-Well manicured public park
-Free to play for such a nice course
-Distinct fairways with obstacles at a variety of distances put shot placement at a premium
-Scenic park large concrete teepads and baskets in good condition

-It's a public park, and a BUSY one. Expect to wait for other disc golfers ahead of you, and expect to have to avoid pedestrians/people picnicing/kids flying kites/old people/kids riding bikes/people walking the dog/and possibly the kitchen sink.

Damn this park is packed.... But its also has a famous PDGA major played at it.
GET HERE IF YOU CAN!

The teepads. Circular teepads. I was skeptical at first. But after two holes I was hooked. Why have other courses not adopted this?

I hit a long putt on 17. My disc was covered in bird droppings after hitting some that was stuck to the chains and had been left in the basket by some jerk bird. Could not believe that my disc was covered in so much crap. It made me and my friend laugh all the way to the bar across the street and for the rest of my vacation. Pretty sorry "pro" for a course, but it lightened the mood considerably.

That's all, folks.

Flat. Being located in a toilet bowl does not constitue elevation.

No vegetation or trees. 8 stunted toothpicks does not equate slightly wooded.

Random people on the disc golf course. I have played courses where people are having a picnic or playing football, or whatever. But not everytime. All over the course. That is home to a major week long event. In a park that is the central theme of the city. You would think that after a couple of years the population would get the hint that a disc golf course was present. Nah!!! Right in front of the tee pad or basket is the perfect place to pose for a chalk portrait, or for high schoolers to make out on a blanket, or a photographer to set up a tripod and shoot pictures of the playground, or a flock of geese to all crap at the same time. Whatever, just don't land your disc on the land, because it is actually just a collection of avian scat. Try shooting for the water, it is much more clean.

Easy. Baskets next to the water. Oooooohhhhh, so tough....not. Maybe once, but that is the only challenge this course presents. And that is only challenging if your only disc is an Epic that has been sitting on your dashboard for the entirety of an Arizona summer and you are attempting to play every shot, including putts, as a roller. Ever tried to roll a putt up a basket and under the cage and into the cage? You have to hit the pole just right with the perfect spin. Now that is a challenge.

Did I mention the smell? Kinda like a nursing home died. In a swamp.

What sort of scat freaks build the world's largest fountain in the middle of a pond of skank? Where were all of the people at the city meeting when this idea was put forward? Did they actually think this was a good idea, or did it just get pushed through the city council in a lame duck session as pork to contractor that happened to be a friend of the mayor?

Here is a suggestion. Pull the course out of the "park". Put it in the foothills that surround the city.

Large, spread out course with calm scenery. Course is so spread out in fact that I think it deters crowding, although the day we were there we were one of two groups in the entire park. Each hole provides a different challenge, which is good because redundancy drives me insane. Holes range between flat and maybe about 40' of rolling elevation. While the lake is in play on a good number of holes, the foliage and elevation help to create challenging birdie attempts to the advanced player. The beginner player will find each hole on this course an obtainable three but would be hard pressed for very many birdies. A couple holes had more than one pin set up which is always nice.

Walking path meandering through the course could prove to get busy. It wasn't when we were there, however we encountered more than enough of the oblivious types that pay no attention to the golfer. Varying grass quality creates an inconsistent field for roller attempts. Could be difficult to find your way around on the first attempt without a map. We had a map and had no navigational issues.

Hole 12 is depicted on the map as starting by the amphitheater, however this is a vicious lie and the tee pad is actually up by the street.

This is in my mind, an ideal park course. We have a few alright ones here in Los Angeles, but when I think 'ideal park course,' I think Fountain Hills. Just a great blend of modern golf holes with their own challenges, some long some short, and golf that makes you think. The lake is present in a few holes although the course rarely has you throwing directly over it. I only went in once and it was due to a really lame cut roller. The previously mentioned bird shit and negativity about the fountain did not apply to us...we found the park to be meticulously maintained and found the fountain impressive. The fact that we were one of two groups on the course let us play at our own pace which is something that does affect my zen levels when at a park, so that came very appreciated. All in all, a fun place to golf, great for groups, and a piece of land that showcases our sport in a rather positive way to the rest of the world. Can't wait to return.

