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Albuquerque (Rio Rancho), NM

Vista Hills Park

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25(based on 10 reviews)
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5 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.8 years 421 played 387 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Small open municipal niner that tests your downhill control skills 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 11, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Decent small park layout, good use of elevation


+ Basic old-style DGA signage and decent baskets

+ Minimal map, but OK for the most part

+ The shape and size of the property provide a particular challenge: dramatic downhill, in likely windy conditions, with OB of a playground or backyards tight on the right (especially on holes #3 and #6) and sidewalk/road on the left (especially hole #4). These three holes really test your ability to anticipate flight and to control your disc near hazards. These are unlike Pinon Rocketship (the niner up in Los Alamos), where several holes have you throw from the top of a steep mesa. You can get into trouble with trees and obstructed lies there, but there's no OB in play

Cons:

- No tees (but it's a short park course, so all throws can be made from standstill or minimum steps

- The signs don't do a good job showing you that hole #3 is the basket to the right (closer to playground), not the basket that seems straight ahead (that's #7)

- Hole #9 throws around a hillside to a hidden basket. You throw very close to the street on the right (and possibly into hidden oncoming traffic!)

- Almost any kind of park traffic or other disc golfers will likely mess with your pace of play. You really have to play in poor weather or off-hours


Other Thoughts:

~ Old-style suburban park nine with VERY generous pars

~ The hills and the wind make this a bit more memorable than your typical small, open park course. You learn to throw downhill (#3, but especially #4 and #6), and given the park's location along a bluff, you should expect wind
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1 2
ff1964
Experience: 13 years 9 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun Local Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Fun course near home play it several times a month. Course has some nice changes in elevation that requires good shot selection. The park itself is
well maintained and is easy to find your disc.

Cons:

Some holes are very close too houses and a fairly busy street. Several baskets are leaning from inconsiderate people. Signage is missing on several holes.

Other Thoughts:

Overall a fun Course that is perfect for a quick round.
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1 3
samartin
Experience: 10.9 years 10 played 7 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Vista Hills DGC 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 5, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very quick course to play - finished 18 in about 45 minutes. Great for the end of the workday before sunset. Grassy with some elevation changes.

Cons:

Few trees, close to road and houses.

Other Thoughts:

I liked it better than I thought I would based on the previous reviews. Using and old driver, I shot a 56 for 18 holes but could have done much better..
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5 0
1TallTXn
Experience: 11.3 years 35 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice little course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice baskets with nicely groomed grass.
Layout is as good as you'll get with the limited space.

Cons:

Par numbers are very generous. 414ft Par 5. Great way to make an Eagle, but beyond an ego booster, not very realistic.
If the wind is wrong, throwing into traffic is a real possibility on a couple of the holes.
No tee pads. I'm used to playing off of dirt, but only hole #1 has any kind of a wear mark. Make your guess and throw.
If it's busy, you'll have to watch that you aren't throwing right at other players.

Other Thoughts:

I rather enjoyed playing this one. Par numbers make it very easy to get a negative score for a nice ego boost.
Signage is intact on each hole, though a course layout at the beginning would have been nice.
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1 3
HarrMarc
Experience: 13.7 years 47 played 18 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Not my fav 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Open park completely covered in grass. Baskets are in good condition. A few trees and playground/picnic area create decent, but few, obstacles.

Cons:

Very easy to hit a house, car or little kid. Not technical or wooded, only 9 holes, many signs broken.

Other Thoughts:

Didn't finish, got frustrated with the course
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1 2
KDFrosty
Experience: 11.8 years 37 played 14 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Decent little course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 30, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Open park completely covered in grass. Baskets are in good condition. A few trees and playground/picnic area create decent, but few, obstacles.

Cons:

Some of the signs are missing. Not a lot of obstacles. Played in a public park, and there could be a couple making-out in the fairway of one of the holes. :)

Other Thoughts:

Decent course for the area. Nice to see grass rather than desert and tumbleweeds/sagebrush. I played the 9 holes then just created my own holes since nobody else was playing. This allowed for longer tee shots and setup for better obstructions.
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5 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 46 years 1562 played 1507 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Pitch & Putt In A Small But Lovely Hilly Park! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 2, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Although this park's small size isn't ideal for a course, it's rolling hills and green grass makes for a more than adequate little pitch and putt course. There are some fun little throws to work on here because of the up and down terrain. It's fairly well marked. The baskets are decent. The pads are natural. There are signs although some are misssing and the pars listed on them are completely out of touch like # 3 being a 414' Par 5.

Cons:

The course is set in tight with it's surrounding, especially some of the neigboring homes. # 4 is a 273 slight downhill throw with neighbor's homes on your right side all the way down the fairway. It would be so easy to park your drive over their fences or be tempted to hyser your drive out over their yards and let it settle back to the basket. I'm sure many discs find their way into their backyards. # 9 is another problem hole where your drive could end up flying into the on-coming traffic of a busy street. Another issue to factor in is the compact size of the park and the fact that the course utilizes every part of the park. Confrontations with other park users must arise frequently.
It's a nice little course for beginners, families, teens. It's not designed for tournies, pros, big arms or serious players.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed throwing here. It's a really nice piece of rolling land in which to have a course. I think if I lived closed I would probably have to adapt and play at odd hours to avoid the crowds.
I always enjoy these little courses where the listed pars are out of whack. I like getting an occasional eagle. If I played here often, I'd be going for the double eagle on # 3. How many of you have a double eagle to your credit?
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3 1
avitus
Experience: 13.8 years 24 played 2 reviews
0.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 25, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

theres grass which is something thats not in the desert there are some varied hills to contend with that was fun

Cons:

its in a park theres children playing on the slides and swings houses 20 feet behind baskets and a dog took off with one of my disks
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5 0
iceparrot
Experience: 15.9 years 3 played 3 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Not much to it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Off the Tee: There are some up/down shots, and some OB to avoid that require control of the disc.

Approach and Putting: Putting is straight forward, with some challenge added with baskets on the side of hills

Environment: Playing on grass is a nice feature in Albuquerque, and the course being in a residential neighborhood is good for bringing new people into the sport. Setting the course up for 9 holes is the correct choice for a small park such as this.

Cons:

This course feels like it was just dropped in the park and then not maintained. Several of the baskets are in bad shape, and the tees signs are broken/missing.

There is little variety required in shot selection, other than to make sure to avoid throwing in the street or over a wall into a backyard. The holes are all short.

Other Thoughts:

If I lived in the neighborhood, I'd probably play several times a week, but it's not worth driving to.
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3 3
Innovadude
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.9 years 235 played 185 reviews
2.00 star(s)

beginner course in small park 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well designed, with a variety of optional shots and a few long holes. Green grass fairways and nice views.

Cons:

Very easy to hit a house, car or little kid. Not technical or wooded, only 9 holes, many signs broken.
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