Everything about the whole operation here at Castoro Cellars Winery smacks of class and proper upbringing and money. The buildings, the tasting room, the clientele and the disc golf course all reek of class. The disc golf course, Whale Rocks, was certainly designed right. The wine and vineyard influence touches all points of the course. The course weaves in and out and sometimes over the vines. Wine barrels have been used creatively throughout whether they're used as outlines for the 30' putting circle or used as a base for a raised basket or stacked to provide a little safety for golfers waiting their turn to throw.

The equipment is excellent. The baskets are a very pretty powder coated blue color. The concrete tee pads are great. The signs are simple but give you what you need. There are brooms attached to the back of the benches on each hole. There are two raised baskets and one hanging one.

At each tee sign is a message below containing information on any topic such as the whale bones found here or about being good stewards of the land, the wildlife that call this their home, or respecting the workers while they are doing their work here. I didn't find these corny or preachy at all but actually quite inspiring. It actually made me want to be a good steward to both the land and the wine vineyards. And I actually don't care for the taste of wine.

The course is great fun but not terribly challenging, even for a old rec player like myself. Even after a terrible drive, I could almost always recover and save par. The course has an wonderful variety of holes types, uphills, downhill bombs, tunnel shots and Ace runs.

Security is tight. You have to trade your driver's license for a key to open the gate. You'll get your license back when your turn in their key. The cost to play is only $5 and you can purchase a yearly pass for $60.

Did I find any cons? Yes, it's not a championship course. It's just north of being a rec course. Intermediates and advanced players would have their way here but I venture to say they would enjoy the hell out of themselves.

I don't think the $5 is going to discourage anyone. Playing the # 5 rated course in the state of California (January 2019) for $5 is a deal plus you get to taste some fine wine.

Whale Rock DGC hosts a Cal Coast Series Championship so the course can be closed from time to time and also closes for rainy weather. Call and check for closures. There is a nice selection of t-shirts for sale in the tasting room (they got into my wallet for a couple). If you're driving up 101, you don't want to miss the opportunity to experience Whale Rocks Disc Golf Course and the wine tasting, too.

- Signage: amazing. High-quality signs on each tee, indicating all basket locations, distance, and other course info. Arrows below each basket directing you to the next tee. Signs pointing you in the right way when it is unclear. I had a map but didn't really need it because the signage was top notch.

- Teepads: fantastic. The unique red color apparently comes from being made partially with whale rocks, which are aplenty on the course. Every teepad had a bench with a broom mounted under it for quick and easy clearing of debris. Genius. Never seen that before.

- Scenery: hard to beat. Playing through the vineyard is a really unique experience, well worth the $5 entry fee. This area of California is beautiful, and the vineyard is very well maintained - better than any course I've played.

- Special touches: so fun! The antique truck on Hole 1 lets you know from the start that this isn't your mammy's disc golf course. You'll see baskets mounted atop barrels (barrels are everywhere on this course) and hanging from trees. Most (if not all, I can't recall) baskets had a flag on top to make them more visible.

- Course design: stellar. The way the course weaves around the vineyard utilizes the land very well. There are all kinds of shots - big bombers, short and technical, uphill, downhill, over vines, etc.

I'm hard-pressed to come up with any cons to speak of here, but I could see these things bothering people:

- Some fairways play quite close to each other. I'm thinking of 18 and one of the early ones (3? 4?). There wasn't anyone else on the course so it obviously wasn't an issue for me at all, but on a busy day I could see it becoming problematic.

- Locked course. You can't just show up here anytime and play. Playing hours are limited to the vineyard's shop hours, which I believe are 10-6, eliminating the possibility early morning rounds. Perhaps there is a work-around for this for locals, but I was just passing through and the timing worked out fine.

- Paid entry. Only listing this here because I can imagine others may complain about this. Once you see the course and consider how much money and energy it takes to create and maintain a top-caliber course like this, I think you'll feel it was well worth the Lincoln.

- Not a lot of shade. Load up on suntan lotion and you'll be fine. You should be doing that at any course in Southern California, anyways!

