it out.

Fun course right off of Hazel, making it super easy to find. There are a fun variety of shots, and creeks that run through lots of the property making shots on some holes more risky. There are tons of squirls running around the course. There are nice concrete teepads throughout the course with extended folow through areas. The baskets are all prety nice. There's a great pro shop on site if you need to pick up some new discs.

This is one of the most crowded courses that I've ever played. There is allmost allways a wait on every hole, and lots of groups won't let you play through even if you are playing way faster. The last time I was out on the course there was a cop hanging out in plain clothes giving people tickets for drinking and smoking.

A very challenging course that has a creek that runs through much of the layout (creating more challenge and thoughtful shot selection). A little elevation is thrown into the mix on a dusty track (in summer) and replace this dust with a mix of grass & tall grass in the winter. The multiple pin placements were pointed out by the locals and had me drooling for more.

Though it was a busy day and I reached a log jam on hole #5 (see cons), the group ahead of me offered to let me play with them which added much enjoyment to my round. It always having good company (and course guides!).

Fantastic amenities - Pro shop, Around the world putting course, 2 other practice baskets, and restrooms!

A very popular course - so be patient and expect to wait a bit at the tee pads. Though other reviewers claim that people won't let you play through, I did not have this issue. Hole #5 is a typical spot for a log jam - due to the difficulty level of 5 & 6, and intersecting fairways. Beyond that, the waits were not bad.

The creekbed was dry when I played, but I was told that when wet, it is very swampy and easy to lose a disc in the deep water. I don't like losing discs (does anyone?), but some of the fairways are just waiting to gobble your discs - even with a seemingly decent drive.

Get good on this course in the summer, and then you will have the confidence to challenge that creek in the winter. I'm telling you, my shots would have changed to a far more conservative game if that creek had been running. At the same time, I look at that as a positive - I like to have holes that require some finesse instead of just blasting every shot.

Holes 13-18 seemed very quiet compared with the rest of the course - I played this convenient loop a couple of times late in the day, instead of playing the crowded front 9.

-pro shop
-bathrooms
-3 practice baskets
-almost all holes in the shade

The only con i have is there is a cop that wonders around and writes tickets to everyone with a beer or dog off the leash....to make things better he parks in the parking lot and gives away tickets to people with bad registration

This is a great course for anyone to play cause it is very challenging with alot of O.B. and trees. I recommend it to anyone that passes through the area with disks....probably the best course in Sacramento.

- Bathrooms on site
- Practice baskets near the pro shop
- Numerous garbage cans and very little litter on the course
- Concrete tees and clear, accurate signage
- Signs posted for any mandatories
- Varied hole layouts challenge all aspects of a player's game
- Course layout is both intuitive and accurately represented in course maps
-Friendly, knowledgeable staff at the on-site pro shop

- Very crowded by 11:00 am every day.
- Extremely muddy for most of the late fall, winter and early spring

-Watch out for snakes, mosquitos, and dogs off leash
- Show up 15-20 minutes before sunrise if you want to get a round or two in before it crowds up
- See the pro shop for lost & found
- Beware of numerous water hazards from September-April, as the fairway for several holes are dominated by a creek.

As mentioned before, lots of challenging holes and plenty of variations. Pretty good bunch of folks that frequent the place. Used by many age groups and ethnic backgrounds.

Beware of walkers, joggers, horses, family's etc.
Drinking, cigs and 420 have cast a shadow, unfortunately. Citations are not unheard of and the tolerance level by the neighboring home owners is growing thinner. The course post warnings to violators at the 1st tee.

I love the diversity of this course. The dog legs and tricky basket placements keep you on your toes. The creek comes into play often and creates plenty of risk reward shots. I spent 15 minutes, knee high in the creek for 15 minutes, two weeks ago, and never found my Orc! Love that disc. Two day's later it was waiting for me in the pro-shop. Good karma to whoever you are =)

Lot's of variety, heavily wooded to wide open, left's, right's, and straight ahead holes.
- Creek flows past many of the holes, sometimes crossing the fairways multiple times in a single hole
- Huge amount of risk / reward shots
- Distances range from short and sweet to long and wooded
- Nice concrete teepads
- Good signage
- Great pro shop onsite with excelent selection including many rare discs that they get printed for tournys
- There is only a little elevation change on the course, but it definatly helps add to the experence
- Easy to find, right off of Hazel.
- Trash Cans around
- Benches on most holes sometimes 2
- Practice baskets next to the pro shop
- Easy to navigate
- Great use of land given

- Usualy crowded during peak hours, sometimes with large groups, some of which won't let smaller groups play through
- Creek is often brown and deep neer the basket and can be hard to find a disc in
- Road noise on the holes neer the back of the course
- A couple of holes are blind
- Can get muddy in the winter and dusty in the summer

-overall one of sacramento's bests course

Everything! Great layout, 18 holes, challenging obstacles, great indoor pro shop, each hole has multiple pins that are changed regularly, shady (thus the name), well maintained, plenty of friendly people. FREE to play.

