Very challenging
Beautiful scenery
Different types of holes
A lot of animals - turkeys, hawks, rabbits
Decent workout on the uphills

POISON OAK!!!
Very challenging
Blind holes
Difficult to know which basket is being used
A lot of brush to contend with if your shot goes wonky
Poor tee signage

This is a lovely course with a lot to offer. As a novice, it s very challenging but really fun. It would be difficult to play alone, as a spotter is needed to find the baskets and your discs. The course is located near parking area #2. Follow the signs to the Terwiliger Trail. Take the trail for about an eighth of a mile. Where the trail bears to the right, go straight ahead and you will see a set of stairs that takes you to the first tee. Beware of poison oak - pre-treat your skin with Tecnu or take other precautions.

- Built on a huge track of open land dedicated to the course
- Has several massive launches which allow you to fully air things out down a hillside with ~15 second flight times
- Some technical short holes mixed in as well
- Stunning views of Marin grasslands and Stafford Lake
- Mutlple pin placements keep things interesting on return trips
- Concrete tee pads, decent baskets

- A bit of a hike to get from parking lot to first tee
- Hard to navigate first time. Need spotters on a number of holes.
- Hole 1 is a painful uphill slog, but after that, oh mama...
- When the grasses get long in spring and early summer don't bother coming. Fall is the best time
- On the mega launches, if you are just slightly off, you could find yourself walking several hundred feet down into a ravine for your next shot - think ultimate risk-reward
- Not really a con, but this is not a beginner course
- Hard to find a solid map...apparently there's a few secret holes on the front nine but I have never seen that part of the course diagrammed out
- Hard to score well if you're not a regular

Stafford is and epic destination course and probably the best in the Bay Area (when the grass isn't high.) With its open layout, this course just plays "BIG" again and again across a mountain side and then down towards the shores of the lake. If you like getting in the car and going somewhere special for several hours of disc glory and big air shots, Stafford should be on your list if you are in the SF area.

Has practice basket

Has concrete tee pads

Some holes have an alternate short or long tee pad

Has tee signs with locations of the various basket placements

Has many benches throughout course

Has multiple basket placements for all holes

Course flows pretty well

More open than wooded fairways with most holes having changes in elevations and some having doglegs

Challenging, long course with variety of pars

Park is exclusive for disc golf and you won't see other parkgoers

Nice scenery

Baskets are hard to locate on some holes - need flags or bright paint

Needs more next tee signs - recommend a course map for the first-timer

Some holes require blind shots - recommend a spotter

Grass is high in certain areas - watch where your drives land

Long walks between the parking lot and first tee/last hole

Pay to park but worth it

This a nice, challenging 18 hole course in Marin County that I enjoyed playing while vacationing out here. This course and surrounding area has very nice scenery especially during the wet season when there's a lot of green. I had a little trouble in finding the first tee when I wandered too far on the trail but once I located the stairs then I knew that I was close. Playing hole 1 was one of the steepest holes that I ever played. After playing the first hole, the rest of the holes were easier to traverse. Some holes were wide open but not necessarily easy since the wind is a factor at this course. Holes 4&5 were pretty tight and are opportunities to lose discs here. At the time I played this solo round, the grass was green and pretty high in certain areas so that presented another opportunity to lose discs. Holes 6, 14, and 17 had some nice, breathtaking views before teeing off. Hole 7 was interesting in that there is a left and a right tee. There was an orange cone on the right tee so I thought that I should play on the left tee. It turns out that the basket was in the far right position - not sure if I played that hole correctly or not. I got to see some deer out on holes 8&9 afterwards. Hole 9 is a long hole that I almost played the hole 11 basket instead. The Mach 3 baskets are my least favorite but they were in good shape and caught well. Some of the baskets are hard to spot from the tee pad with the trees in between. This course has an extra four holes between holes 4&5 that are technical but I couldn't find them. All in all, this course was challenging and fun to play and I'm glad I played it before leaving California. I recommend playing it if you're in the area.

