27 holes +1 practice basket.
Huge elevation changes.
Grippy custom concrete tees.
Optional basket locations.
Awesome course for night play.
Rest spots at hole 7 and 12.
Fairly secluded, you'll only see people playing DG and hiking once you get past 2nd tee.
A friend I play night golf with is slowly but surely adding solar powered lights to the baskets. I believe there is 7 out there now on holes #5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 14

HOT during the summer.
Can be tiring if you aren't ready to hike.
Losing a disc isn't too far fetched..

My home course, always a challenge. All par 3's. If you can't take the heat, STAY OFF THE RIDGE!

Good tee signs and tee boxes. 27 holes! (although the new 9 wasn't really marked well as of 3/3). A lot of fun, true desert golf. Beautiful scenery. Restrooms on site. Great use of the land. A lot of elevation changes.

No shade. No trash cans on the course that I remember (although I don't recall seeing much litter on the ground). Somewhat lacking in distance on alot of holes, but it makes up for that with man made OB and hazards around the green

Bring water! I was out in AZ for the memorial and on the last day my friends and I decided to check this course out after hearing great things from the locals. Absolutely beautiful and tons of fun. Not like anything you see here in New England. Luckily a local happened to be there that played with us and showed us the new 9 holes. I can't wait to play this course again.

This course is set in a nice multi-use facility with soccer fields,playgrounds,...ect and most importantly DISC GOLF. Its located next to a school and there are usually ppl around but most of them stay away from the disc golf area. There are bathrooms and drinking fountains by hole 1 which is really nice.
Now to the course.....this course is one word "FUN". If u have a 300ft accurate hyzer you will score under par. The first 5 or so holes are very flat and just require a little distance control. After that, u start to make ur way up and down "buffalo ridge" for the middle section of holes. Then you finish with more flat holes. I will say that this course can be a struggle when the temps get in the 100's, so bring plenty of water and enjoy the hike. The teepads here are awsome and each one has its own flair. The course flow is pretty good but u should def download a map. The additional 9 holes seems to be more of the same, a few flat and a few elevated. There are a couple elevated greens which help the challenge. Tee signs are good(except xtra 9). Streamers on baskets help u locate the basket from the tee.

Well, this course lacks challenge and distance. You could easily shoot 10 under if ur a good intermediate. The wind will come into play but theres not enough penalty for a bad shot so u will still get your par. I was hoping the xtra 9 would be long holes with elevated greens but its another birdie fest. I understand that u have to work with the land you are given but i want to see longer pin placements for bogie risks.

Overall this course is fun and a good confidence builder. The locals seem to work on this course alot and that is great, keep up the good work. If ur looking for a typical fun disc golf course, this is it. If ur looking for a challenge, fountain hills in the long position or marana rock in the longs down south.
P.s. if u want to play the xtra 9 i would suggest finding a local because they are not well marked.

Use of the hill side is good. You warm up with some flat ground shots before hitting a number of holes where you throw up and down the hill.

The difficulty for this course comes about in misplaced shots and where your lie might be. Some of the bush and plant life is thick and prickly. So if you end up underneath or behind one your next shot will be tough.

You won't throw rollers here but you will need a good straight shot, hyzer, FH, and OH.

The baskets that are on elevated mounds make for some enjoyable holes. And there are a few decent ace runs.

Is it fair to say the lack of shade? Probably not as that is just the nature of the environment and not the fault of the course.
Again, not really any particularly tight fairways to hit. Some of the holes back up the hill are pretty much just open throws with the only difficulty being whether or not you have the distance.

The Course Map that you can download from this site is useful and helpful for navigation around the course.
It is quite rocky so you will want to use premium plastic. My star/GL discs held up quite well but I did put a couple of slices in a champ disc.

Great desert coarse with a few up hill and down hill challenges. Provides good exercise because a good portion of the course is a hike.

Only con is having to dig your disc out of a thorn tree or a bush that looks like it would be a great place for a snake to get out of the hot sun.

If you have a chance play this course. Lots of fun!

: I had the opportunity to play this course during a recent business trip to Phoenix. On Hole 1, I ran into a great group of guys who asked me to join them. The fact that I had so much fun playing with them really colors this review.

