Los Gatos, CA

Venture Christian Church

1.715(based on 12 reviews)
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2 0
elton807
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 56 played 56 reviews
1.50 star(s)

That was rough... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 23, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is the first course I've played on a church premises, so I thought that was way cool. Just about the strangest obstacle you could imagine right in the middle of the #7 fairway. These baskets are indeed as cool and unique and everyone says. Inspiring to just know what can be done with galvanized rebar and chains! Now if I just had some metal bending skills...

Cons:

Basket #4 is missing. The chest-high weeds on #8 & #9 make the holes virtually unplayable right now. The overgrowth around the #2 basket currently makes it unappealing to finish the hole. #7 is the only teebox still alive.

Other Thoughts:

Very disappointing, considering how nice the overall campus grounds is for this Christian school. I found myself looking for broken pieces of bricks just to locate the original teebox positions. The open area for holes #2 through #5 were recently roto-tilled, making me wonder if they have plans to landscape the terrain? If this course were properly maintained, I would easily give it a 3-star rating.
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Uniqueness: B+ (coolest baskets ever; the course layout itself is a great idea)
Difficulty: B (elevation changes; not long)
Fun Factor: D (basket #2 is unapproachable; couldn't finish 8 & 9)
Aesthetics: D- (tremendous overgrowth in spots; obviously ignored)
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Overall: C-
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5 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Course Needs Some Help From Above! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 21, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Cool homemade baskets made from rebar. Ah,....... the baskets are kinda cool. Ah.............someone shaped these baskets.................

Cons:

Everything else. For church land, the place has been turned into some kind of a garbage dump. It's littered with plastic bottles, old sporting goods,cans, balls, garbage of all types. The grass is way overgrown. The tee pads were once bricks outlined with 2 x 4's now they've crumbled like ancient Mayan temple ruins. Baskets have nasty, dry, thorns grown up through them. # 8 has a dump truck and trailer parked in the middle of what was once a fairway. My playing partner and I took this as a sign from the disc golf gods that we had suffered enough and aborted our round here. From the looks of things, I suspect the last round was played around ...the time of the French Revolution.

Other Thoughts:

My feeling is if you are a course bagger, you best bag this course quickly because I sense this course's day's are numbered. I think this course is about to pass to the gray underworld of those extinct courses on DGCR.

If someone in the East Bay area is looking to score on some non-sanctioned cool baskets for your next disc golf course project, I'd contact this Venture Church. We think the pastor drives this hot gray Porsche. Obviously, his members give generously. Tell them, The Valkyrie Kid sent you. And that you'll put those cool rebar baskets to some heavenly use.
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1 2
Twinskulls
Experience: 23.8 years 74 played 5 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Tick's DGC 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice lay-out of course. Cool home made targets, I liked them a lot. Various terrain and plenty of obstacles (Trees). Oh my goodness, when I was on hill for hole #8 and #9, the view of Santa Cruz and Los Gatos mountains were beautiful! I had to pause and watched the mountains for a while! It is really beautiful!

This course has potential to be good.

Cons:

The rating was hurt a lot because the course was not taken care of. Too much loose dirt and the weed was taller than my waist. Hard to find tees without map. I believe the course could be better if someone cut the weeds and keep tees clear and easy to find.

Other Thoughts:

I was surprised no one had mentioned about TICKS! Beware of ticks! I had never see real ticks in my life! After disc golf, I found FOUR ticks on my skin everywhere inside my clothes. My fiancee had to pull over from freeway to get rid of it when she saw it on my leg!

PLEASE don't bring dogs unless they are tick-proof.

I would want to try that course again when the weeds are being cut down and taken care of.
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2 3
chipper408
Experience: 18.9 years 7 played 7 reviews
0.50 star(s)

ummm, uhhhh, no. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 10, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

plenty of parking

Cons:

this course needs major help. same tee pad for different baskets- which are homemade rebar... not cool. you must check in to play. no signs. lots of loose dirt. hard to navigate. tee pads are not very well made.

Other Thoughts:

i highly recommend just driving to hellyer or la raza. i wouldnt even check it out. its a huge disappointment.
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5 2
VCCDiscGolf
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Future Changes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2009 Played the course:once

Other Thoughts:

Thanks to everyone for playing this course and reviewing, it helps! I will be working on some signage in the months ahead to try and make the course playable without the map, and easier to navigate.
I understand the concerns with fairways crossing each other, but we didn't have much choice in designing the course, we only had so much land to work with. There usually is not more than one group playing at a time, and if there is, I think players can be careful.

