As is the case with almost every Houck course, the design is just excellent. There's great use of the land, the creeks, the elevations, the forestry- they all come into play in intriguing ways that force thoughtful throwing. One of the most challenging holes in this way is one early on, where you have to decide when to cut the corner of a pond that is up an embankment. Very tempting

Another staple on Houck courses: full size tee pads, multiple tees, great signage, and discatcher baskets. All top notch.

The beauty of this course is great. There's a creek in the middle that isn't huge but seems to just be big enough to lose a disc in sometimes. But I do feel like the beauty comes and goes, as it makes its way across the cow pasture.

Speaking, of I've never had to play a course where a herd of cows watched me intently the whole time! I'm putting this in the pros section because I like cows and I thought they were cute, even if a bit intimidating.

One of two great courses on the property, and near by Selah Ranch make this a fantastic destination.

Well the cow patties everywhere aren't exactly the most welcome hazard, especially on the teepads. Also the slight feeling of danger when you stumble upon a herd, or have to throw towards them. I insisted I was an avid Chic-fil-a guy, and they left me alone.

Some holes are pretty open, like, "play through this field and there's a tree there." And some are really tight in the woods, in an unfair-fairway challenge. Some of these holes really through off your rhythm of the round (at least from an emotional, enjoyment aspect)

Finding the course can be a little challenging. You have to go through a goat pen. It's a little off the road.

Out of all the Trey Ranch/Selah courses, this one and Selah Creekside were about on par for me in terms of enjoyment. All were about equal in terms of challenge (*high*) but this one had less "wow" factor. But still worth a visit, worth leaving a few bucks at the saloon where you also need to sign the waiver.

Excellent GOLD level course with a good variety of shots. The front plays over cow pastures and ponds, middle felt like a different course playing through the woods and creek, and back up through cow pastures again. The wooded holes were by far my favorite.
- Solid tee pads and signage for both blue/red positions, Discatcher baskets gobbled up putts and were easily visible.
- Enough next hole signs to make the course easy to navigate

Amenities were lacking
- No benches, and remember these are LONG courses
- Minimal elevation change, mostly the first and last holes
- A little difficult to find this private course, Trey is really nice but the course won't look welcoming
- Cow pies. Expect this course to smell, and you will probably land/step in one.

From strictly course layout I'd rate this 4/5, but with the lack of amenities there are many courses that do more. While I expected cow pies coming in, they definitely took away from the overall experience. Of the 4 Trey/Selah courses we thought this was 4th best to Trey Deuce.

This is another great Houck designed course in this Texas hotspot.

Texas Twist offers an interesting combination of longer, open pasture holes and shorter, technical woods holes. Distances are all over the place with sub-200' holes and over 800' holes. As expected, the longer holes are more open and the shorter holes more guarded, but there are interesting combinations of distance and obstacles throughout the course.

Most holes have at least two routes to the basket, so having both FH and BH skills is a big plus. On the par 4 and 5 holes the second or third shot are as important as the initial drive in scoring well, though this course has a couple of exceptions (noted in Cons).

Two excellent concrete tee pads for each holes, along with top-quality signs providing an accurate hole diagram, possible routes to the basket, distances, pars, next tee arrows and even the course logo.

Innova DisCatchers work well in the shaded creek holes. The rest of the course infrastructure is solid as well, with numerous sturdy bridges over the (many) creek crossings.

This course had a few "cow pasture" holes that didn't tickle my fancy. Holes 6, 16, and 17 play mostly over open grass, with little penalty for missing your line. Now if you throw 450' there would be a great deal more challenge here, but for my 300' arm it was really just drive, drive, drive to the basket.

Hole 9 is a tricky little woods hole with the creekside basket on a tiny landing area. Whether you are in the creek or not on your drive seems to be equal parts skill and luck.

For a destination P2P course, the provided map and scorecard are dreadful. The map is tiny and grainy and not very useful. The scorecard has distances for only 9 of the short tee, and many of the distances were inaccurate. I understand using up old stock, but the scorecards could use an update.

I found this course to rank #4 among the Selah Ranch/Trey Texas quartet. Still an excellent course, but not my favorite. I have to consider that this was my 4th long 18 hole course in 24 hours, so I may have just been a little out of gas. Next time I'll switch up the order of play and see how I rank it.