Amenities-- bathrooms on site, very active park with joggers, bikers etc, easy to find the park

Scenery-- being from the East, it was really cool to be in the Desert. I have been to Phoenix a few times and this is the first time that my feet have touched a non man made surface. The weather was perfect (72 degrees), so the walking was really easy both up and down the hill. I didn't bring any water.

Overall Course-- great location within the park. You are close to everything but minimal interference with hikers, bikers, etc. We had to wait a minute one time for a jogger to pass through. The course is wide open so it is next to impossible to lose a disc. You will get the opportunity to watch your disc fly here.

Holes 1-5-- Course starts off flat with some nice, straight forward holes. The designers tried to break up the holes with a few tricks (placing a basket behind an electric generator or a scrub bush). They did have the ability to move the basket to multiple locations on a few of the holes.

Holes 6-14-- The real challenge on these holes is playing up and down the mountain. You can really lose control of a downhill shot here and end up 200" off course especially if the wind is blowing (can still recover, see below). Again, the course designers tried to add some uniqueness with elevated baskets, etc.

Holes 15-18-- Similar to holes 1-5. They are flat straight ahead holes. Good way to finish a round after navigating the mountain.

Tee pads-- great cement tee pads on each hole

Aces: Plenty of opportunity to hit an ace on this course. This is definitely a "go for it" course.

Navigation: No idea--followed the guy in front of me. If you are solo, make sure you print out a map.

There isn't really any risk/ reward, especially if you have a big arm. Two hundred feet off the course? No problem, park one at the basket. The guys I played with consistently scored par on holes where their driver would have been lost back East. At the very least, it would have taken 2 shots to get back on the course. In addition, the holes can feel repetitive with only the elevation changing.

I chalk this up to the novelty of the course. Wind and elevation are your foe, not foliage.

The group I played with said they were putting in another 9 holes. I am anxious to see them. I rated the course a 3.5. I would have given it a 3.0 if I hadn't run into the group. They added at least a .5.

If you are in Phoenix and from the East Coast, definitely give this course a shot. It is a lot of fun.

Very challenging, with the wind and different hole locations its a different course almost every time. Many holes can be a birdie. The view from the higher holes are very good. Great hiking from hole to hole.

Rocky and does chew up discs. Can misplace a disc with a funky drive.

I have played this course for a couple years now and on Sunday, 06/12/2011 had my first hole in one ever.
It was awesome...Hole 10, 355', 2 witnesses and 1 shot.

-27 holes. The new 9 holes (A thru I) is a superb addition! You can access these after Hole 6.
-Grippy t-boxes, with cool designs in the cement.
-Signage is accurate and intact.
-On the new 9 (A thru H), there are stone arrows laid on the ground, directing traffic.
-Elevation changes adds to the enjoyment as well as difficulty. There are just as many holes playing UP the hill as there are playing down it. It's hard to gauge how much power to put into your drive when the hole is marked as 300ft, but rises another 50ft. Great challenge! Inversely, throwing off the hill is a blast!
-The views are awesome here! As an added bonus, there are makeshift stools (made of rock, wood) up on the hill for a quick breather.
-Great workout! As others have stated, this is like an afternoon of hiking with a side of disc golf =)
-There are facilities at the park (water, restroom, benches, paved parking lot)
-Good chance to air out some discs. Lots of distance on this course. My advice is to warm up your arm (and legs!) well before embarking on a round here.
-Very difficult to lose a disc.

-No ceiling, not much necessary shot-shaping. This is the first thing I notice about a course. On most holes, there are a lot of options to the basket. The additional 9 adds some much needed shaping, however.
-Traversing this course can be rough if you're not ready for it. There's not much shade here at all. Remember, it's a desert-style course, so come prepared.
-Will eat your discs. Even the higher quality plastics can take a thrashing here.
-Not a great deal of risk/reward.

The additional 9 holes added to the course is a nice boost to an already buff course! The new holes bump up the difficulty by utilizing vegetation and the rolling foothills in their layout.
Protip: Hole H has an alternate teebox further up the hill you can shoot from.

Weather plays a huge factor determining at what time of the day you'll play this course.

Although it isn't perfect, it's a lot of fun (as well as work!) It provides enough of a challenge to keep players coming back.

