Pros:
I played Circle C while in Austin on a business trip. I'm used to wooded North Carolina courses. I was totally unprepared--and pleasantly surprised--by Texas's version of a wooded course. Circle C has trees that grow out horizontally as much as vertically. In a typical pine forest course, you have a fairway or a line you have to hit, but you don't always have to worry about a forest ceiling. At Circle C, you have to worry about so many factors, including low ceilings. It's just so difficult with so many shots required.
When I showed up to play, I looked lost and confused and a local golfer saw me and asked if I wanted to play with him (maybe my Uber drop-off tipped him off that I wasn't from around here). I mention this for two reasons, one pro and one con. On the plus side, this local was incredibly gracious: he gave me tips on every hole. AND he even gave me a ride back to where I was staying after we finished. He just went way out of his way and I want to compliment Austin for its quality people. On the con side, I don't think navigation would have been very easy at all had I played by myself. There are some missing tee signs, directional signs, and there are a few long walks in between holes. If you're new to the course, I highly recommend playing with a local.
Other pros:
+ Incredible variety of types of holes (par 3's, 4's, and 5's; short, very long; downhill, uphill; doglegs with landing zones, zig-zags, and a few straight holes and ace runs). Extremely challenging and fun course.
+ The par 4's and 5's are true par 4's and 5's.
+ The short tees are still very long and challenging. They are designated "red tees," but I think they should be white tees, due to the difficulty and length. The long tees are blue, borderline gold.
+ Opportunities to bomb, but even these "open holes" are pretty technical (see the above trees discussion).
Cons:
Despite my amazing experience playing here, there are a couple of cons that can't be overlooked:
- Navigation (mentioned above).
- The terrain is very rocky, yet muddy. Footing was an issue for me. Be careful not to twist an ankle. Also, drainage seemed to be a problem, as most of the course was very muddy. There's no grass at all, just mud and rocks. I guess this is Texas disc golf! I didn't mind it so much, but you should be careful and wear good shoes, preferably trail shoes or boots you don't mind getting covered in mud.
Other Thoughts:
This is a first class course and I highly recommend it to Austintonians and interlopers alike!