Trey Texas Twist is another classic Houck course. For me that means I can play a competitive round against good players, which I'm not. The easiest way to summarize Houck' s skill in this regard is that the red tees, or amateur, total 6,674 feet for par 68 and the blue tees, or pro, are 9,049 for par 68. That 2,375' difference added to the easier location of the red tees makes this a fun place even if you're not advanced.

Your every shot and disc are challenged. From long open fairways, to water challenges, to tight wooded lines, to technical basket placement, to slight elevation...you need all you've got.

There are separate short and long tees for every hole except 12, which is a 222' par 3. One of the earlier reviewers asked whether there were separate tees since he forgot so there's the answer.

The signage is consistently great on every tee, long and short. And the concrete pads are nice, even though there is an occasional cow pie, but that can be brushed aside easily enough with a stick or something else handy.

The multiple bridges are nice that go back and forth over the river. When I saw this kind of care and cost that went into the course it made me believe an earlier review that said the owners invested about $270,000 in this course. And they occasionally get $10 from each of us. Wow, what a deal for us!

The grass was mowed. I called Trey, the owner, to schedule my round. I asked him about the note on this site complaining that the grass was too long. He said they'd been out mowing so it should be in good shape. It was.

The cows are friendly. We had to wait a little bit for about 20 cows to pass through the 17 fairway before we could make the turn in the dog-leg. But we were tired and didn't mind waiting. What a difference between waiting for people in a City park! We also saw some eagles around #11.

The "twist" in the name is because you are twisting around water a lot on this course. If you look at the course map it's easy to see your first twist on 3 around a pond, unless you've got a big enough arm and are brave enough to skip the twist, or dog-leg, and go over the water. Then you work your way over to 7, where the twists start in earnest. You'll have about 8 crossings, or twists, of the river before you finish.

It's a LONG course. But if you that going into it and have the right expectation then this is not a problem. If you go for longs, and you're not up to the challenge, then be prepared for a beat down.

There's no arrows in the baskets pointing to the next hole. Although most of the time this was not a problem since we had a map and it's fairly intuitive, I still wish such a simple, inexpensive, and helpful item were standard.

There's not multiple pin placements, but that's not a problem for me.

We played Trey Deuce first, which is near the saloon. The 2 ranch dogs followed us the entire round on Deuce. The friend I was with stepped on one of the dog's foot after it jumped in front of him on a drive and hurt the friendly hound. We felt bad about that. We also felt more than bad each time they fetched our discs and we didn't know exactly where our lie was. So after we left the saloon to play Trey Twist we were careful that they didn't see us. We came back the next morning to play Deuce again and snuck around the back side of the saloon to start on #3. We finished 1 and 2 at the end.

You really need 2 or 3 days if you're coming this way to get the full experience of Trey and Selah. Dave over at Selah told us he's got Selah up for sale. So if this trip is on your wish list don't wait or it may go the way of The Circle R in Wimberley, TX that was a great Houck course but got sold and is now labelled, "Extinct."

Long and challenging will test your mental game!

Some redundancy here. Too many 600' holes played thru the woods with minimal room for error. Hard to find discs in the wooded holes and really tough to get to some lies with the steep creeks. The open holes are long and the grass is extremely high making it hard and time consuming to find your discs. Good tough course but it could use some modification to add more variety and easier access to holes.

