-Vista del Camino Park is set in a well-kept park in the city of Scottsdale. Like many other area courses, it is located in a low canal type area designed to fill up with water during heavy rain storms.

-The park looks very nice. Several ponds, walking/bike paths, mature trees, and immaculate grass create a pleasant ambiance.

-Many baskets are set on a hillside or elevated, adding to the challenge. Water comes into play on four holes (1, 9, 11, and 18)

-The tee signs are outstanding, in color and with all three or four pin locations shown. However, an indication as to which pin is currently in use would be nice. The course is flat and judging distance by eye is a challenge.

-The tee pads are enormous, grippy, concrete ones. Only problem was the dirt in front was instead a mud puddle. A sprinkler adjustment should solve it.

-Spinners Disc Shop near Hole 11 has a large selection of discs to purchase. Bicycles may be rented here as well.

-Brand new Chainstar Pro baskets are really top notch. The bright red finish and three layers of chains inspire confidence on the green.

-The typical hole: Tee pad near the walk/bike path. ~300 feet. Finishes to the right on the hill near the fence. Problem is, this is at least half of the holes. This happens is because the layout follows the long, skinny shape of the park in a counter-clockwise format. So, the course is very friendly to lefties and players with a long flick. My solution to even out the spread of holes would be to reconfigure the course into a figure-8 pattern.

-The course is routed to avoid the walk/bike paths as much as possible. But in a popular park like this, you'll still have to wait on a few holes. Also, watch out on the tees, of which several share space with a pathway. My brother almost got taken out by a speeding cyclist.

-Several of the old baskets are scattered throughout the course, a nice dose of variety for locals.

-This is certainly not technical golf, but there are enough large trees to force some shot shaping.

-This course, in many other areas of the country, would be average at best. Unfortunately, the desert landscape and climate in Phoenix doesn't lend itself to top level 5 star courses. As a result, this is one of the best courses in the area. It can appear a bit overrated to out-of-towners like myself who are regularly spoiled with a choice of several excellent courses.

-That's not to say I didn't enjoy my round. It was a splendid break from the cold, wet Portland winter. Dry grass underfoot + no need for a towel + no grip issues =

The course plays through a nice city park. The fairways are grassy with some scattered mature trees. There are a couple holes with defined lines, others make you choose which way to go around an obstructing tree or two to get to the basket. The park is flat with a couple small hills coming into play and providing some rollaway potential.

The small ponds in the park come into play on several holes. Some have interesting risk reward decisions with an opportunity to lay up and take the water out of play or the chance to go for the pin with a trickier water carry. There is a variety of hole lengths with some shorter reachable ace runs and some longer holes where most players will be reaching for their long drivers. The tee signs are nice and descriptive, showing the multiple pin positions. The tees and pins are in fine shape.

The park is busy, with a walking path running through a lot of the holes. The design works to minimize conflicts, but there are still a lot of safety concerns. On top of this, many of the fairways seem to be popular picnic spots on a nice weekend afternoon.

The course is flat and mostly open. There just aren't enough obstacles or terrain to keep the holes from feeling repetitive. The tee signs are nice but don't indicate which pin position is in use which makes them a little less helpful for first time players.

This course does a pretty good job with the space available, but it ends up being a bit repetitive and doesn't present enough different challenges to be a top course. Beginners might find some of the holes a bit long, but with no underbrush it won't get too frustrating. Experienced players can get some good practice time in here, but with no line shaping required it's not going to be the best test of a full set of skills.

I would rate this higher if there were grass on the whole course.

In the Memorial layout this course is a doozy. I would go as far as to give it a 4 out of 5. I enjoyed it more than Fountain. However, when it's out of tournament layout, it's so-so. The shots are "use of space" and learning to use the land to make shots i.e. Skip shots, rollers, flairs, etc. This course will make you a better player on harder courses.

It won't be that tough to play on the third or fourth time through. It's a trainer course.

It says something about disc golf that this tournament - and this course specifically - got lit up during the 2012 Memorial. The courses need redesigning and there needs to be more emphasis placed on the mental aspects of the game to make it harder, not just adding distance. It's a fun course for a casual round. But you won't need much of a bag to play it.

I would call this a nice intermediate course. The land space has been used well. Difficulty is added with the placement of a few baskets quite close to the water's edge or on a hill side. Throwing over water always adds that little extra "spice".

There are a few trees on the course but for the most part the course is flat and open. By open I mean that the fairways are not narrow and defined by lanes of trees. As such, most holes should be parred or, if you have above average distance (say 350 to 375) you should be able to put yourself in with a very strong chance of a birdie.
The tee pads are very nice, and the tee signs are helpful and informative pointing you in the right direction to the next tee pad after you hole out.

