San Jose, CA

Parque De La Raza DGC

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3.745(based on 48 reviews)
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Parque De La Raza DGC reviews

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1 0
mattaparity
Experience: 3.3 years 5 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fast and Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 26, 2021 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good pads for disc throwing, excellent terrain scenarios, some tight and windy while others are blind throws which you need to set up, and it's a fast course.

Cons:

A couple holes are over parking lot spaces, particularly #8 which is awkward, and hole #9 isn't very well marked (in fact going from #7 to #8 was confusing at first).

Other Thoughts:

If you're driving through the area or nearby, it's easy to drop by, get a quick set of holes in and take off for the rest of the day. Nice little practice set up as well.
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2 0
Grok Lobster
Experience: 37.8 years 20 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice 9 holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Lots of shade - useful when waiting for the large group in front.
Parque doesn't appear to be used for anything else.

Cons:

I found one of the small patches of poison oak. On the plus side, the bathroom dispenses foamy soap which was perfect for cleaning my disc.

Other Thoughts:

This course was a nice casual follow up (no real hills) on Sunday after playing Santa Cruz (DLV) on Saturday.
If you are driving by, you should definitely stop, but probably don't go out of your way to play it.
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2 0
Nick Ferchau
Experience: 18 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Low and long 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Multiple basket locations rotated regularly.

A variety of tee shots with some mandos and trees to navigate.

Long and short holes.

Lots of shade.

Clean and well maintained.

Restroom on site.

Great local disc golf community.

Cons:

Only 9 holes, but Hellyer is 5 minutes away for another 9.

Not much elevation change.

Other Thoughts:

Good place for beginners.

Not too much poison oak.

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5 0
dreadlock86
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.9 years 382 played 306 reviews
3.00 star(s)

well done, variety of shots & pins 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 12, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

-3 or 4 pin positions per hole, great variety and replay value
-subtle elevation changes shape landing areas and greens
-plenty of trees offer line options, low ceilings, tunnels, and force lines
-at least a couple of legit two-shot holes, depending on the pin position
-nice Mach Vs and flat rubber tees
-great signs showing all pin positions but missing current pin indicators
-practice basket near bathrooms and water fountain
-plenty of parking
-DG exclusive
-lots of shade, most of the tees are shaded

Cons:

-poison oak
-i love having multiple pin positions and i don't mind blind baskets but having both and not having current pin indicators is really frustrating for travelers and annoying even for locals. there used to be indicators in the past and the holes are still there, the club needs to step up and get new screws and washers.

Other Thoughts:

Parque de la Raza is a really well-done layout. The terrain has numerous large and smaller trees and subtle elevation changes creating interesting lanes, landing areas, and greens. I really like how each hole is given plenty of space so that it never feels crowded and the basket positions have enough distance between them to feel different. I'd love to get enough rounds here to see how each of the positions play; the short ones look fun and reachable while the longer ones give you options and put more thought into how to play the hole, at least for my noodle arm.

The signs are cool with the tree monster art and poison oak warnings but the current pin indicators are all missing and need to be replaced. I can see how the course could feel repetitive and one dimensional if the baskets are all in the longs. I saw a lot of other complaints about hole 8 but I liked it and thought there was plenty of bailout space on the left.

I thought this was a really fun round. I'd love to play here again and I preferred Parque de la Raza to nearby Hellyer. I didn't get off the fairway in my round but I can see how you easily could and then the poison oak might come into play. Great amenities with the practice area, bathrooms, and water fountain plus it's a DG only park. Definitely worth checking out.


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3 8
thespeedokid
Experience: 9.4 years 110 played 34 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Not great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 14, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good baskets. Good hole signs. Good tees. Not hard to follow course. Lots of trees. Well kept.

Cons:

Lacks variation between holes. They all kind of play the same. Very long.