-Baskets, tee-signs, teepads, and bridges are all great quality and in good condition.
Great distance variation: 950 ft to 220 ft holes
-The course progresses through slightly wooded pastures, to moderately wooded and heavily wooded landscapes. There are always enough trees, however, to make the holes challenging and never too many trees to make the fairways dinky.
-Excluding hole 4, the par threes at Texas Twist are just as their name implies: tight technical shots riddled with winding OB creeks. This is typical of Houck designs, which avoid long open par threes. Its generally better for score variation to offer long open throws on par fours and fives. Texas Twist is a shinning example of this principal.
-Houck is renowned for his redoubtable par fours and hasn't missed a beat at Texas Twist. Holes 3, 14, and 18 all offer multiple lines and ample landing zones, if you miss them though, you are likely headed for a water hazard.
-The par fives were even more impressive. Hole 6 is a crushers' dream. Lined by a couple of mature trees and slightly downhill, this hole lets you air one out for the gallery and possibly capture an elusive eagle. Hole 10 is the most well designed par five I have ever played. The hole culminates a menacing tunnel, dogleg, and forced right turning shot with risk-reward OB to produce a hole that tests multiple faucets of the game. Hole 17 gives the big arms another chance to air one out and tempts them to throw over a 350 ft stretch of OB for a shot at Eagle. Most will come short of this treacherous green, leading to far more circles than 3s on the scorecard.
-THE GREENS AT THIS COURSE ARE FAIR! I type the previous sentence in caps because unfair greens would have to be my top complaint for courses in Texas. After playing Windwood Presbyterian, Texas Army Course, Morris park in Lufkin, and even Selah Ranch, I was at my whits end with unfair greens. I am not referring to OB lines, but thorn bushes and shrubby bushes within the 10 meter circle. I cannot say how many times I threw approaches to within 20 ft only to find I had no putt. At Texas Twist, a few greens back in the woods still need some trimming, but I talked to the owners and they said cleaning the greens is their top priority for the next months.
-The atmosphere was completely unique and aesthetic. A Wisconsin Suburban boy, I am accustomed to playing courses in multi-use city parks. Texas Twist is also multi-use, but the patrons here are cows, horses, and goats as opposed to the dog-walkers I'm used to. The saloon, livestock, remoteness, hospitably of the owners, and endless expanse of cow pies projected a homey-western experience I will not forget.

-The cow pies and horse dung become a nuisance after awhile. In some cases, these ungulates have dropped their nitrogenous wastes right on the teepad. The poop hampered my run up on two holes.
-Some of the baskets might be too close to water-harzards. I hit the cage of hole three's basket only to watch my shot roll away to the water. Thankfully, my cherished buzz was saved by, you guessed it, a cow pie! -A few of the technical par threes have baskets within 15 ft of the creek's edge. If the OB lines is the creek's edge, some of the greens are a little "chancy."
-Record flooding over the past two years has caused considerable erosion. Tons of sand have been deposited around the teepad of 16 and the creek areas were a mucky mess. I am not taking any points off for the previous con because the erosion likely lead to the tenuousness of the greens. Regardless, the course is in desperate need of erosion prevention barricades or grasses as traffic will only exacerbate the problem.
-Benches throughout the course would have been nice.

Based solely on design my pecking order for all the courses that I played in Texas this trip would be the following:
1. Texas Twist
2. Selah Lakeside
3. Northside Christian Church DGC in Houston
4. Texas Army
5. Milby
6. Windwood Presbyterian
7. Morris Park in Lufkin

Texas Twist and Selah Lakeside are half a star better than all the other courses, but if I factor in the price and the experience Texas Twist was definitely better than Selah. Between courses 3-7 it's really close. I wouldn't rate Morris lower than a 3.5 and Northside Christian Church higher than a 4. Either way, if you are making a trip to Houston, there is plenty of great disc golf. The "average" course in Texas is really good compared to the other states I have played in.

The hospitality Diane showed us was incredible. My family was trying to get in a quick round before the Packer-Cowboy playoff game started. Diane was nice enough to let us watch the game at the saloon. We had a ball eating snacks, talking, and cheering for our respective teams. If you ever find yourself in the area, you must make a stop at Texas Twist!

If you don't just want to play disc golf but instead want a true disc golf experience, this is the place to do it. I actually enjoyed this course and trey deuce better than Selah. Granted, it was 20 degrees colder the day I played Selah, I may be a slight bit bias because of that. Either way, the hospitality here was better than I have every experienced before. The owners truly want to see this area become a hot bed for great disc golf courses, two of which they have. Course info is better described by the reviewers before me but you can expect to use every type of shot that you have in your bag. Course ranges from long open bombs to very technical but fair woods golf. The land scape is absolutely beautiful with winding creaks, mature trees, rolling hills, bridges and ponds.

This is a plus for me but some may see it as a negative. This area is very remote, you need to plan on walking. Think of it as walking in open range cattle ranch but through woods, creaks and rolling hills. That is what it is, just enjoy the experience.