If you find yourself in the area, or are planning a disc golf road trip, this course is well-worth your time!!! Be sure to stop by the visitor center area near the entrance to get a key to the course, which is fenced-in and gated. From there, it's just a 1 minute drive up a small road to the course.

-great layout that works through the grapevine rows on slightly rolling hills with occasional mature oaks
-nice concrete tees, Mach baskets, detailed signs, and brooms on each tee
-lots of fun and reachable birdie holes and a few longer holes where longer arms can rip one or shorter arms have to manage 2 shots
-a few downhill tee shots that are fun and a couple interesting uphill shots (i really liked hole 16)
-basket atop wine barrels on hole 3; hanging basket on 14, cool touch at the right point on the course; all other holes have 2 basket positions
-convenient DG parking right next to the course
-P2P: i think it's a pro
-cool whale bone fossils embedded into each tee pad
-not far from the Firestone Walker Brewery, stop for great food and beers!

-gets a bit monotonous going through grapevines almost the entire way through the course
-throwing OB into the grapevine rows is a real pain retrieving your disc, you often can't see exactly which row you're in and if you pick the wrong one you have to walk all the way around
-course is not very shaded and dry, bring water
-course closed the day after a rain
-the first and last few holes are very close together

Whale Rock is a well done course on the Castoro Cellars Winery. The rolling hills, sparse mature Oaks, and great amenities make for an enjoyable disc golf experience. The course has some fun shots from elevation and uses the land well. The concrete tees, Mach baskets, brooms at each tee and detailed tee signs show that the $5 is well spent. There are two basket positions on each hole except hole 3 where the basket is atop some wine barrels and hole 14 which has a hanging basket.

By the time you get to around hole 12, the course starts to feel a bit repetitive. The grapevine rows are cool and make some good OB areas but it's a pain to retrieve your disc. There is little shade in the middle of the course and it is hot and dusty so make sure to bring water.

Check in at the tasting room where you'll sign a waiver, pay your $5 fee, and get a key for the gate at the course entrance. The staff is super friendly and the wine is probably decent. I didn't stick around to find out because I headed over to Firestone Walker for lunch and beers. Whale Rock is a great way to burn some time waiting for the Taproom Restaurant to open at 11am. Definitely worth checking out and worth the $5.


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Whale Rock is easily my favorite disc golf course I have played (out of approximately 20 courses) between Monterey and Santa Barbara. A must-play course for anyone looking to experience disc golf in the region. The course is extremely well maintained, with good tee surfaces, good signage, and lots of other subtle touches that make it a pleasant experience. Playing amongst the grapes in a working vineyard is icing on the cake, creating some interesting O.B. areas while also creating some beautiful scenery. I also like how secure they keep the course (helping to protect it for their paying customers). And having a wine tasting room just up the road (where you need to go to pay to play and get a key that allows you on the course)? Even better, as an additional amenity to enjoy before/after your round and/or something for your non-disc golfing traveling companions to enjoy while you play.

The cons I can think of on this course are few. I didn't like the position of the Hole 17 tee in relation to the Hole 16 tee and fairway. As even with a mando on Hole 16, I think casual and/or less skilled players could hit people on the Hole 17 tee with their Hole 16 tee shots.

This would be an amazing place to have as a home course if you lived in the area. I know they hold a number of events on the property too (DGA and otherwise). Since I was just passing through, I didn't ask if they sell a yearly pass for locals to enjoy. But if they do not offer this, I might recommend that they do. That would help make the costs for players of all ages and incomes more manageable.

* Beautiful setting
* Impeccable signage
* Quality tee pads
* Quality baskets
* Interesting use of the vines
* Benches at every hole

* Windy!

I drove down specifically to play this course and am really glad I did. It's a fun course set among the vineyard that makes really good use of the vines for OB.

The tee pads are all concrete and in excellent shape, and the tee signs are clear. It's pretty easy to find all the holes, although hole 3 threw me for a loop. Luckily some friendly locals showed me the way.

