I've played this course since 2006 and I call it my "home" course. As many have stated, this is a beginner course. However, over the years I've come to realize that although at first appearance it does seem easy, if you play it as designed, it can offer a substantial challenge with its' nuances. A perfect example is hole #1. One can easily go to the right of the ever expanding eucalyptus tree directly in front of the tee for a straight fading shot at the pin on the hillside. Conversely, if you play it as a mando LEFT of the tree, it becomes a very challenging forced turnover. This shot has become even more challenging as the tree has become bigger and lower over time. Up the ante and play 2, 3, and 4 (depending upon pin placement) as turnovers as well. Always play 5 to the right of the tree near the pin. Always "thread the needle" between the trees on 6. Definite mando left of the light pole on 7 (kudos to the course pros for adding the sign). Try to mando to the right of the stubby palm tree near the pin on 8 and always play the long tee on 9. Voila! A seemingly easy course just became much more challenging! I've enjoyed watching this course transform over the years and the course pros have done great job adding tee pads and barriers that protect players and neighboring houses! I can't wait to see how it continues to evolve.

That big smelly scum filled retention lake in the middle is HUNGRY and it has a hankering for discs. Mind your shots on 2A, 3, 7, 12, and 16. You DO NOT want to retrieve a disc from this so called "water". The odor tends to linger. Yuck.
Signage is lacking. This is no ones' fault but vandals. It is a city park afterall...
My ONLY real complaint. The barrier is too close to the left corner of the long tee pad on #13. I shoot LHFH and it is VERY uncomfortable. It does make a really nice ping! when you hit it.

Unlike the majority of courses here in the valley, this one is grassy so its easy on your discs!

Good for socializing and bringing friends... nice beginner course. A few minor challenges.

Super easy and predictable. OOB shots are lost forever in backyards and water. The space is cramped and teepads are shared. It's easy to accidentally throw at/hit someone. The OOB rules are ridiculous and many long-time players still don't realize those rules even exist.

Not very interesting for serious DG players. Great for social outings, though.

- Course layout maximizes a city park that also has a nice playground, basketball courts, and a parking lot in the front and the back of the course.

- Quite a few holes allow for the opportunity at Aces. Very forgiving if you find your shot going off target (except on the 2-3 water holes.

- Great for learning new discs, having a relaxing round with friends, etc. The park was recently renovated and is well maintained.

- People who I have met playing here have been very kind and respectful of other disc golfers and people in the park, even going so far as to help keep the park clean of litter.

- Course is not all that difficult, and once you have played it enough times, you may be wanting to try something different.

I try and play every weekend with a group of guys and we often find ourselves trying out a different course, but still wanting to get back and play Emerald to see if we can get past the best scores we've had there. We can shoot 8 under on a good day, which is what makes the course pretty easy, but is also exciting.

First Impressions: This is a bowl-shaped, floodplain park with a man-made lake in the middle of it. Putting a disc golf course here was a good use of this public park.

Course design/difficulty/obstacles/out-of-bounds: This is a short course that's not too difficult because there are very few trees and the holes are not overly long. The water comes into play on a few holes. There's a fence on the south side that you can go over or under. There's a wall next to homeowners on the north side where an errant throw could land you in someone's yard. These discs are collected from the homeowners and are returned to disc golfers via the Mesa DG Club.

Amenities/shelters/picnic tables: No bathroom. No running water. A pavilion sits at both ends of the park with plenty of picnic tables.

Course condition: Grass course - kept short. Good course to work on your rollers.

Navigability/ signage/maps: DGCR map works ok but always good to find a local to show you around. You will need some patience and good communication when two groups are playing to the same hole.

Local DG involvement: Great leadership with Rob Hart and others. League play several times a week. See the Mesa DG Club's website, https://www.mesadiscgolfclub.org /

Tee pads/benches: Cement tee-pads. No benches.