Like I said before, this isn't just golfing but a full experience. Everyone needs to experience this type of golf with owners who truly want to grow the sport.

I will start by saying I appreciate the family for agreeing to have these courses on their property and embracing the game of disc golf. Diane met us at the Saloon on her way to work just to meet us , tell us about the courses, and show us where to go to get to #1 tee- very important since Twist is actually down the road 1/3 mile. I felt very welcome as we were turned loose on our own playing on private property. If you like to play DG in isolation- Twist has it. There is almost no sign of human existence here other than the DG stuff and some brides and fences- primarily nature. Twist offers a nice chance to just get away from everyday life.

Like Deuce and Selah, the detailed color tee signs, pro and am concrete tees, and Discatchers are in excellent shape. Basket locations are very well-placed. There are 2 primary types of holes, longer field holes and shorter wooded holes, that contrast and complement each other. The long stretch of technical wooded holes along the creek stand out as a strong feature. I also really liked hole 3 which felt like playing 2 different holes- first a drive uphill through some trees, then a challenging 2nd shot sharply to the right over a pond- the entire hole requires thought and careful planning and placement on multiple shots. Hole 10 also has this quality (just be sure to know where the basket is, I will know better for next time.)

Though there is a good percentage of each hole type overall, all the shorter technical wooded holes were all together back-to-back. You start with some longer more open holes to get to the woods/creek area, then you play through it, and then you finish like you started with 3 longer open holes to get back. This is pretty much what had to be done, but not an ideal constantly changing mix (at least for me) from open to moderately wooded to heavily wooded and long to short.

I have never been a fan over throwing in a wide open field, which is the case for several shots here (#6, #16 for example.) Of the 4 destination courses in the area, this one had more shots where it really did not matter where you landed, and there was lots of room to recover from errant throws on these holes. (Great for those with uncontrolled distance I guess).

There are several blind holes, which are fine, but walking long holes to scout and find the basket is taxing when playing your first round here. The real negative is I felt that on occasion some of the tee signs were a little inaccurate or deceptive or just unclear as to exactly where the basket was (#10 for example).

We were told by Diane to park just inside the first gate (close it) then walk--- and it is a Long walk to #1, add on a very long walk to play, and then finally a long walk uphill from #18 to car, walking is fine, just know there is extra walking tacked on to physically demanding set of courses. And understand the course comes nowhere close to anything during play (not the car, no water, no restrooms, no people, nothing). If playing in the TX summer heat, bring lots and lots and lots of water (more than you think), carry less discs and more to drink. And just be extra careful to not get injured as it will be a ways to get help. Having been spoiled by the carts at Selah the day before, we wished we could have had carts for holes 1-6 and 16-18 (not needed for the stretch of flatter shaded shorter wooded holes).

1/3 mile drive down the road from the saloon.

$10 to play all day is a very fair price (though 1 round at each is probably enough for anybody in 1 day).

This was probably my least favorite of the 4 courses, though I admit it was the hottest and the last one I played so I was getting tired. Next time I visit the area (and believe I will be back) I would plan to play the Trey courses first for a day, then go to Selah for 2-3 days and play there.

Recommendation- Though not the top level of courses I have played, the Trey courses are still of a high quality overall. Do understand these courses are meant to challenge even pros. Definitely not suited for beginners or those not in good physical condition.

Question- Maybe the heat affected my memory, as I thought there were two tees for most every hole, but now I am questioning that fact looking at the map and hole info. I know at least some holes had a rec tee and a pro tee, but I am fairly certain most, if not all, the holes did. If so, somebody needs to update the info on DGCR.

Texas Twist starts with a series of 6 holes that mix some open areas with areas along a wooded creek. Holes 7-15 are in mostly wooded bottomland further up the creek and then 16-18 bring you back out in the open again, mixing in the same more open topography encountered in the first six holes. The course terrain is low, rolling hills although elevation plays little role in this course.

Like Deuce, Texas Twist has some brilliant holes. Even some of the longer holes mix open and wooded areas in unique ways. Hole 3 is the best example of this starting in a long wooded tunnel and ending out in the open with a water carry. Another good example is Hole 10, starting with a long tunnel shot leading out into the open for a shot through a gap between another row of large trees toward the basket guarded by smaller trees.