If you are in the area, this is a must play course. We traveled up from Southern California and were not disappointed. I feel for whoever designed this course. It had to have been an incredible amount of work getting this course put in on the mountainside. The elevation couldn't have been used better with plenty of shots up and down the hills. Hole 1 is a nice punch in the face, welcoming you to the course...400+ straight up hill to the pin. Crazy scenic views as you walk the fairways. This course requires a ton of power to get your pars.

We got a bit confused after hole 4 as they added some bonus holes if you go past the pin and to the right (4 or 5 new pins back in there that are mostly shorter shots through the woods). We thought we were on 5-8 and were trying to match that up with the map and were confused for a while until we stumbled into hole 5 and realized that it was a bonus loop. I wish I had known that in advance so I am pointing that out now. Not sure if those are permanent or not but I hope they are...great addition to the course.

Lots of blind shots...be prepared to do a lot of extra walking on the fairways before you throw to see what is out there. This makes for a great use of the land and adds a TON of challenge. Also makes it a bit easy to lose a disc here or there if you aren't familiar with the course and where you disc might go when throwing over a wall of trees into a valley. Not trying to be too critical about that because that is very much what makes this course amazing to play!

Bring extra discs, wear good shoes and be prepared to get worn out playing some of the best disc golf in the country. I heard someone say this was Avery Jenkin's favorite course...not sure if that is the case or not but I can certainly believe that is possible and speaks to what a beast this course is. Be prepared to be humbled and congratulate yourself if you even come close to shooting par.

Three cons:

1 - The lack of signage on the bonus holes. I am not complaining they are there...they are awesome and more holes in the shade are always welcome but it was confusing.

2 - The ground is too rough for rollers, which would be nice to be able to throw on some of these holes that are too long for my backhand shot but would have been reachable with a roller.

3 - The 1000 foot hole was incredibly challenging and awesome (how often do you get to play a hole that long?). That wasn't the problem. The problem was you could see 2 pins in view at the end and the one visible first wasn't the correct one. Not a big deal, just confusing.

Awesome park. We saw lots of wildlife (deer walking the fairways with fawns, geese, etc). Friendly people in the park were very helpful and made the course easier to follow. The views are spectacular. It just makes you want to stop here and there and take it all in. Can't wait to play this course again!

Huge layout, decent workout hike. lots of alternate tees and baskets. Huuge bombing 1000' and short technical aceables. Extra 5 precision holes between 4 and 5 makes it 23. Seemingly impossible holes you can eventually figure out. Rarely crowded, even more rare are pedestrians since its the far side of the lake.

I think most cons are part of the charm. Extreme difficulty, difficult to follow if you've never played the course. Spotters frequently needed. Long walk from parking lot. For me these add to the course but I know sometimes people won't like these features!

This is my home course for 6 years now but I started playing this course in about 1998 or so.

This has been a 23 hole course for a couple of years (4a through 4e) so I'm not sure why there is a statement that it is 18. It's now secret!

Nestled in the hills of Novato, Stafford Lake is one of the premier places to play in California due to its beauty, remote location, and challenge. The course continuously plays up and down hillsides, incorporating a variety of natural obstacles along the way. Tall grass lines the fairways, with groves of trees scattered throughout. Stafford Lake itself sits below the course and is the backdrop for the entire round. Wildlife flourishes in the area, with wild turkey, lizards, raptors, deer, wildcats, etc., roaming the land making for a visually pleasing and exciting round!

Big arm throwers will have an advantage here, but accurate throwers with good placement can save strokes along the way. Stafford Lake has a handful of wooded holes (the letter holes between holes 4&5) which add a refreshing technical aspect to what is an otherwise open course. It gives players a chance to grab a few birdies before getting back to those longer and more grueling holes. Smart play can often times beat power and distance if you can stay on the fairway and sink your putt!

Par for the course is 58, with two Par 4's and one Par 5. At over 6,600', this course plays long. Each hole has multiple pin positions and excluding the letter holes, dual tee pads. Signage provides images of local animals, par, distance, and pin locations. However, when the grass is not cut navigation can be difficult. If possible, try playing with someone familiar with the course to help with the speed of play.