The City of Mesa should provide a portable toilet at this park with all the people that use it - disc golf, basketball, soccer, etc.

Remember the Disc Golfer's Code:

1) Play Smart - Never throw into a blind area or when players, spectators, pedestrians, or other facility users are within range. Use a spotter.

2) Respect the Course - Observe all posted rules. No littering, graffiti, or abuse of equipment or flora.

3) Represent the Sport - Be positive and responsible. Teach others.

-Park is kept up well.
-Holes provide a variety of distances off the tee.
-Water is in play on a few holes which creates a bit of "squeeze factor" on some shots.
-Local players are very friendly
-Great for a quick tune up course.
-Very good for beginners to learn at.
-Plenty of holes for ace runs.

-Sometimes have to deal with casual park goers from the neighborhood. (Not too big of a deal)
-Not a ton of variety in shot shape is needed to score well.
-You may have to wait while playing to the same basket as another group of golfers.

I love playing Emerald when I want to get a quick round in. It is usually not too crowded. I love the shot over the pond that the long tee on #12 provides. Overall this is a great course that I would recommend to anyone that is in the area looking to have some fun chucking plastic around.

Nice 18 hole course on GRASS. Some holes with a bit of elevation, a couple water holes, and a good use of available space. Swirly wind keeps intermediate players like me on their toes a bit with shot selection. Nice Concrete tee pads and MOST holes have Alternate Baskets. Not a very long course, but a couple holes out to 400ft and others over 300ft. At least a few trees and obstacles come into play. All in all, a good use of the Available space in the park.

As mentioned before, you play the course Backwards for the back 9 holes off of Different tee pads, but using the same baskets as the front 9. The One Blind Basket where you could encounter someone you may not see before you throw would be Holes 7 and 11. They play to the same basket from opposite directions with a Hill between limiting line of Sight. Please throw Carefully!

A decent course for recreational/intermediate players, I would say. Folks looking for more of a Challenge may want to hit one of the other Local Courses. For what it is, it is a Nice course to play.

**** With some of the Alternate Baskets missing on some of the holes, the DGCR Scoring App will be OFF a bit if you are using it to try and get your DGCR Rating. As in, hole 18 shows 320ft from the Red position, but the ONLY basket in the ground on that hole right now is at 210ft. Other holes DO have the Alternate baskets IN PLACE.

****Update 9/30/2018. New alternate basket locations have been added and/or moved. Hole distances will be incorrect on some holes if using the DGCR App. All holes appear to have 3 basket locations.

In Mid-March Emerald Park was a lovely shade of Emerald Green. Reminded me of me days as a wee lad growing up in Ireland....only I grew up in Washington! Still, it's a very pretty park with lake in the center of the bowl. The course designers used the bowl quite effectively in their hole design giving players at least 6-7 fun downhill tosses. The tee pads, baskets and signage are all fine. There isn't much in the way of natural obstacles in this park but the ones they have are used to the utmost effieciency. On a number of tee offs, I had to reconsider as lightpoles/trees were directly where I wanted to place my drive.
I was guided by a local, Colby, who showed me the course layout. I don't think if would have difficult even without him. Having only 9 baskets and playing the front nine in counter clockwise fashion and then playing the back nine clockwise seems to work work here. At least, I liked the layout.

I could see some problems with this layout during heavy use periods with groups approaching the same basket from opposite directions. There's only one blind thrown on the entire course so I would hope players would use extra caution there.

The pond comes into play on only about three holes. I did have one bad rollaway that ended up in the drink.

Emerald Park plays just a bit above a recreational level. A decent intermediate player should shoot 6-9 strokes under. But pro golfers often shoot way under par. If you can shoot 9 under, then try and score -10 or whatever. I can see Emerald Park being a popular choice here in the Phoenix area and it would be for me too.

• This course has good tee pads with signs at each hole so you can determine which position the basket is in. These pin positions are moved from time to time which adds variety to the course if you play it regularly.

