Desert Sands Park Disc Golf Course in Palmdale, CA

Basic Information

Course Location: Desert Sands Park

Geographic Location: Palmdale, CA (34.59219, -118.12677)

Date Visited: February 2024

Number of Holes: 10

Course Length: 2287 feet, par 40/32

Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, low

Carts: should be fine here

Potential to Lose Discs: low unless you throw your disc over the park boundary fence

Park Information: https://www.cityofpalmdaleca.gov/816/Desert-Sands-Park

DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/courses/desert-sands-park-dgc.2795

UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/desert-sands-park-lfcZ

Course Walkabout Video: (coming November 8)

Driving Directions: From the intersection of SR 14 and SR 138 in Palmdale, take SR 138 east 1 block to Division Street and turn left on Division St.  Take Division St. north 3 blocks to Avenue Q and turn right on Avenue Q.  Drive Avenue Q east 3 blocks to 3rd Street and turn left on 3rd Street.  Desert Sands Park is 2 blocks ahead on the left.  Park in the parking lot along 3rd St.; #1 tee is at the south end of the parking lot.

Course Constructions:

Tees: 1 per hole, concrete pavers

Baskets: Discatcher, 1 per hole, in good shape on my visit

Signage: hole sign on each tee

Amenities: ballfields, tennis courts, restrooms, a few benches, walking trails, playground

Summary Review: 2 Stars (out of 5)

The disc golf course at Desert Sands Park is the quintessential example of a course that has been threaded around the park's other facilities and amenities.  Several holes play very close to the park's boundary, and almost every hole plays near or over one of the park's other amenities.  Thus, you don't want to play here on a Saturday in the park on the Fourth of July, so to speak.  Also, the pars are clearly designed for beginner/recreational play, and even at that level many of them are too high.  That said, if you ignore the pars and manage to come here when nobody else is here, a passable half-round plus 1 can be had.  There are plenty of trees and other obstacles, and most holes will force you to skillfully maneuver your disc.  Only 1 hole measures over 300 feet in length, so accuracy is preferred over power.  I had no trouble following the course route.  The course constructions were adequate except for some graffiti and 1 missing sign.  This course is the only course in the Palmdale/Lancaster area, so it serves an otherwise unserved local disc golf community.  If you are in the area, it makes sense to come here for a quick half-round plus 1, but avoid this course when the park is crowded due to safety issues.

Hole-by-Hole Review 

Distances taken from hole signs.  Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.

Hole #1: 197 feet, par 3

Comments: I mentioned this course is threaded around the park's other amenities, so let the threading begin!  The opening hole plays across 2 concrete walking paths with a row of pine trees close on the left and a concrete structure close on the right.  A couple of other trees create a low ceiling, so you will need a low accurate throw on this short hole.  #2 tee is to the left, right beside the park boundary.

Hole #2: 182 feet, par 4/3

Comments: another short tight hole that plays between two rows of pine trees.  The park boundary fence is close on the left, and basketball courts are close on the right.  #3 tee is behind the basket, around the tennis courts.

Hole #3: 228 feet, par 4/4

Comments: that tee photo is not a mistake: there is a small tree 10 feet in front of the tee.  Other than that ridiculous tree, this fairway is slightly wider than the previous holes but still has a low ceiling, and this hole has the fewest safety hazards yet.  #4 tee is to the right.

Hole #4: 232 feet, par 4/3

Comments: now the course route turns 90 degrees right to play north along the park's west boundary fence.  The basket is behind the row of trees on the right side of the fairway, so a left-to-right disc flight is needed to get close to the basket in 1 throw.  #5 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #5: 160 feet, par 3

Comments: another short tight hole similar to holes #1 and #2.  That concrete walking path is very close to the right of and behind the basket, so check for pedestrians before you throw.  #6 tee is behind the basket and to the right.

Hole #6: 273 feet, par 5/4

Comments: the longest and most open hole yet, but several trees will still need to be negotiated.  The basket is in a small patch of dirt between a concrete walking path and an utility building.  If you throw over the fence that surrounds the utility building, you might have a hard time getting your disc back.  #7 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #7: 210 feet, par 4/3

Comments: not only is there a concrete walking path on this hole, but a faintly visible brick "border" around the basket creates an island.  If your tee shot does not land within the island, you must go to the drop zone on the walking path and rethrow with a 1 stroke penalty.  This hole has 2 things I hate: a safety hazard and contrived difficulty.  A left-to-right disc flight best avoids the trees, and I would like this hole better without the island.  #8 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #8: 229 feet, par 4/3

Comments: a short and mostly open hole, this is easily the most boring hole on this course.  #9 tee is in front of the basket and to the right, about 100 feet from #8 tee.

