So getting back to the op...
Do we know who installed these and why? The more I look at it these look like a mix between something to do with drainage and possibly some sort of weird art piece and really nothing to do with disc golf. But...that's just my speculation.
I was texting with the TD, so I asked him. (BTW, Neal is an old school Frisbee legend and a mainstay in the Texas scene from way back. His PDGA# is 200.)
He called them "mini sausage sticks" and indicated that they were there to influence approach shots and make people less comfortable putting. He said they didn't seem to have much impact and "they may go away." Then he said they were thinking of replacing them with cactus. I didn't ask if he meant real cactus or a cactus-themed art piece.