• There is grass which is nice as many courses in Arizona are desert/rock courses. The pond in the middle comes into play on up to three holes depending on the pin placements.

• The baskets are in good condition and all but hole 7 are visible from the tee pad. The flow of the course makes sense and is intuitive.

• There is a pavilion that provides much-needed shade in the summertime.

• There is a practice basket near the first hole.

• The course utilizes the terrain and landscape it has to work with well. The holes are placed between, or behind trees, when possible. Some holes are on hillsides and the few obstacles that are available are incorporated into the course to add as much difficulty as possible even though it isn't feasible on every hole.

• The parking area is sufficient unless it is on a league night.

• The course is easy to get to as it is situated just north of a major freeway.

• There are a few signs that direct disc golfers where to find lost discs.

• There is a well-run league on Monday nights as well as a doubles league on Wednesdays.

• With the course being set up with 9 baskets played from 2 directions in order to complete 18 holes, you tend to overlap with other disc golfers if it is busy.

• There is very little line shaping needed on this course as the layout is very wide open which allows for long, hard drives and there is little punishment for errant throws.

• The course is not very difficult for an intermediate or advanced player, but is excellent for newer, or less-experienced, players.

• No restrooms, water fountains, or facilities.

The park had its drainage re-engineered in the summer of 2013. During the renovation, a few trees were lost or removed. The grass was also adversely affected, but has recently begun to come in more fully. The course is well taken care of by the Emerald Disc Golf Club and the city of Mesa. On a side note, the course does experience vandalism from time to time. There is a bit of graffiti on the brick walls, ripped out or bent baskets, and signs that have been tampered with. The graffiti and/or damage is usually dealt with rather quickly, but it can take away a bit from the ambiance when playing a round. All in all, the course is enjoyable and can be played in a little over an hour on most days.

Considering it is a small park in the middle of a city, the holes are not as short as you might expect. A few of the baskets are on the side of small hills, which creates a challenge. Nice tee pads, nice signs. Good area for practicing your throws. A few trees to navigate. GREAT local disc golf crowd.

Mostly flat and repetitive. Lots of traffic and people. 18 holes use 9 baskets, so you are running into each other a lot. Generally unimpressive.

It is a pretty convenient location, so that is nice. Easy to stop by and play few holes on your way home from work. There is a great local crew here that are fun to play with. Good course to try out lots of discs to watch flight pattern.

Its a good course to try out new discs and testing their flight. good if you are limited on time after work and wanna get a few holes in.

Boring and dirty...Not worth the time

People in they way make it not very fun.

-Short 18 hole course over 9 baskets
-Has some difficulties to it with out alot of trees
-bright baskets
- Great signage for the holes.

- Very Dry
- course does overlap but not that bad when i went
- small parking lot so if its busy parking is in the neighborhood around the park.
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great starter course to get your distance down, when i went in the afternoon time it wasnt busy a few DGers but was no problem with throwing.

wish they would have more the 1 tee box for the holes the 9th and the 12 i believe have 2 different tee boxes. which is good for advance and beginners.

different tee locations- basket moved on a regular basis.
Good for a variety of people.
good variety.
on the shorter side- a pro for newer people, better ace chances for better players
Practive basket for warming up

on the shorter side- may be boring for better players.

Since the renovation, this place is much better taken care of. The layout is also better, with multiple pin layouts available. There are also a few holes with different tee pads, to make it a bit easier. One hole goes right over the lake. The alternate pad only goes partially over the water, so newer players can play it safe, This place is more open than others, which is a andvantage for newer players. Probably the easiest course in the valley for beginners.

For more information on leagues, as well as printable maps, lost and found, used discs for sale, and score cards go to emeraldparkdgc.com

Variety of shots.
Some elevation changes.
Nice baskets.
Trees and small water hazard make play interesting.