The shorter, par 3, holes are laid out very well and are a lot of fun to play. Most of these holes are below 300' even from the pro tees with the exception of holes 13, which also shares the limited ceiling of all of the bottomland holes along the creek, and 3 which is a downhill throw through a gap and across a small creek. A few of the holes along the creek are a bit repetitive, but still fun.

Twist, like Deuce, has a high difficulty level and will greatly reward accuracy, especially in the middle section of holes in the wooded creek bottom. Unlike Deuce, however, most of the rough contains more mature trees and less punishing rough than the holes on Deuce in the area of newer pine plantings.

Navigation (once you've found the course) is pretty straightforward. The tee signs are excellent, there are plenty of bridges for crossing the creek.

For $10 you can play both courses. This is as good a bargain as anyone should ask for.

This course is a long way from the Saloon where you will have to check in, sign a release and pay the fee. There is also no indication at the Saloon of where Twist starts. You won't find it by just looking around either. See below for directions.

At about 9,000 feet from the long tees, this is a long course that has long holes that are long for the sake of being long. When the Northeast Texas temperatures start hitting 100+, this course is a chore to walk. There are no bathrooms or water on either of these courses and you will need to bring your water with you and bring plenty of it if it's really hot. I have never carried a stool with me, but I might if I ever play this course again.

There is less elevation on this course than on Deuce and what elevation there is has largely been negated when it might have helped to add distance to a tee shot. Hole 4 is a good example where the pro tee is set back over the crest of the hill that has the basket at the bottom, barring a downhill throw. There's even a small, apparently manmade ridge, to help block downward throws. Perhaps the most elevation comes into play is on the uphill hole 18, which also has a somewhat low ceiling off the tee, again negating the elevation somewhat on the tee shot because you can't throw uphill.

The best holes on Twist mix open and wooded areas. Those with less luster, in my opinion, are the very long holes that are either wide open, like 6 and 17, or so treed that they are just a chore to play, like 12, with very narrow gaps to hit between many trees. There are no truly bad holes, but there do appear to be a few holes whose purpose seems to be only to move you a long way to the next hole.

The creek must be crossed many times and comes into play in ways that isn't always obvious from the tee box, but it's not OB on every hole and where it is, it is indicated as such on the tee sign.

HOW TO FIND THIS COURSE: Realistically, you need to call. One of the course owners will meet you and show you around when you get there. But, once you are at the saloon, go back out to the road and head south about ¼ mile, until you see the sign for Texas Twist on the left. Turn there, open the gate (and close it behind you, this is a working farm) go to the next gate, open it (and close it behind you) and then head off to the left where you should be able to see the course sign near the first tee. It's okay to drive to it.

People traveling to this area for disc golf are probably going to play both the Trey Texas Ranch courses and the Selah Ranch courses. My friend and I played Selah on Saturday and Trey on Sunday before heading home. It was around 100° both days. We played 54 holes at Selah and 36 at Trey, and were barely able to finish on Texas Twist. The difference was the carts at Selah.

Ultimately, from the pro tees, Texas Twist isn't so different from Lakeside other than a comparative lack of water hazards. Though a high quality course, it has its share of less than stellar holes. If you are only going to play two courses, it makes no sense to play one at Trey and one at Selah. If you are looking for high degree of difficulty, play Deuce and Twist (despite the higher estimated SSE's for Selah, I found these courses to be more difficult). If time is a factor, play Selah.

Your best bet is to come at a time when you can play all the courses over two days. There are some nice places to stay, eat and drink in Mt. Pleasant and Mt. Vernon. Texas BBQ Corral in Mt. Vernon is a must. Just don't eat there before your round.

This is one of the most expansive courses I have played. By the time you get several holes in, you are all alone. As a native of the Midwest, I enjoyed the quiet wilderness of the plains. There are even cows! On one of the holes there were cows hanging out right in the fairway (the owner said future fencing will keep them off the course). But they moved on quickly and are too stupid to do any harm, anyway.

