Penn Valley, CA

Hanging Oaks

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3.555(based on 30 reviews)
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2 5
TheBogeyMantis
Experience: 2.8 years 2 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Not Actually a 1.5 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 15, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

For starters this place if my favorite course. It's pretty hard so keeping strokes can be frustrating if that's your bag. However if you're just playing skins it's boss.

Its varying length holes all have bogey difficulty but with very few similarities in fairway length, dog leg angles, elevation changes, water features, and protected hole placements.

Great course maps and most holes have 4+ hole placements.
Also an underrated feature is that the park people don't really ever walk around the course so it's just golfers out there.
BIG UP NEVADA COUNTY DISC COMMUNITY

Cons:

Pay attention and maybe take photos of next hole tee box placements as it's a little confusing at first.
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4 0
the_bird
Experience: 6.8 years 11 played 11 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Bring all your shots!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

I played both Squirrel Creek and Hanging Oaks for the first time today, and I was really impressed with both of them. I thought Squirrel Creek was the more scenic, fun course, and that Hanging Oaks was the far more challenging test of my disc golf game (a new player that is definitely still a beginner/novice).

-I really had to use every single disc in my bag playing Hanging Oaks. Every tee-shot was different. This is by far the most diverse course I've played as far as shot requirements go.

-The course has a lot of undulations. The hills aren't big, but they definitely come into play on several of the holes. Hanging Oaks also has a crapload of trees (as the name suggests). Because of this pretty much every shot you throw will be dictated by the trees. Off the tees (and on my upshots) I was throwing any and everything I could think of from rollers, overhands, forehands, big hyzers and annhyzers, skip shots, etc, etc..

-Because of the aforementioned hills, super tight windows and trees, i was left with some really long second shots. Even on a few of the holes where I felt like I really threw a good drive I still had a fair bit left to go to get to the basket. Because of this i really worked out my midrange discs. I am not a monster off the tee by an means---300-315 down the middle is a real, real nice big drive for me at this point in my game, and it doesn't happen nearly as often as I wish it did! So, if you're like me, a lot of these holes will play pretty long for par 3's (especially compared to the yardage on the tee signs).

-There is not only real variety on the shots required off the tees, but there is a tremendous variety of distances on the holes here. I was blown away at the variety the holes offered here as far as distance, shot requirement, and risk/reward.

-The course was a real challenge. I felt this was the hardest local course I have played yet by far (I haven't played a ton of courses). But, compared to the Sacramento courses I've played, this one was the biggest test. It's obvious that the course would get a easier after playing it a couple times, but even then I could see it remains not just just challenging but fresh and interesting. Especially with the tough shot requirements out here and the variety of basket positions.

-I had the entire course to myself (weekday early afternoon with perfect 72 degree weather and no wind). Unlike Squirrel that I played before coming here which was pretty darn busy.

-The baskets were in great shape. I didn't have any discs sneak thru loose chains. Also, the tee pads were nice, as were the benches at a number of the holes (I can't remember if they were at all the holes or not), and the colored tee signs.

-The big grass area up above the course looks like it would be a great area to practice at as well. If I lived around the course I'd definitely use it as my driving range.

Cons:

The layout can be a little confusing. I was the only one on the course and I was having a hard time figuring out where to go after a few of the holes.

-Some of the baskets, fairways, tee boxes, etc...really can be close together. If it was busy out there with some of those basket positions it would get a little hectic, with discs flying everywhere. This also led to me having to walk around after a number of the holes trying to figure out where the next tee box was. I'd have to visit 2-4 tees on some occasions before finding the one I was supposed to go to next.

-I imagine for an advanced or pro level player this course would be a lot easier and less challenging than it is for someone of my skill level. If you have the distance and all the shots in the bag it would obviously play quite a bit differently. But, for me, and I'm sure for most beginner/novice/intermediate level players, it is a really fun, fair, exciting challenge that really makes you feel like you've earned your par (when you get them).