Stafford Lake is known as a "pros" course. Intermediate and advanced players will experience a lot of pleasure but also pain. How much pain however, depends on your conditioning and mental fortitude. Due to constant elevation and sloped fairways/greens, discs can pick up and roll away. If you're lucky, it won't end up 50' downhill or in a patch of poison oak. Wind and heat can also play a major factor depending on the season and/or time of day. Bring lots of water, tissue, food, and sunscreen as the only restrooms and tables are near parking lot. The walk to the first tee is ¼ mile but a nice warm up in my opinion. Print off a map as navigation can be tricky at times and be prepared for the round to take a while due to the terrain. There is also a park fee of $8/M-F or $10/ Sat-Sun but again, I am more than happy to pay to play on a course as amazing as this one. If I was a local I would just pony up and buy an annual parks pass.

The course sits perfectly in the middle of San Fran and Napa, making it the ideal spot for a quick day trip whether you're visiting from the city or the wine country. Growing up near Santa Cruz, I spent most my time playing De La and Hellyer. After 20 years of living in Cali, I moved to the Pacific Northwest but always felt saddened and a bit guilty that I had never played Stafford. I always said next time but never found the time. This time I did! My best friend and I flew down from Seattle and played a bunch of courses including De La, of course, but also Stafford. I was so happy that I could finally mark this course played as it instantly became an all time favorite!

Other must plays in the area: Golden Gate Park, Skyline, De LaVeaga

This course is just incredible. I have played at a lot of courses, but even if you only play here once, you will remember it for the beautiful views and intense variation.

The location seems pretty remote, I was here on a lovely Saturday afternoon and there were maybe 3 or 4 groups on the course at any time.

Not beginner friendly... At all. If you are not experienced at disc golf, I'd recommend keeping your discs in the bag and being the water boy.

You may lose a disc, unfortunately. Try to keep it in the fairway. Leave your first run Champion Ape at home.

The reason I haven't given it a 5 is that the course layout can be a little unfair. Hole 1 is literally straight up a hill, 450 feet. My arm nearly fell off by the time I reached hole 2.

This course is an extreme challenge. I found my way out here one day while on a work trip and I was lucky enough to play along with another friendly group. In my two holes of playing alone I nearly stepped on a snake (hole 1, basking in the sun) and saw a ton of poison oak. It wasn't a rattlesnake, but I do believe they're around. That said, play alone at your own risk.

Also, I have a hard time understanding the complaints about the $5-10 fee. This is one of the very best disc golf courses in the entire world. Those who have played it are lucky to have experienced it in their lifetime. I'm trying to imagine what I'd rather spend $5 on.

You will be tired at the end of the day... This is a day long experience. Bring a camera.

Stunning views, variety of shots needed, length, elevation, wildlife..

$10 per car on the weekend

Listen to the course discription.. it is VERY hilly with significant elevation change and poison oak everywhere. The views are amazing and feel like you are in the middle of a different country. We made the trip up from San Diego and there is nothing like this down there. This course tested my power, shot shaping, and creativity. it was a lot of fun. However, two days later and I am still extremely sore from the hike!

This course is an epic destination spot for playing, especially if you are a gold lever player or a top pro looking to challenge your game. There are many opportunities for long bombs off the tee and this is required in order to score well. You will be throwing a lot of uphill and downhill throws, with great variety in the shape of your shot as well. Landing areas and the way you land is crucial to avoiding discs rolling away and there are many tricky basket locations that don't help you out on that front. Punishment off the fairway is decent.

There are both multiple basket locations and tee pads for even more variety here. I played the course with all short positions but I scouted out the middle and longer positions as well to concrete my rating and overall thoughts on the course as a traveling player, being as I am not a local and am not completely familiar with the course.