Other Thoughts:

Very difficult for begginers. Some holes near the end are pretty fun though. If you are really good at disc golf this course could prove to be a nice challenge. Go over and play Hellyer instead. Two tees and hills plus much more.
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4 1
forehandfranz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.8 years 226 played 128 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A Worthy 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 2, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

This was a nice place to get in a quick nine before hitting the San Jose airport about 10 minutes away. The course is well laid out over rolling terrain of trees and dirt. It's actually a pretty piece of land that is ONLY for disc golf! The holes are quite challenging with good use of the trees, elevation, and paved areas to create OB lines and "ponds". I like the idea of artificial boundaries to make a course more challenging as well as safe.

The signage was really helpful and finding tees were very intuitive, for the most part.

Cons:

I believe many of the pins were in the long position, but it seemed that even the short distances were right around 300 - 305'. I thought they could have mixed up the distances by making some of the pin positions within reach for noodle arms like myself. Just thought to either add a hole or two or just make at least one or two existing holes reachable from the tee for amateurs.

A bit tight for comfort - many tee pads are in the firing range of other holes.

Other Thoughts:

As Sillybiz mentioned, Hole #8, the one with the big parking lot "pond" actually WAS a bit daunting for a lefty like me. It's just far enough to be difficult to clear (for short arms), so the reasonable option is to bail out left early. I think I will throw RHBH if I return.

As mentioned, without having a chance to try the different pin positions, I found the current (longs?) to be very repetitive. Thought they could mix it up a bit.
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1 2
Crazyteacher
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

First Timer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Free
Nice lay out
Great 9 holes
Signage was exceptional and so helpful for a first visit.
Locals were cool and helped point out 1st tee (end of the parking lot)
Good use of the little elevation they had to work with.

Cons:

Poison Oak
500 feet on hole 9 in furthest position is a little far for a week arm like mine.

Other Thoughts:

Didn't get to pair it with Hellyer since 3 relatives I was playing with were all first timers and burned out after De La Raza 9.
Trees of all kinds will eat up poor shots.
Really fun course that I wish I could play more to get a handle on.
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10 0
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.2 years 407 played 392 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Parque it in the fairway 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

First off you have to love the design here: nine very well planned holes spread out through the area in what many other designers would have tried to cram in 18 baskets. Luckily for us they looked at this piece of land and put the best nine holes in that they could. The designer(s) also put in multiple basket locations to keep the fresh course over time for frequent users.

This course utilizes the trees and small hills and you have multiple options of routes off the tee. For only having nine holes here you will still be challenged to throw many different throws from the shorter putter/mid range straight/turnover to a long par four hole in which you have to throw a controlled hyzer either at the tee or at the landing area. The roped out of bounds area on the side was interesting, not sure how I feel about it really. Going into the out of bounds section really putts you into a tough spot and is punishing enough on its own and teaches people how to get out of trouble.

The course is mostly flat (good for older players, knee problems, severely hot days) and the baskets are in good shape for being an older course. Even the tee signs have only been vandalized at a minimum and the pads are all nice long concrete pads. Navigation is very simple and you can see most baskets from the tee pad.

Cons:

Hole number 8 was really the only hole on the course that felt like a bad hole to me but that may be due to my skill level. You're throwing over this large piece of concrete (which is out of bounds, played like water) with the basket on the green with the concrete in front of it, in bounds fairway on the left and mostly wide open. A RHBH player really has no problem throwing a skip shot off of this 'water hazard' and landing it in bounds. There is no penalty for throwing long on this hole either. Maybe a LHBH player might be more challenged on this hole. Again this may be a challenge for someone of a higher skill level than me but I can't reach the green from the tee so I throw two boring throws and make my putt.

Other than that there really are not a lot of cons for this course.

Other Thoughts:

This and the nearby Hellyer course are a real good one-two punch with PDLR being more technical and not as many hills as the Hellyer (or Hell Yeah as I refer to it as) course. This really is a challenging but fun course for just about everyone from first timers to lower level gold players.
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5 0
MikePinchico
Experience: 19.6 years 124 played 19 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great 9 holer! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 22, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great 9 hole course that is challenging and fun. Tee pads are nice with good tee signs. Alternate pin locations make for excellent different shots off of the tee pads. There are plenty of trees to provide shade in the summer with benches at most
tee pads. There good amount of parking that is very close to tee pad one.