I think my favourite hole was 17, where you throw over vines to what amounts to an island green. Not particularly challenging, but quite fun.

Remember to bring lots of water. It wasn't a particularly hot day and yet with the elevation changes I still blew through my one bottle and wished I'd had another.

- Gave this course a 4.5 review for the sake of its incredible uniqueness, beautiful scenery and all around awesome experience. The review score is not for the technical quality of the course itself, which isn't as difficult or interestingly laid out as a course like Delaveaga, for example.

- This is a destination course, worth driving well out of your way for. It's set inside of a winery, and you throw around the inside of the vineyard.

- Concrete tees, good baskets and fantastic signage.

- Only $5 to play for the day, free parking, exceptionally reasonably priced when you compare it to crappy golf courses which charge $15-$25 for a round.

- Only place to really lose discs is in the vines, even then not bad at all.

- The winery sells branded discs, small Innova selection (Tee Birds, Destroyers, Aviars, etc.)

- Played it on a tournament weekend and they had some unique layouts, including a hole that threw into a barn through the open barn doors that had a basket set up on the inside.

- The course is such an all around great experience I hate to knock anything about it, but the holes themselves were not overly diverse (a lot of low 300 foot range Par 3s) and all the vines are OB, which adds a lot of OB to the course that otherwise wouldn't be designed into it.

- Lots of animal/rodent holes in the ground, so you want to watch your footing. Apparently some large snakes in the area apparently (we didn't see any), but they said they've never had venomous snakes.

- If the winery is busy it can take a while to register and then return the key they give you to access the gate to play.

- Course is pretty wide open, so the heat can be absolutely punishing if you're not prepared. They don't sell bottles of water but have a free water cooler at the winery that you can fill your own containers up with.

- Wind off the coast can be a blessing but can also add quite a bit of challenge.

- It's a winery, so you can do tastings on site and all the good stuff typically associated with visiting a winery.

- This is one of my favorite courses I've ever played, because as a traveler to California it's an experience as much as it is a disc golf course.

-Stunning scenery. Large oaks and bright verdant green vineyards. Feels like you're playing in Provence.
-Decent variety of shots: long, tight, left to right, right to left, island, etc..
-great elevation changes

-OB vines rather than trees, add most of the difficulty.
-Easy to lose discs among the vines.
-That $5 to play and taste, can turn into $150 worth of wine after the tasting
-Winter time, most of the vines are bare. Not as pretty.

Played a tourney here, and now stop by every time we go wine tasting in Paso Robles. One of the few courses my wife actually likes to walk.

Clean, Clear, and New Signage
Lovely terrain, daily landscaping, nice location
Modern facilities
Easy learning curve with a mild variety of hole design

Limited Hours of Operation,
Tight cluster of baskets fole holes 2, 3, and 18.
No water facilities on course itself; one port-a-potty near hole 8.
Course is closed for rain and any day immediately thereafter

I really enjoyed playing here. It was not crowded at all on a weekday and the design is easy to pickup because the signage is very clear and modern. There are a few holes with mandos for added challenge. OB is present just about everywhere on account of the vines being OB. There are two TOW shots that are fun (and I did surprisingly well at). I would recommend a stop here if you are nearby and have $5 to spare. Just remember to bring along some food/water for your jaunt. Be advised there is just one port-a-potty near hole 8 so plan accordingly.

This is a fun course and is an added perk to having a membership to the Castoro Wine Club. I work at another winery right down the road, so it's a great place to play when I have the chance and I am apart of their Industry Wine Club which makes a great deal even better. The actual vines are out of bounds, but there are great technical shots and terrain changes that the majority of the SLO County courses don't have. You can see the love that went into making this course. Great scenery, fun stroll through a vineyard.

The course is as par 3 as it comes. No real difficult long drives, most holes are around the low 300 ft range. Not great practice for competitions in terms of distance or heavy wind compensation. Hours are while the tasting room is open, 10-5 (they ask for the keys back at 5 because they close at 5:30), which doesn't help me during the week since I get off at 4:30.

