On a humid August afternoon, we decided to get out and play the most famous course in the Phoenix area, and home to the Memorial. Driving out to Fountain Hills definitely puts one in a great mood, with beautiful surroundings, mountains, cactus, etc.. After picking up some beverage, and a big plastic mug to put it in, we were all set.

Arriving at the course in a time share vibe neighborhood, we found beautifully manicured grass parkways and palm trees surrounding a pleasantly sized and shaped man-made lake with a big circle of metallic arms standing out in the middle. You could see the course, wrapping its way all around the lake.

We stepped up to the 1st nicely paved concrete tee, and we noticed the beautiful tee sign. It had a nice map of the 1st hole, and then next to it, a mini-map of the entire course! I was like "damn, that has to be the coolest tee sign I've ever seen!" What I didn't know is that every single hole has the same kind of tee sign, with a mini-map of the course. You'll always know where you are, where you're throwing, where you came from, and where you're going. This is brilliant, and I will recommend this kind of signage where ever I travel in the future.

The second thing we noticed was the curious lack of the occasional sound of chains. Nothing but silence. We had the entire course to ourselves. Not once during the entire late afternoon and evening did we see anyone else out there with a disc. Only a few people strolling or jogging along the path, and they didn't get in the way of our play, either (i.e., for more than a few seconds).

Many of the holes play right along side the lake, working counter-clockwise so that the water hazard is always to the left. This is obviously designed to foil right-handed backhand throws that fade out left. I lost 2 discs way out in the lake early on when I went for turn-overs that instead stabilized and faded left into the water. Even though I lost these discs, I was still having a blast, and I loved the challenge of having the water nearby on so many holes. I did find that I could walk into the water a ways in some places with my water sandals (the underlying concrete is grippy) and retrieve discs that were less than 6 feet or so out from the edge.

The lakeside has some small sculpted peninsulas that jut out into the water, upon which you'll find small trees, and a few baskets. These several holes are amazing, teeing off from one peninsula onto another, with a narrow landing zone and little room for error. Lay up too short, you're wet. Run at it long, you're wet. Land on edge, and it rolls, you're wet. This is superb challenge, and most of the wet tosses are retrievable, so the risk is not as great as one might otherwise think.

The course uses the available topography incredibly well. There were big downhill throws, big uphill throws, small down and up, etc..

The flow of the course and the way the various fairways are arranged was also superb. The designer(s) put a lot of thought into the arrangement, my hat is definitely off to them. Like others have noted, it is really amazing how many trees come into play, even though there aren't a lot of trees on the course. For each tree, they found its maximum confounding placement on the fairway. There were also a good mixture of distances, from long throws where you can grip and rip it to short holes where touch is everything. The course is also extremely well-maintained. Not a blade of grass was out of place. The baskets were all nice, and in good shape. There were clean restrooms available near the parking lot. The neighbors who came out to watch as the sun sank in the sky and the air cooled off were all very friendly.

Then there is the fountain, which is pretty impressive. It is really fun to see it going periodically, and adds a wonderful element to the feel of the course. And very scenic too...the wonderful views of four peaks and red mountain that you get to see as the sun sets, turning the sky into a stunning canvas of blues, oranges, pinks, reds, purples...

Nothing major I can think about.

The lack of seclusion on the course is something that was different, and definitely kept us minding our Ps and Qs, being very low profile, etc.. Bring plenty of water (duh, its Arizona). Bring a pair of water sandals or a golden retriever, you'll get good use from these. Bring a picnic, and spend the day!

Well manicured grass, concrete tees, easy map read, clean course that surrounds a lake with a tourist destination high stream fountain in an upscale city area, aesthetic course to play. First nine holes are shorter and a bit more technical (basket placement) for warming up where as the back nine are longer and more open.

The water is dirty, do not swim for a disc, reclaimed water, not worth getting sick over a lost disc, carry a string trap retriever and a water driver and a floating putter. Drinking water not readily available mid-course.

This is a must play course for Arizona, Phoenix metropolitan area due to everything together making up a great experience for disc golf. Shots long, left and right, technical with good use of elevation for some long shots. Trees become a factor and you are throwing through "V" in big trees. Very satisfying when you thread a fast long drive through a needle hole in a tree...