Easy to lose a disc on many of the holes with all the trees. Can get VERY hot in the summer, but there is shade. Can be VERY muddy in rainy seasons.

This is my personal favorite course, I play often as I only live 20-25 minutes away.

Shady Oaks lives up to it's name as most of the round is played in the shade underneath the mighty oak trees. This is especially nice during the summer months when things really heat up. The pro shop on site is awesome, and has a huge selection of discs as well as food and drink. There are bathrooms next to the parking lot and 2 practice baskets are located just beyond the pro shop. Every hole has solid concrete tee pads as well as benches and trash cans. Multiple pin positions that get changed weekly ensure the course never gets boring. A washer system showing the current pin location is on all tee signs. Course layout is excellent, flows nicely, and should be fairly easy to navigate for 1st timers. Each hole is unique and different forcing you to throw many different types of shots. Considering the location there is a good use of elevation, and a creek that runs thru much of the course comes into play on more than a few holes depending on the time of year.

An insane amount of people play this course every day! If you come later in the day or on a weekend be prepared for what could be the longest round of your life. Also sometimes out here you do come across some pretty questionable people.

I learned to play disc golf here and while the course has changed over the years it has always remained challenging and fun. No two holes are the same and most offer a great risk/reward factor. Poor shots off the tee can be severely punished making par tough to get while there are still plenty of birdie ops to be had.

Very prominent DG community & culture. Superclean, well laid-out, superb teepads and signage, excellent baskets. High number of trees; played in fall, so leaves everywhere, but very aesthetically pleasing. Excellent flow to the layout, especially for the large crowds playing. Not too long, not too short. Amazing DG pro shop on site; easily found a rare disc I've been looking for. Benches at each teepad. Just a perfectly maintained DGC that has obviously been around for a while, and gets tons of traffic. Beautifully "broken-in".

Right up there with Golden Gate, Condon, & Sunset for busiest DGC I've played. Not too hilly.

This course compares with De La Raza in San Jose. Joined up with a couple college kids on 5th hole, and overall had a really great 1st time out.
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Uniqueness: A (a truly nice course; aged like a fine wine)
Difficulty: A- (tons of trees; more elevation would be better)
Fun Factor: A (great hole designs; tons of shot variety & drive options)
Aesthetics: A (gracefully aged for a 30 yr old course; litter free!)
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Overall: A

Long, beautiful holes
Great variety
18 entirely different holes
Pro shop right there

Not for beginners, almost lost a few discs
Not very well laid out
Crowded all day
Many course users are drug users, but nice enough...

I went by myself, not knowing what to expect. I managed to join a small group that knew the course, the only issue was that every 2 or 3 holes they would smoke, and not cigarettes... I would normally say this was a fluke, but I noticed the same behavior with several other groups on the course.

This course has plenty of fun factor for me. It gave me enough challenges where I had to try strategize a bit about my shot selections without being too frustrated like I might have at other tougher courses.

I played this course with my dad who doesn't play that often, so the course was still enjoyable for him. The course doesn't play overly too long for many of the players like my dad.

There are definitely some ace opportunities here. I have come close to getting one on couple of holes, and that definitely drives up the fun factor for me.

There's a pro shop on location, and who wouldn't like that?

The baskets are hard to see from the tees, so it was difficult for me to ascertain which pin placement is being used.

There are few people that did not have proper etiquette when it comes to playing. There were a large group of 7 players that refused to let us play through for 6 holes before a local joined my group. I don't know if this is prevalent for this course or not, but it made for a big first impression.

I'd come back to this course if I'm passing through Sacramento. It's perfect for a casual round of disc golf with friends or even with one of the locals.

I just certainly hope that they don't put gums on my car again! What, the locals don't like out-of-staters come play at the course?