This is just a personal opinion and it my "con" is perhaps quite minor. The course is not overly challenging. Unless you throw into water there isn't really any punishment for a misplaced shot. There aren't what I would call actual fairways (as it is quite open) so you can pretty much take any line to a basket.

The park itself is attractive with nice walking paths. There are garbage cans available. This is a course you could play with your family and take a baby stroller to.

Great park setting. Holes were set up to make the most of the available space they have available.

Maps need updating. Players always need to watch for other park users to ensure they don't hit them during play.

Located near major thoroughfares and not far from bustling Scottsdale, Vista Del Camino is fairly easy to get to. The course sits in a beautiful city park and is an asset to the local DG community.

Vista Del Camino, also known as Shelly Sharpe Memorial Disc Golf Course, features extensive use of water OB, with several holes serving as great examples of risk vs. reward. Good use of trees as obstacles and multiple pin positions give the players lots of options in terms of shot selection and possible routes. The variety of hole lengths ranged from the low 200s through the mid 400s. Whenever possible, fairways played the infrequent and subtle elevation changes.

The tee signs at the course were in fantastic shape and well detailed, depicting all pin positions and distances. Most of the baskets were in good usable condition with several elevated baskets, which helped to shake things up. Despite the ground being dry and level, the concrete tee pads were in pretty good shape and were a nice touch.

Vita Del Camino was exceptionally maintained. The maintenance worker at the course also plays and frequently dredges the water obstacles, returning lost discs to Spinners disc golf shop. The disc golf shop is adjacent to the course and it handles all the lost plastic at Vista Del Camino and is very convenient amenity.

Any time you have a course located in a public park, there will be a certain safety aspects to consider. In the case of Vista Del Camino, the course is located in a very heavily traversed park used by people walking, jogging, and biking. This makes many of the holes quite precarious with regard to the danger posed to the pedestrians as fairways border or cross common areas and the park paths. Additionally, several tees were adjacent to sidewalks and roadways that were on the outer edges of the park. This can be a distraction to both the players and other motorists.

Vista Del Camino is almost entirely flat and wide open. While the design does incorporate as many natural features and obstacles as possible, most of the holes begin to feel repetitive and monotonous.

Because it's a temporary setup for the Memorial, I didn't include the temp holes as part of my rating or review. These holes have much more water in play and greatly increase the course length, variety, and level of difficulty. If these were to become a permanant part of the course, it would easily give a 0.5 bump to my rating. The biggest con to this portion of the course are the homeless folks that don't yield to the yell of "fore!" and they have been known to destroy the baskets. Thanks to DStearns5 for the tour and history of this part of the course.

This course is much older than many courses in the country and this needs to be taken into account when playing. As disc technology has improved, courses such as Vista Del Camino are increasingly dinged for their shorter length and basic fairway shapes. The flat, open, and repetitive aspect of the course and the major saftey concerns is what really detracts from this beautiful course. The cons of the course aside, the designers appear to have done the best they could with the space they had available. In this regard, Vista Del Camino is a very viable option for open drives and approaches and a sharp little course in general. If I lived in the area, I'm sure I would play this course more often than not.

Vista Del Camino Park is located just minutes away from Old Town in Scottsdale, and just minutes from Red Mountain Freeway or 202. This 18 hole disc golf course was designed in a multi-use park, with several amenities including walking and biking trails, a basketball court, skate park, playground, and gazebo. It is also used by many to bird watch considering there is a long lake in the middle of this narrow rectangular park. As many have stated in their previous reviews, many of the fairways play quite narrow, with water on one side and gates or walls separating houses from the course on the other. Because of this, the course is much more challenging then it would first appear.

Designed in 1984, this course is flat and lightly wooded, with a few elevation changes along the perimeter of the course. Fortunately, the designers did a nice job incorporating elevated tees and pins where they could. They also put a lot of time in to utilizing the few trees and bushes on the fairways, making some approaches and putts rather difficult at times. Because water is so prevalent along much of the course, there is always that chance of your disc winding up in the drink. Although there are a few holes that could be considered their "signature" hole, number nine was easily my favorite. Not only did it have the best chance of landing at the bottom of the lake, but if thrown right, it spent more time then any other hole flying over the water (222 - 401 feet). Because of that, along with the current pin placement which was 370 feet and right along the edge of the water, I found it my greatest challenge. I was fortunate enough to birdie it twice, but felt my heart pounding the entire time as I waited for my disc to level out and fade left as it made its way toward the basket. Truly awesome!