If anyone has some specific ideas, concerns, or Ideas for the course, let me know! We want to make this course as fun and playable as possible!

Thank You, keep coming back, and look forward to changes in the future!
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8 1
JR Stengele
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.9 years 251 played 191 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Los Gatos, CA. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 24, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Venture Christian Church DGC is very accessible making it easy to get to and play for quick round (only 10-15 minutes from downtown). The seclusion of the course makes it less frequented by others (which helps since this is a small and congested course) as most travel past this course to either San Jose or Santa Cruz for good reason. Directions getting here are very easy although if you are a first timer around here coming from downtown Los Gatos make sure you pass the first two entrances as they are locked. Make sure you go to the main entrance (third) and park towards the left where you will find signs directing you to the office. If you stay left after checking in and follow it about 300 feet you will see the first tee down closer by the road.

Although the baskets are homemade, these rebar baskets are some of the best baskets I have seen that are not done professionaly by a mainstream DG company.

A water fountain and bathrooms can be found near the childrens playground right by where you check in at the main office before heading off to tee 1.

The time alloted to play a round was great as well as it only took about 30-45 minutes depending on if there are others playing or not making it a very quick round (great for novice and families).

Last, the views of the surrounding Los Gatos and Santa Cruz mountains on holes 8 and 9. They are truely breathtaking and make the trip that much more enjoyable.

Cons:

The course although fairly new is in need of some serious improvements. There are no signs letting you know where the tees are located nor where to go to for the next tee which made things confusing when trying to navigate and at times even somewhat irritating. I had a map but even that was unclear because the tees were sunken into the ground. It would be great and very affordable if someone created wooden tees signs from some stumps making it easier to locate the next tee for now. All they would need to do is paint a number on it so that first timers wouldn't have to be like Lewis and Clark searching the whole countryside.

The quality of play was not very memorable either, as no one hole really stood out and the ground itself was terrible. The long grass was cut on the majority of holes but the dirt was not compact but rather very loose making it difficult to not only walk but throw on. The fox tails and spurs stick to your clothing and can be painful at times when stuck in your shoe with all that twisting and turning.

The fairways as swatso commented in his review were all over the place, especially holes 2-6 which could make things very congested and dangerous. Some of the tees are used for multiple holes as well so people would have to wait their turn to use a particular tee which would get old.

Other Thoughts:

When I first heard that the place I spent my entire childhood (20+ years) had installed a DG course I could hardly contain myself! Los Gatos is nestled at the base of the Santa Cruz mountains (about 30 minutes from DeLa), with rolling hills covered in old growth Oaks and Redwoods and is an ideal spot for discgolf. Perhaps someday... For now, you are better off heading over the hill to Santa Cruz/Monterey, or to San Jose to play two power nine's at Hellyer/La Raza. Trust me.

However, once I played the course I must admit I was quite disappointed. As time goes on I hope to see that the course gets a makeover. With some tee signs and some more thought into the overall layout (especially holes 2-6) I could see this course getting a much higher rating. There is much more land here then what is being used and if the course could be mowed regularly I could see the ground getting a little more condensed for people to actually walk and play on. I love this town and hope that overtime this course gets better so it could live up to the expectations of the other courses nearbye in the the Bay Area.
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1 4
DutchViking
Experience: 18 years 54 played 17 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Lots of Potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 24, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good to have another course not too far from La Raza and Hellyer. Fairly secluded and not crowded, some challenging and interesting shots, Home-made rebar baskets work great. Good use of the land available

Cons:

No basket #8, No Signs, Map is tough to read, tees and baskets sometimes cross paths, could be dangerous when there are multiple players, ground is a little hard to walk on and watch out for stickers/foxtales in your socks and shoes.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a good idea and has excellent potential! Needs lots of work.
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8 2
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 755 played 414 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Hatfields v. McCoys 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

The view of the hills in the background when teeing off from #9.

