As other reviewers have mentioned, we need more courses like this. This course is one of two that sits on a piece of property just outside of San Marcos. The average hole length sits right about 100'.

Each hole is unique. You probably cannot find holes like some of these anywhere in the country. The first few are just straight forward: lefty holes, righty holes, straight holes, using all of the different types of shots you would find use in disc golf. Then each hole has a signature piece to it, a lighthouse, a tank, signs, sunken basket, etc.. This course is extremely gimmicky, but that is to be expected.

My favorite holes were the Lighthouse hole and the Ultimate Gimmick Hole. The lighthouse has a basket about 10' up, but what makes it awesome is that there is no bottom to the basket, so it drops down to reachable height. Very ingenious. The Ultimate Gimmick Hole features a roller ramp, car hoods and a grate blocking the entire basket. It magnifies what this course is all about.

The course is short enough that it can be played very quickly, and with a $5 all day fee, you can play this course a bunch and try to play for that elusive even par, or a 36, as all the holes are par 2.

All of the tee signs were colorful, and had a poem of sorts on each giving you a hint how to approach the hole, which I thought was really unique.

The tee pads were inconsistent. Hole 1 has a small concrete tee, the elevated tee was wood, some others were gravel, but most were natural. It really is not too big of a deal being a course where you do not need to run up on your drives unless 100' is your max drive.

Hole 17 has a pond that is not filled with water, and the tee sign said "under construction," which is too bad. It would have made it a really challenging hole.

Giving this course a 4.5 was a little tough for me. I have played courses this short and never given them more than a 2.0. This course was different though and had a high degree of fun, which I think is what put it at a 4.5 to me. A lot of work went into this course, and it is evident.

There is also a pro shop onsite that just recently opened and has a small variety of discs for purchase. There is also camping offered on site for a full two days of playing two great courses.

I highly recommend anyone to come out to Flying Armadillo. It is an incredible piece of property, and you won't play anything like the Gold course anywhere else.

- The course decorations evoke the same feelings of fun and whimsy that mini-golf/putt-putt courses often do
- The course plays pretty quick, you can finish it in about 45 minutes
- Each of the hole designs attempts to teach you the different aspects of playing/throwing in disc golf
- You only need a putter, maybe a mid if you're still just starting out
- A great course to just have fun with and feel great by ending it with a win
- Porta potties

- The inconsistency of teepads, there was one concrete circle pad, two plywood board pads, and one treehouse pad; the rest were dirt
- No water in the bean pond
- Gotta be careful of dog poop on the course

It's $5 to play both courses, and they accept cash or card.

The course's neighbors have dogs who tend to show up and follow players. If you're a dog person, it's a fun romp having a dog friend with you and your group.

Hey guys, maybe pick up your trash? The owners decided to use their land for disc golf, the least you can do is throw away your cans of Lone Star in one of the trash cans provided at almost every hole.

Pokemon Go: no stops, no gyms.

This is a very unique, challenging course. Trick throws are welcome. Think disc golf with a putt-putt course backdrop. Bounce it off car hoods, rollers off the ramp into the basket you name it. Big bomb into the metal Army tank! Fun times. You will learn to back off your throw for a 100 foot T shot. I found myself taking lots of pictures.

It's south Texas - Wear good shoes and socks. If one gets away, be ready to battle with cactus thorns and stiff timber. Also, watch the small tree stumps - trip hazard. Petty stuff this course is really cool.

Played the long course which is still in the works. Huge throws with lots of elevation change. Fairly rocky but it's all part of the scene. Had one of my longest drives off 2 a big lefty downhill. Two putted in.

Disclaimer
As the course designer, I went back and forth about whether or not to review the Flying Armadillo Gold Mini Course. I'm not sure if other designers review their own courses, but there's some information about the course I'd like to pass along and don't see a better option than including it in a review. I should also mention that this is my first and only DGCR review so far, so please take my rating with a grain of salt.