Cons:

Can get crowded with so few courses in the area. If wind is a con (which I don't think it is) then it can make play challenging. Can get hot in the summer but there is water at the practice basket.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoy playing this course when I come to the area. I prefer playing it over Hellyer any day but both in a day makes for some good DG. Most of the locals I have played with at the course were friendly and invited me to play with them. Defiantly worth playing if you are in the area.
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3 3
geoblime
Experience: 32 years 5 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Compliments the easier 9 hole across the freeway.. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 1, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Nice lay out. Has a mixture of longer holes with dog legs and shorter wooded holes.
-Multiple pin positions.
-Good tee boxes.
-Course well taken care of.
-Practice basket

Cons:

-Can get really busy at times.
-Couple fairways come very close to each other
-Parking can be tight if busy.

Other Thoughts:

-This is a great 9 hole course which compliments the Helleyer course across the freeway.
-Much more difficult with lots of trees.
-Great course for the San Jose area
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2 10
disc cogg
Experience: 27 played 3 reviews
5.00 star(s)

great 9 hole coarse 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 14, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- great locals willing to help out
- amazing hole selection.
-restrooms and drinking fountain
- plenty of parking
- multiple pin position

Cons:

- rangers can be dicks at closing time
- rubber pads get slick in the winter

Other Thoughts:

come pretty much anytime from noon on and you can find a group of locals to play a pickup game with. this is the best 9 hole coarse i have played. they could have easily put a 18 hole coarse here but instead chose to make the best 9 holes as possible.
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5 4
lrghmn
Experience: 57 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 26, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Really quite a bit packed into 9 holes. There are some really interesting holes for a small course that's set on a relatively small, flat area.
-A good benchmark for your abilities.
-Always some people to play a round with.
-Right off the freeway
-Love the art work on the tee signs.

Cons:

-Kind of Dusty
-It's only 9 holes, but with Hellyer right there it makes it worth a trip. You just wish there were another nine with this same feel on the same location.

Other Thoughts:

Even though it's flatter. I prefer this spot to Hellyer (which I think is fun too)
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3 8
poorredz
Experience: 27 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

EHHHH.... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Lots of trees to test accuraccy....
-Several blind holes..

Cons:

-Rubber mats are short for big wind-ups....
-Most of the course is a mixture of dirt /rock/gravel that really chew up a disk.....
-Lots of side by side holes left me ducking from players coming the other way...
-Some of the holes had riddiculus hole placements after a long fairway the basket was jammed into a small pocket of trees way of to the side..

Other Thoughts:

Just wasn't to thrilled with this course...maybe its better in the winter/spring, but the summer is just dusty and rocky
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5 3
sillyDUCK
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun for n00bz. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 8, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging (think trees!), requiring a wide range of throwing skills to successfully navigate the course.
Available bathrooms!
Practice basket very useful to warm up on.
Shadier than its neighbor in Hellyer Park, with less wind (still subject to gusts, though).
Great use of parking lots as OB.

Cons:

Poison oak. Be careful retrieving errant throws.

Other Thoughts:

Trees do a fine job of humbling the proud.
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6 1
BlackCrow77
Experience: 19.6 years 184 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Love the Lake 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Navigation is good-signs provided, Shaded-wooded with good challenges. Good use of space and well designed.

Cons:

The first hole sets the tone-you'd be lucky to get par here. Most were long shots and plenty of trees to stand in your way. First-timers and some beginners may not be ready for this.

