Rohnert Park, CA

Crane Creek

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2.55(based on 27 reviews)
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3 0
bobmcnelly
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 324 played 189 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 17, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

- good quality basket
- flat rubber tee pads
- multiple basket placements
- tee signs that show you which basket position is current
- good variety of distances ranging from about 225 feet to 450 feet
- good amount of elevation change
- mostly open but a few technical holes

Cons:

- signage could really be improved, there's nothing at the parking lot to point you to the first hole. Most tees are obvious but a few holes are hard to find
- most of the course is wide open

Other Thoughts:

A good course that has been improving but could use a few more enhancements to be on par with some others in the area.
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4 0
dgyp
Experience: 35.8 years 42 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Much nicer than before. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 10, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course has lots of upgrades since the pics and last review (9/2016). T-pads are all improved (no dirt anymore), some are really nice. Many alternate holes give a change-up pretty frequently.

"Easy", yes but incredible views, nice park, plenty of fun holes.

Less crowded than Taylor, can squeeze in 2 rounds in 3 hours if you move it.

Cons:

Watch for pedestrians and be nice, some fought the course when it was built. No water, pit toilets - but hey, that makes it less crowded.

Don't play if the cows are in town, they really mess up the course but give it a few weeks and it's better than ever!

No shade on 2/3 the course. Tees too short when it's muddy.

Other Thoughts:

It's a short course and it's fairly easy but hey, it's FUN and beautiful. Luchessi park (10 miles away) is barely playable and Taylor Mountain gets very crowded at times. Sonoma-county needs more courses! (north of Santa Rosa you'll see more but for me that's a long drive...). I'm about equal distance between Stafford Lake and Crane Creek and while the two courses are in different leagues, it takes 4+ hours to play Stafford! Crane is definitely charming and fun and good to bring beginners to.
DON'T cross over the fences and please watch for pedestrians!
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2 0
Skirby000
Experience: 11.8 years 7 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fantastic Face Lift 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 18, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Great New T-Pads
-Great new markers at the pads
-Multiple pin locations
-A combination of wide open elevation changes with a few holes along a wooded path next to the creek.
-Bathrooms
-Fantastic views of the foothills and mountains in the surrounding area.
-Great course to bring new friends and grow the game

Cons:

-No water
-Pay to Park for non pass holders

Other Thoughts:

I hadn't play'd this course in a few years because the last two times I played I rolled my ankle on the rough T-Pads and stopped coming because the second time was pretty serious.
I heard a rumor that the course got some funding for new pads and I was pleasantly surprised. The New pads are rubber and very well done. and the new markers at each pad are beautiful. There are also now multiple pin placements that take advantage of the surrounding landscape very nicely. I went at 8am this Sunday and I had the course to my self. I finally saw another group of golfers while I was finishing on 18.
They also relocated tee's 5 and 7 to the side of the path instead of right on it. 5 even has its own walking path down to it and is the nicest tee on the course. I posted a picture of it.
You still need to bring water and there is no street parking so if you do not have a county park pass you need to pay to park.
There are also a lot of adolescent trees and shrubs that have been planted around the course that as they grow will completely change the look of the course and present new challenges.
Previously I would have told an out of towner they weren't missing much if they passed on Crane Creek but now I would recommend it as a must hit for Sonoma County.

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1 0
irecycle
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Basic Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 10, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Clearly marked and well maintained
Great course for folks entering the sport
Plenty of wide open holes for working on shots
Some technical shots

Cons:

Tall grass in spring, early summer
No water in park. Bring your own.
Can be hot in summer with little shade, especially on back 9.
OB shots on west side of back 9 are not retrievable.
Tee boxes need updating. I understand that is on the radar of the UFO's.