Not the best neighborhood.
Muddy during monsoon season (especially when city of mesa forgets to turn off sprinklers)
No parking lot, just side streets.

Easy to play.
Course designed great to fit the park.

I played a glow round here on a Friday night. The group was a good size - about a dozen players.

For night time disc it is open enough to be doable, and still be fun in the dark. A variety of shots and tree placement to keep it interesting.

The decent locals during the glow round seemed to be able to almost deuce half the holes. I imagine during the day this would not be a particularly interesting course to play since it is so open and not particularly long.

It seemed like everyone playing the glow round was a regular there and so I felt a little disoriented between playing my first glow round ever and at that course for the first time too. Nonetheless it was fun.

great course to teach people on. I came to to Arizona from Kansas and this course reminded me of home with less trees. Playing the long tees adds some challenge.

A little to easy/short to be an everyday course unless you're looking to warm up your arm.

Great place to learn a new disc. Not Much water and easy to retrieve a grip lock

Clean park setting. Easy layout and has a practice basket.

Multiple tees use the same baskets. Needs a map that is printable. Must be aware of other park users when throwing.

Good layout for practice and new players.

Nice little park with a 9 hole course. Play backwards to play a full 18. Nice tee pads and new baskets with improvements to make the course a little more challenging. Great for beginners to intermediate golfers. Grass throughout the park and a pond obstacle in the middle.

Another family park so be aware of park peds. Stay out of the retention pond as it's pretty dirty from the water fowl that use it. Can be rather hot when the sun is beating and can be rather windy at times.

Great little course if your in the area and worth the stop.

-New, cement t-pads.
-New signage (Oooooh, signage!)
-New baskets. Pretty sure they are Discatcher.
-There's enough here to make you shape your shot, and the trees/obstacles/lake all come into play nicely. Nice layout, water is incorporated more in the current design. OB towards the freeway isn't as prevalent.
-The pavilion by the parking lot is a definite bonus. A good place to sit down, organize, beat the sun's rays.
-Challenge is good here. Avg distance must be around 300ft, though nothing longer than 400ft. Pros will make very short work, but AMs and INTs will still enjoy some challenge to be accurate with 350-400 drives, left & right. The wind can also provide a definite hurdle to scoring well here.

-Dirty, dusty, and can be very gusty as well.
-Multi-use park. I had to wait for pre-teens using a metal detector to putz around before taking shots. Random peds everywhere, and can affect most every hole.
-The walking path from hole to hole can be goofy, at times. And you'll find yourself crossing over other people's lines if the DG park is crowded.
-Nothing in the way of scenery, really. Park feels mildly downtrodden.
-No restrooms or water fountains.

My review needed an upgrade, as well! I played this course the other day, as I was in the area. Much to my surprise, Emerald Park has undergone some changes since my last visit! There are now proper cement t-boxes, new signs, and new, SUPER bright-colored baskets. The course layout has also changed, among those changes two of my favorite holes were altered. But seriously, folks, this course has changed for the better, and I was challenged and enjoyed my last visit.

Easy, few obstacles, but a longish course. Big cement tee boxes, and good signage if you read the tee signs before teeing off. Nice Disc Catcher baskets painted neon yellow.

Dirty retention pond if your disc skips or lands in it. Overlapping holes because the course reverses after 9th hole to complete 18 holes.

Start on west side of parking lot and then course reverses itself after 9th hole to bring you back to parking lot where ya started.
Play this course before other more difficult courses in the Pheonix metro area because it's a good warm up.

Brand new disc king baskets with multiple pin placements. Brand new concrete tee pads for 18 holes. New trees have been planted with the specific purpose of increasing the difficulty of the course.

Course has 18 holes, played to 9 baskets. This causes some overlapping of fairways and requires courtesy.

This course is owned by the City of Mesa and managed by the Emerald Disc Golf Club. The club has raised money for new baskets, tee pads, tee signs and trees. Monday Night beginners league at 5:00.