Beautiful scenery
Layout is challenging for beginner or pro
Nice tees
Only need 3-4 discs
Grass like a ball golf course

Occasional wait for sunbather or walker
Duck droppings
Lost discs in water

Beautiful and fun a course - there are more challenging courses but FH is a classic

There are few OPEN tracks which mess with your mind more than this course. Most of the shots are wide open, but most players won't be able to make them. Water, elevation and a quick playing surface all creep into the brain and keep you from losing that favorite disc you would have thrown.

Duck Scat. Two million degree heat. Sheriff Arapio. There is duck doo everywhere. It's just part of the game. It's Arizona so most of the time it it's too hot to play here without becoming a cracker. And that neo-nazi sheriff lives nearby so you can't play this if you're brown without ID.

Fun course. The Memorial layout is harder and the poo water is nasty. But it's the course from the Memorial so if you are around, you should play it. If you don't live within 600 miles you're not missing anything. It's a good course, but not a great course.

Good layout with a fair mix of hole variations. Nicely manicured public park that's fortunate to have such a sweet course throughout it. Very few players on the course when I got there at 8:00 AM on a sunday.

The lake swallows discs and does not spit them back out. Lost my Beast and Vibram Trac to it.

Keep an eye out for others using the park. It's a popular place.

The attack bird on #5 (I believe) nearly took my hat off. Never did find the 4th T pad but navigation was pretty easy otherwise.

It's Phoenix and the city hit a new high two days before of 112. Know how to work with the heat and it's no problem. It was only 90 when I was out.

Sweet place. A bit of a drive out of Phoenix but well worth the 40 minutes there.

Great tee boxes, great mix of holes, very well maintained. Distance on holes varies from as short as <200 to over 500. Most of them being in the 275 - 400 ft range.
Tons of fun. Absolutely beautiful course. Good use of manufactured OB lines to add challenge to an otherwise easy hole (memorial layout).

Water comes into play a lot on this course (could be a con for some people)

So many great holes on this course.

You can grab beers on a patio that overlooks the 18th hole.

The fountain spraying you with reclaimed water. Lots of goose poop. I'd imagine that when tournaments aren't going on there can be issues with pedestrians walking all over the place. You may walk away with a much lighter bag unless you have a golden retriever (don't wade into the water).

I have really only played this course during the Memorial (excluding a few practice rounds), so I don't know what this is like in general.

You can play it safe and shoot a decent round but what is the fun in that. No guts no glory.
Fast fairways and fast greens can cause a lot of skip in/rolls into the water.

This course can be brutal when it is windy.

- Nicest course in Phoenix area
- Fountain Hills has beautiful scenery
- Course is challenging but playable at every skill level
- Full amenities including cafe, bathrooms, and nice parking lot
- Nice large round teepads

- Plays like a ball golf course, not disc golf
- Bird crap everywhere
- Shots away from the "lake" are boring and unimaginative
- Meandering elderly residents are annoying and prevalent
- 200' Feces cannon (see details below)

I usually go to Fountain Hills for the Memorial layout. This rating is for that layout, I may rate this course lower for the regular layout.

This course is the nicest course in the phoenix area. That isn't saying much with the lack of quality courses in PHX. It is oriented around a large "lake" (reservoir), with a huge fountain in the middle. More on the lake and fountain later.

I firmly believe that disc golf holes should play differently than ball golf holes. In ball golf, fairways are largely open and the object of the game is to control where the ball hits the ground and stops. Discs have the ability to fly, and disc golfers have the ability to shape the flight of their discs. This allows disc golf holes to force a golfer to shape the actual flight of the disc instead of merely manage where and how it lands. This is the fundamental difference between ball and disc golf (besides the projectile). Ball golf holes are a series of landing zones, disc golf is a fluid and dynamic flight path.