Hole #9: 346 feet, par 5/3

Comments: the longest hole on this course, a large tree on the left and tennis courts on the right pinch the fairway, and of course there is a concrete walking path right beside the fairway.  The parking lot is just behind the basket, and you might want to end your round here once you read about the next (and final) hole.  #10 tee is behind the basket and to the left.

Hole #10: 230 feet, par 4/3

Comments: a single tree stands between the tee and basket, which sits on a pole that is twice as tall as usual.  While it is nice to get an extra hole out of some extra land, this is not a great finishing hole, and it leads away from the loop formed by the first 9 holes.  Of course, if you really don't like this hole, you can just not play it.  The parking lot is to the right and around the playground.

Lake Point Disc Golf Course at Cahulga Creek Park in Heflin, AL

Basic Information

Course Location: Cahulga Creek Park

Geographic Location: Heflin, AL (33.64805, -85.60186)

Date Visited: February 2024

Number of Holes: 20, 18 regular holes plus 2 ace holes

Course Length: 6037 feet, par 59

Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, medium

Carts: would be difficult to use due to some steep areas and rough terrain

Potential to Lose Discs: high due to deep water and dense woods

Park Information: https://cityofheflin.org/departments/heflin-parks-and-recreation

DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/courses/lake-point-dgc.6998

UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/lake-point-disc-golf-A9aZ

Course Walkabout Video (Front 9): (coming date TBD)

Course Walkabout Video (Back 9+2): (coming date TBD)

Driving Directions: In eastern Alabama, take I-20 to SR 9 (exit 199).  Exit and go north on SR 9.  Drive SR 9 north 1.3 miles to US 78 in the town of Heflin.  Turn left on US 78, then in 0.4 miles turn right on Hillcrest Street.  Drive Hillcrest St. north 0.4 miles, cross the railroad tracks, then turn left on Mountain Street, which deadends at the park.  The disc golf parking lot is marked by an information kiosk bearing a course map; #1 tee is west across the park road from the kiosk.

Course Constructions:

Tees: 1 or 2 per hole, some concrete, some rubber mats

Baskets: 1 per hole, Mach 5, older but in good shape on my visit

Signage: course map near parking lot, hole sign on each tee

Amenities: benches on most holes, fishing in Cahulga Creek Lake

Summary Review: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

The Lake Point Disc Golf Course at Cahulga Creek Park offers a surprisingly pleasant round for a small town/local course.  The course is located near the dam area of Cahulga Creek Lake, and it features 6 heavily wooded holes along with 12 (and kind of 14; keep reading for an explanation) mostly open holes.  The heavily wooded holes occur in a single sequence, holes #2 through #8.  While I would prefer a course route that goes back and forth between wooded and open areas, the pinch of land that is the lake's dam makes such an arrangement difficult.  The course features 18 "regular" holes plus 2 "ace" holes, i.e. holes where you get 1 throw: you either get an ace or the hole is over.  I like the ace holes: they add some variety and squeeze a couple more holes out otherwise unused corners of land.  Some steep elevation is used to good effect.  Some dense woods and the lakeside location mean that losing a disc is a very real possibility here.  The course could use improved tees and possibly newer baskets.  A spur of the famous Pinhoti Trail for backpackers goes through the course, but it is lightly used.  Overall, I enjoyed my round plus 2 here.  If you find yourself driving I-20 across eastern Alabama, it is worth a side trip to play here.

Hole-by-Hole Review 

Distances taken from hole signs.  Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.

Hole #1: 325 feet, par 3

Comments: a fairly flat and open hole that leads over a small mound and out onto the earthen dam.  The dam is also the start of the Pinhoti spur trail, so check for pedestrians before you throw.  #2 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #2: 440 feet, par 3

Comments: a long but open hole that plays along the steep east (right) side of the dam.  The lake to the right is definitely in play, even possibly with a bad ricochet off of the dam.  Any disc that goes swimming is probably lost.  The basket is in the edge of the woods near the base of the dam.  #3 tee is uphill to the left at the edge of the woods.

Hole #3: 175 feet, par 3

Comments: now we start the part of the course that plays through the dense woods.  This short hole plays uphill with a steep cross slope from left to right.  There is a tight gap about 40 feet in front of the tee, but the fairway has reasonable width once you get through that gap.  #4 tee is uphill to the left.

Hole #4: 165 feet, par 3

Comments: almost a copy of the previous hole.  #5 tee is uphill to the left.

Hole #5: 205 feet, par 3

Comments: This hole is flatter than the two previous holes, but the terrain drops off steeply to the right and behind the basket.  Like the previous two holes, the fairway has reasonable width.  #6 tee is to the left.