Other Thoughts:

Support the Regional Parks and buy an annual Parks Pass! (Good at Taylor Mtn Course as well!)
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4 0
Fntsygamr
Experience: 8.8 years 62 played 27 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Crane Creek 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- short / manageable basket locations
- wide open, no obstacles
- easy to locate the next tee pad
- practice basket available

Cons:

- small parking area, will cost you $7 to park
- grass is tall and dry
- ticks are everywhere
- bad signage; no distinguish what hole you were throwing from or which basket you were throwing to. Had to run to a few baskets to make sure we were throwing at the right one
- bad tee boxes; need updated or repaired
- blind shots, must have spotter to make sure you are not throwing into other park users
- overcrowded (at least when we were there)
- course map seemed outdated

Other Thoughts:

A few other things that I could not place in the pro or con boxes. There were several other groups out on the course when we were there. These other players were a bit discurteous of us while we were playing. There were a few groups that insisted on us letting them pass through and even a few groups that skipped holes to go around us. We had a few rogue discs fly into us with a head up or a "fore". There are a few other courses in the area that I would recommend playing before coming back to this one. I was impressed by the Languanitas Brewery, which we went to after our round of play. They have discs there for purchases with their logo.
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2 0
Dangerman
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A good place to get right 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 28, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Open fairways, short grass, hard to lose a disc.
Holes 5,6,7 fun and have anhyzer (RHBH) basket placement
Never had a bad time.
Wide skill level of golfers here. (I think that is a good thing) including some SSU golf members.
Most if not all holes parable. (Almost can shoot par on this course, before the summer for sure)!!

Cons:

Lacks a little variation. 11-18 don't vary that much in distance or terrain. (If you are locked in, you can throw the same shot and disc over the last several holes.)
Toilet is a covered outhouse.
Lots of walkers (always courteous though) on course.

Other Thoughts:

A good place to work on your game. Wide open fairways, straight approaches to baskets. I wish there was a bit more variation with distance. Most seem to be around 280-320ft.
Nice group of golfers play here.
Go to Penngrove (10 min) and get a sausage and beer afterwards to cap off your day.
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1 0
bykergus
Experience: 10.9 years 13 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Beginner Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 24, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A few holes that are challenging due to trees and hills.
Clean. Well kept.
Holes easy to follow

Cons:

Spring, Early Summer TICKS
Spring HIGH GRASS
Wear GATORS in the spring/early summer

Other Thoughts:

Great course for us old locals. Visitors seem to like it also. Lots of nice courses in the area that can give you more of a challenge.
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1 1
Ioreks
Experience: 11.9 years 133 played 7 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Just right for me 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Clean park. Easy to follow course. Seemed like the tees were in the "A" position. Great for beginners as an entry level course. Rolling hills were doable for my 74 year old father.

Cons:

Parking fee ( but it was free for us with my day's Golden Park Pass). Beware of poison oak.

Other Thoughts:

Don't throw pale yellow discs in summer.
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2 0
Tabascos
Experience: 20 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Decent course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 13, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good course for beginners getting into the sport- Wide open on most holes, short and long pin locations with very little obstructions/obstacles.

Cons:

Tee pads are crushed stone, instead of concrete, which seem to work okay if they're freshly hard packed, but most of the time they have ruts and are not smooth/flat from frequent use. The course lacks shade structures, trash bins, benches, and trees/obstacles on the course.

Other Thoughts:

It's a decent course, but has potential to be a better course. Great to see the improvement efforts by the United Flyers of Sonoma who pour in a lot of time and energy to make the course bettter everyday. Still a long way to go until it's at the caliber of other surrounding courses. Until then, making the drive to other courses is worth it.
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1 1
lanningmorgen
Experience: 27.6 years 45 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Crane Creek Improved! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 7, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The local club has been POURING effort into this course. New teepads and pin placements. If you haven't played this course in 2013, you will be surprised with the many improvements and change in difficulty level. No longer is this course a birdie extravaganza. Good players may be happy to get a bogey on a few holes.

Cons:

Same, same.

Other Thoughts:

Come check out the new changes!
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5 1
Hazer
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18 years 168 played 53 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Crane Creek 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 26, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful area. Almost every hole birdie-able. Many ace runs. Holes 5-7 play through a moderately wooded area with a small creek running through and are the only somewhat technical holes on the course. Good elevation change on a couple holes. A few basic signs remaining at a few holes. Some holes have multiple pin positions. A couple holes over 325'. Hole 15: long hole (500'+) with the basket on the edge of a hill. Restrooms and trash/recycling cans near parking lot. Nice views and scenery throughout the course.