I play this course every day! this course is hard Its wide open but what little trees they have really come into play for example. a good drive may look great but as you approach there is a small tree in the way that did not seem apparent before. This course is a fairly long with the first 9 being mostly short holes where placement is critical for a birdie. the next 9 are longer holes that are still doable but if your arm isnt tossing 400+ feet then these hole can still make par. the thing i love most about this course is that the first half really warms up my arm so when i get to the back noince the long holes seem shorted because im all loose, relaxed and ready to throw 400 ft.!

the lake is dirty! and the fountain will come on and occasionally spray you with nasty waste water! watch out on windy days. the lake comes into play A LOT so ameturs beware this lake has NO visibility what so ever so prepare to fish or get wet! my word of advice never throw you favorite fly-dyed disc or whatever near any water there is a chance you may not ever see it again trust me this has hapened to me! the other huge problem is that the park is filled with people unaware of the disc golf happenings and they may just wander into fairways without knowing. BE AWARE!

play this course you will not be dissapointed with the level of difficulty! or fun that comes with it

Great tests of all shots Hyzer and Anhyzer for Distance.
Good Elevational changes for tees.
Water tests your never on a few holes.

Foot Traffic in park from time to time.
I found the wind to be heavy on many of the times I played maybe due to the open nature of that part of the desert?

Worth the drive from the valley to give your arm a workout from some of the shorter park courses you see in town.

Set in a beautiful park so unlike any other of the Phoenix courses Fountain Hills plays around the edge of a lake and is covered in actual green grass. There is good length throughout the course with a good mix of left, right, and overhand shots. Only mild elevation but it is put to good use with tee shots up and downhill. The grounds are beautifully kept with giant circular tee pads that are a great addition with the multiple pin placements offered.

The extra pin placements are what make this a high caliber course. Water is in play for 8 of the front 9 holes with pins within 20-35ft. of the water's edge and all at distance. Makes for very interesting choices off the tee and approaches. Extra plastic is must as you will most likely drop one in the drink. It forces you to think and be precise with your throws as well as skips off the short turf.

The back 9 plays away from the water and also stretches out a bit with a picturesque 500 footer from on top of the hill that is reachable with the right oomph. The entire course is easily navigable and the signage clearly directs to the next tee.

The front 9 favors the RHBH hyzer and the hyzer only. The water does not smell nice and it wants to suck in plastic. Quite a bit of foot traffic on the weekend even in the morning but the locals have some sort of clue about the sport and will be out of the way. The back, while away from water and longer is a bit wide open, I'm sure alternate pins force more thought to tee shots but it's very straightforward.

The course is over 30mins outside of Phoenix/Scottsdale but has facilities/stores nearby.

This is a fantastic course that forces you to think about your shots and will test your confidence in your drives. The water really factors into the course and they use it well if not a bit too much on the front. Easily the best overall course in the Phoenix area in terms of difficulty, setting, amenities, shot diversity, and overall character. The one course to hit in the Phoenix area when here, there's a reason the Memorial is contested here, it's a true high level course.

I really enjoyed the prestine course. Plenty of length and technical shots with the pins so close to the water.

Lots of people in the park. Benches between tee pad and baskets with people sitting there right in the way. Short tee pads and as nice as the water looks it's disgusting, if you lose a disc good luck getting it out!

Bring discs that float and a long fishing net to retrieve them. Over all I loved it.

Beautiful manicured grass park.
A wide variety of shots; some wide open for a nice big drive, some shorter but with lots of water to consume your discs.
Great signs.
Restrooms, playground, shops nearby... bring the kids!
I feel that the holes are very well designed, and the park itself is totally unique for a desert course.

Smells funny sometimes...no joke.
All the reviews about duck/goose crap are right on.
The water is NAAAASSSTY!!! If you can somehow retrieve your disc if it has gone in the water, you might wanna consider some hand sanitizer or something. (Nursing student talking here.)
Lots of non DG traffic, esp. on weekends and when the weather is nice. YELL FORE!!