Background
The original idea for the course came from the Blockhouse Tiki Course, which is a short, par 2 putt-putt type course intended as a warm up before playing one of their full size courses. Like the Tiki, the Gold Mini course includes 18 holes, is full of fun obstacles, and includes lights for night play. I have not had the opportunity to play the Tiki, but from what I can gather there are some differences as well, including a longer total course length and more elaborate obstacles on the Gold Mini course.

In addition to providing a great way to warm up, the Gold Mini course was also intended as a fun course for kids and adults just learning the game. For that reason, the first half dozen holes were designed to allow new players to practice basic disc golf shots such as throwing around an obstacle, throwing left and right dogleg fairways, a high hyzer, a long straight shot, and throwing through a tunnel.

After that, we added a roller ramp to practice roller shots, holes to practice throwing at different heights (the sunken basket, lighthouse basket, elevated island hole, and hanging basket), plinko type holes to practice tight wooded throws (the tank hole, the persimmon hole, and the sign hole), the Alamo Hole cause it's fun to throw inside a building, the pond hole to practice throwing over a water hazard, and the ultimate gimmick hole because, well, it's just plain fun to try and ricochet a shot off a car hood for an ace.

Par
The full size course at the Flying Armadillo includes blue, white, and red level tee pads, yet the mini course is a gold level course, a designation typically reserved for very long, professional level courses. We gave the mini course a gold level designation though because it's a par 2 course with an average hole length of over 100 feet. The Close Range Par Guidelines indicate that only gold level players can consistently get up and down in two strokes at a distance of over 100 feet. At the time of this review, the best score on the course is a par, made by a top player and with 2 aces on his card. And of course, kids and new players can play the course as a par 3 if that better suits their level of play.

Pros
As far as I can tell, there are no other courses quite like this anywhere. The Blockhouse Tiki course was similar, but is currently closed to the public. The Gold Mini course provides scorecards and has tee signs on every hole with a map and a tip for playing the hole in the form of a short limerick. Many of the holes include benches and metal yard art sculptures can be found throughout the course. In fact, some of the obstacles on the course could be considered sculptures themselves.

Cons
The tee pads are all natural, which is ok for a mini course, but concrete tees would be better. We'll be adding round concrete pads as soon as the big course is complete and we have more time. The Pond Hole currently has a hole, but no pond. We plan to add a pool liner and fill it with water in the near future. Also, only about half the holes have benches, but we're slowly adding more each month.

Rating
Coming up with a fair rating for the Gold Mini course is challenging. Should It be compared to other full size disc golf courses, like Selah Ranch? To me, this would be like comparing apples to oranges, but if that's the standard I would have to give the Gold Mini course a 1.0 or 1.5 rating at best. If, on the other hand, I compare it to other par 2 mini courses, then it's rating should be much higher since it is the premier mini course in the country, at least as far as I can tell. As you might guess, I'm going with the second option and giving the Gold Mini Course a rating of 4.5. As good as the course is though, it still needs some finishing touches to deserve a better rating, and besides, I don't think any course deserves a 5.0 rating because every course can be improved upon and no course is perfect.


Summary
The Flying Armadillo Gold Mini course is very challenging, par 2 course full of unique and interesting obstacles. Every hole can be aced (in fact, every hole has been aced at least once), but none are easy aces. Whether you are a new player just learning the game or an experienced player shooting for aces, the mini course is fun, fun, fun.

Short, but gimmicky in the best of ways. Great use of existing open and wooded areas. Very very technical shots. The kind of course u wanna play at lease twice per visit in the summer time and more in the winter. Maintained with benches on almost every hole to relax and enjoy the natural and artificial beauty of the course. Grass mowed regularly and baskets in good condition. Good mix of left and right shots as well as straight down the gut.

Short course. If you wanna throw a world record distance this course is not for you. The big course is on the property though and it definitely makes up for what the short course lacks.

All around ausome place to bring friends and family who dont play much or to have a great time with ur regular golfing buddies.