Cons:

$7 pay to park. Natural tees with some gravel. Some tees had standing water on them when I played. Almost all holes are wide open shorter holes. Most of the signs are missing. No trash cans or benches on course, except for one bench at hole 16 (best place for it actually, if you're only going to have 1). Most holes play flat despite the terrain. The layout is very weak for the available land. Only 3 or 4 holes require any sort of technical shot. Overall not very challenging. Very sloppy and muddy when I played.

Other Thoughts:

This course could be great with a new layout and maybe some added trees or bushes at least. The available land is great terrain for disc golf, but the course layout is sad. When I arrived and looked around I was expecting much more. Holes 5-7 were cool, but even those could have been done much better. The $7 fee to park is a little steep, especially considering that this course is not very good. The rangers come by frequently to check cars. I saw one guy getting a ticket for not paying. Not sure how much; I didn't stick around to ask. Very muddy right now so bring extra towels and maybe even extra socks and a plastic bag to put your shoes in. I will not be back until they change the layout.
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3 0
ashmgee
Experience: 23.8 years 53 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Meh... 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

18 baskets
Pretty area
Clean course and park.
Some elevation change makes distances tough to gauge.
Would be easy to get a quick round in here if it wasn't busy.
There were a couple of neat holes that provided a challenge.
The hills provided some roll away potential adding challenge.
The course is one of the only in the area.

Cons:

Tees were in bad shape.
$7 parking fee seemed a little much.
wide open course offered little in the way of challenge.
Signage in bad shape or completely gone.
Holes are really stacked up on each other in this small park.

Other Thoughts:

It is a course, and one of the only courses in the area so that is a bonus. The $7 fee didn't seem to deter anyone from playing and it was busy when we were there. I would play it again, but I would not go out of my way to play this course. It is wide open with very few obstacles and little challenges.
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4 0
Fighter
Experience: 35 played 13 reviews
1.00 star(s)

A letdown, but not much around 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has 18 holes in a very scenic area of California. There is little to lose a disc in making it very beginner friendly. Course is relatively well laid out as far as being navigable without use of the few signs that are there. Bathrooms are nice to have as well.

Cons:

You have to pay 7 bucks to play this course first and foremost. I love pay courses as it usually will translate to a well manicured course, however this was NOT the case. I'll be least harsh as I can about this. If you've played a few rounds before and can throw over 200ft this course is not worth visiting. I'm sorry, its pathetic. Signs are either damaged or gone. The pads are barely visible as well and are dirt/gravel concoction that lacks any grip. Use of terrain is even lacking for what is there. After hole 3, you should throw off the top of the hill to the left... but it's not that way. Be VERY careful to not bring cellphones or wallets and keys out unsecured as you could lose them in the cracks in the ground.

Other Thoughts:

I know I'm coming from Wisconsin courses and FL courses as my background primarily . But I would rate this probably a 2.5-2.75 if it weren't for the insane charge to play. Its just not entertaining enough. Needs a redesign and a few more obstacles to start moving in the right direction.
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6 1
Anhyzer Bush
Experience: 12.6 years 10 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

My Home Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 22, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Great course for beginners to learn on
-Good short game practice for more advanced players
-On every hole with the exception of hole 7, the basket is visible from the teepad (great for beginners but not much challenge for more advanced players)
-Good mix of open field play and some slightly technical tree lined areas for an enjoyable disc golf experience.
-Very easy to navigate and walk the course.

Cons:

-Gravel tee pads are ok in the dry months but in winter they tend to puddle up and make throwing long drives a bit more difficult.
-It would be nice if there were some steeper elevation changes downhill for some longer drive opportunities.
-I would like to see at least a few longer holes (some par 5's would be nice, to mix things up)
-Poison oak is an issue on holes 5-9 if your disc goes off course into the trees.

Other Thoughts:

I have been playing disc golf for a couple months and I mainly play at Crane Creek since it is so close to where I live. It's a great place to bring family and friends and introduce them to this great game. The only other course I have played is Stafford Lake which is absolutely amazing and much more technical. I know I haven't been playing this game that long but I really can't understand all the negative reviews of this course. Overall Crane Creek is a great place to learn the game and to really brush up on your short game. Set in rolling hills adjacent to vineyards it's a great course to enjoy with minimal hiking for a nice leisurely outing and the views to the west are amazing.
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7 0
dheathx
Experience: 13.1 years 22 played 2 reviews
1.50 star(s)

skip this course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Elevation changes do help add some variety in holes.
Wind picks up to help add varying difficulty among shots.