Hole #6: 220 feet, par 3

Comments: my favorite heavily wooded hole on this course, this slight dogleg left plays gradually uphill, but it is the tightest hole so far.  An accurate right-to-left throw will be needed to set up a birdie opportunity.  #7 tee is behind the basket and downhill to the left.

Hole #7: 135 feet, par 3

Comments: the shortest hole on this course plays across a moderate right-to-left cross slope, but of greater concern is the dreaded double mandatory (mando) only 30 feet in front of the tee.  I hate that double mando.  A couple of smaller trees directly between the tee and basket add to the challenge, and I would really like this short hole without that double mando.  #8 tee is downhill to the left.

Hole #8: 495 feet, par 4

Comments: right after the shortest hole on the course comes the longest hole on the course.  This sweeping dogleg left plays downhill on a moderate grade with the fairway coinciding with the Pinhoti spur trail.  A spotter would really come in handy here.  The fairway is tight for a long hole, and the steep hillside ensures that going off of the fairway will lead to a tough recovery throw assuming you can find your disc in the dense understory.  #9 tee is uphill behind the basket near the dam.

Hole #9: 300 feet, par 3

Comments: with the heavily wooded sequence of holes complete, now we break out into the open with a steeply downhill hole that plays across the west side of the dam.  Be sure to mind the steep left-to-right cross slope from the dam: an errant throw or bad ricochet to the right will find a dense cluster of trees.  #10 tee is to the right, below the rocks, and back toward the tee.

Hole #10: 430 feet, par 4

Comments: a sharp dogleg right with a forced water carry over the lake's outlet pool.  It is almost 300 feet to clear the pool, so short-throwers like me will have to lay up.  Cutting the dogleg would be tough due to dense woods and the water carry.  This is my favorite hole on this course.  #11 tee is a couple hundred feet to the east across the grassy field, i.e. to the left and back toward the dam.  The tee directly behind the basket is #12 tee.

Hole #11: 240 feet, par 3

Comments: a flat and mostly open hole, but a dense cluster of small trees sits directly between the tee and basket.  A right-to-left disc flight provides the widest route around the trees.  #12 tee is to the right behind #10 basket.

Hole #12: 265 feet, par 3

Comments: tight for a fairly open hole, the small branchy trees in this area also create a fairly low ceiling.  Try a low right-to-left disc flight to get close to the basket in 1 throw.  #13 tee is to the left along the edge of the woods.

Hole #13: 210 feet, par 3

Comments: The wide fairway starts flat but heads steeply uphill to get to the basket.  If you have enough arm to get up the hill and a little accuracy, this is an easy hole.  #14 tee is uphill behind the basket.

Hole #14: 350 feet, par 3

Comments: very downhill, completely open, and pretty boring.  Ace Hole #1 tee is to the left along the edge of the woods.

Ace Hole #1: 180 feet, par 0

Comments: now comes the first of two "ace holes."  You get one throw; either you make an ace or the hole is over.  I like the ace holes: they are different and make use of some otherwise unused corners of available land.  For each ace hole, the next "real" tee is near the ace hole tee, so bringing a spare disc to play the ace hole saves you some backtracking.

Hole #15: 355 feet, par 3

Comments: very long for a par 3 and uphill to boot, this slight dogleg right has some large pine trees on the inside of the dogleg.  The water treatment area to the left is out-of-bounds (OB), but it would take a bad throw to end up there.  More troubling is the dense woods just right of the basket.  Relative to par, this is the hardest hole on this course.  Ace Hole #2 tee is behind the basket.

Ace Hole #2: 202 feet, par 0

Comments: moderately uphill with trees tight on the left and a gravel road just to the right.  This would be a pretty interesting "regular" hole.  #16 tee is back near Ace Hole #2 tee.

Hole #16: 415 feet, par 4

Comments: now comes the closing string of par 4's.  Short for a fairly open par 4, this hole plays moderately uphill with a gradual double dogleg, first left then right.  A dense cluster of trees guards the front right of the basket, and the OB water treatment area guards the inside of the first dogleg.  This hole makes good use of the available obstacles.  #17 tee is to the left along the park entrance road.

Hole #17: 480 feet, par 4

Comments: a long gradually downhill hole, the parking lot tight on the right poses a safety hazard.  There are no obstacles directly between the tee and basket.  #18 tee is to the right.

Hole #18: 450 feet, par 4

Comments: another long hole closes the course out.  This hole starts fairly flat, but a steep hill sits about 20 feet in front of the basket.  There are no obstacles directly between the tee and basket.  The parking lot is to the right of the basket.