Victoria, TX

Riverside Park

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3.55(based on 11 reviews)
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7 0
aclay
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 40.2 years 344 played 274 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Riverside Park

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 26, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

-- Well-textured concrete tee pads, 5x10. A few are cracked, but most are in good shape.
-- Practice basket.
-- Restrooms and water fountain at parking lot.
-- Benches or picnic tables offer places to sit, and trash cans are spread throughout the park.
-- The better holes tend to be the shorter ones because they reward placement and shot shaping over raw power. No. 5 blue is 297 feet with the basket on a small hill near an OB fence. No. 7 is the first time the river comes into play. The hole is 228 feet (one basket) straight. You've got OB road right, river left and three large trees about 160 feet from the tee. At the basket, the drop-off toward the river starts 8 feet left of the basket and the OB road is 15 feet right. Twelve is 277 feet (one basket) RHBH hyzer following the gentle curve of the river. Basket sits in the middle of a 40-50 foot wide piece of land with river left and OB road right. No. 13 is 207 feet RHFH around a line of trees/buses about 125 feet from the tee. Those trees sit in a ditch that appears that it could have water at some times as an inlet from the river.
-- You come back by the parking lot after 12, and 18 ends nearby.
-- Hole length variety is awesome. The shortest hole is 207 feet with the longest longer than 700 feet. Two holes offer baskets longer than 700 feet and three more longer than 600 feet. On two holes, the shortest (or only) basket plays longer than 600 feet.

Cons:

-- This is a standard public park course, but it underutilizes the available features and frequently relies on length to add challenge.
-- Multiple pins (and baskets!) on most holes. I'm a big fan of that. Unfortunately, the signs and number of pin positions don't match about half of the time. Also, some effort was made to match basket colors (short/red, long/blue), but some holes have one yellow basket and at least one hole has two yellow baskets.
-- Navigation is mostly good, but a few times you are left searching because of long walks and basket placements that are not on the signs. Crossing the park roads 7 times doesn't help. And you intersect with the other course in the park, adding even more confusion. You also cross the 14 fairway getting from 17 to 18.
-- Tee signs are good, when they are accurate. They offer par, distance, a map of the hole with basket placement(s) and next tee indicator.
-- Plenty of tall, well-spaced trees with the limbs high enough to allow full throws beneath them. Unfortunately, many of the holes are so long that it often has the feel of an open course. Below the grass is mostly in decent shape (except a couple of holes near the water).

Other Thoughts:

-- Holes A, B and C (mentioned in the previous review, 9 years ago) appear to no longer exist. My guess is that they were incorporated into the other 18-hole course in the park.
-- Long, open holes aren't my thing. If you have a big arm and like grip-it-and-rip-it, you'll probably rate this course higher than I do.
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9 0
markmcc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.6 years 278 played 254 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice Long Park Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 29, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a classic public park course. Plenty of tall, well-spaced trees with the limbs trimmed up 10 - 20' above the ground. Below the trees are acres and acres of thick mowed grass. No shrubs, brush or even tall grass unless you happen to throw down near the river.

Quite a variety of hole lengths. The shortest hole is 210' with the longest at 700'. This course is long for a public park course, with 18 of the 21 holes over 300' long, and 7 holes over 450'. However, most of the holes are quite open so finessing drives isn't really necessary. Just pump them out there.

Large, well-textured concrete tee pads and very good signs. It appears that the signs are newer as the holes are now numbered from 1 through 21 without the confusing "A, B, C" extra holes. I have Photoshopped the course map to show the new hole sequence. The signs give hole distance and par, along with a good diagram showing the hole layout and the locations of the alternate pin positions where applicable.

Baskets are showing their age with some rusting and discoloration, but they catch fine. Seven of the holes show alternate pin positions, all of which appear to change the hole significantly.

The most interesting holes for me were the ones that weren't long open drives to the basket. Hole 5 places the basket on a small rise next to the zoo fence with the OB road just behind, and Hole 7 is an short hole pinched between an OB road on the right and the steep river bank on the left. Hole 12 also plays along the river and requires a left sweeping drive toward a basket set along the top of the river bank.

Cons:

For the most part this is a flat course that requires long drives through fairly open parkland. The trees are spread out enough that there are nothing like tunnels, or even fairways to hit. More like missing one or two trees. So while there are plenty of trees, it doesn't really play like a "moderately wooded" course. While the hole distances does create challenge, there is a certain similarity to many of the holes.

There is a good bit of back-and-forth across the various roads as you move from hole to hole. A copy of the map will help get you pointed in the correct direction.

This is a multi-use park and conflicts are possible. There were several folks out gathering pecans the morning I played, and I had to warn a few before I drove. Also plenty of joggers and walkers that will cause to to hold up your drive for a bit. I noted several picnic tables between tees and baskets that would create conflicts if they were being used by park visitors.

