- Nice mix of more open and wooded fairways with good use of rolling hills.

- Great course equipment with three sets of tees and two or three basket positions on each hole.

- Well maintained park is a joy to play through.

- Too many holes with wide open fairways that play to a basket tucked just into the woodline.

- Incredibly thick rough in many spots of the course.

- Too many blind shots off the tee.

The La Vista Park disc golf course is one of many new courses in the St. Louis area since my last visit almost a decade ago and was at the top of my list to check out during my latest visit. The course relies a bit too heavily on a couple design features for my taste, but overall I was impressed with the layout and had a great time.

The park is well maintained and pleasant to play through with great course equipment. There is a porta-pottie and kiosk with a course map at the parking lot. The concrete tee pads (for white and blue tees) are large and grippy with imprinted logos for the local Rotary Club that I assume donated to the course in some capacity. Tee signs have almost an overload of information with large, colorful depictions of the fairway and listed distance information for all 9 (on most holes) potential layouts with 3 pads and 3 pins per hole. Bolts indicate the current pin position, which can be easy to miss early on where the screw heads are dark and blend in a bit with the sign. The red tees are natural with much smaller and more simple tee signs. I played the white tees and felt it a good fit for my ~930 rated skill level. Most tees have benches, and trash cans were scattered throughout as well. Next tee signage is simple but effective with colored or numbered arrows pointing the correct way to go. One of my favorite course features were the brooms located at each tee sign and I made use of them a few times during the round. The Gateway baskets catch well and are in good shape.

The pin position indicators on the tee signs is almost a necessity because this course features the most blind shots that I can recall playing on a course, at least with the pin positions in place at the time of my round. This isn't as much of a problem for locals who play frequently, but it got mildly frustrating for a first play through. My other nitpick with the course design is that there are an overabundance of fairways that play mostly open to start and then end with the basket tucked into the woodline, both on par 3s and 4s. This is a fine design element, but there were several holes that featured it. Combine that with the incredibly thick rough that is present in many locations and you can find yourself at the edge of the circle, having just missed the gap to the basket, and have to pitch backwards the mouth for a putt of the same distance.

With those minor issues out of the way, the course design overall is quite good. It leans a bit toward straight shots off the tee, especially to the short basket positions, but with the longer pins in particular there is a good balance of left and right turning shots as well. The course also shifts back and forth between tight woods and open fairways very well and helps maintain interest throughout the whole round. It does play on the long side in the current configuration, with 7 of the back 9 holes as par 4s, but positioning is more important than raw distance on most of these. The rolling elevation is also used to good effect. There are a number of great holes, but 12 is probably my favorite and the signature hole of the course. A 416 ft valley shot with the basket protected by a tight bunker of trees making approach angle and position incredibly important. Hole 18 is also a great finishing hole as a long par 4/5 with the gold basket location (one of two, along with hole 11, that have two permanent basket locations per hole) on a built up landscaped green.

La Vista is a great addition to the area with a layout suitable to just about all skill levels. This a course that should be toward the top of your list when coming to the St. Louis area.

La Vista Park DGC is a relatively new course, opened in 2019, that's just across the river from St. Louis in Godfrey IL. This was the best course I've played to date in the general STL vicinity.

The course features a good mix of tightly wooded and more open holes. Plays about 2/3 open and 1/3 in the woods. The thing I liked best about this is that it's not all the woods holes right in a row. Rather, they're interspersed throughout to keep it interesting for the entire round. You never know what to expect next.

There's three different tee pads on almost every hole. The longs (blue) and middle (white) pads are concrete. These things are huge. Some of the bigger tee pads I've seen in awhile. There are a couple, two I believe, that share the same pad for both blue and white. Not only are the pads huge but they're all poured nice and level and have great traction to them. The short (red) tees are just natural. It's nice to have a shorter option in play for less powerful players due to the length of the course overall.

The baskets are Gateway Titan Pro-24's. These are all over the place down in this area. I like them. They catch well and are the sturdiest baskets I've ever seen. There's one basket per hole except for holes 11 and 18. Those two holes feature two baskets. The Gold position is an extra long placement for each hole. Hole 18's is atop an elevated, large stone circle green. Hole 11's is tucked to the left, downhill past the long position. These appear to new as of 2023.