Cons:

Ugly scenery in the course itself except for a couple views of neighboring cities in the far off distance.
Holes are almost all wide open, no shaping required.
Poison oak makes one hole almost impossible to ace and difficult to birdie (requires a right turn [anny] with poison oak lining the right side of the fairway down to the basket).
Weeds cover the "park" fairways.
No obstacles on the back 7 holes.
Tee signs don't say the par for the hole (not so much of a deal) but also don't show the hole layout or the next tee placement.
Tee boxes are dirt and not even close to level. A couple aren't even visible.
6 bucks to park, give me a break..

Other Thoughts:

I would recommend skipping this course without hesitation for anyone looking for a fun DG outing. Travel to either novato, Napa, golden gate park or even moraga in orinda. This course has almost nothing in the way of scenery and little challenge shaping shots. Along with the 6 dollar fee to park (and yea, people do come and check permits) and the poison oak, this course should be avoided!
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9 1
onemilemore
Experience: 13.1 years 43 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Better than advertised 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 3, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Nice use of elevation to make shorter holes more challenging, particularly on holes 8 and 9.
- Gravel tee pads give a defined starting point to each hole.
- A variety of drivers needed, as some holes are straight pokes (1-3), benders (4-6), uphill shots (8, 9, 11, 17) or massive, open downhill bombs (10, 18).
- Well-maintained park with signage to tell golfers where spotters are needed and to respect private property.
- Recently weed-whacked by local volunteers, so most baskets are surrounded by cut-out "greens."
- Gorgeous views of Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa.
- A bit of hiking involved, which doubles your workout.
- Wind provides a needed challenge on some of the more open holes.

Cons:

- Very tall grass on most of the back 9 (aside from narrow fairways and nice greens). Spot your drive carefully, and throw brightly-colored plastic.
- Brought home a friend (aka tick). Long pants recommended.
- Some tee pads need maintenance for better footing.
- Pay to Play: $6. (I have a good solution for locals in the "Other Thoughts" section.)
- While the wind can make some holes fun, it makes others absolutely brutal.
- No maps available, so find a local to give you the lay of the land.
- Bathrooms only at the entrance, so use it early. Bring water.

Other Thoughts:

Full Disclosure: I'm a beginner, so maybe that is why my assessment of Crane Creek does not match other reviews. That being said, I thought this was a fantastic course! The scenery is breathtaking, and the course offers some nice challenges. Having played it 4 times in 4 days. I didn't get tired of it. High replay factor = good review from me.

As for the Pay to Play issue, if you are a local, you can buy a parks pass for $70 annually at http://www.sonoma-county.org/...mbership.htm.My dad lives near the course and has gone enough in 2 months to pay it off for the year, so it is definitely worth it. And, if you are just visiting, what's $6 to keep the park in good shape and please the disc golf gods?

Finally, if you are staying in the area, head up to Play it Again Sports at 2375 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa for a MASSIVE (if a bit overpriced) selection of Innova, Discraft, and Discmania discs. The Sports Authority just north on Santa Rosa Ave. had a pretty impressive selection of Innova discs, as well.
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10 3
humchris85
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.8 years 143 played 77 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Yawn... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 13, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Easy quick round
- Good for beginers as most holes are straight ahead and wide open
- Easy to find your way from one hole to the next
- Some elevation change around the course
- Nice views of vinyards and surounding hills
- Potential there for a much beter course
- Alternate teepad I found for hole 5 makes it a huge downhill with a hyzer finish, and beautiful views of the surounding areas
- Wind helps add difficulty

Cons:

- Not very exciting, most holes are just straight ahead and wide open, good for beginers, but not for any one who has been playing for a long time.
- No need for signs to have a map as all baskets but 2 are visable from the tee
- No shade on most of the course
- 6$ pay to play is alot for a course with as little to offer as this one
- Pit bathrooms
- No water
- Dirt and gravel tee boxes
- Areas off of the fairways are not mowed well, and can cause you to loose a disc
- Holes feel very repetitive
- Walking paths cross fairways and are potential spots where people could get hit with discs

Other Thoughts:

Crane creek is a decent little course in the hills above Rohnert Park, in wine country. There are good views of the winerys and hills surounding the course. The course seems to have been designed with beginers in mind and if that is the case they have done thier job well. Most of the holes are wide open and straight ahead, with a little elevation change and wind helping to add difficulty to this otherwise easy course. The park is used by other users than just disc golfers, so thier walking paths become potentialy dangerous places in which people or thier animals could get hit with a disc.

