Pros:
- good quality small West Texas park in Colorado City
- baskets, tees, and signs all adequate to good
- fun golf, though simple and not terribly challenging
- close to I-20
Cons:
- rather open; not much trouble to get into (that was more of a pro for my quick round, but does decrease challenge overall)
Other Thoughts:
I played this while driving south to Big Bend National Park. It's conveniently located between Abilene and Midland/Odessa on I-20 (as well as a diagonal route from Wichita Falls). It was exactly the type of course I love while playing on long road trips, as it was a nice break from the road and a chance to stretch the legs and arm. I had plenty of fun and was impressed by the quality of the course and use of the park. I had my wife and toddler with me, and they enjoyed the stop just as much as I did. Stopping here was a memorable part of this road trip for the whole family.
It's a nice park and wasn't busy when we stopped. I would guess my experience was representative. The designer made good use of the limited trees, but the golf was pretty open overall with just one wide open shot (hole 1). My favorite holes involved good use of trees obstructing the tee shot, the green, or both. There's some slight elevation change as well, which is used particularly well on holes 5, 7, and 8. Fairways are very generous (i.e. the whole park is usually your fairway), so you usually have a pretty open second shot even after missing an initial line. Most of the holes were in that distance range (250-320') that makes you use your arm but not break it (since you probably skipped your warm up). I used Buzzz/Undertaker a lot out here. I felt like I needed to hit quite a few different lines without using the same shot over and over, but I had the benefit of not worrying about losing discs or finding too much trouble.
Some holes:
2 - one of those tee-near-tree shots where you choose your initial line and make sure your disc gets the right action afterwards; RHFH slight turnover or flex for me, into a green with some nearby trees and brush
3 - slightly different iteration of same; trees provide early tunnel and an obstructed green - Buzzz flex backhand for me
6 - felt like the longest hole on the course, due to trees a little farther from the tee obstructing the line; a good Leopard turnover got me pretty close to the basket (after my first tee shot went 70' into a tree)
7 - slight downhill, close to 400'
8 - maybe my favorite: shortest hole on the course, uphill, with two arching trees making a tunnel off the tee - for me, a controlled putter or mid shot; my arm was nice and warm and I parked both a putter and a Buzzz
9 - nice little closer with an overgrown cluster of brush obstructing the view to the basket; a good spike hyzer or overhand works here
The navigation struck me as odd initially. The first three tees are essentially parallel, leading to some little jogs back and forth. Tees for holes 2, 3, 7, and 9 are all quite close so make sure you check the sign. In the end, I warmed up to the layout, realizing it suits this park perfectly. As I was roadtripping and wanted a fairly quick round with a quick exit (toddler in tow!), I appreciated the proximity of 1's tee and 9's basket, and with no unpleasantly long walks between holes. If you're driving through West Texas and pass by Colorado City, I'd highly recommend stopping.
Rating: 2.5 for "decent/typical." A decent 9-hole course in a nice park in a convenient West Texas crossroads. I think anyone will have fun out here unless they're expecting big distance shots or super technical golf. I wouldn't hesitate to stop here again when passing through the area.