The flow of the course is generally pretty easy to follow. There's numerous next tee arrows and signs throughout the course and in highly visible spots from the previous basket. A map was useful in a couple spots but it's easily doable without one.

There's a nice kiosk by hole one with a large course map if you don't have Udisc so you can snap a picture of the course map there.

The tee signs are top notch. Some of the best I've seen. They feature a detailed and accurate topographical map of the hole showing all the pin placements, all 3 tee locations, a next tee arrow, any OB in play and even show nearby tees or baskets which I absolutely love. In addition to all that they have the hole # and distances and pars for every different tee and pin position. Oh yeah, they also have a bolt inserted next to the pin position that's currently installed. Literally everything you could possibly need from a tee sign. Phenomenal.

Lots of awesome greens out here. Lots of risk/reward scenarios on your putts with drop offs and roll aways waiting on every other hole it seems. The use of the elevation out here is top notch. Really the use of the entire area they had to work with is next level. Fabulous course design all around.

The course, and park itself, was in spectacular shape when we visited. The way the grass was mowed on the fairways, especially hole 18's, looked like it was a private country club. Just a gorgeous park in general, but the maintenance was next level.

The course is permanent and free to play. There's ample parking and a restroom by the parking lot. The two halves of the course both start and end by the parking lot too.

The course plays on the longer side. If you don't throw far this is going to be a tough course. Lots of par 4's and a couple 5's out here. Not a con per se, but worth noting.

The rough on a few holes is pretty gnarly. Lost disc potential is very possible on some of the wooded holes. Hole 12 being the thickest.

Even with all the great navigational aids, I manage to screw it up and jump over to hole 7 after finishing hole 1. Didn't notice until we got to hole 8. Totally me fault in every way. But I will say that the next tee arrows on the bottom of most of the baskets are facing the wrong direction. Be sure to look at the signs, not trust the ones on the cages.

I'm struggling to think of any other cons at the moment.

This course is vastly underrated as of right now. This is a top 10 course in the state for me. I haven't played all the top ones yet, but this one compares favorably to all the ones I have played.

This is a course to put on your wishlist, it's that good. And I normally don't really care for open style, long holes. This one does it right. If it had a few more wooded holes like the ones that are already here it'd be a 4.5 easy for me. If I could rate this a 4.25 that's what I'd give it. Must play course if you're anywhere nearby. Loved it.

- The course looks so good, it almost makes you forget about the honeysuckle. There are large teepads for the white and blue tees, and great signage, including directional signage to help navigate from hole to hole. I love that they have red tees for kids/beginners. The course can be as challenging as you want it to be.

- The other amenities like brooms on the back of tee signs to help sweep away brush, as well as benches on many of the holes really make a difference. It looks like they have good buy-in from the community.

- There is a good balance of wooded (6) and open shots, and they bounce back and forth a bit to keep you focused.

- Where this course shines are the open holes that bring in the danger of the woods/honeysuckle. Holes 9, 13 and 14 are excellent - there's true risk/reward for going for birdies. The fairways aren't huge, but they're wide enough where you are punished for an errant shot.

- I'm couching this in that I've only played the white tees and only one set of pin positions, maybe blue tees or different pin positions would have been different. But the 6 woods holes are all very similar - 225-275 foot dead straight holes where you need to hit one of two 5-7 foot gaps 100-120 feet away. I wish one was a par 4, or had a line something other than throwing a dead straight shot or a baby flex. I feel like there's room to grow. Bottom line - no hole is a bad hole, but it does feel like it repeats.

- Sort of in the same vein, but there's only one hole (15) that requires you to throw a strong hyzer or anhyzer. Almost every drive for a par 3 can land in circle 1 with a straight shot, so right to left placement isn't so much a thing, but you do have to gauge your distances well.

- I really liked this course. I do feel like this could be bumped up to a 4.5 when I get the chance to play the blue tees or different pins and see if shot shaping changes. (Looking at the map, maybe a couple would.)

- I saw someone else mention blind shots. Again, only playing one set of pins may skew my opinion, but this didn't bother me much. Almost all of the par 3 holes were in view if you walked 30 feet from the tee.