Fountain hills plays like a ball golf course. Each hole consists of a teepad and a few landing zones. One landing zone will be by the pin (the green), and one or more will be for layups. If you go for the pin zone and miss, you are in the water. Between the teepad and the landing zones is open space. Sure, there are a smattering of trees on the course, but nothing to actually make you shape the flight of your disc. The only point of Fountain Hills is to control where and how your disc impacts the landing zone. Most greens are sloped towards the water so if you come in hot you will skid right in. If you miss a putt and land on edge, you will roll in. This is not enjoyable disc golf for me. It may make for good ball golf design, but it is not disc golf.

Now on to the "lake". It is a roundish cavity with a concrete bottom. It is filled with reclaimed water. Reclaimed water is chemically treated sewage. Yes, you are playing disc golf around a mammoth glorified toilet bowl. Unlike other disc golf courses, if you miss your shot, you will literally be in deep $hit. The water is slimy and smelly. Birds crap in the water and all over the course. If this picture was making you queasy, let me describe the cherry on top. They decided that a giant holding tank of sewage wasn't quite grand enough, so they constructed a 200' sewage geyser in the middle. I will admit that the giant feces cannon looks impressive, but damn, really? On the plus side, the truly hazardous nature of the water hazard makes every shot for the green a life or death affair. It takes cajones to throw your favorite disc towards certain death looking for the bird.

For all its faults, Fountain Hills is still by far the best course in the Phoenix area. Yes, playing ball golf with discs around a toilet bowl while a feces cannon fires every 15 minutes provides the best disc golf experience in Phoenix.

-This is a beautiful area, relative to Phoenix. A lot of thought went into this park.
-Tee pads are the best I've played on so far (weird pro, I know).
-Informative tee signs on every hole.
-Grass was manicured, the park is very well kept.
-The fountain is awfully sweet, you have to admit.

-Although the park is beautiful (and I'm sure costs a lot of money to maintain), there isn't a lot of variation in the shots. I used different drivers just because I'm used to it, but realized it didn't make a difference if I used the same one for every shot.
-I should have ranked it a four, but the reason I didn't is because the passer-bys and runners were rude. All the other golfers I talked to were very nice, but people who were visiting the park for some other reason just seemed angry. I had two different encounters where I was waiting for someone to pass by on bike or foot, and I was more or less scolded for playing disc golf. Very odd.
-I saw two people lose their discs while I was there. One of them was able to retrieve it, but the other one dared not enter the murky waters. There are some holes where beginners shouldn't attempt it and if they do they should have someone standing behind to catch their disc if it goes too far.
-Busy park.

This is very much a recreational course. I appreciated it for being just that, but I wonder if any kind of seriously competitive professional play goes down here. It was fun, though, and in the end that's all that really matters (to me, at least). However, I doubt I would want to play this course every day. If I did, it would get old pretty fast.

Absolutely beautiful park setting and location. Local club very lucky to have such an ideal park for a course. Easy to navigate around is a huge plus. Great use of local trees for tee and basket locations.

Must always watch for other park users/walkers. Many fairways run close to park paths.

Love the overall layout of this course.

Nice mowed grass
Large Tee Pads
Plenty of Water
Some nice LONG tee shots
Beautiful surroundings

Very little variety in the shots
Bird Droppings Everywhere
Tee Pads are located directly in the line of where the sprinklers water the most so they were wet and surrounded by mud

This has the potential to be an AWESOME course. Unfortunately I could have....and basically did play it with 2 discs....a driver and a putter. Do to the lack of variety of shots I played it with the same driver and putter on every hole. Also its a bummer that the lake is reclaimed water.....making it disgusting...so if you have a disc 3 feet from the bank (which I did on one hole) you feel like your going to contract a disease retrieving it. If the baskets were moved to create a greater variety of shots I'd rank this a top course for sure. As it is I'd call it little more than a trip to a nice open field for practice.

