stafford lake, novato CA

[presidio hills]

maybe lacrimosa can help me out with this one...

located about 30 mins north of san francisco, stafford has become the home away from home if i can talk anyone into driving up there. as far as i'm concerned it's a great course to play all the time because it teaches you a lot of lessons every time. elevation, long holes, technical holes, fast greens, big hike.

hole 1: when this hole is in the short position it's about 250' with 50' elevation increase. in the long it is 495' with 99' in elevation increase. just a brutal way to start your round... not to mention walking up it. a good shot for the long will end up just short of the short where it gets flat for a little bit.

hole 2: a completely blind shot. you're faced with trees directly in front of the tee you must shoot over and then land on a hillside sloping from right to left. the basket is either straight ahead on the slope or well up to the right. if a righty can nail a huge anhyzer it's birdieable... but it's a tough shot. if a disc lands incorrectly it can roll down the slope and maybe even into the woods and you're taking a 5 most likely... one of those lessons i was talking about this course teaching you. my friends thumber it to just stick into the ground farther up... i've honestly yet to be consistent with a strategy on this hole as a lefty but i think my line is to throw a high anyzer with an overstable disc and let it flex out into the fairway. tricky hole!

hole 3: my personal favorite. it's about 30' down and 400' out just going down a hillside into a grove of trees. to throw it to the trees isn't too tough, but to get a shot to hit a tunnel through the trees 400' out is what makes this hole cool. if the baskets on the left side of the grove of trees it's a little easier to save a par or even birdie. if it's up behind the trees you should try and throw it over them on your drive if you want to birdie, or be looking at a tricky second shot to get it over or under the trees and then up a hill where the basket is.

hole 4: the easiest shot thus far. if you're even at this point you're probably stoked and the next 4 holes will give you a bit of opportunity to get under if you play 'em smart. this shot is either a righty hyzer over some tree tops into a headwind with a tricky uphill putt to follow. or in its easiest placement it's a righty spike hyzer over tall bushes (or a tight line right at it) onto a hillside with the basket. still room for problems if you get hung up in a tree or hyzer too much into dense bushes, or catch the wind and loose the hyzer. i lefty anhyzer a roc when it's left, and sidearm a stable driver right at it when it's right.

hole 5: first 200 feet is brush and bushes you'de like to make it past... then the fairway opens up except for a big bushy tree on the left. the throw is across a hillside so it's easy to land wrong and roll away. in the short position the basket's about 280' and straight. long it's more like 340' and right. very fast scary putting green... but still a good bird opportunity.

hike up to hole six's tee and relax at the highest point on the course overlooking the lake, the rolling hills, and most of the holes.

hole 6: a putter shot? well, it's about a 60' drop into a nice grassy field... behind the field is dense forest (and it's easy to go too far, especially with the headwind that won't let you fade). on either side of the field it drops downhill another 60-80' so you better not go too far off line or you made this easy shot a 4 or 5. i think the basket is 350' but it plays like 250' or less. this is one of the windiest putting greens on the course most days. i like to spike hyzer the shot.

hole 7: in front of the tee is forest of tall trees you must either go around, over, or through. a thumber must go about 60' up to make it over, a hyzer must be so steep it's almost coming backwards at the end to not go too far past the basket since it's right on the other edge of the woods. a finesse shot or roller through the woods is only about a 200' shot, downhill about 30' but you MUST hit a 5' window about 50' out to have a chance. i usually opt for going right at it... but i've been known to be foolish sometimes. fun hole.

hole 8: a little over 300' and uphill about 10' with nothing in the way. the basket has a little protection with some small trees but this is either an easy par for smaller arms, or a great birdie opp for those throwing 350'.

hole 9: the infamous 1000' foot hole. the locals still call it a par 3, even though they know a 4 is a good score to take on it (i'm sure a lot of them are slightly dissapointed when they get a 5 on it, though). many people have threed it, however, either with 2 rediculously huge shots and a big putt. or make a 150'+ approach go in. in the short position it's about 980' and long it's 1080... something like that. there's about 12' of elevation drop throughout, but it's not too noticeable. this hole's really grown on me, since the strategy is a little different than most golf holes.

i'll stop there today... whew.