I am a beginner/novice player, so when I review courses, it is from that standpoint... just a matter of disclosure. I feel OK about this, 'cause it doesn't seem like there are very many reviews written by anyone of my level of experience.
That said, if the baskets on this course are in the "C" position (or even "B"), and you are not an experienced player, this course will EAT YOUR LUNCH! (And the water will feast upon your discs as well.)
However, I literally learned how to play the game on this course, so if you are looking to jump right into the fire as a newbie, this is a good place to do it. As a result of learning on this course, other courses seem fairly manageable by comparison.
This is a must-play course if you're in the metro Phoenix (especially Scottsdale) area.
Water is in serious play on holes:
1, 2, 6, 7, 8, and 16. In my opinion, the 1st hole is actually the most soul-crushing water hazard.

decent signs.
baskets at every hole.
grass throughout.
almost like playing a real golf course.

teepads are circular and rather small which makes for less run up than I like. Some teepads are actually just part of the side walk that goes around the park. I was not impressed at all with these teepads, and some of the placement was horrendous. One hole has a bench and two trees less than 10 feet away, and a little off center. I'm all for obstacles, but this was ridiculous.

This is one of the greenest public places i've seen in the phoenix area. This causes several problems, The biggest problem I had with this course was the difficulty of playing with other park users. Families with picnics set up around baskets. People relaxing in the shade of trees all over the course including trees 15 feet in front of the tees. We had to skip one hole completely and shoot way off target on a few others to safely avoid other park users.
My second issue with a green course: I've played tons of grass courses in the mdiwest. I'm sure it's nice for residents in the area to play something other than rock, dirt, and pine trees, but for me, it just seemed out of place.

There were multiple pins for a few holes, but many times this just meant multiple baskets. I'm used to baskets being moved from time to time not three baskets to choose from on a hole. It was a little tricky since the tee signs were good, but not that good.

Overall I was fairly annoyed by this course. Granted I played on a sunday afternoon, so the traffic of other park users was probably at it's worst, but it made the course almost unplayable.

I wasn't impressed with the teepads themselves, and while the course was pretty, it would be more fitting in another part of the country.

What a nice park this is set in! Great views of the mounitans surround the area. Park is nice and clean, trash cans everywhere and the fairways are nearly as neat and clean as a ball golf course. The signs are in great shape, not vandalized. The fountain in the middle of the lake is pretty cool to watch when it goes off. As far as the actual course, each hole has giant circle teepads, a little unique, but providing plenty of room to throw. Signs on every hole that shows the hole as well as a map of the whole course so you know exactly where you are at. Baskets were in great shape. Water is a factor on a number of holes, but not so much that it creates too my of a hazard and detracts from the enjoyment. There is some minor elevation changes and there are just enough trees with the baskets carefully placed to provide a challenge. A few shorter holes with some longer ones on top of a slight hill that begs for you to let them rip.

This is a course in a public park. This means few trees, mowed grass everywhere with no underbrush, and a walking trail right next to some of the holes that can cause delays with other park users. I definately prefer heavily wooded courses that are isolated from other park users. Though there are some trees on the course, not enough to provide too much of a challenge.

Overall this is a nice disc golf course in a park. Very clean and well maintained. If you are looking for water holes, you won't find a course in the area with more than this course. However this park lacks the challenges of careful placement and choosing difficult lines by not having more trees. For me an open course is kind of a boring course. However with that said, the baskets are placed in just the right spots to maximize the challenge on each hole. This course is definately a welcome change from the Phoenix area courses and is definately worthy of playing again.

The beauty that surrounds this course is amazing. Four Peaks is easily seen and when the fountain goes off the views and your pictures can be amazing.

Not alot of trees but there are enough to get in your way of some nice drives and force you to rethink your shot. Contrary to other reviews this course is not that short and does require technical accuracy. Water comes into play on more than 2/3rds of the baskets. Multiple pin positions on some baskets. Lots of signage and brand new tee pads. Restrooms water and food right next to the course. This is a well kept and manicured park. Almost like playing on a ball golf course.

The pond is reclaimed water it stinks and is gross.