Other Thoughts:

A really great course. Seriously, the Grass Valley area is spoiled with two great courses. I can't wait to drive back up to play them both again! What a great day it was in the valley.
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8 0
bobmcnelly
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 324 played 189 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 27, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- good condition concrete tee pads
- good condition baskets
- good variety of distances, 200 to 400+ feet
- tons of technical shaping shots through the trees
- multiple baskets placements on every hole
- good tee signs that give you all the info you need

Cons:

- it may seem small to some but the navigation of the course is incredibly frustrating. With the multiple basket placements sometimes you can be 500 feet or more from the next tee pad and have no idea where to go. I know on the tee signs it tells you where the next hole is, but it's not always easy to remember. Especially after hit a bunch of trees and taking a 6.

Other Thoughts:

I really wanted to love this course, but left frustrated. I would easily rate this course a 4 if it had improved navigation signage.
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6 0
Skwirly
Experience: 14.4 years 88 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-concrete tee pads
-baskets with number placard on top
-great tee signs with a washer indicating pin placements
-multiple pin placements on each hole
-lots of variety with elevation changes, water hazards, woods and OB creating different lines and narrow landing zones

Cons:

-navigation can be confusing at times
-a couple of holes that are shoot and pray

Other Thoughts:

I love this course. My review for this is pretty similar to my one for Squirrel Creek, but that's because the good things are the same, yet these courses are very different. This course is well kept and has some fun signature holes in #3 island placement and #6 volcano placement. I usually play this course with Squirrel Creek because they are both such fun and close to each other. While having an overhand shot helps at Squirrel Creek, having a roller shot is more useful here. Each hole has multiple placements so you may need a good BH or FH for each hole. I highly recommend checking this out if you have the chance.
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6 0
sumo21
Experience: 10.2 years 35 played 26 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Challenging technical course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 12, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) Great mix of long/short, uphill/downhill technical shots
2) Restroom area near the main, larger parking area
3) Garbage recepticle at most, if not, every hole
4) Depending on where you park, you can start at 3 different locations which cuts down on wait time at the first tee
5) Minimal amount of golfers on course at any time, which means a round of 18 can be finished in a little over an hour
6) Multiple pin locations for each hole
7) Signs and basket location washers at most, if not at every hole

Cons:

1) Very technical course, not for golfers just starting out
2) Grab a map or play with someone who has played the course or you may get lost
3) During the fall/winter seasons, the massive amount of falling leaves, along with the vegetation provide more than enough ground cover for your disc to get lost so watch where your shots go

Other Thoughts:

-Don't let the short distances fool you, like hole 4. It's an uphill shot protected by the trees, a very challenging shot. Shots, on hole 4, are also prone to rolling downhill, unless the disc sits where it hits.

-Hole 6 offers a good challenge. When short, it's an ace run down an average size hallway of trees. When on a mound, it's the same hallway shot but right banking and up that mound.

-Most hole locations are anywhere from 175-350 feet, the longer pin locations seem to be holes that are more wide open than guarded by trees.

-For the most part, to play a decent round at Hanging Oaks, your shot has to be controlled, fit down hallways (mostly tight, but some wide) and you must be able to manage the course fairly well.

-There's a gas station down the street from the course on Penn Valley Drive or the Shell Station/Taco Bell immediately after coming off the CA-20, just in case you get hungry, thirsty or need gas. Both are east of the course.

-Another key point is when you're on the CA-20, cell phone reception is horrible and non existent in some spots so if this is your first time playing at this course, make sure you have printed directions already to go just in case.
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1 5
Taz Michael
Experience: 34.8 years 26 played 10 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Funkin Groovin 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 5, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Challenging layout. Numerous obstacles. Natural surroundings. Great location.

Cons:

Hole 1 is nowhere near hole 18 and is tough to find, if you've never played there before. Parking, on a Sunday, is hard to find. No pro shop. Very muddy in winter.
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6 1
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great front 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 28, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course starts off in some scattered oaks, then moves into a more brushy wooded area for most of the front 9. This part of the course offers some really nice technical lines with a good variety of left and right turning shots. There is enough rough that you'll have to work for a par after a shanked shot, but not so much that you'll lose discs.

The second half of the course plays a little longer and more open. There are still plenty of mature trees defining the fairways, but less underbrush and smaller trees around them. The tees are plenty grippy and roomy for the length of the course. The alternate pin positions really add some variety, especially on the front 9, without changing the difficulty of individual holes too much. The signs have indicators for pin position and make navigation easy.