Tee signs, Views, Fountain, Layout, Nice mowed park, Giant teepads

people, water , duck droppings

One of those courses that if you visit the Phoenix area its a MUST play! I played it on Springbreak and the weather was perfect. Great course, really long. You circle the man made lake where all the grass is irrigated with reclaimed water and at the top of every hour if the wind is 10pmh or less the US's tallest fountain goes off offering great picture opportunities. The teepads are circular and big, the use of the few trees on the course is great and it makes you shape different shots, and you can really air it out if need be.

Excellent course with many challenges including trees, pond and some mild elevation changes. Several holes close to the ponds edge require accuracy and precision with comfortable grass course surrounding the pond. Complete with 300 foot water fountain in the middle that goes off on the hour. Well designed and maintained, Fountain Hills will always be one of my favorites and a destination course.

Only a couple. Mainly the pedestrian issue. The park is surrounded by a higher end community so there are a lot of residents in the neighborhood that use the park regularly. The second is the road that circles the park. It's a bit close so errant throws may be an issue.

Buy a disc retriever for those throws that end up in the pond. You probably won't want to wade in after it with all the water fowl using the pond...

- Being from St. Louis, playing in the morning with no humidity was right away a huge bonus for me. It is a totally different feeling not having the humidity wear you down all round long.
- The tee pads and maps at each hole are one-of-a-kind and give accurate readings of each hole as well as an entire map of the entire course around the lake. The circle tee pads and very unique and allow you to take multiple different angles to tee off.
- Some may not think so, but the fact that water is in play on so many holes adds a great risk/reward factor to the course. Each throw must be precise and not just wildly thrown to avoid the waster OB. This is not a course for beginners, and playing so well on it made me feel very good about my skill.
- Aesthetically, there are very few courses that can compare. The mountain ranges in the distant background add a very welcome back drop to the course. And obviously, the 300 ft fountain is phenomenal. Its so unique and Ive never seen anything like it. The fountain is reason enough to go to this park, we are just very lucky to have a disc golf course around a pristine park.

- As many people have said before, the lake water is NASTY! Its recycled toilet water, allowing the fountain to use so much water. The locals say its "1 step away from drinking", but i dont believe it. Be very careful around the water and, if you go in after your disc, make sure you dont have any open cuts or wounds, they could very easily become infected.
- Bystander safety is another big con keeping this course from being a near perfect course. Multiple tee pads are part of the sidewalk, which, while unique and intriguing, is very hazardous and can slow your play up if there are a lot of people out walking. Also, many shots require you to shoot out and over the sidewalk, over bystanders, which can be very dangerous.
- Not necessarily a con of the course, but I was dive bombed by a bird that has a nest very close to the basket of #7. TWICE. I know I was intruding into her area, but it scared the **** out of me and was just a negative to those rounds. But this is nothing against the course, just a warning to fellow golfers.

This is easily one of, if not the best courses Ive ever played. Everything about this course is so unique the risk/reward of the lake shots make you want to keep playing again and again just to watch a perfect shot fly over the lake and land near the basket. While I did lose one of my favorite drivers, it was still a pleasure to play and well worth the risk of losing more discs to go back and play twice more. If you live anywhere near Fountain HIlls or plan on vacationing to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, you must play this course at least once

Fountain Hills is a gorgeous oasis in the Arizona rough, NE of Phoenix. The park itself is very easy to get to and hard to miss once you get close.

The fairways incorporate elevation changes on many of the holes, which range from lengths in the lower 200s up to the 700s and includes multiple pin positions. Fountain Hills is an excellent example of a course design that carefully incorporates the risk vs. reward aspect as the entire course circles a large pond. Especially with basket placement, shot selection and power applied must be carefully considered on each throw instead of stepping up and letting it rip.

One original aspect at Fountain Hills that I have yet to see elsewhere are the circular concrete tee pads. These tee pads were in excellent shape. The circular design is very unique and really expands the possibilities for the thrower as their approach isn't singularly confining like the traditional rectangular or the tapered trapezoidal tee pads.