Do not pass up the opportunity to play this course when you are in town. If you have the first issue of Flying Disc magazine the cover picture was taken at the Fountain. One of my most favorite courses in the valley. This course is one of two that the Memorial plays.

Hole one is located to the East of the parking lot by the war memorial. Park in the lot and follow the sidewalk away from the bathrooms tee pad one is about 100 yards down.

It is a multi use park so a few shots require you to wait for people using the walking paths.

Locals are very friendly and willing to help.

One of the most scenic courses I've had the pleasure to play. Bring a camera!
A great course for a relaxing round of golf.

Easy to loose discs if your not accurate.
Mid-day heat can be brutal.

This is one of my favorite courses. For a guy from the mid-west, this is the perfect vacation course.

- Extremely manicured grass course with LOTS of danger.
- Requires good shots and good judgement to keep your plastic. Literally... 13 holes have some form of water danger - never experienced this before.
- At least, the holes weren't terribly long considering the risks. But, this almost dares you to go for it.
- Wonderful tee-pads with stamped numbers (very professional). And, good tee-signs.
- They must move the baskets a lot... because they don't have the dirt rings around the baskets you usually find on grass cousres.

- To start, this course isn't in Phoenix as implied by the Phoenix (fountain hills) location description. It's in Fountain Hills! and that's at least 1/2 an hour away from Phoenix! That's like saying Sylmar is near La Mirada (not quite that close if your on a DG road trip with a time crunch). This could have screwed up the timing of my road trip... but fortunately I was still able to make it up to Flagstaff to play.
- The Water - it smells. When the fountain was going off there was this atmospheric, dense, smelly smell... can't explain it... but, I didn't enjoy the mist misting me!
- The basket number plates don't face the tee-pads... and even though it seems obvious as to where you're supposed to throw... when the number plate is facing the opposite direction... it's confusing.
- I don't know how you could play this course on a daily basis and continue to afford plastic... there's that much danger of losing discs.
- No maps at hole 1.

- As was mentioned below... this course was nothing to write home about. Water comes into play a lot; but, that's not everything. The course was short and none of the holes seem memorable. None of the shots requires a long shot across water... just shots near water.
- The fountain... although cool to see, SUCKS. Waste water mist flying everywhere... and the wind it produces messes up even the shortest putts. There is a noticeable difference betwwen fountain on and fountain off - hard vs. easy.
- I got through this course really quickly - 1:20 at most... easily navigable.
- My Score: - 3

Circular teepads so you can have a good run-up for all basket settings. Never seen this before it was cool.
Nice green grass, well groomed
Water in play on many holes
Huge fountain that runs every hour for 15 minutes
Nice baskets with chains that really grip the disc
Some benches and bathrooms

Hyzer, Hyzer, Hyzer. . .regardless of your handedness you can hyzer almost every hole
Very crowded with walkers and other pedestrians
Kind of tough to navigate, but doable
No privacy, very open course
Few trees with questionable placement on a few holes
Very short

This course is very unique and aesthetically beautiful. Similar to other reviews, the beauty of this park attracts many dog walkers and the like. I waited on quite a few holes until the coast was clear. This course does not demand a variety of shots. The hyzer seems to play almost every holes with almost no exceptions. It was enjoyable and the water was fun to negotiate, but this course is nothing to write home about. However, it is a good course worth playing and depending on the settings can be challenging, or relatively simple. Dont go in the water, it is reclaimed sewage water.

Gorgeous Phoenix area retirement community. Some of the best Risk-Reward shots in disc golf, that I have ever experienced. Most of the basket positions bring the water into play. Even wayward putts have a great chance of finding water. Perfectly manicured greens play very fast, and the fountain keeps the wind swirly.

Stay out of the spray of the fountain! Besides it being the waste of all of the water birds in the area, I have heard stories of it spotting sunglasses to the point of disrepair.

Excellent course. Play conservatively unless you like donating plastic. A Golden Retriever(disc retriever) is a good purchase before going there.

One of the most unique and memorable courses that i have had the pleasure of playing. 18 high quality baskets on several pin settings. I played this course during the memorial, so i got to play the hardest, or wettest pin settings. The fountain in the center of the small lake can actually create its own weather patterns. As soon as it starts to spray you will notice a strange wind starts to blow. I lost 4 discs on my first round. I loved the round teepads with ample surface texture so traction was never an issue.