There is a good mix of holes here. The course begins and ends with pretty open holes that usually involve one tree line or so. The elevation of the property, while mild, is on these holes. One of the best of these is hole 17. It's actually not that great a hole for an intermediate like me, but I love the design for what top players could do (this is used in the doubles championships). It is a par five that requires a couple long throws to get around the trees that line the fairway's right side along a creek. But there is an intriguing eagle route across an OB peninsula that requires a long accurate drive, a pinpoint approach across the creek twice (and through two gaps) and then a putt

The course's best part, though, is the wooded area from holes 7-15. They are technical and show off the best of Houck design with multiple routes on many holes with varying levels of risk. The best hole on the course is #10. It is a long drive through the woods across the creek to an open prairie where the hole bends left about 60 degrees. There is a wide gap in a tree line to hit with the basket on the other side. Great multi-throw hole.

There are two concrete tees on every hole. I played the long tees.The Houck signs are among the best in the game, making it very evident how you can approach the hole. This is great for destination courses like this since most people aren't going to get to play dozens of times.

I played here when conditions were really awful. It's tough to completely separate a temporarily poor condition from your overall experience. The fairway were sopping wet. On some holes there was ankle-deep water on much of the fairway; other places it was "only" squishy. One hole (maybe 13 or 14) had a lake on half of the fairway. It wasn't on the tee sign, and I assume it's not usually there. Every course has a rainy season unless you're in Arizona, and I tried not to let that color my review. But it was the worst water retention I've seen on a course.

Aside from the conditions, I got kind of bored with the repetitive creek crossing holes. The creek is a prominent feature and deserved to be used, but when you are crossing over it on every hole (sometimes .twice) for seven or eight straight holes, it gets old. Also, there aren't nearly enough bridges given how these holes are designed. There was one bridge of quality craftsmanship, several that were logs across the ravine (I'm fine with this), but in many areas there were no bridges at all. I had to do a running jump to get across too many times. I wonder if some crossings got washed away?

The open holes, while enjoyable, aren't very memorable. I saw some young trees has been planted, and in several years they will probably shape these fairways a little more.

Lastly, this course is a long way from the parking area at Trey Deuce, about a 10-15 minute walk.

Given the proximity to Selah Ranch and the same designer, this will draw inevitable comparisons. If you're in the area, you should play all four courses. They're all good. But just know this isn't on the level of Selah. Lakeside has far more distinguished holes with more features to work with, and it's more fun as well. I felt like Texas Twist was on the level of Creekside. It's tough for me to compare since the conditions were gorgeous when I played Creekside and pretty poor here. Also, I would have loved to have use of a golf cart. Or maybe an ATV, given the mud.

I'll get to the hospitality of this place in my Trey Deuce review (unbelievably nice people), but in spite of the rough conditions, I'd still highly recommend a visit. I want another crack at it for sure.

The hospitality you will get at Trey Texas Ranch is unmatched from anywhere you will play. Me and my partner walked with the owner and she was a great person to talk to about everything that goes on at the course. Easily worth the $10 payment.

I found Twist to be more enjoyable in the woods, rather than out of open, which is a different thought than I normally have. The stretch I enjoyed the most was 7-15 in the woods. They were masterfully crafted and I never thought to myself that any of the holes were lucky or had too many unnecessary trees, probably because Houck is the master designer and I am just a lowly intermediate player. Hole 14 was my favorite hole; the owner called it the snake hole as it winds around towards the basket, it really epitomizes what I have mentioned when I say the holes are well shaped and taken care of.

The owner mentioned that all 36 tees of concrete have recently been poured. It seemed as if it took longer to get Twist ready than Deuce, but it is very well cleaned and manicured.

For whatever reason, I just did not enjoy the holes outside of the woods. I was not a huge fan of the trees right in front of the box on hole 16 and hole 17 just seemed a tad wonky. (the owner told me I played it wrong; it seemed right from the tee).

The thing I like the most about this ranch compared to Selah was the lack of pin positions right on water's edge. Hole 3 was the exception to that. 1/36 isn't bad.

My rank for the four course in the area are:
1. Selah Ranch - Lakeside
2.Texas Trey Ranch - Trey Deuce
3. Texas Trey Ranch - Texas Twist
4. Selah Ranch - Creekside

Texas Twist is a great course, and one I would play often if I lived closer. You can make one of the best disc golf weekends in America if you play these four courses. All four are phenomenal at worst.