The baskets at the course were in great condition. For the most part, the tee signs were also in good shape. The signs all included information about disc golf and the rules of the sport (which is good for beginners) and also depicted each pin position, length, and par.

The park is clean and is exquisitely maintained. Fountain Hills has beautiful landscaping and is incorporated into the course design, including a massive, twisted tree on hole 5 that presents at least three unique lanes from which to choose, none of which are gimmies.

Basic ammenities are also available at Fountain Hills including bathrooms, benches, and garbage cans.

By far, the biggest con to Fountain Hills is the aspect of safety. While there are a few tees that are in the same general area as other baskets (not many), the greatest danger is to the bystanders and pedestrians in the park. Far too much of the course is in close proximity to paths and other public areas. As a busy park, this poses a big problem for the general well being of the non-players that use the course.

Some of the tees incorporate a public sidewalk that runs along a thoroughfare. While distracting for the player, this could be an issue if the sidewalk was crowded and could be destracting for the motorists.

While I applaud the variety of the holes, in the same breath, there was a lot of repetition to the fairways with numerous "point & shoot" holes. For most holes with a water hazard, that water was directly on the left for most of the fairways. This seems to have an unfair bias against RHBH players.

Although finding the park is fairly easy, finding the first tee can be a bit tricky. Specific to navigation, figuring out which tee/basket is which on the last 3-4 is a little dicey (and the tee signs in this area a little funky).

Using reclaimed wastewater is what allowed the park to be created in the first place, but it's also a double-edged sword as the water at Fountain Hills is best described as gnarly. When a disc is splashed at many courses, most of the time you at least have an opportunity to wade out to retrieve the wayward plastic. At Fountain Hills, the foamy, slimy, olive green water not only hides the location of the disc but makes you seriously question whether you really want a disc back after it's been in that vast petri dish.

The fountain itself is beautiful and ads a ton of character to this diamond in the rough. The fountain and the accompanying pond have a surprising impact on the wind conditions at the course. The wind expectations for the typically arid conditions are deceptive as the mosture and temperature differences from the jetted water creates subtle gusts and updrafts that can have a dramatic impact on disc flight. Just something to consider when preparing to play this course.

Overall, I thought that Fountain Hills was a gorgeous course and surprisingly challenging. But the thing that haunts me about my experience was the danger of having a course built right on top of such a heavily used public space. The multi-use aspect of this course is ultimately its undoing, rating-wise, as the possibility of injuring a bystander is so great. Will I play this course again? If I'm in the area, absolutely. Would I recommend this course to someone playing in the Phoenix area? Definitely, but I'd temper that with a strong recommendation to focus on placement and accuracy over distance as this is the best way to keep everyone safe.

The course layout is fantastic. I love the tees, nice circle cement pads. Very official looking. The grass is kept up well, and makes it feel like you're playing on a regular golf course, especially with all the old folks around asking what you're playing.

Variety of holes and options for drives. There are 500+ holes on the back 9, and a couple 180-220.

This course is difficult to score well on, but this is a positive for me. (the tougher the better!!) At least half the holes have water in play.

Pedestrian traffic can be annoying here. But this never really bothers me as I'll just skip a hole and make up for the miss somewhere else (i.e. I'm not anal about playing the holes sequentially).

This course is totally out in the open, so if you're looking for some seclusion (ahhemmmm 420) you'll be hard-pressed to find it.

During the summer, when they water the park, the grass remains soggy for a while, rendering the course a marsh full of goose scat and mud. This can be a pain, but then again most people are not crazy like me and don't play this course in the heat of summer.

Very little shade on this course!

I love this course. Yeah it's a drive, and yeah you might lose some discs.....but it's easily the best course in the Phx area. Play it!

