It may be good once cleaned up? The tee pads are all in really interesting positions, I chose to play half long ones and half short ones depending on how much fun each spot looked.

The course is unplayable, it's COVERED in dog shit. It smells like dog shit too.

It seems like some of the local neighborhoods see the park as a free dog bathroom that they don't have to clean up. It's absolutely obnoxious, I have never seen anything this bad before.

Somebody needs to make these deadbeats clean up after themselves. Will the police do anything?

2 sets of Tees, Long Tees can be very challenging.
Short tees range from challenge to easy, and give some new players a chance.

Houck Design, means you have to control the flight paths.

Nice local players.

Challenging and scenic pin placements.

nice concrete teepads.

Great Orange Mach X baskets !

The rough is dense, has thorns, and often has poison IVY.

teepads for long drives - teepad is too small. but many courses have this issue,

Some fallen trees blocking # 8 tee flight path.

i hear course can be mushy after rain.

if the cons were addressed, i would give this fine 9 with double tees a 4.5.

-- Long and short tees on each hole that offer very different looks, major distance variation and very different levels of challenge, although the short tees are not nearly as well done as the long tees. Even though you are in a major metro area, and hole 1 tees from near a busy road, once you get out on the course, you feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere.
-- Good land with open areas, wooded areas, and elevation, all well used.
-- Concrete tees, Houck signage, and navigational aids throughout. Only hole 2 was confusing (see cons).
-- Nice variety of hole lengths on the long tees, from ace runs to legit two-shot holes
-- Course map at hole 1 and practice basket.

-- No parking. When you get to the course, you are on a busy road without even the possibility of street parking. Your best bet is the back side of the shopping center on the corner of Parmer Lane and Lakeline Boulevard. That leaves quite a long walk to No. 1.
-- No restrooms or water.
-- Red tees sometimes feel like an afterthought and don't go together as a cohesive course in the way the blue tees do. Two holes are shorter than 150 feet (No. 3 is 84 feet), so just about any 10 year old should expect to make no worse than par. However, five red holes are longer than 350 feet with plenty of obstacles, so that child/beginner who enjoyed the two short holes is piling up the strokes and frustration on the long holes.
-- On hole 2, both tees are in the same direction, so finding the correct tee took some time.

-- Tee signs look great and have the distance and map for both tee pads. However, the signs are identical, so it can be difficult to tell whether you are at the red or blue tee. The hole number has a blue background, so you might think that means you are at the blue tee. Nope. Both red and blue tee signs have a blue background for the hole number.

-excellent piece of land with open areas, wooded areas, and elevation, all used to great effect
-long and short tees on each hole that offer very different looks and very different levels of challenge
-nice concrete tees, Houck signage, and navigational aids throughout
-nice variety of hole lengths, from ace runs to legit two-shot holes
-course map at hole 1, practice basket
-fun, challenging holes that you will want to try repeatedly

-no designated parking area for the course, there is plenty of parking nearby but it's a short hike to hole 1 from where ever you park
-hole 7 has no tee sign at the long tee (looks like it was added later)
-a few of the next tee signs are not the easiest to interpret (notably hole 2, both tees are in the same direction)

Davis Spring DGC is one of those 9 hole courses that doesn't feel at all like a 9 hole course. There are five par 4 holes that are legit two-shot holes from the longs and the park has an expansive and secluded feeling despite being sandwiched between residential and commercial areas. It is also a DG exclusive park.

The design makes excellent use of the terrain and has many signature Houck elements: challenging par 4s, very tight ace runs, dual fairways, and dual tees that significantly change the line and challenge level. It also has all the usual finishes of a HouckDesign course: concrete tees, Houck signs with detailed maps, a course map at hole 1, and next tee signs throughout.

I played a round from the shorts and the longs. The shorts were appropriate for rec level players or anyone looking for a chance to score well while still offering some tough shots. The longs were a real blue level challenge and par would be a great score. The par 3 holes are gimme birdies for an experienced player from the shorts but very tight and tough lines from the longs. I'm not even sure a birdie would be possible on hole 8 from the long tee.

The only knocks I could give this course are really minor. Hole 7 had a long tee added later so it is not on the course map and has no tee sign. A few next tee signs could be more clear. And the one that probably irritates the most people is the lack of parking right at the course. None of these are serious enough to impact the rating for me.

I wasn't sure at first between a 3.5 or 4.0 rating for this course but I haven't stopped thinking about some of the holes here since I played the other day. It's easily in my top three 9 hole courses. It's a fun and challenging layout and has a little bit of everything for all levels of players. If someone asked me the best 18 holes on the north side of town, I used to say Wilco without hesitation. Now I have to consider that Davis Spring combined with the nearby Brushy Creek Sports Park (another challenging Houck 9er) might be my most preferred way to spend the day throwing discs in North Austin. A must-play course for locals and even travelers to ATX might put it on their short list. Hats off, John!