-Cement tee pads (each hole a a different design)
-Baskets, Mach II's
-Good signage
-Great workout
-Multiple pin placements on most holes
-A variety of long and short holes
-Quick play (if your by yourself)

-Could be real hot during the summer
-Need good shoes this course is rough
-Some baskets had funky inner chains
-Lots of broken glass on the lower holes
-Hole three needs some signs to the tee pad

Hole 14 is the gem of this course. I would play this course if you are in the area.

challenging, clean, epic views. no overlapping holes. bathrooms are nice. very athletic course basically climb a mountain while doing the course.

almost none, wind. needs a drinking fountain at the base of the hill. and a shady spot to sit down.

hope they expand it and paint the markers some other color than black...

This is the prototype for a desert disc golf course. If you enjoy a challenging hike to go along with your round, this course is for you. It plays up and down a foothill so there are some awesome downhill shots that appeal to the ego of a noodle arm like me. Something about seeing a disc fly for 400+, when you know you are a 300-foot thrower.

This course eats plastic. Don't take your favorite, less than premium plastic to this course. It will never be the same.
Not a con for everyone, but if your not acclimated to the phoenix summers (or even most of the winter months) you will find this course a physical challenge. There are some days I have played, and have been happy I survived vs. shot a decent score. There is water available at hole one, but nowhere else on the course and very little shade available - plan ahead for this one.

This course plays up and down a phoenix area foothill, affording awesome uphill and downhill shots. Most of the tee pad shots are wide open, but do require some thought as most of the pins are guarded with desert trees and brush. Playing this course in the summer is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. Be sure to pack lots of water, and proper desert hiking footwear and apparel is a must.

This desert course offers everything except a water hazard. The teepads are great with plenty of traction. The rugged landscape of cacti and rocky slopes is what makes this course unique. The holes are designed with a great flow. Some shots are blind. Some tee drives are difficult to see the basket because the gravel and dirt camouflage it. Right now there are long pink ribbons hanging on the baskets. I love the uphill and downhill challenges.

There are plenty of birdies to get. There are jackrabbits roaming the cliffs and mountainsides.

When you finish a hole there are some easily seen paths leading you to the next tee. I love how some holes have the basket on a mound or tucked behind a mound. This creates some strategic approach shots.

This is a must play course if you are in the Phoenix area. Bring ALOT of water.

The only con i can think of is it should be 36 holes.

Bring water and take your time. This course will wear you out with the hiking and heat together.

Almost every hole is a different type of shot and the hole course provides a great challenge. The flat desert holes have well placed baskets and each hole is different and then every uphill shot is different with even better downhill shots that you will want to drive off of all day.

Some of the rocks and desert terrain will really chew your disc up and it is quite the hike all over the mountain and 36 holes will make you tired easily.

One of my favorite courses in Arizona!

Amenities. Bathrooms, Ample Parking, Tennis Courts, Playground.

Baskets. Multiple pin positions available, and all baskets were in good shape.

Tees. Concrete tee pads are all in good shape. Tee signs give you a map with different pin locations and distance to the hole.

Navigation. Others have mentioned difficulty, I had no trouble finding my way around, weaving my way up and down and around and back to the parking lot.

Elevation. Lots of it, many elevated tee pads, and uphill shots, and a couple of elevated pin positions.

Variety of shots. Maybe I'm spoiled being from the midwest, these desert courses didn't appeal to me. I can see why these desert folks have only one shot in their bag, a big hyzer spike will get you almost anywhere on this course. Yeah the low bushes are somewhat challenging, but mostly it's wide open. A series of flat holes, followed by throwing across a hill, down a hill, up a hill, down, up, down, across, up, down, and then flat. There also seemed to be little variety in length of holes. Needless to say I didn't find it very challenging.

The course is murder on equipment, dx or pro plastic would probably only stand up to a couple of rounds out there, even my higher end plastic saw significant wear after 3 rounds.

Of the Desert courses I've played, this one was relatively enjoyable despite my griping, personally I prefer a more technical challenge.