- The honeysuckle is very punishing. Which, depending on the level of challenge you're looking for, can be good or bad. I was lucky enough to only have a couple of errant shots, and they were brutal to recover from - I was a few feet off the fairway. I think the open holes are fine, but clearing out the woods holes a bit more would be great. There are a number of downhill shots that border on a poke and hope. If you catch an unlucky break off the edge of a tree, it seems like you're doubly punished.

A week ago, I highlighted New Melle as a probable top 3 course in the St. Louis area (in my opinion), and while doing so, I noted a few other recent contenders entering the ring in St. Louis. I noted The Bunker and Creve Coeur-Hillside as courses under construction that could wind up with strong designs, and also noted Sioux Passage as a well-known course I haven't been to in a while. I haven't played every St. Louis course yet, but wasn't sure there was any others out there that were as strong of courses.

And then I played La Vista Park in Godfrey, Illinois.

La Vista Park's location is along Route 3, just a little up the road from Alton. Route 3 has multiple gas stations and a dollar general close to the park, so any snacks or gas you need are easily assessible. Route 3 can also be easily accessed via Illinois 100, which is the highway a lot of folks will likely end up on to get to this course. If that's the case for you, take in the riverside views as you drive along the Mississippi.

Park amenities are pretty straightforward. The park is 93 acres, and is protected by a Forest Legacy Easement. In addition to disc golf, the main feature of the park is a paved walking trail that connects at Delmar/Route 3 and Route 100 down the hill. There are trash cans and benches along the way, as well as picnic tables for park goers to use. The disc golf course uses the land on either side of this trail. I believe there are some non-paved trail options further down the hill as well. The park has a small parking lot at the entrance on Route 3, as well as a port-a-john. In addition to disc golfers, the park gets a lot of traffic on the trail.

The course equipment at La Vista is all brand new and in great shape. At the parking lot, you will find a very large kiosk that has a full map of the course, with some club/league/event info on the opposite side. Hole 1 also has printed scorecards. Being a Gateway Disc Sports design, the Titan baskets are great and catch discs well. There are between 2 and 3 pin placements on each hole. The pictures on DGCR currently are actually a little out of date, as the top ring of the baskets now have yellow bands that note the hole number and also have Bluff City Disc Golf's logo. This coloring really helps the baskets stand out, especially in the woods. There are 3 sets of tees to choose from: Red, White, and Blue. The white tees are concrete and will have the primary sign for each hole. Update - The blue tees on-site are now either concrete or use the pathway, a nice improvement to the course. Red tees will mostly be natural still, though there may be plans to upgrade these in the future I am unaware of.

The signage at La Vista deserves special praise, as this course sports the best signage I have seen on a course yet. Please note that the signs on this website are actually out of date now despite the course being built in 2019; unless someone else gets to it, I'll try to get back soon to add updated photos. Each white tee sports a large sign that includes a large graphic of the hole layout, including all 3 tees and the 2 or 3 pin placements for that hole. The signs also include which in is in use, and a full list of distances for each tee, meaning most of the signs you will see include 9 different distances. Each red and blue tee is also easy noted by a small sign that also includes distances and the pin location in use. The new tee signs also note the par for each tee and pin location, which can range from 3 to 5 on one hole depending on which tee you are using. Some of the longer walks between tees also include directional signs, making navigation pretty easy here. Perhaps my favorite feature are the red, white, and blue arrows that can be found on numerous trees throughout the course to show you where each tee is located as you approach a new hole. The design of these is so beautifully simplistic, and really adds some great character to this course. Overall, the signage should make navigation here a breeze, and should also give you great idea of where you are throwing.

La Vista's course design has been done in a way that makes it accessible and enjoyable for a full range of skill levels. The multiple tees here offer unique rounds from each other more so here than on any other course I have place thus far. The red tees are short enough to provide a fun experience that will still test newer players that may not have the technical throws or power required for the white or blue tees yet. Meanwhile, many of the blue tees offer substantial additional challenges to the reds or whites, whether that be with additional distance, tighter lines, or the angle of the opening drive. Hole 15 is a great example of this. The red tees offer a short and open approach, while the white tee is pushed over 150 feet back at the entrance to the woods, with the blue tee being a similar distance as the white but being placed on more extreme angle to challenge a player's RHBH hyzer distance. I also appreciate that some of the holes combine the white and blue tees where there just isn't enough room to offer 3 different drive options, just as some holes only have 2 pin placements due to the same reason. Sometimes, less is more.