Other Thoughts:

This is a very clean park with several parking lots, restrooms, trash cans, etc. Overall a nice facility.
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4 3
Kovar34
Experience: 12.5 years 13 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good clean course. Very well kept. Lots of varity with the course. Some easy, some not so easy. A lot of long shots that were fun to play.

Cons:

There is only one basket per hole. They have removed the multiple pins on the different holes. They change it to 21 holes. Not the 18 with A B and C holes. The map was not updated to reflect that.

Other Thoughts:

All in all it is a wonderful course. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the area. I am going to try to play thir course everytime i am in town Even with the map not updated it was pretty easy to navigate. Just watch out for the river. It can easily take your disk!!
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4 2
hefalump
Experience: 23 played 19 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Riverside In Victoria 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 27, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

An interesting 21 hole course in this park. The holes have been renumbered to incorporate an alternate hole and the course itself also has two alternate holes for 23 holes to play. Lots of challenges here. More than a couple of opportunities to lose your disc in the Guadalupe.River. I could question the lengths shown on some of the hole signs (especially the 700' hole) but regardless, some are long and give you ample opportunity to "air out" a disc. Decent navigation, the signs point the way. Tough to get lost on this course. The baskets are in decent shape for the most part. Lots of O.B. areas, but, with one exception on hole 13, plenty of room to throw and go. Only two baskets on holes 7 and 18 sit directly on the brink to tempt you to throw your disc in the drink. Otherwise plenty of room and quite a few birdie and ace opportunities here.

Cons:

In the middle of a sixty-mile stretch to find another course in any direction (excepting Beeville). Too little variety. (They could have mixed it up more.) The signs show multiple pin placements, but I only saw one basket on each hole. Alternate holes were difficult to find, even with a map. I couldn't find them myself. Too many open holes. More trees needed. Most baskets need renumbering. A lot had the wrong numbers on them. Holes 10 & 12 have tee signs missing.

Other Thoughts:

This place was a fun place to play and a nice diversion for a couple of hours on my trip to Houston from Corpus. I would recommend it to any disc golfer. Now especially since the course has been redone it is a great place to play. All baskets are now Discatcher baskets with the Mach-3 baskets on the front 9 being replaced recently with all Innova Discatcher baskets.
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4 1
Mind Expansi0n
Experience: 13.8 years 13 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A 'Texas Sized' Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 24, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

New teesigns make it fairly easy to find your way around the course (first timers should still take a map), several 400+ft holes and lots of space for driving will test and improve your long-range game, very little 'dense' undergrowth makes for forgiving placements and minimal loss of discs, a decent use of OB and hazards with the river and the small park road, and a friendly low-traffic atmosphere. Local DG'ers were all very friendly and willing to play a round or show some local course knowledge.

Cons:

Teepads are pretty beat up, baskets are showing major wear and damage in some cases (basket #3's chains were hanging off and rusted last time I was there - for example), the landscape doesn't provide much variety - hence the holes get a bit repetitive and if you don't have some experience (300ft+ drives) you may have a long day here. Also some bad erosion starting to happen along the Riverbed and small creeks in the park is changing the feasibility of some holes (such as #7).

Other Thoughts:

Difficult: Intermediate - Pro. All in all, a pretty decent place to play DG - it has it's quirks but it's a big course for a big park in a big state. I think the course not only forces you to 'up' your game in terms of distance, but also gives you many opportunities to use your midranges to either drive on the shortest holes or approach/upshots on your way to the basket. There is a zoo (yes, lions, monkeys, etc.) directly next to the course - the lions live behind basket #4 ... beware.
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5 3
skinner21
Experience: 23.5 years 22 played 15 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Long and Rather Blah... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 9, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is very well spread out in a mutiuse park that is well maintained in terms of landscaping. You have no chance at hitting other discers because the holes are nowhere near each other. the tee pads were nice concrete and were pretty large. There are alternate pin placements that have markers placed in them so that the tee signs that are present are more clear. There is a map of the course posted on the bulletin board. Without this map or a guide, there is no chance of navigating this course.

This is the only course for a few hours in every direction.

Cons:

This course plays very long, which normally isn't a con for me, but there were no technical holes or short ones to change things up all on this course. Every hole is long and wide open. It is basically 21 holes of grip and rip. By the end it gets pretty boring. There is no thought into how to throw a hole. Take that and the fact that I don't have a big arm and I didn't enjoy this course a lot.

Navigation at this course is horrible. Most of the tee signs are missing and there are no "next tee" markers to help guide you to the next hole, which could be anywhere with how these holes are spaced. I had to take a picture of the map on my phone and had to use it often during the round. Half of the tee signs are missing, but the ones that are there are decent.

There is a lot of trash on the course from non dgers using the park. The picnic tables and garbage cans were overflowing with trash. These picnic tables and grills have the possibility of getting in the way of dgers.