This is my favorite course in the county so far. I wish I were friends with the vineyard/winery team that works there because I've seen them do some glow stuff after dark and sometimes play in the early morning before work. I wish they were open a little longer, at least during the summer when the sun is out longer, but I completely understand why they close when they do. My favorite basket is the hanging one, which I've almost aced, followed by the top of the world shot (Hole 6?). Actually I've almost aced a few of them. I love that they have multiple pin positions that changed somewhat frequently that add variety to the course. Highly recommend it when you decide to stop in wine country.

Very beautiful course that is seamlessly integrated into the Whale Rock vineyard. The giant oak trees make for some fun yet challenging obstacles.

The course is always being maintained/modified a bit to keep things fresh for frequent players.

$5 fee also gets you wine tasting.

Nothing big just make sure to bring water and a hat as it can get super sunny and hot.

Course is right off the 101. Super easy to pop in for a round or two if you're driving up or down the coast.

Challenging holes for all the DG rippers with some chiller holes that even the noobs will have a good time banging chains. Some great technical shots are required at several holes with trees or other obstacles in the way, or the awesome hanging basket at hole 14.

No complaints with this course other than the fact that I think I am cursed at hole 3 because I seem to always triple bogey at that hole. May the DG Gods lift this curse upon me!!! Please and thank you

A beautiful course woven through Castoro Cellar's Whale Rock Vineyard. The $5 fee to play the course can be redeemed for a wine tasting so bring a friend and make a day out of it. Some serious chill vibes all around and you will definitely see some legendary rippers out there if you play frequently

Love how playful this course is. Hole 8 is my favorite as the tee pad is nestled under the branches of a big oak and they've created a little branch fence and added some wine barrel obstacles. Feels like a fort! The course is exciting, with hole 6 offering a huge drop over the vines to a basket near another large oak and there's a hanging basket on 14. From hole 6 on I love how you stretch along the vineyard in the flats and really experience the land, then wind back up and around. Benches on every hole and little touches like whale bones set in the concrete and signage telling you about the winery keep it interesting on every level. So much handmade love went into this and it shows!

This course feels a bit advanced for the beginner, but I also think that's part of the fun. The uphill on 16 and crossing the vines on 17 are my nemeses! Can be hot in summer so bring plenty of water! Private course = set hours so kinda a shame it has to close at 5pm. Would love to toss here at sunset!

Playing in a working vineyard is such a fun experience and you can look forward to different happenings in all seasons. Experiencing the fall colors in the vineyard is a must.

Whale Rock DGC is one of the nicest courses out there. Each tee pad has a wooden bench and great signage. You'll never struggle to find the next hole and you might learn something about organic farming and winemaking while you're out there. Also, the scenery is simply hard to beat...it is set in a vineyard amongst rolling coastal hills in California....

Can be very windy at times, especially later in the day. Hour restrictions on access, closes at 5.

Great course, well maintained, family friendly. Nice variety of holes.

Great course with great anemities on a working vineyard. Excellent benches on every hole. Excellent signage on every hole. Pro shop/Wine tasting room availiable. Brand new DGA Mach V baskets , good tee pads on every hole. Control is a must with OB on almost every hole. Short and long holes. Downhill and uphill. Excellent use of terrain for the course. Unique whale bone rocks cast into every teepad. Informational signs through the course allow a kind of "tour" of the vineyard. All holes are par three varing from 225-490 feet with multiple pin locations. The course is a two mile loop out and back.

Played in March and it was absolutely beautiful, but would imagine that summer is going to get very hot. Wind from the coast can get crazy, also makes for greater challenge, so maybe a pro as well. Long grass at points can hide discs. May occasionally have to skip a hole as it is a working ranch. Only open from 10-5, may play havoc with some peoples work schedules. A little confusing navigating the first couple of holes as you walk up the hill to threes tee after playing number two instead of teeing off from fours tee which is right next to two and threes basket. Still with the great signs easy enough to figure out and they give you a map/scorecard when you play so no big deal really.