Baskets were Chainstar, durable, and in good shape. Each hole also had up to four pin placements, with the most difficult layout used for "The Memorial". This is great because it changes it up for the local crowd and helps to challenge better players by selecting the more difficult layout. Tee pads are all cement, have good traction, and are long enough for run ups.

I found holes #12-17 somewhat monotonous. They were long, narrow, and just felt like they lacked originality. They allow for long drives, a good approach, and an easy putt. However, because of their length, they can turn an easy par in to a bogie. Birdies on these holes are a little harder to come by then many of the other holes. I just played for par.

Bad throws aren't really punished enough, with the exception of the water holes. But, even then the water can be easily avoided. With the exception of hole nine, all the other water holes are rather short and easy to birdie. The holes which don't have water have few obstacles, so if you have an errant shot but throw a good upshot, par will not be an issue.

Navigating from hole to hole, and knowing which pin to throw to. All I can say is make sure you bring a map. Getting from hole three to four will be difficult unless you know where to look. Once finished with three, walk across the bridge to your right and head left past the basketball court. You will see a sign for tee four on your right.

Although I enjoyed Fountain Hills and Buffalo Ridge more, this place is a must! I was excited to play all three of these courses considering two of them are home to one of the more successful National Tournaments in our country. This course didn't disappoint, and allowed me to work on my distance and controlled upshots. There is nothing more exciting then the feeling one gets when playing around or over water.

As others had mentioned in their reviews, I followed their advice and stopped by Dukes for lunch and the food was reasonably priced and delicous. They have over 40 flat screens and was rated the best sports bar in Scottsdale. Spinners on the Green is a must as well, with custom discs from their shop and local tournaments, buying a little souvenir makes a great memory and helps to support this LOCAL store. He also buys used discs (all molds) for $2/disc so it may help offset some of the cost.

NOTE:
If from out of town and looking for a safe affordable place to stay with either friends or family, I suggest the Three Palms. It is literally 100 feet from tee #8, has a grocery store within walking distance, is very clean, and reasonably priced. It is also close to downtown Tempe and Scottsdale, and only a half hour away from Fountain Hills or Buffalo Ridge. Well worth it if available. Trust me.

Greens to shoot for
Concrete tee
lots of different distances
great weather year round to play year round!

Water if you are inaccurate you can find yourself at the near by pro shop getting new discs.

Love this course played this when I was in the valley I think it's the best course in the valley.

This is a nice use of a long, kind of narrow "greenway" (it's not really that green!). This is one of the few really recreational courses I've played that incorporated so much water. Some might not like it, but it definitely forces some accuracy and adds character to the course. Each hole has numerous basket locations, so I imagine that the course gets a little refreshment when they move the baskets. The signage was pretty decent, showing the locations of the various pin positions and the respective distances. I liked that the basket locations made use of the little elevation the park has to offer, so there were several holes with baskets on a slope, making you think about whether you should go for it from 25-30 feet out.

The navigation of this course is way too difficult for just a regular park. There are usually 5-6 baskets within 400 feet of you at any given time, so it's not easy to figure out where the next tee is and what basket you are throwing to (the signs help a little, but they don't help you get to the next tee). Several holes had more than one basket in use! I've never seen a course than had multiple baskets in use on only some of the holes. Confusing. Several holes play too close to the trail, and I have to think it's only a matter of time before a bystander gets nailed by a disc. Not the way to grow the sport.

The holes on the back 9 that don't involve water are a little boring. There aren't a ton of trees here, so it's possible to spray shots well off your intended line but not get punished at all on the non-water holes (which is fine if you need the confidence boost, but it won't make you better).

Some might view the water and the potential for lost discs as a con, but I don't. However, it does make this a poor course for people who haven't played much.

The basket locations here seemed to take into account the topography pretty well, but not necessarily the traffic. If it weren't for the number of people, this course would be safer and a bit more fun. That said, I definitely enjoyed my round. The water shots made you plan your route to the basket, and the wind challenged me to throw my best shots on those holes. If you can get in here when it's not too busy, you'll probably have a good time, too.

except for a couple of water shots, great for beginners: wide open, flat, ability to use rhbh for most drives. also a solid course for those more advanced to hone their pin-seeking skills as there are plenty of opportunities for sub-par scoring,
multiple pin locations and decent signage always a plus.

very flat, and plays repetively--most holes are just down and then back either side of the wash. a couple of over the water drives reminds me of aquatic park in berkeley. but at least here you can wade in and retrieve your disc.

spinners pro shop and a sports bar near the 12th hole makes it a great destination.
nothing inspiring, but a course worth playing again.