The par four hole and par five hole(s) have very defined fairways and landing areas with lots of good punishment for those not hitting the lines and landings. As an amateur the par five, hole nine hole was very difficult based solely on length but looks like a very good challenge for pros with obstacles that I didn't really have an issue with. The large tree in the middle of the fairway and the tree wall on the right make a top player have to choose a shot/line here where I could just 'throw down the middle' and be fine.

Make sure you play the long tee for hole number 14; this is a sort of "top of the world shot" that is highly underrated as a hole. Sure it may not be as open or as high up as the `Whistler's Bend' hole but it's a much better, challenging hole at least in the far position that I didn't get to play sadly. This is a great downhill shot without just being there for fun, it's also a good, hard hole...Giggity...

Its gets very hot and dry in this area during the Summer time and there are a lot of up and down hill walking in the heat with virtually no shade. Keeping with this theme there are some blind basket locations with require scouting before you throw. The grass can get very tall and make finding your throws much more difficult, I played it while this was the case. The new wooded section has poison oak all over it so bad when I was there that we didn't even want to go near those holes and only checked them out from a distance. $$$ It's a tad on the expensive side for some ($8 If I remember correctly) of those who want cheap golf. The long walk from the parking lot to the course is a bit of a hassle.

Each tee sign has a picture of something on it from a rabbit, deer, turkey, tick, etc. and every hole that had whatever picture on it we saw all of those the day we played. I got pictures of deer, rabbits, chipmunks, wild turkeys, lizards and the lake of course. I also got my first tick ever stuck to me and I freaked out a little as we don't really have much of those near the Seattle area.

The views are awesome, the golf is awesome and the wildlife is abundant and awesome and there is lots of it. I wouldn't take a brand new player here unless I hated them but other than that you should be playing this course! Seriously get off of the computer and go play!

This park has an abundance of beautiful scenery and wildlife. There is a great mix of long, short, uphill, downhill, open, closed, left doglegs and right doglegs. There are handful of holes that have some serious distance. This course will test your range of skill. Baskets, maps, and signage are very good. Tees are almost all concrete and are generally in very good shape

I finally got a chance to play the 'bonus' holes up the hill from 4. They've successfully filled in some design gaps with heavily wooded tight lines and tunnel shots. These holes really round out the course nicely and add shot variety that doesn't really exist in the original 18.

This course requires a lot of hiking in a hilly wilderness area. Pack in extra water and snacks. Wear pants and durable shoes to protect from burrs and poison oak. Despite coming prepared, I ended my round exhausted and dehydrated.

While I greatly appreciated the bonus holes, they were poorly marked and blanketed in poison oak. I grew very tired walking up and down hills scouting for tees and baskets.

This can be a tough course both physically and mentally. It's an epic slice of land where the course designers seem to have virtually unrestricted control over layout. This leads to some really spectacular and thoughtful layouts. If you're above beginner, give this course a try!

This course was just amazing, don't really know where to start. Great views, great tee boxes, pocket maps at hole #1 for first timers like me, brooms at most if not all tee boxes.

Can be confusing on the basket you are throwing at on a few holes. Also someone new to the course may stumble on to the "extra holes" and wonder whats going on these are not on the map.

Very friendly fellow behind us that we let play through gave us a few tips for navigating the course, like the rabbit ears that hide a basket on a hole(a bush that almost looks like a rabbit head.

All this course needs is a beverage shack or a cart girl! (not being sexist)
Love/hate this course
As a new player, I come here to measure my progress. Then I go to Crane Creek to fix my game.
The first 3 holes are tough, long, uphill, over trees. Hole 6 is epic downhill drive
8 is my favorite with a resting spot under a killer oak tree. This is a great place for a break. I always envision Robert Plant/Jimmy Page jamming out under this tree.
I try to break 40 on the front 9 and 35 on the back 9.

A bit of a walk to the first tee pad.
Price for parking goes up on Fri-Sun
Watch out for animals, alive and dead
And giant rabbit(?) holes dug into the sides of hills.
Hole #18 is a mean SOB

Bravo UFO's and all of the other folks that take care of this course!
I have yet to play, (or find) the extra tees above 4. I have seen some pins but not the tee boxes.
Such a great course. Really pretty and a real workout.
I hope to play here at least 20 times this year.