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This dedicated disc golf space will thrill dedicated disc golfers.
+ several challenging, "two-shot" holes (classic Houck design)
+ good use of terrain and available land, including progression from hole to hole
+ long and short tees to accommodate different skill levels
+ balance of short and long holes
+ accurate tee signs that include length, hole illustrations and next hole indicators
+ additional course signs between holes that clearly indicate directions to next hole
+ welcome sign that includes course map

The course lacks basic amenities, including easy access.
- lack of adjacent parking, requiring long walk to and from course
- (minor consideration) lack of amenities such as benches or trashcans

INFO
This course at Davis Spring Special Park lies on the south side of Neenah Ave. and opposite from The Trailhead Park on the north side. A lack of adjacent parking makes it not readily accessible, and thus somewhat hidden. The course starts and ends near a tunnel under Neenah Ave. that provides sidewalk access from The Trailhead Park. The nine holes weave in and out of pockets of trees which comprise the majority of obstacles on the course with additional challenges from long fairways and elevation changes on a few holes.

EVAL
Long holes start and finish this course that has John Houck's fingerprint all over it. The holes all seem to be either really, really long or really short without much in between. The long holes aren't just long for the sake of being long, though. They are deliberately designed to require two fairway shots to reach the green, often requiring careful consideration of where to place that first shot. Similarly, the short holes aren't just gimme shots despite their short length. Narrow gaps and plenty of trees threaten to turn those probable birdies into pars or, even worse, bogeys.

I find a lot to my liking on this tough course. There are plenty of chances to air out long throws as well as toss tighter, finesse shots to get around and through trees; but there are also plenty of chances to have discs arrested by limbs and branches to derail intended throws and force shaped upshots to catch back up. Many of the holes have memorable challenges. For example, #4 is especially tricky once you reach the green with its basket perched on a slope and a deep, ditch lying just a few feet beyond. Hole #5 offers a tantalizing ace run opportunity. Hole #8 is my favorite with its uphill/downhill fairway that proves tough to land a drive atop the hill (blue tee) as well as hard to negotiate downhill approaches through trees to the sloped green.

NOTE
This course was planned and designed by John Houck in close partnership with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department due to a developer deeding this land to the city to satisfy Parkland Dedication Ordinance requirements for apartments that were built nearby.

LAYOUT
(A tunnel under Neenah Ave. provides sidewalk access from The Trailhead Park to the start of this course at Davis Spring Special Park.) Hole #1, the second longest of the course, throws from an elevated blue tee down a wide, lengthy fairway that veers left midway through with plenty of short trees to avoid along the way to a green hidden from view off the tee. Holes #2-3 are shorter throws (#3 being much shorter) with slightly curved and narrower fairways closely bordered by trees. Hole #4 features another wide, lengthy fairway filled with stands of trees that leads to an inclined green on the side of a small berm. Hole #5 is a short hole that throws from atop the berm's blue tee to a green surrounded by trees. Hole #6 follows a narrowly defined fairway lined with trees. Hole #7 offers a wide, mostly open and long fairway with scattered trees that leads to an umbrella green beneath the crowns of large trees. Hole #8 travels the longest distance, going first uphill and then downhill, veering right midway through with several narrow gaps between trees along the way, and ending at an inclined green on the sloped border of the park far from view off the tee. Hole #9 features another lengthy fairway lined by trees leading to a green partially tucked inside trees.

Great use of the terrain to provide a variety of challenging shots. Holes are long, especially from the long tees. Not a ton of elevation change but what is present is used well. Several holes have you start from slightly elevated positions which is fun. The course had recently been mowed and was in great shape in Late October 2020 but it looks like it might take a lot of work to keep up but so far so good. Good signage and arrows directing you to the next hole. Very easy to play long tees for one set of nine and short tees for the next set. (or vice versa). I appreciate the bamboo that has been planted to help block noise etc from the houses on the east side of the course.

Some of the short tees are *really* short. Like under 100 feet. I love Houck's courses but the windows you have to hit on some holes can be really tight. Lots of cacti if you miss the fairway. Also saw some poison ivy.

This is a great addition to the area's disc golf courses. Could easily see myself playing this course, grabbing lunch, and then hitting up brushy creek or cat hollow.

Great signs both short and long tee boxes. Great boxes and baskets. Variety of shots. Almost all shots have some difficulty and tree trouble. If you from the long tee boxes this will be a challenging course for most.

Even during the weekday this was super crowded and slow.

Park as soon as you enter the back of the strip area and stay up on the sidewalk to walk to #1