While playing through I hapened to walk up the wrong trail looking for the teepad for hole 5. What I found was an alternate teepad that makes this hole the signature hole for the course, a big downhill that doglegs off to the left, with great views of the hills around the course. The basket was not visable from up on this tee, but I was able to watch the guys that were in front of me put out and get a general idea of where it was. This tee is also not marked by anything but a square of cleared out grass. If you want to play this alternate tee walk up the path that goes up the hill, instead of walking down to 5's regular teepad, after you finish hole 4.
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10 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Okay Beginner Course With Potentail For Much More! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Crane Creek is a county park nestled in the Sonoma Mountains with some panoramic vistas of the surrounding vineyards. It was quite lovely on a late August evening. The terrain is rolling hills with scattered trees which would make for an really excellent disc golf course except for the present layout is fairly unimaginative. I'm sorry but it's just pretty straight forward. Take hole # 3 for example; Currently, you finish # 2 and walk over to the # 3 tee pad and throw 200 ft. to a basic beginner type straight forward boring hole. BUT...this could be one of the signature holes on this course..if you would just walk about 25 steps up the hill and place the # 3 teepad here...then # 3 would be a great little 250' downhill ACE run! Same thing with # 5. As it stands now, you're teeing off the road which is never good. But when you get to the # 5 basket and look back, you'll see various places on the hillside where the # 5 teepad could have been built to have created a masterpiece. With a minimum of work, the teepads could be worked into shape. Right now, they're rough. This would be a great place to bring in some concrete building blocks for the pads. I could see this place being hot and dry, bring water!

Cons:

The $6 parking seems steep for what you're getting. The pads need work. The design is boring and could be worked on. The distance on the signs seemed to consistently about 100 feet short. If the locals believe these signs, then they probably think they're supermen, throwing their putters 300 feet. The winds are tricky adding to the challenge.

Other Thoughts:

There is so much potential here. The lovely rolling hills with the views. The wildlife. With a minimal amount of work or design, this could easily be a 3 or 3.5 course.
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3 0
Big G
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Good Course of Beginners 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

No need for a variety of shots (though this could be a con as well)
Small chance of getting a big roller
Good for beginners

Cons:

$6 parking fee
A "Plain Jane" course
Tee boxes need maintenance

Other Thoughts:

You only need your basic straight and flat drive for this course. There are dog legs on only two holes. I have nothing against a course that is good for beginners though. I do have qualms when the scenery is uninteresting though. Any way we can get something other than grass planted out there? As the tee boxes are dirt, most of them dip in the middle and have rocks protruding which make a few of them unsafe. If not for the tee boxes needing maintenance, I would have given a higher rating.
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4 0
Joe_Maumy
Experience: 14 years 36 played 26 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Hot 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Pretty easy to find, the directions here are right on. If your looking for a reference point Sonoma College is close.
Course plays around a hill. Lots of tall weeds and stickers this time of year. HOT HOT HOT. Bring plenty of water. The course itself is pretty basic with the exception of a couple holes. Some holes play on and along the walking path so be sure you are in the clear before tossin your plastic! I did not use the on site restrooms while there so I can not confirm if the are flush or hole in the ground, however based on the lack of running water I would assume the latter. There are a few good holes and the course plays a bit flat then some up hill and downhill. Overall not bad if your in the area looking for something to do.

Cons:

$6 to park? Total rip off.

Other Thoughts:

Watch for hikers/bikers/horses. And watch where you step do to the horses.

I will play it again next time I am in the area and hope to play it in the cooler months when the weeds may not be to bad.

Watch for poison oak on hole 7 I think it was. (its the first one you come to where the tee pad is on the trail)
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