This is a really well thought out course with some great pin placements. There is some great change of elevation throughout the course to add an extra element of difficulty. I really like how well marked out everything was. Our first time playing there, we had no trouble location all the holes.

Not much negative to say about this one. One of the best courses I have ever played.

Great map pamphlet at the first tee!!!

Too many to list, please see lion's review.

See above...

Sorry, I know that this is a lame "review" and I don't blame you for voting this one as "not helpful" but it's hard to beat the elaboration that 'lion' did in the previous review. To sum up, this is an ever expansive course, probably one of the largest I've played so far. When I played it it was over 90 degrees (BRUTAL dry heat) after playing at Golden Gate earlier in the week at only 68 degrees. I thougth I was well prepared but after climbing up and down the first 7 main+5 or more extra baskets on the hill and reached the bottom high desert tees I had to quit (both due to time and lack of water/energy). I had some amazing blind shots over trees (basket 3 I think) and around bends (basket 4?). Some were more frustrating in some of the thick trees. All in all an extremely impressive course but the distance and guidance to the starting point from the parking lot and back was pretty tough in the heat. I was completely filthy and sweaty by the time I got back to my car and had to go straight to my flight. I was not prepared for this course physically. I recommend bringing extra water and/or rationing what you take. An amazing drive out to the course from SF and spectacular views await. Definitely try to make it out to this one if you're in the area but like lion said, plan on it being an all day event with plenty of water and nourishment. Otherwise the fun of the course may be stifled a bit.

1. With the new hole additions that were made in the last year the course is actually on its way to probably being a future 27 hole course.
2. I liked the fact that there was a practice basket close to the parking area. This gives you time to practice if your waiting for others or just wanting to chill and putt a little before hiking to the course.
3. The course is located in a certain area of the park that is only used for disc golf. Since that's the case you don't have to worry about picknickers or sunbathers or anything non disc related that might slow you down, unless a cow or wild turkey herd get in your way.
4. The views are stellar and top notch. Views of the lake, wildlife, rolling green hills, and the entire course. The view from the some what hidden upper tee on hole 6 is where it's at. Check it out.
5. Wildlife on the course is cool. I've played here in November and have seen huge wild turkeys all over the course. Just made it really cool.
6. The tee signs for this course are really detailed with hole numbers, distances, where the other tee boxes are located, multiple basket locations, next hole tees and the graphics were good. No complaints over signage.
7. Tee pads are well done and with multiple pads on most holes it's great to see the love that was put into this course by the locals. Some of the teepads are hard to get to and to have concrete pads there only means they hiked in with the concrete. So kudos to the people who put it in. Good grip on pads aswell.
8. There are trash cans around the course and that's speaks highly for the park staff who drive those all terrain golf carts picking up trash. Speaking of trash, I didn't see any trash on the course. The course was super clean. Well kept.
9. The layout is always changing with the multiple pins per hole and every layout is very respectible. I've always felt challenged here and everyone I have played with really knuckled down to stay afloat on the course. It's no push over.
10. Stafford also allows you to empty your bag and throw every type of shot. The course isn't lefty or right friendly. It's nuetral ground and fair.
11. The course isn't flat. There is a ton of elevation to deal with. More then half the holes have elevation. hole 6 has an upper tee pad installed around Thanksgiving 2008 that has a 100 elevation drop to the deeper pin placements that rivals any top of the world shot.
12. Signature holes. This course has a few but holes 6 and 9 are amazing. Hole 6 for the huge elevation/top of the world throw and hole 9 for the 1000+ foot hole named after a highway that's honest and challenging.
13. I won't give a breakdown of every hole but just know there is a lot of length on this course. If you cannot huck the disc 400 feet then you will be required to play the long holes smart and look for your birdies on the shorter holes when they come in patches like holes 10-12 or 6-8.
14. The course is growing and after hole 4 up the hill, new holes have been installed. I image cement pads will come. So look for them and be prepared for more then 18 holes.
15. All baskets on the course were sound, no dents or faulty components were noticed. They were also all easy to spot. Tape and color on baskets made for good visibility.
16. The course is well laid out and finishes were it starts. Hole 1 and hole 18 meet at the end without intersecting at all. Always nice when a course does that.
17. No crossing fairways. All the holes are given tons is space and choices for all of its pins. I'm glad that the expansion on the course didn't alter the existing layout. A lot of people always say they want to shorten certain holes and add more with all the land. Well I say that's a terrible move. The fact that the local club left the orginal holes in tact is awesome.