The course is totally flat, even though there is a river that runs through the course. No attempt was made at all to incorporate the river or anything into the design of the course. It's just flat with some mature trees spread through the park. So much more could have been done with this park but they left it forgettable.

Other Thoughts:

I was in Victoria visiting family and was glad to be able to get a round in, but I was expecting a little more from this course. I will play it again if I am every in the area, but don't go out of your way to play this course.
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12 1
ERicJ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17 years 288 played 154 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice course, but honestly not all that memorable 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 26, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good size concrete tees on all 21 holes. Dual pin positions on about 1/3 of the holes and what's nice about them is that they actually change the way the hole plays vs. just adding/subtracting length. This course is typical of what one finds in Texas: long and mostly open. The average hole length varies from 372' to 403' depending on which pin positions are in play. If you're a grip n' rip player you should love this course. The baskets are a mix of brands but generally are in good shape and catch well enough, but beware the shallow trays on some baskets. A restroom facility is conveniently located at the intersection of holes #2, #13, and #18. Minimal blind holes (only #12) are a wise choice at this popular multi-use park. Being the only course within 30mi means this course gets a lot of play and attention from the local club. Convenient parking that the course loops back on mid-way through.

Cons:

The tee markers are generally pretty lame with no consistent information. Basically they're just short posts painted white to assist in seeing the tee pad from a distance. There's a lot of walking between holes. There's significant lost disc potential on hole #7 when playing the road as OB (as you're supposed to). Erosion and lost tree(s) have taken their toll on this course, specifically on #7 to minimize the landing zone of a shot near the basket. This multi-use park will have some holes with interference from other park patrons. This course places a huge premium on being able to throw long and straight, about 15 of the 21 tee shots are preferably long, straight drives.

Other Thoughts:

The three extra holes fit in here: hole "A" plays between #11/#12, hole "B" & "C" play between #15/#16. Even when the pins are in the shortest position big arms have advantage over technical players because most holes are pretty open. The Texas Zoo abuts the course on holes #4 & #5 offering the unique opportunity to be putting on #4 with a wolf staring you down directly behind the basket! And keep your drive low on #5 or it can sail over the fence and give some animal a new chew toy.
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9 1
Mr. C
Experience: 8 played 8 reviews
4.50 star(s)

A Pro Says Flat Out Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 3, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is a monster. With several huge holes at sea level (3 over 600 feet), you've done a days work if you par it. And even the shorter holes demand disc selection, skill, and putts. I was flat out challenge. This is one of the best designed (and fair in my opinion) pro level disc courses I've ever played and I've played in over 30 pro tournaments.

Cons:

It's really too bad that this course isn't better kept up. With some time and energy and money you could have great signage, different pin placements, maps, new baskets, straight baskets, no trash, benches. Everything's there:bathrooms, community board, parking, trees, views, the river, great layout.

Other Thoughts:

This could be a legendary Texas course in a backwater Texas town (Victoria?). I'm just passing through, on my way to play in Austin, and bam! - I play Riverside Park three rounds until I finally shot even. Crazy!!! So, locals a shout out. Step it up! Get the Chamber involved. Get the City involved. Parks and Rec. Club members. Whatever. It's a gem only if you keep it polished!
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7 1
lohrtom
Experience: 15.8 years 40 played 18 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Riverside Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 26, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some super long baskets (if that is your thing). The tee boxes have concrete pads. Lots of shade (it was 93F when I played). Most of the holes have a marker with map but a few are missing.

Cons:

I went the day after Memorial day and the park area where the first few baskets are nearly made me not play. There was TONS of trash on the ground. The amount that makes you want to give up on humanity. But after hole 5 it was clean and very nice. I blame the trash on irresponsible Memoial Day picnickers.

Other Thoughts:

Some holes are along the Guadalupe River with steep banks. Don't use a disc on these holes you cannot afford to lose.
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4 4
jlow54
Experience: 20.8 years 19 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Awesome.. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 1, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great views of the river, you can see the zoo and the holes are well layed out, need i say more?

Cons:

If you throw your disc in the river I hope you werent too attached to it because you WILL NOT get it back...

Other Thoughts:

Bring your big guns I know my destroyer and wraith got an amazing workout has great mix of long and midrange holes...ideal course for an avid player...
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7 1
Roc1Time
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.4 years 131 played 118 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 16, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Sweeness!! Lots of different shots that rewards the player with alot of shots in thier bag. Lots of boomers and lots of Rocs, need I say more. Good shade. Never real busy so you can play at your own pace. Good views of the river. Worth the stop

Cons:

Kind of hard to navigate the first time out. No pictures on the tees so a little confusing, but after play you will get it and love it.

Other Thoughts:

Good break in the drive from Dallas to Corpus
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