Other Thoughts:

Locals showed me the course and the best placement here was #7 the "lake". Honestly it was just an old parking lot but we played as if it was a water hazard. A unique challenge. Play in combo with Hellyer around the corner for a great round! I have played many courses across the US and I agree; this is one of the best 9's I've ever played. Check this place out!
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8 0
BADman
Experience: 13.7 years 13 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Top Notch 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 23, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

* Multiple basket positions, most positions change weekly *
* Great mix of shot types required *
* Rubber teepads *
* Well maintained tee areas with stumps and a couple with benches and trashcans *
* Locals are friendly and outgoing, many pickup groups *
* Best 9-hole course I've ever played, the SVDGC did an excellent job with the space provided *
* Bathrooms + Water Spicket + Shady pick nick tables *

Cons:

* Can get crowded, and very hot *
* Hole 4, 5, and 6 have OB on the left, and if you hook it bad out there you can loose your discs *

Other Thoughts:

This course is a fantastic 9 hole, great practice for many types of shots. Its a high quality course with all the amenities - except a pro shop - however Mel Cottons (15 min further into SJ) has a fantastic selection of manufacturers and Xouts and Misprints.
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11 2
ERicJ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.3 years 286 played 154 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid Nine Holes 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Start out with a multi-chain DGA practice basket surrounded by distance marker stones. There are restroom facilities and a water fountain by the parking lot. The parking lot is large enough that it probably never fills even when the course is overflowing with players. There are three or four pin positions with multi-chain baskets per hole that can give the course a significantly different feel on long vs. short. Pin position dials located on tee sign posts (see Cons). Fantastic yellow cord marking OB lines on park boundaries and paths; not sure if that's there all the time or just left over from a recent tourney. Rubber tee pads here are done right with properly levelled foundations they seem to be holding up well. Nice, accurate map online here. The park looks to be exclusive to disc golf so you shouldn't get much interference from non-golfers. The golf here is good, there aren't any "throw away" holes. Players from beginners to top Advanced players should all have fun here.

Cons:

Many of the different pins don't really change the throwing lines just the distance. Some new pin positions have been added that are not on the map or tee signs, e.g. #5's D position. Most of the pin position dials on the tee sign posts were incorrect or freely rotating, and thus useless and frustrating. Lots of blind baskets making first timers walk ahead to see where they're throwing. Several pairs of holes throwing back and forth on each other can make for dangerous conditions when the park is full of golfers.

Other Thoughts:

There's a hidden creek that runs along the left side of #5, beware of discs fading out early getting wet/lost. This course is closer to the upper end of the challenge range (especially with the OB); after only one round here that beat me up pretty good I want another crack at this one knowing where the baskets are.
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4 2
Tory
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Objective 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Its the best course in San Jose. the locals are plentiful and courteous. Seems like there is an organized event every afternoon.

Cons:

Can get crowded in the afternoon. Seems like there is an organized event every afternoon.

Other Thoughts:

This is the finest 9 hole course I've ever played. They could have crammed in 9 more holes but it would have sucked. Instead its 9 very unique, long, tight and challenging holes. I would have given it a higher rating but it is what it is. With 9 holes it can be very crowded, so much so that sometimes I show up to play and pass on it and go over to Hellyer instead.
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2 3
masterlurk
Experience: 13.1 years 93 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-good variation of holes
-plays quickly
-lots of different shots
-maybe best 9 hole course ive played

Cons:

-not much to say, wish it was longer
-didn't look as green as the pictures(reaching)

Other Thoughts:

-if in the area play it. great quick round
-much better than hellyer. prolly give that place a 2
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2 4
thechad
Experience: 23.8 years 77 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

fun nine holer, friendly locals 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 14, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good signage, well-marked OB. Locals were really friendly. No boring holes, good mix of distance and lines! A great nine-holer!

Cons:

Course is closely monitored by park staff and a smoking ban is in effect. They close the course promptly at sundown and will kick you out.

Other Thoughts:

It's advisable to either play with a local or walk the course first as a few of the pins and tees are a little hard to find. Beware of the hidden creek/pond along the left side of 5's fairway, I almost lost a disc in there!
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