1. First con is that it's a pay to play course. 5 dollars during the week and 10 on the weekends. 2 dollars to walk in. Walk in from where? Maybe park right across from the entrance at the home that's closest to the park. I parked there once when the park was closed. If your local I would look into a seasonal pass and bring lots of exact change for the machines or a credit card. If there isn't anyone at the main office you have to pay at one of the pay machines and they don't give change I here.
2. Closed for certain holidays. I showed up on Thanksgiving when the weather was beautiful and the park was closed( gate was closed). Always call ahead or check the site if your from out of town.
3. Park hours, any course that is only opened for certain hours is a con. If the park is closing and there is still daylight I want to be able to still play.
4. I don't remember any bathrooms on the course. Just some bathrooms near the park entrance and near the parking lot close to the practice area.
5. To me the walk to the course from the parking lot wasn't bad or a con but to some a quarter mile plus walk is a con. After a long drive to the course the walk actually warmed me up and got me blood flowing. Download a map because if there isn't any golfers there when u show up and you don't know where the course is it might take u awhile to find it.
6. Hole 5 is a great hole but the slope and brush hugging the fairway, plus if its in the blind position make it easy to lose a disc on the hole. Best to have a spotter on the hole.
7. Watch out for wildlife and try not to hit any. Please be patient if they roam into your shot and enjoy the majestic nature of the animal.
8. As for the course I cannot think of anything wrong with the orginal 18 holes, but with the new holes the teepads should go to concrete and not just be marked with stakes. They will get muddy and hard to play in the winter.
9. The lake doesn't come into play in the course, but near hole 12 if you throw deep there is some marsh lands and thick brush/ Bambo area you need to watch out for. Also just watch out for the ravine near basket 17. Try to stay out of it and use the bridge down below.
10. Since you park so far away, you really have to load up your disc bag with drinks and snacks for the entire round or rounds. If you don't and have to walk back to the car it's an easy 30 minutes out of the way and 30 minutes of lost disc golf time or relaxing between rounds. This also sucks because the course involves a lot of hiking. A heavy disc bag isn't recommend. This course isn't friendly to beginners just figuring out the game or to anyone not able to really hike over a mile of course in the hills.

I have played nearly 250 courses in the state of California and Stafford is my favorite. It's worth spending the entire day at playing. All the pros make it spectacular. Also as an added bonus there is a brewery close by and plenty of stores within ten minutes of the course to stock up on snacks and drinks while you play. The surrounding area is gourdgeous. Stafford is like a central hub between golden gate park and Skyline wilderness in Napa. The area has plenty of courses around a few of the best in the state. I would always recommend playing in groups here or pairs. If your a tourney player, multiple tourneys are held at Stafford throughout the year. So if you want an excuse to play the course, sign up for a tourney. There are hotels and camping nearby aswell.

Beyond gorgeous. Even if you are playing terribly you can have a great time. The course is a hike in and of itself and there are rabbits and deer all over the place. The holes vary greatly in approach and difficulty which is a blast to play and can be very challenging and rewarding.

If it weren't for the poison oak, I would award 5 stars to this stellar course.

