Vista Park Hill

Stumbled across this interesting 9-holer while visiting the in-laws. It's a creative design -- there's a hill top with a municipal park and some water towers, and the course kind of wraps around the s ... show more ›

Stumbled across this interesting 9-holer while visiting the in-laws. It's a creative design -- there's a hill top with a municipal park and some water towers, and the course kind of wraps around the sloped edges, with two holes on the empty flat backside of the hill.

On the plus side, almost all the holes are pretty short -- 200-250 feet (except 9, which is 340ish), so you don't need a big arm. On the minus side, on a bunch of holes if you flip your disc or late release or the wind does something funky, your disc is way gone down a steep hill -- and in the case of hole 2, very easily into high-speed traffic... So definitely not a great place for beginners or casual play with little kids.

Even the straightforward hole at the top of the hill holds hidden danger, as a flare skip left could easily launch your disc over a barbed-wire top fence concealed below a hill, or going long on that one puts you right into an unhoused person's camp. On a couple holes early, you're throwing blind uphill, and it would be a nice enhancement if flags were added to the tops so you have a reference point.

Since it's dry central California, the footing on the slopes is pretty unstable -- loose dirt and slippery dry, hay-like grass. There are some stairs built on certain parts, but could definitely use some more work (especially the path from 8 to 9). On the plus side, it's pretty bare terrain, so as long as you land reasonably on the course, you're not going to be hunting for your disc.

Overall, a neat little course to visit, but one that will punish the unwary or novice. Kudos to the folks who built and maintain it, as it can't have been easy to figure out or keep in shape!