A little on the fence between a 4 and a 4.5 for the course but the anemities help to push up the score. To clarify the course does not play through the actual grape vines, but rather through a lovely field of grass and old growth oaks that winds through the different varietals planted around the vineyard. It uses the grave vines as out of bounds on all hole, they don't want you in the grape vines any more than you want to throw in them, and uses the ends of the rows as occasional obstacles to throw over. The course is located about a ¼ mile from the tasting room down a dirt road and behind a locked fence and gate. You must sign in, pay, and get the key from the tasting room and then drive down to the course. Course map, disc rental and information available upon check in. $5 to play can be credited to purchases in the wine shop, reasonable for what you get neither a pro or a con. The $5 doesn't count toward disc purchases though Really wish that more private land owners would see the benefit of this, would love to play on more CA ranches.

Short enough for Rec Players, technical enough for most. Close to US 101 if travelling. Excellent equipment. Nice Tees, Beutiful oaks. Certified organic!

None, if $5 is stopping you go find another job

Very high quality baskets and tee pads. The layout is diverse and well thought-out. A good challenge for any player with some holes (i.e. #6) that no disc golfer wants to miss!
Unique and beautiful scenery. Course is set among rolling vineyards at Castoro Cellars, a classic California winery. Who can beat that..

Can get exposed and warm.
Not always ideal work and play hours.

An absolute must stop-and-see if you're a local or driving anywhere nearby on a CA road trip.
A Dam Good Time!!!

Beautiful scenery
Great Tee signs and directional arrows
Nice use of elevation
Basket placements are awesome! Multiple positions
Appropriately sized tee-pads
Designed with the sustainability of the property in mind

$5 per person (free wine tasting afterward though!)
Little shade
windy
Not a ton of distance on most holes

A great experience, Whale Rock claims to be the first official course on a operating winery. You play through the vineyard and throw over the grapes on several different occasions. Very easy to navigate once you find the course, make sure to ask when you pay at the tasting room how to find hole #1! (It's a drive down the dirt road, so don't walk!) Lots of cool wine barrels and other things throughout the course, you kind of forget you are playing disc at times! Not a overly difficult course, most experienced players should expect to shoot par or better. If you are visiting the central coast, this is a must play!

+ Great venue
+ Tee pads are very nice (stamped/stained concrete)
+ Challenging layout if your an "aggressive" player*
+ Benches and signs at each hole

None really, I could come up with something but very minor like lack of water (BYO) and not much shade.. but again.. VERY minor and does not detract from the experience at all.

I was very impressed with this DG course. I have played a few "private" courses that leave a lot to be desired so I had my reservations. When I stepped up to the first tee pad I knew this was going to be a great experience. Most DG courses start out a little rough when they first open like maybe no benches, tee signs, etc., but not whale rock. They kicked this one off with all the amenities most seasoned courses still lack like beautiful tee pads, benches, tee signs, landscaping at each tee pad decorated with many "wine" related accent pieces. My favorite was the whale bone embedded in each tee pad, and the wine barrel trash cans.. Nice touch! Playing in a vineyard is fun, vines are OB so you really need to be careful. I played a very aggressive round, almost dismissing OB even existed, but I found myself with a lot of added strokes! Like any course if you played conservative, play for par and take the birdie ops that come your way, you can shoot low here. The course itself isn't super difficult, but it will challenge you, no matter what your level. I would say an open player in good form should shoot -6 to -9 here. Intermediate -4 to +2, etc. If your in the area definitely stop by! The winery is great as well, definitely taste while you are there if you are of age, fun tasting room and great people. If your more of a beer person firestone is only a couple miles away!

Awesome setting. A lot of fun holes with the vines being OB. Plenty of open "ripper" drives which I enjoy. Oak trees provide plenty of technical shots for approach shots.

Pay to play. Would play more often if free.

Could get interesting during wine harvest.

Great use of space in and around vineyards. Some tight and technical, with nice ups and downs.

Could use a few more long holes. Shade over benches would help in the hot Summer months

Great deal for Wine/Disc Golf Club!