I will definitely be playing the next tournament that rolls through here.

only 2 $ if walk in or park offsite
restrooms near parking
had drinking fountain near benches before hole 1
amazing elevation shots
great scenery and wildlife
not busy(sat afternoon)
very informative brochure at hole 1 with map and individual hole descriptions

showed up saturday(paid 10$ at kiosk-does not give change for 20bill had to use credit card)
sometimes hard to find way(map helped a lot)

I loved this course. I am a beginner but still had a great time. Bring water and get ready to hike.

-long and short distance tees
-concrete pads
-good mixture of tee length and elevation changes
-grills for BBQ and making a fun day trip with family and friends
-some tricky shots but nothing too crazy that you feel like you might lose a disc
-amazing scenery and great weather
-plenty of "green bowl" holes
-close to a great grocery store
-well maintained
-good baskets
-no waiting to play, its far enough to where it keeps large amounts of people off the course.
-multiple hole locations

-not enough garbage cans
-can be pretty muddy well after a rain
-pay to play
-last time i went the hole numbers on the baskets were all facing the wrong direction
-

remember to use your phone to take a picture of the map so you can refer to it to navigate the course. the couse is pretty straight forward but first or second timers might want to keep this in mind.

-Layout. Wonderful use of space that NEVER felt repetitive.
-Views are amazing.
-Elevation, flora, and landscape give the impression that a great deal of thought went into this course. No tee or basket feels accidentally or awkwardly placed.
-Parking and a nice walk in. Be thankful for the walk. You'll want to be warmed up to get up #1!!!
-$ to play. Yes, I was happy to pay for this experience. It was that good.
-Multiple tees used to good effect. They do more than simply make the holes longer.
-Two fun steep downhill midrange ace runs. Although, go to far and your walking 100 feet downhill.
-1000 foot hole #9 that plays alongside a ball golf hole.
-The tree and tee pad area on hole 10 are a landmark. Beautiful and creative tee placement.

-Muddy pathways a little slippery.
-Water not in play as much as it could be.
-Occasionally tricky to navigate. Not a problem the 2nd time around.
-Some blind tee shots. Normally, this is fine. but driving blind to a sidehill with the potential for a 250 foot roll away isn't my kind of fun.

I haven't been to the bay area for 4 years. This course will have me flying west to the Nor Cal. area much sooner than that. Thanks for a wonderful experience to the park, local players, and sponsors. We found one of the sponsors (Moylan's Brewpub) after the round for lunch and very good beer to repay them for their generosity.

Foremost, Stafford has the fantastic hole design. Every hole is very different and interesting. There's steep uphill and downhill. Throwing into, out of, through, and over trees. There's long bomber holes, and tight technical holes. The course is not overly wooded, but the trees are used effectively.

The landscape is also stunning. Views of the lake and hills are gorgeous. There's plenty of wildlife. The course is well maintained. There are cement tees, benches, and useful tee signs. The pins move regularly between substantially different positions, and are indicated accurately on tee signs. Many holes have multiples tees. There's bathrooms and a water fountain. I've never seen it super crowded, and the course doesn't get any non-DG traffic. Unlike the very crowded Golden Gate Park and DeLaveaga, Stafford is playable on a Saturday afternoon.

For some players, price will be a big negative. The fee is variable. It's worst on summer weekends at $10 per car. This fee undoubtedly keeps the course from getting super crowded.

The course flows pretty well, but navigation can be slightly confusing your first time. The easiest place to get lost is getting to the first tee, a 1/3 mile walk from the parking lot. A next tee sign would be helpful after hole 7. On 9, it's easy to accidentally throw at the pin for 11 if it is in B position.

Some holes are blind and a spotter is helpful.

Play from the long tee on 14. It's up the hill near the left tee for 7, and it's worth the hike up.

How to get here on public transit:
Use Golden Gate Transit to get to/from downtown Novato (Redwood & Grant). Schedule an appointment with Novato Dial-A-Ride (415-892-7899) from downtown to Novato Boulevard & Fire Road. This is the absolute western edge of the Dial-A-Ride service area. From here there it's a little over a mile walk to the eastern entrance to the park, and another mile to the first tee. Pay attention to Dial-A-Ride's hours, and schedule your trip ahead of time.