As the course description states, La Vista offers a mix of open and wooded holes, providing plenty of variety on your round here. The course has a really nice progression in difficulty to it as well. Holes 1, 2, and 3 are mostly open holes and aren't too long. Then, holes 4 through 7 are wooded technical holes that vary in length. As a whole, the front 9 is fairly short. Then, the back 9 provides longer distances and more par 4s and 5s while mixing the open and wooded holes. What's nice about La Vista is that there's a mix of short and long holes both when it comes to the open holes and the wooded ones. The gold placements on holes 4 and 7 were in use on my round, requiring intentional 300+ foot drives. These were complimented by short but tough short shots on 5 and 6. On the other end of things, holes 1 and 16 offer relatively short open drives, while other holes like 11 and 15 offer long open shots that still require some strategy to your approaches. Even 1 and 16 are tricky, as a shot with too much hyzer can land you in rough, but the trees on the left side of these holes keep you from hooking a drive too much.

This course has plenty of highlights that could be listed. Hole 11 if a true bomber hole that requires careful 2nd throw placement depending on which pin is in use. Hole 15's two furthest placements incorporate great risk/reward situations, as they are placed along a ditch and a drop off behind the gold placement that can punish a missed run. 12 is a great, long, wooded shot over a valley that will penalize early tree hits. Lastly, hole 4 from the white/blue tee offers a fun downhill wooded drive that intimidates you with 2 trees placed early in the fairway, making for a real mind game for golfers.

This course is still very new, so some additional work is likely still in progress. I think the fairways were all pretty fair, but as the course ages, things should only open up more over time. It would not surprise me if the alternate tees end up getting more attention overtime as well, whether that be additional concrete, turf, or some other option. In the meantime, I can see some of the red and blue tees getting a little dicey when wet, so watch your step.

When wet, this course may be slick, especially in the woods. Be careful after rain or snow melting. Holes 7 and 12 have some spots of clear water run off that lead to tricky footing. UPDATE Not even 5 days after writing this review and the local club has posted that they are working on a footbridge on hole 12, so keep in mind that this course is still under construction in a way, and should continue to improve in the near future.

Off fairway shots will absolutely get punished here, as the woods are pretty thick with trees and honeysuckle. This is easily remedied by staying on the fairway, but let's be honest - we've all had those days. Careful if you get a bad kick or release, as some spots will make it truly a chore to find your disc. I haven't seen any mention of poison ivy around the course yet, but it's very wooded and I played my initial round in early March, so it could be around.

This course has a lot of bling shots, which could bother some players. Personally, I found the tee signs to be detailed to the point where I could easily tell where the basket would be, and which woods opening in the distance was the one I should shoot for. Despite many of the pins being out of sight from the white tees, I never found myself in a position where I did not feel confident about where to throw as an intermediate player that DGCR typically rates between 900-930. If you're not a fan of blind shots, this course may make for an annoying round.

I didn't notice an abundance of garbage cans or benches. Some are around the park, and I imagine this is on the to-do list for the local club. The concrete pads a very new and were likely the priority. There are enough trash cans around the park where you should be able to find one on occasion. Pack out what you pack in.

Some tee pads are in very similar spots to others in the wooded holes, but this is honestly getting picky given how much variety the majority of the pads offer on course. Even on the open holes, the tee pads will at the least offer a 50-foot difference in distance.

Parking could be troublesome if the park is busy or if there's a tournament. I wonder if they just use the field by the street in some cases, but parking could be a struggle on nicer weekends.

Some of the pars can make certain holes feel like "tweeners". For instance, hole 15 in the gold pin doesn't feel like a true par 5 from the white tee. This isn't something that bugs me, but may be a con for others.

La Vista is 2 years old (if that), and this is only its 5th review on the site, so it may still be going under the radar a bit. It seems like a lot of the local scene has caught on to this course, especially with the local clubs getting more sanctioned events at the park, but this course should not be overlooked by visitors to the area. This course has a bit of everything, and has a very polished feel to it. As time passes, the course should only get better as the wooded holes settle in. With all of the work along the fairways and on the paths to each hole, it's clear the local community puts substantial work in on the upkeep of this course too, which should also help this course age well.