Solid concrete tee pads, holes well marked and easy to understand, varied shot opportunities, course was clean and seemed well kept, multiple pin placements indicated by washers on t-pad markers. I enjoyed playing under the shade of the trees. There is a creek running through the course, which adds to the challenge of shooting under par. We arrived at 8:00am on a Saturday and had no course traffic problems even with 20+ cars in the parking lot. This was our first time playing this course and everyone we spoke to were extremely friendly and helpful. Didn't see or run into any of the "shady folks" others have mentioned here in the review. Most of the players we met were experienced players, which was motivating for us. Note that we started at 8:00am. We played 2 rounds and by 10:45am there were about 7-10 people waiting at Tee #1 and the parking lot was almost full.
It was huge plus to have a pro shop there as well with a pretty extensive varied selection of discs/weights and disc manufacturers. I can see why this is a favorite course for many. Would love to play this course again.

The only downside besides the potential overcrowding is the terrain being mostly dirt. The weather was awesome for us, but mud would be a problem after any rain.

Need another 18+ course in area.

-18 holes with many diffirent pin locations
-Lots of different types of holes, this course will teach you how to do it all
-Nice wooded setting, nice mix of trees and a stream runnning through
-Great pro shop on site

- Usually very busy
-Lots of "Riff Raff" - high schoolers throwing tomahawks 50 feet into a tree, 38 year old guys with no shirt and a pony tail(really dude? really?), etc...
- Hole 5 has a pin location that is 500 something feet deep, secluded by trees. I don't mind that it's still a par 3, but it really slows the flow of the course.

Absolutely love this course when theres not a 20 minute wait to tee off at hole 1. Great diversity of holes and many pin locations make no round ever the same. Decent amount of locals that are good and friendly. The only problem I have are the low-life people with 1 disc and a 6 pack and don't let people play through. They had a security guard hanging out the past 3 months or so, but haven't seem him the past couple weeks.

- Lot's of variety, heavily wooded to wide open, left's, right's, and straight ahead holes.
- Creek flows past many of the holes, sometimes crossing the fairways multiple times in a single hole
- Huge amount of risk / reward shots
- Distances range from short and sweet to long and wooded
- Nice concrete teepads
- Good signage
- Great pro shop onsite with excelent selection including many rare discs that they get printed for tournys
- There is only a little elevation change on the course, but it definatly helps add to the experence
- Easy to find, right off of Hazel.
- Trash Cans around
- Benches on most holes sometimes 2
- Practice baskets next to the pro shop
- Easy to navigate
- Great use of land given

- Usualy crowded during peak hours, sometimes with large groups, some of which won't let smaller groups play through
- Creek is often brown and deep neer the basket and can be hard to find a disc in
- Road noise on the holes neer the back of the course
- A couple of holes are blind
- Can get muddy in the winter and dusty in the summer

Shady Oaks is a wonderfuly varied course in the Sacramento area. I would definatly say that it is the best course in the Sac area by what I've played The biggest problem that I think this course has is that it is busy, but the only way to help with this would be to put in more good courses in the area. The pro shop thats on location is the best spot in Sac to buy discs. Thier selection is top notch, with many discs that you usualy can't buy in retail (Cryztal Challenger's, Champion Archangels etc...). They also have bags, straps, clothing, food, drinks, and all kinds of other stuff.

For the St. Patty's tourny they also put in some extra holes along the backside of the course. These holes are mostly short and overgrown, with lots of poison oak. They also have natural teepads. I would probably rate this course a little lower if these holes were part of the perminant course in thier current condition, but as they are only used for the tourny I won't hold them against the course.

- Excellent layout
- Requires a multitude of shots
- No ridiculously long holes or stupidly difficult pins, save for the longest placement on hole 5
- Variety in pin locations, selections, hole designs, etc.
- Practice baskets in a devoted area
- Despite other reviews, actually does have grass in the winter/spring months

- Can get dusty
- Gotta get there before 10 AM, because the doubles think they own the place
- Sometimes is the place of disc golfers that choose to partake in objectionable actions or substances
- Customer service in the pro shop is absolutely horrible

This is where I learned to play. While I wouldn't recommend it for all other beginners, it definitely did serve to make me climb the learning curve much, much faster than a completely wide-open course (such as Elk Grove DGC).

The customer service in the shop is terrible. Jim Oates seems to think he's God's great gift to disc golf, and has had the attitude to support that notion each time I've spoken with him. A few of the other workers in the shop sport the same attitude, which is why I'll happily go play the course, but won't give Jim or his employees another cent.

In short: great course, terrible administration.