Taft, CA

Franklin Field - Old Layout

2.785(based on 9 reviews)
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3 0
jasonandsharon
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 39.8 years 498 played 65 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Taft Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 2, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Franklin Field is a 27 acre park that includes four lighted softball fields, a BMX/Motocross track, several picnic sites with barbecues, two playground area, three group picnic pavilions, two restrooms facilities, and a snack bar. This park feels out of place considering it is surrounded by some of the most barren landscape you will ever drive through. The park sits as a green oasis surrounded by barren desert like terrain with oil derricks pumping their little hearts out. Of course, the entire town of Taft could be described that way as well I suppose. The course plays around and through the softball field for very interesting effect. There are rolling hills giving maybe 10 to 15 feet of elevation on some shots. There are large grown trees scattered throughout the complex. I don't think any hole was over 350 feet. The baskets are DGA baskets with the usual fiberglass two sided tee signs with the usual info although a few signs appeared to be missing. Navigation is pretty straightforward with the next tee following the basket fairly well. Hole 1 starts right at the entrance from the parking lot, with hole 18 coming back.

Cons:

This is a course where if anything else is going on in the park, you're going to be out of luck to play, or be carrying an awful lot. The course winds its way around pretty much everything in this complex, playing very close to ball fields, picnic tables, horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, and every building there. The course uses the ballfield fences as sort of a gimmicky "rough" and OB and to shape the fairways. There are no tee pads, just warn out dirt areas in the grass with a painted railroad tie as a toeboard.

Other Thoughts:

We arrived at this course very early on a Saturday morning having been warned it gets very busy as the day goes on. We played multiple rounds quite easily and had a very good time, but as the day went on it started getting very busy and we called it about 10 am. This course was a rather fun play and was quite enjoyable. This is definitely a "locals" course though, not really much reason to go out of the way to play, but if I lived in Taft I could definitely see myself playing here quite often, of course I don't think I would live in Taft.
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2 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Rec Course Plays Around Softball Complex! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 24, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Franklin Field Disc Golf Course plays completely around and sometimes through a park containing a four field softball complex, sand volleyball pits, horseshoes, and a playground. There are bathrooms in the middle of the softball fields. The course plays as a recreational/intermediate level. Advanced to Pro players won't find any challenge here. The course which is almost totally flat, save for a hole or two, uses the scattered trees, ball field fences and the parking lot as OB.
The tee pads are natural with a board marking the front. The signs are simple ones but are few are missing.. The baskets are DGA models. Most holes play in 250' range.

Cons:

Natural tee pads with front board not a hit with previous reviewers.
No signature hole or any other holes that really stand out.
Rec level length and difficulty.
When softball is in full swing, a few holes wouldn't be playable.
Missing signs on 11, 12 & 15.
No tee pad on 15 but I did find the worn spot.

Other Thoughts:

With a lot of holes between 200' and 260', this course really has that old school feel to it. Since I never played the old design, I feel that this design, while uninspiring, is probably the best the designers could come up with here, considering the limited space, elevation and having to work around the softball fields. It fit my game pretty well. That is older Rec player.
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3 1
khyzer
Experience: 4 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-It's not very hard to find the next tee pad
-Not tons of people in your way to have to throw by
-Decent variety of shots
-Moderately wooded to challenge your precision
- 2 Bathroom stations are present
- Hole #16 or #18 can be used as practice baskets
-Nice atmosphere
-OB's make the game challenging
-Virtually nowhere you can lose a disc

Cons:

-Well the tee pads SUCK
-Occasionally you have to tell people you are going to throw
-Some tee pads can be slippery
-With the wrong grip you can easily go OB

Other Thoughts:

Great course from the noob to a vet. We are trying to talk to the Recreation and Parks District to getting the old course put back in. It was put in by Steady Ed himself and the older locals say it was ten times better than the new one. We are trying to get concrete tee pads put in by Kern County Disc Golf club but that will take time. Overall it is a fun place to play.
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4 0
Hazer
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18 years 168 played 53 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Franklin Field 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 13, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Easy to navigate with basic signs showing hole layout and distance to pin and an orange painted block of wood in front of tees. Baskets have numbers on them. Lightly wooded with some mature trees scattered throughout the course. Quite a bit of OB areas. Several holes around 300' but nothing beyond 350'. Some technical shots required on certain holes. Restrooms on site. Fairly well maintained park area.

Cons:

Natural tees. Some signs and some orange wood blocks are missing. Some basket numbers are worn off or missing. The course plays around and very close to 4 baseball fields, 2 horseshoe pits, and a playground. Only 1 tee and pin location per hole. Inconsistent pin height. Inaccurate distances on some signs. Low difficulty course, good for beginner/intermediate players but boring more more experienced players.

Other Thoughts:

This is a beginner/intermediate course crammed in the park playing around the other facilities. To get to hole 18's tee walk around the horseshoe pits to the corner of the park. Definitely the better of the two parks in Taft but nothing to write home about. There were several people randomly parked in running vehicles (all alone) in different places around the park, mean-mugging me the whole time I was near them, which made me uncomfortable. I've encountered this many times before, but I've never been stared down so hard by so many in under 1 hour. I would not recommend any serious disc golfer make a special trip to Taft to play this or the other course in town, but if you are passing through make the stop and play both as they are not out of the way and quick and easy to play.
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4 0
Danger
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.7 years 105 played 68 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Surprised 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Easy to navigate
-Tee signs at every hole (sans hole 1)
-Descent baskets
-Fun to play, but not a destination course.
-Starts right next to the parking lot
-Clean, low energy, easy to play multiple rounds
-Baseball fields have lights, but none were on during our visit. If all of them are on, then this would be a wonderful night golf location.