• Course is easy to find
• Nice location with some cool scenery (Helloooo big a$$ fountain!)
• Warm-up areas
• Baskets are in good shape
• A great variety of shot shapes
• Tee pads are in good shape
• Tee/distance makers are in good shape though conspicuously missing a basket indicator and at least one had a basket in a position that wasn't on the map. I'll confess, the lack of basket indicators was quite a shock on such a well reviewed course.
• Map is printed on every hole. Very good idea.
• Multiple basket positions throughout the course
• Benches, restrooms, water, and a playground.
• Dog Friendly
• Restaurants nearby

• Quite a few baskets are REALLY close to the water
• Lots o'goose and other animal poop
• People, people and more people all over the course and only a mild interest in not being in your way
• Roads/Cars are in play on a couple holes

Tips:
• Park in the parking lot. There's not an obvious sign to turn down El Lago Blvd from Saguaro Blvd, but no worries if you pass it. Just circle around the park.
• Go when the park is empty
• Be an advanced player before attempting, unless you like buying new discs.
• There's no way I'd advise going in that water. It's naztee.
• The numbering got a little screwy from 15-18. Someone had taped over the original numbers with new numbers. Not sure why, but it's pretty easy to figure out where you are on the course.

Random Thoughts:
Wow, somebody is not ready for this course (Is that my hand in the air? Why yes it is). This course is hard, really hard. I understand why they have tournaments here. I actually wasn't going to play here but we happened to be driving by so ya gotta go, right? I'm glad I went but I probably won't be going back for a while. Half the holes on this course have water in play. That's IN PLAY. Not nearby. Not where it penalizes bad throws. IN PLAY. You must be precise to avoid it on quite a few holes, and I'll qualify that the baskets were in the 'screw you' positions on the day I was there (maybe there was a tournament around that time, I don't know). And if it's not bad enough that the baskets are that close to the water, the areas around the baskets all slope towards...wait for it...that's right...the water! So say hello to possibly rolling into the water even on a good shot. And we haven't gotten to the really fun part yet. What's that? There are more challenges besides the $20 ker-splashes? Yes, it's the freaking 100 other people in the park strolling or lounging about. I gotta be honest. I'm not sure if putting a disc course here was the best idea and I love me some disc courses. I even like this one. But unfortunately, with the tightness of the space and the amount of other 'stuff' happening, we had to adjust and/or skip holes on more than a few occasions. I mean, there was a camera crew that just waltzed out into our fairway to film something for goodness sakes, and yes, they saw us throwing. On another hole, a lady saw us and just kept right on walking her dog right into our fairway. One of the rudest things I've seen in a while, so yes, we threw right at her. Take that! Getting back to the course, the holes that are not near water also present challenges, usually in the form of tree placements. One hole in particular (#11 I think) has the basket pinned between two trees, which we all thought was pretty cool. Truthfully, each of those holes is unique in its use of trees and basket placements. Overall, it's a nicely varied course from one hole to the next and I'd imagine everyone having a different favorite. I personally enjoyed bombing it off the hill on #15, just missing the aforementioned camera crew. That'll learn 'em.

Bottom Line:
While I can appreciate the skill level that this course demands, I still question its location. I'm curious if I just happened to catch it on a busy day, but it was a weekday at 4:00PM. Doesn't quite add up. But with that said, it is well designed, well cared for, and absolutely a must play...if you're an advanced player. If you're less than an advanced player, umm, throw your friend's discs. =P

I can't say it better than the previous reviewer. I just need to say as a beginner I do encourage you to play the course if you truly want to become better. This course will make you a better player because you must strategically place most shots. I will never forget this course.

This course is also a busy walking and jogging area. Alot of people are around picnicing. You have to be aware at all times of people in your way.

I will dream of this course. It was a wonderful priveledge to play it.

Course is located around a lake which has the largest fountain in the United Sates. There are lots of high risk/reward shots here. Tons of water hazards, but you can easily play it safe. The fairways are grass and have lots of elevation changes, when it's not around the lake. The course utilizes the water and trees very well. The tee pads are circular and are really big. If you want to take a different direction than what most people do, it's easy to take a different route because the tee pads are circular. The baskets are in excellent shape and are in great positions. A lot of times they are guarded by trees or on a peninsula. My favorite holes were shooting from one peninsula to another. The views are amazing when the fountain is going, and the surrounding area is beautiful.