Cons:

There are too many straight shots here, especially on the back 9. The layout of the second half of the course forces a bunch of straight shots going back and forth parallel to one another so there's not a lot of room for creative hole design. It's too bad the variety and challenge of the front 9 didn't carry over.

The course is pretty short, a lot of players won't need to throw too many distance driver shots here. A few holes play right along one another, we saw a few shots go into adjacent fairways. This seems like a pretty popular course so that could be a safety issue on a crowded day.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners will find this course very approachable and fun. There is some challenge without any real punishment or frustration for less accurate throwers. More experienced players will find a handful of fun shots, but not enough length or variety to challenge many different parts of a complete skill set. This course is worth a stop if you're in the area, but I wouldn't go out of your way expecting a championship type test.
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3 0
Fntsygamr
Experience: 8.8 years 62 played 27 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very enjoyable experience 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 13, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

1. Variety of shots required
2. Multiple pin locations
3. Other golfers on the course were helpful
4. Tee pads were in great condition
5. Signage was excellent!
6. Layout was challenging, but not difficult

Cons:

Since the course has some signature holes, I would like to see the placement of the pins on those holes in those locations. The island hole was not in place and the "volcano" hole was not either.
Too many pin placements on some of the holes. I can see having 3-4, but some have up to 7.
Most of the holes were a little too short. The technicality of the shots made the shortness of the holes not that much of a challenge.

Other Thoughts:

I would come and play this course again. I would tandem this course with either Auburn or Condon Park for a nice weekend of disc play. I would consider this the 3rd best course in the area. Condon being #1 and Auburn being #2 (or vice/versa). This is a must play if you are in the area.
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7 0
cefire
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 24.8 years 1123 played 136 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 12, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Variety, variety, variety! This course has every type of shot off the tee. During my round I was throwing RHBH, RHFH, Thumber, several rollers all off the tee as well as plenty of other utility approach shots when I did get into trouble.

On top of shot type variety there was also plenty of variety in distances required off the tee. With 5-6 (or even 7!) pin placements per hole, its easy to see why this would be the case.

Finally, the park has plenty of natural beauty along with good tee pads and signage throughout.

Cons:

First off, lets play it straight Penn Valley...that 'volcano' is nothing to brag about. Its just a plain ol' dirt mound. No biggie though, still a fun hole. The only other 'con' that I have is that there aren't really any true par 4 holes to speak of. Sure there are a few holes that might average more than 3 strokes even for a pro field, but this would be due to significant errors and OB versus a hole design that requires a full drive and approach to achieve a birdie three.

Other Thoughts:

If you are on the fence about whether to play Condon or here - HERE!!! This course is everything that Condon is trying to be, less crowded, better cared for. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
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2 0
Sam U
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My Favorite 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 23, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Superb tee signs with washer system
Multiple pin locations on each hole
Elevation changes
Nice tee pads
Great baskets
No pedestrian traffic
Not crowded
Technically challenging
Pleanty of benches and trash cans
Course sits on a beautiful park
Couse flows nicely

Cons:

18th tee pad needs to be replaced
No practice basket near hole 1
Hole 2 has some "unfair" pin locations
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2 0
ecv_onion
Experience: 31.9 years 8 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good Times 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Played Hanging Oaks for the first time today, after playing at Condon park. The tee signs are amazingly detailed, and have the easy to follow washer on each pole. A very well kept park. Asked a local where to find the first tee when we got there and not only did he tell us where to go, but also gave us a map to follow. Although it wasn't needed, because the layout made sense and there were signs if it was even close to being confusing.

Cons:

No pro shop. Seemed a little short. Most of the holes didn't need a driver, and if you're good with a fairway driver, birdies should be fairly easy. Signs to get to the park would be good, according to the gps we had arrived while still on hwy 20 at the back side of the park.