Cons:

-Not DG exclusive (it's a quintessential park course)
-A little short
-Sprinklers made a few holes less than desirable to play
-Natural Tees with wooden tripping beam
-No practice basket (16 is well placed for practice, though)

Other Thoughts:

Franklin Field is a park course with that wraps its way around a baseball field complex. Trees, rolling hills, and fences are the name of the game here, each allowing for a few different shots to make it to the pin. We were surprised to find such a well kept park after all of the nothing we drove through to get here.

The course starts off with some particularly short holes, especially hole 1, which plays about 125 feet, and it's downhill. The holes eventually open up to some longer shots.

Creative use of the fence and baseball fields certainly came into play throughout the game, and a few holes use the fence to make the hole a little more fun, if not gimmicky (example, hole 7). Short holes are fun for me though, because I can actually get to the pin ;)

The longer holes were well done in my opinion, usually requiring either a low line the entire way, or a high line over OB baseball fields. Both require power and precision. A particularly fun long hole was # 4, squeezing between a picnic pavilion and the baseball field to a pin sitting on a small hill.

HINT!: Basket #3 is hidden around a corner, what you see off the tee is likely basket #6. You're welcome.

The holes toward the end of the course became a bit repetitive, essentially shooting back and forward across a median between a baseball field and the street. Furthermore, the sprinklers were on in this area, so we had to strategically wait for them to pass, then tee off in a mud pit on an otherwise clear day. Regardless of rushing, they were all short and obtainable.

The last three holes played in an area close to the parking lot, and was also a busier part of the park. It may just be our visit, but there was a full on party in the middle of 18's fairway, with cars parked on the grass, a bounce house, and about 100 people. Hole 17 shoots to a pin placed on a narrow median between a baseball field and a volleyball court; and should the court be in use, this hole is dangerous if your plan is to place the disc for bird. I also noticed cars in the park on google satellite so it must be normal here to do that.

I have heard that this course used to be a Steady Ed original design but at some point it was changed. I never played the old layout, but considering the lack of distance on the new one, it would have been nice to know that an original design was being preserved and would probably draw more people out to play it. Nonetheless, the course does retain a 'classic' feel in that the real challenge is accuracy, and not distance. Another course that goes on my 'If I lived closer I would play regularly' list, but is unfortunately so out of the way that we really have no reason to return. It is a good stop off if you are on a DG road trip traveling from the Central Coast to Bakersfield.
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4 0
DiscDude
Experience: 17.8 years 13 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice short park course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 4, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Park was green and very well kept.
All the tees had signs except it the first one, which was missing when I played.
Course was very easy to navigate, once I figured out where tee 1 was.
Playing around the baseball fences made for some well defined OB areas which increased the challenge without the risk of loosing a disc.
Although short there were some holes with lots of obstacles and trees which kind of made for some nice lanes you had to follow
18 holes, that's better than 9
Although people from greener parts of the country might think I'm crazy, I actually found the park to be kind of scenic, in a dry southwestern oil-rig and farming kind of way.

Cons:

Tees are ... pathetic. Uneven bald spots in the grass with a piece of wood sometimes put in front so you have something to trip on. A course this nice really deserves better tees.
I went on a cool day, I could see it getting pretty warm on a scorcher.
Course is all kind of crammed in, which could be a pain when the park has more people in it.
Many holes are pretty short, and would probably be too easy for more advanced players. Although, I'm not basing that on my score here, unfortunately.

Other Thoughts:

I liked playing this course and found it to be fun and challenging enough for my skill level to keep my interest.
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4 0
Raider Dave
Experience: 15.9 years 21 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

New and improved? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 11, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Not sure if it's a Pro, but, the course was redesigned late last year '09.
18 holes, and all tee's have signs, easy to navigate.
Course does require a mix of shots, but most are short, Ace runs......
Clean water fountains, and the bathrooms are ok too.

Cons:

Railroad Ties mark tees in dirt, and they are not ankle friendly.
Only two holes that need a driver.
Can get crowded with Softballers.
A few tees are too close to the previous baskets. On a crowded day, I can see someone getting hit.

Other Thoughts:

I only played the original layout one time before it was changed last fall, '09. Others have said that it shouldn't have been changed due to having been designed by Steady Ed, and the inexperience of the re-designers. I find some challenges in this course, and find it somewhat interesting.

I would stop by and play if in the neighborhood!
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2 1
Yehosha
Experience: 15 years 47 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Decent Short Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good to work on your short game. Every hole is a chance at an ace.

Cons:

VERY short. Most holes under 200 feet. No tee boxes, so hard to find tee locations.

Other Thoughts:

Great course for beginners, but that's about it.
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2 2
bigrocc01
Experience: 28.3 years 83 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Steady Ed Classic 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 3, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Fun Course that plays around baseball fields. Nice park. 18 Holes. Variety of Shots with lot's of OB

Cons:

Shorter course.

Other Thoughts:

Course origainally designed by Steady Ed himself. Tournament set-up is very fun.
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