 

[lacrimosa]

thanks presidio, nice descriptions. the park rangers have been taking good care of the course lately, so unless you really throw off line, finding your disc isn't a problem. (I've been told that this time last year, the entire course was covered in 3' grass')

edit: I should mention that most of these descriptions assume rhbh

hole 10: this is the hole that adds 2 new discs to the lake each day 8) . 250'. there is an overhanging limb about 30' from the tee that you must go under, followed by another overhanging limb 40' from the hole. Dense trees starting 100' back and to the left of the pin limit the available lines. for rhbh players, the shot is a very low hyzer. lefties have to either flick it or throw a turnover. it's also possible to throw an anhyzer above and to the left of the first limb and have it fade back left at the end of its flight, but the prevailing headwind generally ensures that you will end up in the lake to the right of the basket.

hole 11: under a canopy of oaks. the 'long' position is about 200' from the basket, requiring you to thread through an opening about 30' from the pin. skip shots are possible when the grass is low. the short position is a very awkward right dogleg about 150' from the basket. it's possible to ace this with an anhyzer, though it would be difficult without getting a kick from a tree. most people just sidearm this shot.

hole 12: about 250' out, this is a hyzer shot into a headwind, threading between trees on the right and a large tree 150' in front of the tee. people not used to headwinds tend to go into or near the lake down the hill to the right.

hole 13: in an open field - the first two positions are about 400' with the second one being behind a large bush. the third position is about 500' and to the right of some dense bushes. the prevailing right-to-left crosswind makes the third position awkward for right handers.

hole 14: the A and B positions are basically hyzers onto a hill about 250' out. the C position is a long right turn 350` out and 30' below the tee. there's also a 'monster tee' near the short basket on hole 6. from there, it's about an 80' drop and ~550' from the pins, kind of like the 'top of the world' hole at de laveaga.

hole 15: this is on the side of a hill sloping up to the right, with trees on the right for the first 100' or so. the short position is a birdie/ace run about 250' from the tee. the other 3 positions are out past the trees and up on the hill to the right. there's a r-l crosswind from the tee, which turns into a headwind as you get onto the fairway. be careful throwing a putter for your approach, as nose-up shots can actually be blown back behind you

hole 16: about 300' out, with a tree about 30' in front of the tee requiring you to go under a 10' limb. there's also a small hyzer opening to the right.

hole 17: very long, downhill, and at least a 20mph headwind. the hill also slopes down to the right. this is where the big arms pull out the firebird (I like to throw an H illusion, let it flip a little, and it will fade back onto the fairway). the short position is about 350', and can be reached with a roc/putter. the B position is about 50' past the short, and tucked in left near the trees. if you pull it short on this, it'll go into a creek-crevice filled with huge poison oak bushes. the C position is similar to B, only about 500' from the tee. the D position is about 650' out and difficult to par.

hole 18: there is a tree in front and to the left of the tee, blocking a straight shot to the longer positions. the short position is a blind birdie/ace run about 250' out (it's blocked from view on the other side of the slope). the 2 longer positions are both 300' sweeping hyzers, with the shorter of the 2 under a canopy.

 

[presidio hills]

nice assist lacrimosa!

 

[chowzer1]

I love stafford lake...its fun. It sucks that I moved to southern california for a job. You need to try skyline park over in Napa....another great course. You'd love it. Not as hilly, but still learn a lot from playing at both courses!

Stafford: best score: -5 one round
Skyline: best score: -2 one round

 

[presidio hills]

i've played napa a few times. it's definitely a fave of mine in this area, too. it's got a really original feel too it... almost like a mini course with enough elevation to make it tricky. tough on a bad day, or a walk in the park on a good day.

-5 at stafford is a darn good round... even if it's set up short. my best is a plus 4 when it was mostly short. i'm gettin' there.