This course is located on a MOUNTAIN!!! It is truly a desert course. There are cacti, mesquite trees, and other trees/bushes I couldn't recognize. The variety in shots is amazing. Elevation changes can be over 100 feet. Uphill shots, Downhill shots, flat shots, and even from the mountain onto a 100 ft. hill. There's a nice variety in distances to. Anywhere from 175 ft. to 490 ft. Shooting from the top of the mountain is awesome. It's amazing to watch your disc fly all the way down much farther than you're used to throwing. Every tee pad was big enough, flat enough, and clear enough. The only hole where there's sand on the tee has a broom at the tee. The course is very picturesque. There are beautiful views from the top of the mountain of the Phoenix area. My favorite hole was 12 I think. It's about 500 feet, but I was able to reach it because it goes all the way down the mountain.

The baskets are the older style and seem skinny compared to the newer DISCatchers and Chainstars. Every hole is birdie-able, so it's not too much of a challenge (which could be a pro for some people). There are a few places where the holes are switchbacks that the other baskets can make it confusing, but if you look at the hole distances, it's easy to find the correct basket. The brush can really hide the next tee, so the map that is located in the files section is highly recommended. The wind seems to be strong here, so I hope you've practiced playing in the wind! The rocks can also really chew up your discs, so baseline discs are not recommended here.

This is basically a mountain hike. Bring good shoes and water to drink. Some of the holes had ribbons on the basket to make them more visible and it can also show where the wind is. There seemed to be a seasonal stream that ran the the course, but I couldn't tell if it has ever had water. This is definitely one of my favorite courses ever. It seems like the made mesquite grove and said "This course stinks!" and decided to try again at a desert course the right way. Every tee pad had a different design on it, which was interesting and I have never seen anything like it before.

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Located next to North Canyon High School, Buffalo Ridge Park is an 18 hole disc golf course about 30 minutes north of Scottsdale. This rugged course is what most would expect when disc golfing in the state of Arizona, including various types of cacti and other native foliage, dirt, rocks, and lots of creatures (some more dangerous than others).

Buffalo Ridge offers a lot of elevation, incorporating much of the surrounding hills and land near the playfields. However, the first five holes are flat, but somewhat challenging due to the tall bushes and trees spread throughout the fairways. The next ten holes play up, down, and alongside of the hills. Although the baskets are straight forward and the holes at times monotonous, the elevation and wind helped add to the overall difficulty. Hole #14 is BR's signature hole, having players throw from a high point on the hill across a small valley toward a basket sitting on an island. It is not only difficult to land on to birdie, but is also quite picturesque! The last few holes on the course level back out and are straight forward.

Baskets are Mach II's, durable, and in good shape. The addition of concrete tee pads was essential. Although a few could be longer for some of the bigger holes, they are flat, artistic, and well done. Each pad has a different design put in to the cement which makes the course that much more unique. Tee signs are there, and help visitors in locating the next tee when you can find them. The course also has a baseball field with grass attached to hole one's fairway where players can practice drives, stretch, or just play some catch. The area also has a nice playground for children, a restroom, and a water fountain.

Often times, both the baskets and tee boxes are hidden from disc golfers. Since the brush can be fairly high in certain areas, locating the tee sign can be next to impossible without a map. First timers MUST print off a map in order to navigate the course or you will have difficulties finding some holes. Once played, Buffalo Ridge is easy to follow, and loops from the parking lot near hole one back to the parking lot after 18.

The tee signs are anywhere from one foot to three feet tall, brown, and offer little information. Although the thought was in the right place, it would be nice to get those signs updated with more information and accurate pictures. They do however show where the multiple pin placements are. It would also be helpful to raise them so that navigation is made easier for all those who are unfamiliar with the course.

Last, the baskets tend to blend in with the landscape. It would be great if they could paint the circle on top of the baskets bright orange or perhaps tie a ribbon in the middle of the basket so it can be spotted from the tee or at least the fairway.

As others have mentioned in previous reviews, Buffalo Ridge will truly give you the Arizona experience. Although I preferred Fountain Hills due to it's history and challenge, this course did not disappoint. It was the perfect compliment to the other courses played in the Memorial, and coming from the Northwest, was exactly what I was looking for. The idea of throwing around cacti was quite entertaining and nothing like I have experienced in my 10+ years of playing disc golf. If you have the time to play Buffalo Ridge, do! It will be well worth your time.

NOTE: In order to not walk away with skin cancer during your disc golf experience, wear plenty of sunscreen! Also, bring lots of water, sunglasses, and tall socks too.

