Buttonwillow, CA

Buttonwillow Park

2.75(based on 5 reviews)
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8 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Buttonwillow Park Is So Clean It Squeaks When You Walk On It! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 29, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

It's amazing how nice and new everything is around here. It was as if this entire park's complex was created without the worry of a budget. It's beautiful!

The course has an interesting design going on. There are nine Discatchers with two large numbers on each. So each basket doubles as a hole for the front nine and then as a hole for the back nine also. Each of the front holes 1-9 have a tee pad with the hole number and distance neatly etched in at the bottom of the concrete tee pad. They are so small and neatly done, it might be possible to overlook them. The back nine is a little trickier. Those numbers 10-18 and the distances are etched onto the sidewalks somewhere. You just need to track them down.

The course plays at a recreational level with most distances in the 200-300' range. Most holes are relatively open with no rough so it's a low pressure round, unless you're in a hot skins game for big bucks. The park is flat, the trees are scattered so it's a pretty mundane round.

Cons:

Course is flat.

Back nine is basically just a longer (40') version of the front nine.

Other Thoughts:

Buttonwillow Park DGC makes a fine pit stop on the I-5 drive. It's an easy 10 minute drive off the freeway, certainly not a destination course but worth the stop for a leg stretcher. And it's fun just because it's such a clean park. Well done design feature engraving the hole #'s and distance into the tee pads.
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4 0
IsThisThingOn
Experience: 48 played 12 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Good effort in the California flats 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

It is very clear that the course designers put a lot of care into the course. The tee boxes are in great shape and have hole numbers & distances set into the concrete. The layout flows well and you finish right at the start. As far as care I give it a 4.5/5. A "rules" sign at hole one with a map would give it a 5.

Other pros
-10 min of I-5 (easy stop on a north/south trip
-clean park with bathrooms at hole 1

Cons:

Terrain: the course suffers from the location, as it is in the flat part of the middle of California. Located around a baseball field, there is zero elevation change. There are many young trees that may give it more character as they grow in, but a seasoned player can easily do the whole thing with a midrange.

No marked mandys: a flat course like this can benefit from some clear mandys, I didn't see any. It was every throw was a simple RHBH with no need for any English on the throw

Back 9: while it is certainly nice to have a second 9 to throw, most of them are more like "pro" tees rather than giving alternate looks. Most just add 20-40 feet to the throw.

Other Thoughts:

I hate to give a 2.5 to a course that someone clearly put a lot of time and effort into, but the terrain simply does not allow for it to be more than average. This might change a bit when the young trees grow in, but I don't see it becoming more than a solid three in the future.

Worth playing if: you are course collecting OR want to break up the drive between SoCal and NorCal.
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6 0
jasonandsharon
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 39.8 years 498 played 65 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Fun in the Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 23, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

9 baskets with 18 tees in a flat fairly new park. Park looks and feels like its a fairly new addition to the city. Tee pads engraved with hole number and distance. The perfectly flat and green grass makes spotting the concrete tees fairly easy. Navigation is reasonable because of this.

Cons:

Pretty short, fairly wide open with newly planted trees making up obstacles. Possible conflicts with other park users as holes play close to picnic tables and jogging trails, although when I was there I was completely alone in the park. There are no tee signs, but as stated doesn't really hinder navigation other than figuring out where to start. Hole 1 is to the west of the bathrooms.

Other Thoughts:

Typical central CA city park with bright green grass surrounded by miserable desert looking terrain. Course makes a welcome addition to the boring I5 corridor. Not a whole lot of challenge but a good place to stretch the legs maybe try for some aces. The course plays as two 9s more like short tees and long tees, with the long tees being little jags in the sidewalks and a few poured pads behind the previous pads. The long tees added a little distance but it left a lot of the holes feeling very much the same.
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5 0
Tejonorocker
Experience: 14 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Great use of space.
Use a lot of different shots for such a short course.
Only course on the 5 between LA and San Fran.
Will get better with time as trees grow.

Cons:

Finding the back 9 can be confusing if you haven't played it before. They are on little tabs on the sidewalk.

Other Thoughts:

A very surprising find in the middle of the central valley. Wasn't expecting much and was very surprised how much I enjoyed myself. I figured it would just be a single throw to the basket type of course but I ended up using more types of throws and different lines that I thought I would. The back nine are for the most part a longer version of the front nine but the way they use trees and the tee boxes it creates a new challenge and for most holes changes your approach completely. The park/course hasn't officially been opened yet so it will improve when they finish the signs and install the final basket for 3 and 12. Its also right next door to the parks and rec dept so if there's any problems with the course the people there are super friendly and would love to help. I will definitely stop to play this course every time I go up and down the 5!
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4 0
mattdabbs
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.8 years 104 played 61 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

9 pins, 18 pads. A little short but very, very good use of the trees in the park as obstacles to work around. Lots of ace runs. Nearly hit three in one round. The park is well maintained and seems pretty new. Nice new discatchers that need numbers put on them. Easiest navigation I have ever seen on a course. When you hole out the next tee is normally within 40 feet. Only problem here is you may have to wait on the group ahead of you to tee off before you throw a hole as the tees are so close to the previous pins. Some new trees planted that will provide more obstacles in the future. Park workers were all over the place tidying up the place.

Cons:

Pretty short but still very fun. Hole 1/10's fairway overlaps the hyzer line on 9/18 and hole 3-4 overlap hole 8's fairway. Could get a little tricky with lots of people on the course. Not much shade but a really nice rec facility on site. 11's tee points right at a really nice metal light pole within 20 feet of the pad. That thing is going to get beat up. 13's tee has a brand new little tree planted straight in front of it. My drive hit it dead center...I didn't do any damage but over time this little tree might not do very well being so close to the pad and right in the line of fire. I hope it makes it though as when it gets big it will be a tough obstacle.

The ground was pretty wet and mucky around 3-4 & 7-8. Also the sprinklers randomly came on at one point and got me and my discs pretty wet and then turned off 30 seconds later...not sure what happened there. Park workers were all over the place...which is good that they are keeping the park clean but I had to wait a very long time on a few holes as they didn't seem to be aware of what was going on and would stand around the pins or in the fairways for lengthy periods of time...just doing their job (which is way more important than disc golf).

Other Thoughts:

When you pull in the park you will see to your right a small building and a no parking sign and a bench. The first tee is right next to that bench and light. You play straight ahead for 1-2 and then south down the sidewalk for 3-5. 6 plays back along the highway to the park sign. 7-8 play along the ball field. 9 plays back toward 1's tee.

The "back 9" play off little extensions in the sidewalk that you will notice as you play 1-9. 17 & 18 have their own tees and are the only ones on the back 9 that don't play from a sidewalk. Really smart use of the sidewalk. Distances and tee number are stamped into the concrete. Pretty cool idea.

All in all, a very fun course that is close to I-5.

Somehow my voice recording commentary of the park died after hole 12 so I don't have all the distances but I will try to get the rest and put them in.
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