Other Thoughts:

If only other parks would use the lettered washer technique that this park, and Shady Oaks, use, it would make it easier for first time course players. All together I will be making it back here soon, and making a day of hitting a couple of the others in the vicinity.
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6 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The Oaks Might Get You! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Hanging Oaks is played almost entirely under a canopy of grabby oak trees. While providing much needed shade on those hot Cali days, they also are the signature feature on this course oftentimes forcing you to shape your shot or throw a low tunnel approach. The courses features excellent, descriptive teesigns complete with pictures of the holes as well as the ever helpful washer just below the sign with the A-B-C-D and sometimes E and F basket positions. I found this to be immensely helpful with navigation and shot selection. The course has Mach 3 baskets and nice concrete pads. There were benches and garbage cans throughout the park area.
I found the course to be challenging but fair. Many baskets were set in the longs and I didn't feel overwhelmed and I'm a old man and can barely get it out to 300'.
Although high and dry, the moat hole looked like it would be a blast to play when filled w/water.

And to repectfully disagree with my esteemed previous reviewer, "Speedly". # 18 was in the long position when I played it. To me, it looked impossible so having the box, I tried some ridiculous shot I pulled out of my ass and ending up bogeying the hole. My two local partners simply threw low tunnel drives and both finished with easy pars. My point is, that hole, especially in the long, looks daunting, but is very parable.

Cons:

I can't think of any major cons. There were other groups on the course this day but I didn't feel endangered or crowded. The course area seems disc golf exclusive.
Even in the "longs" I didn't feel totally overwhelmed.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed my experience here at the Oaks. Combined with Condon and Auburn Regional made for a great day day of experiencing new courses in the area. It'd be great to live down here and be able to golf the year around in pleasant weather.
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3 3
Speedly
Experience: 13.8 years 14 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Hard != Challenging 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Good maps on each tee, showing which direction the following tee is.
- Pin placement markers present on each hole.
- Moat and volcano are kinda cool.
- Mix of long and short holes.
- Need a bunch of shots to get through here effectively.
- Relatively close to Condon Park and Auburn Regional Park, makes for a good series of parks to hit in one day.

Cons:

- Difficulty is at a ridiculous level.
- Trees are pretty grabby. Bring a baseball.
- Pin placement markers not always accurate.
- Tee 1 is basically nowhere near the parking area.
- Very, very dusty during the summer.

Other Thoughts:

I think this course was designed with the idea that hard and challenging are the same thing. People like challenging, but the level of difficulty here is ridiculous. DeLaveaga is not even at this level. There are a number of holes that have so many trees, that there isn't a viable route up to the hole.

A glaring example of this was on hole #18, where the hole runs down across a ravine and back up the hill, with trees' canopies prohibiting making a shot higher than 8' or so. This creates a situation, when the pin is on its longest settings back up the hill, where the only way to make a shot up to the pin is to use the Force and push it back upwards.

I felt that the number of pin settings on some holes was a bit excessive. Moreover, I think that some of the pin settings were not well thought out (relating somewhat back to the last paragraph), resulting in poor design. Quantity must not be held over quality, and I think one can look to Condon Park for proof of this.

I felt that the volcano and the moat were gimmicky.

A fair number of the pin position markers were not correct.

But enough of the things I didn't like. Let's end out with what was good!

Despite my complaints above, some of the holes (mostly the ones with fewer pin positions) were very well designed and required you to think outside of the box to get close. I threw some shots that I'd never attempted before with certain discs here, and learned quite a bit.

There are very nice gazebos and benches to go under and get out of the sun.

The signage is very detailed and did aid in finding pins, even on the ones where the marker was wrong.

The course was not crowded in the slightest - in fact, I don't think I saw another soul actually playing on the course as we went around. As a result, we were able to finish our round pretty quickly.

While the water hazards were not filled for our visits, they were not deep, which probably results in easier retrieval if you do have the unfortunate circumstance of landing in one.

Things that I did not penalize the course for in my rating:

- Heat and dustiness. Surely the course installers cannot be expected to control the geography and weather.

- Inaccuracy of pin placements. There was no way to determine whether it was the course staff that mismarked pins, or the patrons that may have messed with it. With no concrete evidence of either, points cannot fairly be assessed.

Overall: playing here was okay, and was good for a new experience - but I likely wouldn't take the trip from Sacramento to return.
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1 0
mattjlegg
Experience: 14 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

great layout.
good course map on each hole
most multiple hole options i've seen.
great park, nice trees.
not to many people.

Cons:

a bit of the same drive on a lot of holes, straight. which i didnt mind, it let me work on throwing hard but straight aka it was forgiving.

