Rivery Park

Beautiful park on the San Gabriel River. John Houck designed with difficult tight woods holes, one hole down by the river, and a couple of longer, more open holes. (TexAgs2010) - This is my home course and I've played it a couple hundred of times since 2012. I have recorded 14 Aces at this course. This course is very pro Lefty that throws mostly forehand . Hole #10 is a straight shot down a narrow path that curves up to the basket sitting next to a natural rock wall. The cage sits on a slant at the top of the hill and to the right is a cliff and #11s cage. I've had a few black Aces with that cage. Hole #10 is special if you can get the right throw down. I've Aced #10 a total of 6 times since 2012. I'm left handed and I use 95% forehand throws regardless of the way a hole bends and can put it anywhere I want playing that way. Especially on this course. I use about 40% power on a forehand throw dipping my shoulder and releasing the disc aiming low so it skips at the top of the hill and turns upwards and curves left down into the cage. All 6 Aces are skip Aces except 1. The first one was a straight line to the chains. Holes 1, 2, 5, 8,10,11, 13, 18 are possible to Ace with any Max driver. I use Discraft Surge, Force, Nuke ESP, and ESP Zeus. Innova champion Boss, champion Destroyer, champion Ape, champion Mystere. Dynamic - Lucid Sheriff, Lucid Raider, and Lucid Trespass. I mostly throw my Nuke and Surge. Holes 1-3 are same acre. Hole 4 is left side of the pond a streaking par 3 that ends in the middle of cedar on both sides. Hole 5 is probably the 2nd most open hole and I have seen people in my group Ace this one. I've done it once on a right to left skip 15 feet out. The cage is on the edge of another wooded area. 1-5 are on the east side of Rivery Blvd. 6-12 are west of Rivery Blvd and 13-18 are back on the East side of Rivery Blvd. 1,2,3,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,and 18 all are either in woods or have trees on either side in close proximity. 1-3 are short enough to birdie. 4 usually has a cross wind. 5 has woods on the left, a few dead trees in the middle and a 2 foot ridge with woods on the right out wide. Theres about 4 different paths you can throw towards. Hammer friendly hole as it gets. Park it right in front of the cage if you have years of experience throwing an effective hammer. Left full power forehand throw sails smoothly through the tall grass bending around the dead tree in the middle and should skip off the bank and could hit chains. Throw here for years and you'll find the right way to flick it to the cage. 6 is the highest hole in elevation. It's hard to get momentum throwing in this hole. It's off a cement walkway that zig zags up the hill on the other side of the bridge by Rivery Blvd. Usually a head wind. Throw it straight down the path lined up with the cement throwing pad. You want it to bank right down the hill at the end. The cage is dogleg right. If you can launch it backhand or hammer over the corner of the woods you can park it for birdie. 7 is to the left in the woods. Straight throw and want it to turn left at the end. Cage sits behind an embankment of stacked cedar to the left about 50 yards from the throw pad. It's about 6-10 feet higher than the ground you throw from. 8 is down the hill from #7 cage. #8s cage sits a good 75 yards from the throw box. It's slanted on a smoothed out hill. You throw under a tall canopy that covers the entire throw. There's a spring fed stream coming off the hillside 3/4ths of the way down. You can skip this in on a well placed power shot. 9 is very narrow and you have to throw awkwardly to get the disc to sort of float down the middle and fade off to the right slightly. Anything other than a perfectly straight throw is hitting a tree. Once again, if you're a regular to this course getting a par or even a birdie should be expected here if you can throw straight. 10 is the picturesque hole of the course. One of those holes you see on the cover of Disc Golfer Magazine. Lush green brush and woods on both sides with the cage sitting up on the ravine next to a limestone wall that gives the appearance the cage is at the edge of a foothill cave. To the left is huge boulders and hole 11. 11 is under a very high canopy so don't worry about going high with a hyzer shot. Only problem is the cage sits in a cove with a massive Boulder to the right and to the left and shorter in front. About 7 tall skinny trees are scattered in front left to right. Short par 3. Just get it in between a few of the trees in the middle and it should land somewhere on the Forrest floor close to the cage. Worst case scenario you hit a tree or it curves left and skips off the biggest Boulder and falls 15 feet down the hill. 12 is a 3 minute walk from 11 back up the cement pathway towards the start of the course. 12 is under a high canopy that opens up to a meadow at the edge of the woods. A few stray trees in the middle. Par 3. Tough to get a birdie here. 13 is back on the other side closer to the parking lot. 3 annoying trees spread evenly apart 20 feet from where you throw from. Fire left of the outside of the 3 trees and you hit the dirt in the middle of the holes fairway. Fire right of the tree to the far right and you're in the woods with a tough throw through small trees feet from you. Bend a throw to the right of the middle tree and inside of the tree to the right and it's going to avoid every single obstacle there is. Leaves you shocked when you see how many things it dodges to glide right up to the cage. 14 is the only real water hazard. Creek to your left. Direct left. You're throwing from a lower spot in the area climbing about 10 feet up a hill to the right close to the walkway. 15 is in a cove in the woods and you throw through a meadow that is shaped like a funnel. You throw from the small end of the funnel. The woods shape the meadow in a V shape funnel. 2 annoying trees right in positions you would have the best chance at getting by the cage. Your disc sort of gravitates towards one of the two trees usually. Cage is at the edge of the meadow and at the bottom of a hill to the right. 16 is up the hill behind a massive live Oak tree and now you're back by the pond that's next to the throw pad for hole 4. 17 is on the other side of the pond the pad faces down a thick tunneling cove where the cage is down the drop off in the middle of the gulley. Hole 1 is to the right. You can blind ace this if you throw it straight the hole way. 18 is to the right of the playground close to the parking lot. Starts up high on the hill and you throw down a narrow fairway that cuts in between thick woods on both sides. It curves about 30 degrees to the left down the hill. You can ace this eventually. All in all great Expert course. If you're a beginner you will lose discs and stay frustrated the entire game. I'd recommend playing San Gabriel Parks 9 hole course for beginners. I'd give Rivery a 10 out 10 for difficulty. 3 out of 10 for pad placement and mobility for throwing off the pad. It was easier to throw when it was just dirt. Absolutely the most unforgiving course in Williamson County. Don't throw off the path. Lots of changes in direction for wind movement. 9 true wood holes. Constant elevation changes. Not much traffic. If you don't like wooded courses you'll hate Rivery. If you like to throw flicks you'll love it.