Cons:

Crossfire potential galore!
- Overthrow basket #1, hit the person teeing from #2
- Teeing from #2 takes you over tee 3/5, and across #6's flightpath
- Teeing from #3 has you crossing #4's fairway; miss a bit left, hit the person teeing from #6
- #4's fairway crosses #3's and #6's, and a mis-throw left threatens tee 3/5
- Be too far left on #5 and hit tee #4
- #6 has it all, buzzing baskets 1 and 4, tee 3/5, crossing fairway #2, maybe even threatening tee #2
- Overthrow basket #7, threaten tee #8.
- A typical flight for #8 takes you blindly over tee #9.
- And #9 returns the the favour to #8 on the return.

No signage - neither the baskets nor the teepads are numbered. No distance information posted at course, either. Baskets 3, 5, 8, 9 somewhat close to fenced-off out-of-bound areas. You need to be part billygoat to reach basket #2. Random obstacle - large dump truck parked on #7's natural flightpath.

The course was in rough condition the day I played . The grass of the hole 8-9 hillside was nearly waist high, and basket #8 sits in the midst of it - w/o a spotter, I'd likely have lost a disc here. The meadow shared by holes 2-6 appeared to have been recently ploughed, so it made walking back-n-forth across it quite difficult

Other Thoughts:

The map, a guide, or an extraordinary sixth sense is essential the first time you play this course.

Single tee (brick, 3x6)/single basket (homemade with rebar, not bad!). Most holes were of the drive-approach-putt format - only #8, the longest hole AND uphill, forced me to use a driver for my second shot. Mixture of left and right turning shots, and a tree or two would either affect the flightpath, or be guarding the basket.

Favourite hole: #9. Long, blind, downhill, left-turning bomb with fantastic views of the hills in the background.

Yes, you can have fun at this course, but it's a lot of work, and stronger courses Hellyer and Parque de la Raza are not too far afield. Also, hope there isn't anyone else playing, otherwise, you might find yourself in the middle of a shoot-out!
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2 6
BENFTS
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30 years 102 played 33 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 16, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

even though the baskets are hand made they look like someone got them from DGA. very simple and fun, and on most holes you can find a nice challenge. there are some legit ace runs here if you play flick or left handed like me. so that always gets me going. the use of trees and roads help to ad difficulty to this course. the back three holes offer a challenge to any player of any skill level. water fountain and plenty of parking.

Cons:

some rim outs on some puts because the chains are a bit too heavy and don't give like your standard basket, but not too bad. holes 3 and 5 share the same tee pad, and the pads are made of brick and become slippery when wet.

Other Thoughts:

for a home made course sitting on this property it flows well and is a bunch of fun.
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5 3
benpalm
Experience: 20.8 years 26 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Perfect for a lunchtime round! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 13, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

this course is much closer to the south bay than any other course. it is great if you don't have time to drive south to hellyer/de la raza or over the hill to de la veaga or black mouse.

the course map makes it easy to find your way around, and it's nice that the map is in color. the pads are nice - made out of brick.

the course is never crowded - few people know it exists. though it is marked private, anyone is welcome to play, and it does not cost anything. there is a water fountain near the buses.

Cons:

without a map, it's hard to get around. the rebar baskets are not as welcoming - my discs have hit chains but bounced out on a number of occasions.

if it gets popular enough that there are multiple groups on the course, it will be dangerous, as a lot of fairways cross each other.

Other Thoughts:

bring your shoes and be ready to hike! there is a lot of up and down on this course. also, be careful how you throw some shots on the hills, because a bad lie could get you rolling hundreds of feet away from the basket.

all said and done, it's a GREAT course to play if you only have a couple hours.
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5 7
jjeffmosdef
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

nice course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

It's a new course, so it doesn't get too crowded.
It has a really good layout of the holes.
You can rent discs if you don't have your own.
The course is in a beautiful location.

Cons:

There are no flags or signs with hole numbers, but supposedly that is coming soon.

Other Thoughts:

The baskets are really cool. They are home made, but very professional looking. The tee boxes are pretty nice too. The review above this one says they require you to pay, but I was told by one of the pastors who works there that you only have to pay for discs if you want to rent one. Once there are some flags on the holes or a map of the hole layout this will be a really awesome course.
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3 14
kevin
Experience: 67 played 60 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Make shift 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 20, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice people there.

Cons:

Small area on the backside of a field set next to the street. Not exactly a course for long drives. Not too difficult, a few trees to get in your way, and they require you to pay.

Other Thoughts:

Very inventive, they made their own baskets, and in good detail.
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