Other Thoughts:

bring a hat and or sunscreen.
plenty of water.
played 36-40 holes in about 2 hours on a friday around 1pm-3pm.
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2 2
Hangtownchucka
Experience: 15.9 years 11 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2 things Water and Trees 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 17, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Terrain is not super rugged and very easy to traverse, pretty hard to lose discs. Setup for each hole is excellent, signs and hole placement are a part of every tee-pad. Many long drives with a few fun water hazards that are not very deep.

Cons:

Some Holes are very close together, actually saw someone catch a disc to the face while they were on the tee-pad. A lot of the course has water on it so the ground does get saturated after rain.

Other Thoughts:

All in all it's not my favorite course but because of the challenge that it can be it would be a course for any golfer to hone their skills when dealing with throwing through a forrest
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2 1
wildrivers
Experience: 14.7 years 19 played 19 reviews
4.00 star(s)

AWESOME 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 10, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

There is a sign at each tee. There are cement tees. Excellent intermediate course. This course is more user friendly then Condon by far. There are less tight oak areas and closer baskets.

Cons:

Could use a few more signs to next tees as you play along.

Other Thoughts:

heads up watch out for the other players as the tee's are often in the same throwing area as the next guy. If you do start on hole 17 clear down by the baseball field, the tee1 start is just behind tee 18 to the west. It is easy enough to follow the given directions on this site and find tee 1. Thanks to the locals for the great sign work for the visitors, and keeping the place clean.
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8 0
GVDiscr
Experience: 19.8 years 109 played 21 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Penntucky 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

All Mach 3 Baskets
Nice tee signs
2 Practice baskets (1 by Hole 1, 1 by Hole 17)
Great mixture of long and short pin placements
Awesome multiple signature holes
(Hole 6 Volcano/Hole 3 Moat/Hole 9 Ponds/Hole 11 Crescent Moon Ridge with Pond in front)
Beautiful park setting with all the amenities (even a dog park and nice creek to swim in)
Bridgeport (Yuba River) is only 15min away
Fun to play during all seasons!

Cons:

Couple Tees could use widening and or lengthening
(Hole 4 Length & Widened & Hole 16 Widened)
Beginners may have trouble

Other Thoughts:

This course is full of oaks and can be very technical on the long setup, however it can also be very forgiving on the shorter setup.
It's a great course to learn different shots on (i.e. forehands/backhands/rollers
Will definitely tame Pro players
Most locals start on Hole 17 by the first parking lot on the left when you pull into the park
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1 1
trevorchreid
Experience: 13 played 13 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Nice hole design. Good placement of your drives is key on this coarse.
-Lots of trees for obstacles
-technical, narrow fairways
-Couple of the holes have nice elevation change
-Well maintained
-Nice baskets, tee pads, and signs
-Fairly easy to navigate
-pretty setting

Cons:

-Some of the holes became a little monotonous. Over abundance of long, flat, straight, narrow holes.
-Very easy crack a disc with so many trees
-Found myself wanting a little more elevation change given that it's in the foothills
-Couple of wide open holes would be sweet

Other Thoughts:

Overall great coarse. Of the two however, Grass Valley takes the cake. Grass Valley is the destination coarse and this is the coarse you play because your already in the area.
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1 4
Sluse
Experience: 14.7 years 8 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Hanging Oaks 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 17, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very well designed, and maintained, with some tricky basket locations, some real tricky water hazards, as well as some very long holes.

Cons:

A lot of trees, and some interesting water hazards, but other than that, very nice course.

Other Thoughts:

The park itself is beautiful this time of year.
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4 0
jimbosprint
Experience: 20.8 years 99 played 16 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Have a good straight driver? 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 23, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A really nice course in a nice park. Seems to favor right handed players, which is a pro for me. It definitely tests your ability to throw down long narrow fairways. Baskets, cement tees, benches, trash cans - all good features of any course.

Cons:

This popular course gets busy and can involve a lot of waiting. The long narrow fairways can lead to a very frustrating high score involving hitting a lot of trees.

Other Thoughts:

Make it a day-of-disc (45 holes!) by playing this course (Penn Valley), Browns Valley, and Grass Valley. Don't forget to bring lunch and plenty of water.
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