Very fun course and true to the Arizona desert landscape. This course can be challenging for new players like myself, but it is still a ton of fun. Hiking up and down the mountain is a good workout, so bring good shoes if not hiking boots. Lot's of variety in the hole positions. A few locations with outdoor chairs to rest in the shade. No pedestrians in the way. Restrooms and water fountain near hole one.

Is extremely difficult to play all 18 holes in the summer days. Bring a lot of water then plan on bringing more. Very little shade trees so wear sunscreen and hats. Desert course is hard on plastic and will chew them up. Parking lot can be pretty full for sport practices.

This is my favorite course so far. It offers some easier birdie potential holes and some more challenging holes throughout the course. Very nice views from the side of the mountain tees. Don't speed down 16th street either. I have seen multiple cops sitting down side streets pulling speeders over. First time out bring a map of the course from Spinners on the Green, the tee pads and baskets can be hidden behind trees, etc.

First time playing a real desert course, that was awesome. Great views, great exercise, and great layout. This course was better than I expected. Teepads were really cool!

Course would have been hard to follow if it werent for my map I downloaded from spinnersdiscgolf.com (thanks keith). I had to walk halfway up some of the holes to spy the baskets. Terrain beat up some of my discs but thats ok. They sell more.

Did not see any snakes . . . but a jack rabbit jumped out from behind a rock as i was bending down to mark my disc and i nearly stroked out! Ha! Like everybody else says, take water jug you'll need it.

The view and terain are what you would exscpet if you planned a trip to Arizona to play Frisbee golf. Desert and rocks and Cactus ect. Great Desert Layout . Alot of climbing. Great workout course.

I made the mistake of bringing my youngest son in a stroller thinging I was gonna push him around and it was not the best exp. Not made for anything but a great hike.

This is the course if your looking for a true Arizona desert experience while your in from out of town. Now there are man made park courses ect. but this one speaks to the Valley of the Sun!

This course is located in next to what seemed to be a nice neighbor hood. The park has a baseball diamond and a basketball court. And parking was very close to the first tee. It is all very nice and fairly new looking. Tee pads and baskets are in great condition. The tee pads have a unique pattern etched into each one - nice touch. The tee signs are very helpful showing the hole in relation to key land marks - bushes, a shed, etc. They also indicate alternate basket placements and which one is in.

Some holes have alternate basket placements. This is great for returning players looking for more variety. To me this is a big "pro" even though I don't know how often they switch out the holes.

Restrooms and water are near hole one. This is more than what many courses can say. Since you are in the desert's dry heat, you should probably bring your own water though.

I don't think it's possible to review this course without mentioning the environment. It's beautiful. The hill as the backdrop as well as the course provides challenging and fun elevation changes not to mention picturesque views.

This course is long. It will definitely allow you to open up your cannon. It also provides a large area next to the course for you to practice your driving without any obstacles.

Navigation was tough on a couple holes (ie #2 to #3). But then we discovered the "Next ---->" on the tee signs. That helped, but with the tee signs being so short, the taller brush hide them at times. Very small con.

It's desert. There are not many obstacles to throw around. There are a couple of short, technical holes, but most of the variety comes in the form of elevation changes. Being without obstacles to throw around also means that there are no obstacles for shade.

Watch out - some of those bushes are prickly. Don't find out the hard way... ok so I'm having a hard time thinking of truly major "cons" for this course.

Being a midwestern guy, I didn't know what to expect as far as the rockiness of the course and how that will effect my discs. While it certainly is rocky, my Innova Champion plastic discs held up nicely. I think the traveling in my checked bag was tougher on them.

The first 4-5 holes are a warmup for the rest of the course in every way - visually, distance, difficulty. The back 9 is truly where this course shines.

I had a lot of fun on this course. While I don't have the largest arm, the long downhill drives gave me some added distance. Who doesn't need a good confidence booster? But then the uphill holes came.

If you are looking for something different and fun, come to Buffalo Ridge. The other courses in the area just seemed like more of the same of what I'm used to (not dissing them - that's not necessarily a bad thing). I had to check out this desert course and am very happy I did. When I'm out visiting my brother again, I will definitely come back to this course.