California Oaks
In driving around California, I am always looking at the rolling grassy countryside scattered with grazing cows and giant oak trees thinking: "That would be a great place to play disc golf ." Well, here is your chance to play among the towering California oaks complete with a herd of cattle. This rural piece of land is bordered by farms, ranches, orchards and the King River.
I used bullet points for those that don't want to read the entire review.
If you build it, they will come.
Proof you can put a good course anywhere and folks will find it. While it is not really in the middle of nowhere, it is in rural Central California. If you are traveling in the area and driving by, this course is worth stopping by. Don't pass up a chance to play a fun natural course among the mature oaks and the cows. It is very close to HWY 99. There is a gas station and convenience store at the exit where you can load up on supplies. To get to the course you have to drive down a narrow farm road past almond orchards, vineyards and berry fields. At the end of the road is a gate at what appears to be the main parking area. The gate is kept locked to keep the cattle in. Climb through the fence to get onto the property.
Variety of Shots
This course really makes the most of the gentle elevation changes on the property. It also maximizes the use of the mature oaks. Some shots require placement on the drive to have the opportunity to par. Other holes are short enough to provide birdie opportunities for all. The shorter holes are generally a little more technical. The stretch of long holes from 12 through 15 is more wide open and offers a little less variety, but it is nice to be able to air out some big drives. Some of the longer holes, still end up with a challenging pin position among the trees. Designer made excellent use of the property.
Grazing land
I like the novelty of playing on a disc golf course with the cows. You may have to skip a basket or tee during your round if the cows happen to be hanging out nearby. Please don't spook the cattle. If you don't like dusty walk in the wilderness and navigating by a map, don't bother to play here. There are no signs, no running water, no restrooms and no trash cans. If you like an adventure and want to experience disc golf in an undeveloped and natural environment, you should enjoy this course. Although not rocky or terribly rugged, this course absolutely qualifies as a Western Disc Golf experience.
Solitary round of golf
While I was not the only disc golfer out on the course, I never ran into the other players. I honestly felt like I had the entire place to myself on both visits. I was playing in this hot and dusty landscape with a couple of cows nearby and all I could hear was a lone hawk screeching from a nearby treetop. The only thing missing from the eerie scene from a spaghetti western was some buzzards circling overhead. I imagine rural California looked and felt a lot like this back in the 1800's.
Pack it in and Pack it out
There are no trash cans on the property. Please carry out your own trash. Most folks seem pretty good about carrying stuff out, others apparently like to hide it among the trees. I filled the bags I brought along on my rounds, but there is still more out there. I didn't see a whole lot of cigarette butts and there is no graffiti. Although there are some bullet holes in the number plate for three.
Challenging but OK for Beginners
Although the course does provide a challenge for more experienced players, beginners should still be able to play here. Again, not a manicured city park, so if your new player doesn't want to be out in the wilderness, don't bring them here. The challenge lies in avoiding the oak trees and vegetation, so new players could end up in the rough, but it is doubtful they could lose a disc. The river is fenced off to keep in the cattle so there is no water in play.
Signage
As of June 2015, there are still no signs of any kind on the course. You will need a map to play. Someone has spray painted the number of the hole on each tee. The DGA targets do have numbers that can be seen from the fairways. Some of the tees have bright orange pylons. However, some pylons are missing or faded and can be difficult to spot for first timer.
Numbering & Routing
After parking, you may notice the target for Hole 1 to your left. It is easier to start on Hole 2 and avoid walking all the way down the fairway for one and right back where you stared. Simply play Hole 1 after Hole 18 and end up here just steps from your parked car.
All 18 in a row
Once you get started (whether on Hole 1 or Hole 2), you play all 18 holes before getting back to the parking area. If you can't play all 18, you can cut out after Hole 11 and walk back to the car. The tee for Hole 12 is somewhat "close" to the parking lot, so you could run back to the car for supplies here if needed. I am old so I don't have the energy to do that. I carry enough water to last the entire round.
Worth the trip - Twice!
While it is in "the middle of nowhere", it was worth the short drive to get here from Visalia. My first round was in the late afternoon in blazing temps over 100 degrees. However, the mature oaks provided ample opportunities for shade during the round. I enjoyed the sunset at the course so much, I decided to come back early in the morning to play another round here instead of bagging a couple of other nearby courses. I rarely pass up the chance to play new courses so far from home, so that really says something for this one.
Kids and Strollers
The land is probably a little too rugged for most strollers or disc carts. The course is long and some areas are too exposed for the little ones to have fun tagging along. Strollers would have to contend with dusty, sandy soil and rugged vegetation. I would only recommend taking older kids. If the kids are not up for an entire round, you could play 1 - 11 and head back to the car. There are no restrooms, no running water and no facilities of any kind here. Your kids can get to see cows up close. You can also show them the farms on the way in to the course. It is interesting to see the almond orchards and vineyards up close and personal.
Dogs
Please don't bring your dog unless it absolutely knows how to behave around cattle. Please keep your dog on a leash and don't allow your dog to spook or chase the cattle. While cows harmless, they may react unpredictably to dogs.
Lost discs
Errant shots can find some OB fences on a couple of holes, but generally there is little chance to lose a disc here. The river is fenced off from the course along Holes 8 & 9, so the river doesn't come into play, but the barbed wire fence does.
Pay to Play
A donation box has been installed on the first tee. There is nothing to indicate how much you should pay and there are no receipts. An information board by the first tee would be most helpful.
Time of Year
In June the land is not very green or grassy that time of year. It was pretty hot, dry and dusty out there. The original photos posted back in 2011, show a lot of green grass. I don't know if the land is overgrazed now, or if it is always this barren in the summer. Hopefully it still gets green every winter. While it was hot, it was still playable. There was plenty of shade available to find a cool spot. This could just be due to the current drought in California.
Restrooms
There are no facilities of any kind at the course. There is no running water anywhere. There are no portable johns. However, the entire course is in the wilderness, so there are plenty of places to take care of business. There is cow poop everywhere, so watch for fresh pies and poison oak.