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...