The water in the lake is reclaimed sewage. There are lots of ducks, birds, geese so lots of turds under foot. Memorial pin settings will make your discs disappear quickly. Lots of other park users, people wandering onto the fairways.

WOW this course is just phenomenal i am looking forward to playing it again next year!

The park is top notch. Very well maintained, and clean. It plays around a pretty pond with an "Old Faithful" like fountain. Perfect park to take the shoes off and enjoy why you started playing this game in the first place.

Most the holes are placed on the water edge so use caution or floatable discs. It makes it very challenging so if your a beginner jusy "lay up".The water has poor visibility, so if there more then a few feet out forget about it. Other then that AWESOME!!!

Learn from me....Don't throw your favorite discs or some custom dye you spent hours making. There will be alot of chances to send them to there watery grave.

Great place to put a course
Very scenic. Holes are beautiful and spacious with nice variety and lots of hazards that make this course great. There are some shots that look like something out of a movie...Hole 5 is as picturesque as any I have ever seen. A constant demand is placed onto the player to "consider water nearby" and when your first shot goes wide to "play it safe" your next shot often is now at a basket with water behind it and a steep dropoff as well. This course really gets your excitement going. I found myself bogeying alot of shots on purpose because to go for par was just too dangerous and the risk/reward payoff seemed dubious.
I like the circular teepads...really roomy and provides options for the placement of your feet. This course is immaculate and very friendly. We had more people stopping to watch than most other places in Arizona - This might be because the designers made many of the teeboxes in places where they share concrete with the lake-ringing sidewalk.

There is a big chance that you may lose some discs. If you are easily psyched out by the thought of throwing discs in the water and losing good discs...this course can mess with your peace of mind.
Lots of non-golfers about near 16-18.

I think this course was a great idea. Really good use of hilly terrain and many holes that are just awesome. I like that it plays so long around a single giant lake. The ground was really over-soaked and spongy in some places but maybe that is the cost of really green and lush grass.

I absolutly love this course!! This is where I learned to play, talk about trial by fire. The lake and grass make for beautiful scenery. The course plays long, which is nice for us guys with big arms. Very challenging well laid out. Easy to navigate with the exception of #12 (tee box is up near the street). Good signage and new tee boxes complete with non-slip surface.

-Lots of goose crap (bring a towel)
-Tons of pedestrian traffic; don't even try on the weekends.
-Be prepared to lose a couple discs in the lake.(bring a floater)

Very challengeing and not for the faint of heart. Basically the only time you can play without having to skip holes is middle of the day, mid-week. This park is very popular for family picnics.

This course is in one of the most incredible parks I have seen. There is a huge lake and the water fountain that is sure to go off once during a round was spectacular. There is a park for kids and restuarants near by. The course itself is super challenging with some good long holes and some water holes that will really make you think. This course has been by far one of the most challenging courses mentally that I have played.

There is lots of water that is ready to get your disc and even with a stick retrieval is near impossible with the amount of algee that is in the water. The map that is available and posted at every hole is not entirely accurate, in particular with hole 12 where the tee is really up on the sidewalk by the road rather than on the walking path. It is nice that they post the map at every tee. There is some foot traffic to contend with.

There are a couple of options in playing this course. You can park by the playground area and play 1 through 18 or you can park along the street by hole 10 and play 10 to 18 first. Either way you are going to walk all the way around the lake in the park. I would say that it is imparative to bring junk water discs with you when you play this course. There are just too many tricky shots involving water. Also build up your mental game before you play here, it can really get to you, I may never go near water again, hope I don't stink too bad from lack of showers.

This place has great scenery, every hour on the hour the fountain goes off.
The course is mapped out clearly.
Mostly long distance holes.
Challenging and extremely fun.

Lost a couple of disks in the lake.
DO NOT go to the bar Overtime sports bar and grill that is across the street.

I love this course. the fountain is beautiful, it is located on a great park. Plus Fountain Hills is a great community.