This is truly a course that can serve just about every skill level, and is the highlight of a region of St. Louis that has wound up with a nice selection of courses. There are 6 courses, including 3 18-holes, within 20 minutes of each other in the Godfrey and Alton area, with Sioux Passage not being too far over the river with its 36 holes.

Check out Bluff City Disc Golf on Facebook for more information and updates on La Vista as well as the other courses in the area. Van Man Disc Golf is the nearest pro shop, though it's a bit south of Godfrey. The staff there are among the nicest and most helpful you will find anywhere though, and I'd say they're worth the drive to check out.

If you want classic St. Louis courses during your visit, there's plenty to choose from like White Birch, JB, and Sioux Passage. If you're looking for the best the area has to offer though, then put La Vista on your short list for your visit. There's something special being put together up in Godfrey, and more people should know about it and check it out. if you live in the area, get up to Godfrey and get yourself a great round of golf. I can't wait to make the 45 minute drive from my home to experience this course again.

Update May 2021:
I have just played La Vista again for the first time since my review. I have updated my review. I will leave the initial review details as it shows the growth of the course.

This place is being well looked after. Great large pads, excellent upkeep, awesome signage. Yes there are a lot of blind shots...course par does reflect the difficulty of these shots and really you are expected to play positions golf. Real golf. Gripping and ripping will be punished and it was so rewarding threading the needle on some of these holes. Great fun.

May 2020 review
Some interesting design decisions made on this course.

Quick hitters for good points:
-Nice Gateway Titan baskets. these big buggers catch many a high hyzer putt.
-Nice holes carved out into the woods. all of them have elevation changes. Makes for some challenging shots. Good thing you can see the baskets for the wooded holes. Of course you can see the baskets you say but oh no no no, don't take this for granted.
Hole 4 - Awesome wooded hole unless you hit an early tree and kick left.
Hole 12 - Another great wooded hole across a little valley

Update May 2021.
Ok so the below sounds super critical and it is. Really this course just absolutely punishes wayward shots in a way no other course in the St Louis metro does. The dense honeysuckle just gobbles up discs that hyzer into the woods. It's only going to get more difficult as the invasive honeysuckle takes over. Without honeysuckle this is a 4.5 star course however there is just no way out if you hyzer into the woods. Not being able to see the basket for many holes makes this course that much more challenging. This is absolutely not a course for beginners and maybe even INT players.

I get the novelty of blind shots. Sometimes it's cool to throw around a corner or over a ridge. But the level of blind shots here is just absurd. There are 18 holes, here are the blind shots

Hole 2 - throw around a corner. throwing a FH means you'll be hyzering right around the corner to dense honeysuckle woods
Hole 3 - You need a good shot here because once again the baskets are not only blind but one is hidden deep in the woods. if you get to the opening you won't have seen your disc land so you won't know where to start looking.
Hole 8 - another around the corner shot, this time instead of throwing around the corner the line is to throw directly over the woods. hope you clear it otherwise that disc is gone.
Hole 9 - Could be blind, could not. Depends on basket location
Hole 10 - another blind shot over a ridge with one basket tucked down in the woods.
Hole 11 - another blind shot.
Hole 13 - you guessed it, and this time it's down a long tunnel where you likely won't see your disc land and if it was a rhbh hzyer it's probably in dense honeysuckle, good luck on your search.
Hole 14 - another one. It was getting really annoying at this point having to walk out and look around for the basket and get a sense of depth for where I though my disc would land so I would throw blindly into the woods.
Hole 15 - After hole 14 I was frustrated as I threw a smidge too far and had to search for my disc. Only to come to Hole 15 where you had yet another blind shot around a corner hyzering into dense woods. ergh. at this point I was done playing for a decent score and just laying up into the fairway and taking pars
Hole 17. Blind throw around a corner again. I'm officially renaming this course "Around the Corner" DGC

I've had to update this whole section. This course requires accuracy and power..yet also touch shots in the woods. This place has it all and now in May 2021 its getting serious love and attention from local Disc golfers. Bring your A game or a spotter if you lack control. This place has bite!