Pretty course that meanders along a small stream, grassy fields and a smattering of trees. Other than some water hazards, would be a great course for beginners. Enjoyable but no too difficult, as it's mostly open, with only slight elevation on two holes. The real bonus is Spinners Disc Golf Shop off the 12th tee- a great way to get out of the hot sun and add to your plastic collection! I hear they play this course at night- This would be the option to stay out of the summer heat.

There are several pin placements on this course that intersect with the greens/pins of other holes. It is very confusing to figure whether multiple pins belong to just one hole or to several (none of the baskets are numbered!!!!!). This occurs on #1/18, #2/17, #3/16. Also navigation is really confusing getting to tees #4 and #8. "next tee" signs please!

I think that courses with multiple pins should follow PA course Tyler St. Park's example- put a little rotating dial which indicates which position the pin is in. It can save some walking and guessing, especially when it comes to doglegs. All pins should have a number and letter that indicate exactly where you are.

Water is always a welcome challenge. Adjacent store to buy plastic. Cement tee pads (too bad they were all wet from sprinklers)

Too few trees to force technical shots. Wet and muddy in the summer early morning from sprinkers. Dog walkers and joggers on the trail need to be avoided. Needs markers on the baskets to direct to the next tee(s).

Moeur is more memorable

There's a lot to like about this course. It is well maintained, with immaculate concrete tee pads, mowed grass, and kept clean (it IS in Scottsdale after all, the Beverly Hills of AZ)

Every tee has a detailed sign with a hole map that lists the multiple pin positions. Most holes have 3 or more pin positions, and the baskets are often moved between them, a few holes at a time. Thus, every round you play here is a little bit different.

The course is in a long thin valley with a stream running through the middle, and several lakes throughout. It roughly plays over one lake, down one side of the valley, crosses the water, then back down the other side to finish the loop. This layout, and relatively open nature of the holes, makes this a pretty FTF course, very easy to follow from one hole to the next.

This course has 2 shots that shoot over the sides of a bowtie-shaped lake to a peninsula in the middle(#1,#18), as well as two others (at the beginning of the back nine) that also force shots over the water. These make for an interesting challenge, and great risk-reward.

Also, water is somewhat in play on most holes on this course, lurking off to the side of the fairway, or behind the pin. Some courses have nasty shule waiting for you if you really shank a drive to the side or overshoot the pin by 40 ft. This park has water. I've personally gotten discs wet on over half the holes on this course.

Also, the long, thin shape of this park lends itself to disc golf holes, creating a boundary of water on one side, residential housing walls on the other. Due to this, the scattered trees on this course almost always affect your shot selection.

The pins are wonderfully placed, and most are well protected by at least one tree and/or a nearby water hazard.

No shot on this course is just plain vanilla, but the park is realtively open, giving players plenty of opportunities to air it out.

Holes are a little towards the long side, though all the shots over the water are manageable (with some accuracy) for even a modest arm.

Overall, this is not a very technical course. The main key is to keep out of the water. The trees give you a good margin of error to work around, and distance does come in handy.

Pretty fun course. There's a Sports Bar and Great Pro Shop (Spinners on the Green) by hole #13, for added convenience, and refreshments after the round.

Overall, this course is pretty flat. The only time terrain comes into play is on the four or so holes that play to or from the sloped sides of the valley, which is fairly steep and at least a 15ft change of elevation. Thus, hillside pins and rollaways happen as well, but are not as common.

Though the water holes will make your heart skip a beat, most of the holes are pretty simple, and just require distance to birdie. Scattered trees help keep you honest, but are fairly easy to dodge.

This course is easy enough to play with just one shot. In fact, a roller works perfectly on about 15 of the 18 holes, and is still viable on the other 3, provided it doesn't roll into the drink.

Overall, this course is constricted by its flat terrain, but despite this, is still interesting and fun. However, there are courses that are more of both in the area. Fountain Hills adds a significant amount of terrain and even more water shots, for added challenge. Mouer Park is a very technical desert course which will force a much wider variety of shots than this course ever could.

Don't get me wrong, I like this course, I just cannot justify rating it as highly as Mouer or Fountain Hills.

As previous reviews stated, it is advisable to park at Spinners on the Green by hole 13 and start there, since there is much more ample parking there. Also its nice to search the store and the lost-and-found bin before a round. You might get a disc back that went into the water, or find a good replacement for it.

Nice water hazards
Well groomed
Good length on some of the holes
Multiple pin placements for nice variety
Sports Bar to quench your thirst after a hot round or two

Not alot of obstacles
Walkway runs right through the middle

Having the Sports Bar there is nice and the disc golf store is convenient
I've mentioned this on other reviews on some of the Phx park DG courses: the folks who designed these courses have really had a challenge due to the flatness and lack of vegetation...it speaks well of the DG community to put courses in to promote the sport, even when they don't have the optimal terrain