The course is not recommended to beginners. There are a lot of chances to lose a disc and that can be discouraging to new players. There are a few long walks where you can get lost, but if you have a map it's fine. When it rains, there are a lot of small ponds or very big puddles.

This is an amazing course, but it should not be played by beginners. The wind can get crazy at times. There are several steep greens where missed puts can roll into the water, so be aware.

-------------------------
If you mark this review unhelpful or you find a mistake, please send me a personal message here on DGCR explaining what is wrong with it.

Fountain Hills Park was established in 1981 as one of the premier disc golf courses in the state of Arizona. Because of the layout, challenge, and maintenance, it is also used in "The Memorial" every year, which is one of if not the highest paying National Tournaments in our nation. This 18 hole pro level caliber course is not for the faint of heart. It challenges even the best pros around the world, expecting pin point accuracy off the tee and in the fairway. Bad putts are often punished by tough roll aways that often end up in the drink. To add insult to injury, the wind tends to pick up and can wreck havoc on a nice finesse shot as it carries your disc past the basket, over the green, and again into the water.

Hole one starts players off just pass the memorial statue which is where I am guessing the name came from, and has players playing counter clockwise around the park. Several of the holes tend to play along or over the water, but many holes also play in the middle of the grassy park. Although holes range from 207-472 feet, there are several chances for some birdies. However, most of the holes just over 200 feet have baskets located at the end of a peninsula. Because of this, it makes those short shots high risk, high reward, which I happen to love. Most fairways are wide open with the occasional tree as an obstacle. However, the course designers did a fantastic job incorporating them by placing many of the tee pads or baskets strategically behind them. I found multiple holes where an Olive or Palm tree was blocking the most direct route from the box, so I had to choose another route which made things that much more difficult. Although this course had a lot of memorable holes, holes six and fifteen were my favorites. Hole six was 206 feet (shortest on the course) and had players throwing from one peninsula to another with no room for error. I took a lot of pleasure parking it under the basket considering the amount of faith one must have as you release. Hole fifteen was an elevated tee shot, and the longest hole, throwing from the sidewalk back down toward the lake. It is often the shot people take when looking for a great photograph as the basket is tucked behind some Palm trees with the fountain shooting high up in the air. It is absolutely breathtaking!

The course has large circular tee pads with numbers etched in to them, which grip well and are rather large. This works well for any kind of thrower. Baskets are all Mach III's and are in good shape, durable, and catch well. Tee signs are informative, showing hole number, distance, par, and any major obstacles. Baskets are located near holes one and eighteen, as well as a place to fill up water. There are several stores for food and shopping nearby in Fountain Hills, and is only 30 minutes away from downtown Scottsdale.

This course was in such great shape that I really couldn't find a whole lot wrong with it. However, the water in the lake is absolutely disgusting! The algae and feces inside could create some serious health concerns if you were to go in. Sandals or not, you should be using a disc retriever or just writing it off as a lost disc. Trust me.

Ever since I heard about this course 10 years ago I have wanted to get down to Arizona. There is a reason this course is known as a destination course and has been permanently put on the NT circuit, it is that good. The course is so picturesque, challenging, and a whole lot of fun! I felt like a kid as I ran around on an almost empty course playing while my wife walked with me taking photos. Besides the fact that you get to see the largest fountain in the US, you get to also see all sorts of cacti, birds, and other native plants while walking on plush green grass around a huge disc golfing park. In my opinion, it was the best course I played while here. Although I rather enjoyed Buffalo Ridge and Vista Del Camino, I came down here from the Northwest (Seattle, Wa) for this course. It was worth the plane ticket and if you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it!

NOTE: Fountain Hills has the largest fountain in the world, shooting water up to 562 feet in the air. It is quite the site and is active for about 15 minutes each hour. It makes for some beautiful photo ops.