3 tee boxes and 2 pin placements per hole. Excellent signage. Good variety of shots, distances and open/wooded. Port-a-potty at the parking lot. Front 9 and back 9 both finish at the parking lot, so you can start on 10 if someone is just starting on 1 (which we did, and worked great).

The flow from one hole to the next was weird in some places. The kiosk map made it look like a few were still under construction but all 18 were playable. We didn't have any trash and the course was clean but probably more trash cans will be needed. Benches will be welcome addition, too.

For a new course, it was very playable, even in the woods. The leaves were sparse since late fall, but the rough was pretty forgiving. Will be a nice course with permanent tees, more trash cans, some benches, etc. get added. We played the short tees (red), mainly because we didn't know what to expect on our first round here. Next time we'd probably play the medium (white) tees, but the long (blue) tees would be way out of our range. That's good, though, something for everyone! We will definitely come back soon.

La Vista while still new is one of the top courses in the area. It features 3 sets of tee pads and 3 sets of pin placements. The white tees are 5x12 concrete pads and turf will be installed shortly for the reds and blues.

Course is a mixture of wooded (1/3) and open holes (2/3) with lots of elevation changes, multiple tees and placements. It starts off pretty easy before entering the woods where you'll have to be accurate on the short but tight wooded holes. Once you're out of the woods there a few holes that will test your turn over skills unless you decide to go big over the brush before finishing the front 9

The back 9 is all about the distance with holes ranging from 450-750 feet. The basket placement for most of the back are in the woods just off the fairway, which really takes advantage of what the park has to offer.

Not really cons but if you get off to the side of the fairway in the woods it can be thick.

Another great design by Dave and Gateway Disc Sports

Check out Bluff City Disc Golf page on Facebook for all the latest info on this course and others in the area

The course is located in a very nice upkept park located on the outskirts of Godfrey, not too far from the Mississippi River. The course has a nice mix of open and wooded holes. Each hole has 2 pin placements. There are also 3 sets of tee pads for each hole that are marked with blocks. Red tees are shorts, white tees are middle, and blue tees are long.

There has also been much clearing out for the B pin placements. New tee signs have also been added to the course. The tee signs are fantastic. They show the layout of each hole, the distances from each tee pad to each pin location. A+ job on the tee signs!

The course terrain is also easy for anyone to play of all skill levels and ages. The course designers did a good job using the whole park and mixed in plenty of elevated shots and risk/reward shots. There is a nice mix of wooded and open holes. There has also been a bunch of trash cans next to the tee boxes. It took me a few holes to notice them, but I would say close to half the holes have trash cans. There are some 'natural' benches also being built and someone is doing a good job laying mulch down along the paths from one hole to the next. It makes it much easier to walk on compared to the mud!

The course is also not overwhelmingly difficult for players just beginning to learn the game. The red tee pads are perfect for beginning players, or for anyone looking to get a quick 18 holes of golf in a limited amount of time.

If the course is played from long tee boxes to the long pin placements, I can see how this course can be very challenging (granted it is still not quite finished).

There is not much happening in the park other than dog walkers, bicyclists, hikers, and now disc golfers.

The tee boxes are a bit tricky to work with, especially when the ground is wet. Hopefully some concrete or something along those lines will happen to make this a non issue.

There are a couple of spots that are little tricky from going one hole to the next, but using the arrows should help alleviate any problems. The arrows do a fine job at showing where to go next.

One other thing, be sure to bring bug spray. Mosquitoes were a little bit of an issue out there.

In the little time that has gone into installing this course, a lot has been done. I am really looking forward to playing this course on a more regular basis once it gets completed and more amenities are added. The multiple tee pads and pin placements, as well as the awesome tee signs is a great start! I have also heard that money has been raised by a local business for concrete tee pads. Not 100% sure when they will be poured, but hopefully by early spring.

Make sure to keep discs in the fairways since the rough is still a little on the thick side, but, they are still in the process of clearing some of these areas.

This will make 3 legit 18 hole courses within the East Alton/Alton/Godfrey area that are located within 20 minutes of each other. As a lifelong Alton area disc golfer, I really like this course and I think it is a great addition to the overall St. Louis Disc Golf scene.

Even though the course is not completely finished, it is still well worth the play if you happen to be in town. Since the course is less than a year old, I think only good things are to come. As more improvements and updates are done to the course, I will add to my post!