Trey Texas has hospitality that is better than anywhere you will play. The owners embraced the sport, and it is nice to see them caring so much about the course.

Texas Twist's contribution to the Trey Ranch/Selah Ranch quartet of courses offers probably the best diversity of the four 18s. Hole distances are wide ranging and evenly distributed, with everything from deuceables to challenging par 3s to the signature John Houck par 4s and 5s emphasizing placement and risk versus reward. Mandos, a lake, and creekbeds all come into play, and woodedness is exceptionally varied, covering the gamut from open bombs to heavily wooded tunnel shots and all manner in between. Shot variety is abundant. Elevation isn't significant, but plays a minor role here and there to further spice things up. All told there's something for everyone here, and this diversity is masterfully integrated and orchestrated.

Texas Twist plays more intimate and less grandiose than Selah Lakeside, and more technical than either Creekside or Trey Deuce, mostly due to the stretch of wooded holes from 7 to 15. These feature fair but challenging lines, tight windows, strategy-inducing landing zones and multiple lanes, and some punishing rough. Precision is tested here, but fairly so. It's a great mix of distances and pars that provides a clinic of wooded disc golf amounting to one of my favorite stretches of holes I've ever played. True bliss, with some picturesque moments, such as 9's creekside basket and 10's wooded lane off the tee.

Two tees per hole accommodate a variety of skill levels while keeping it interesting and challenging. Concrete tees are fantastic: level, huge, and well-signed.

Favorite holes: 10, a gorgeous, daunting tunnel shot that exits the woods ~300' out before cutting left and playing across a field to a nestled basket; 13, a deuceable multi-lane par 3 requiring tight FH or BH hyzers to make a run at the basket; 14, a gonzo multistager in tight conditions that is a true test of control. 18 deserves honorable mention as a thorny closer.

While the variety here is really something, the holes outside of the woods for the most part don't measure up to those in the wooded stretch. Some of this is a product of the course being in its infancy: 17, for instance, is presently quite open, but has some saplings that will notably enhance the technicality in a few years' time. Elsewhere there are a few too-well-trod Houckisms: yet another pin placed at a pond's edge, for instance, feels a bit stale to me, as does the cumulative effect of several open bombs and/or obstacle-free approaches to the basket. These latter cons aren't about design so much as land limitations, but that doesn't change the disparity between them and the sublime golf to be found in the woods. Such holes are largely what keep Texas Twist from being a perfect 5 for me.

When I played here in April 2014, the upkeep was very poor, with knee high grass throughout. It made searching for drivers on the longer more open holes a real drag. Others' reviews suggest that the grooming has improved, which would be a great plus.

The course is a hike, both for being long and for often requiring first timers to scout ahead. I'll bet it's brutal in the summer, even with the shade.

I would rank the Selah/Trey courses thus, from best to "worst": Lakeside, Texas Twist, Creekside, Trey Deuce. If TT's full 18 was on the level of the wooded holes that tickled my fancy, it'd likely be ahead of Lakeside and atop my favorite courses of all time. Even as it stands, it's a fantastic, memorable course that pairs well with Trey Deuce with its increased technicality.

$10 for a day of disc golfing on fantastic courses is a steal in my book.

Owner and namesake Trey is a helluva nice guy. Come give him your money and play his courses!

Texas Twist is definitely the tougher of the two Trey Texas courses. It is located just south of the saloon and the owners can point you where to go. Almost every hole has two tee pads. The longer of the tees being the most played for events and casual trips to the course. The first 6 holes are more open and require a well placed 2nd shot to score well. Hole 3 is really the only hole on the course where you could lose a disc without being able to retrieve it. There is a small pond on hole 5 but shouldn't come into play. Hole 6 is the longest hole on the course and plays across a large field. There are two groups of trees in the fairway that could interfere with your second/third shot if you land behind them and a small cluster of trees near the green that require an accurate throw to the pin. If the wind is blowing hard this hole instantly becomes one to two strokes more difficult. Holes 7-15 are all played through the wooded section of the property and are what set this course apart from almost every other course out there.

The fairways on the wooded holes are well defined, however the areas off of the fairways have been cleaned out of thorny vines but kept mostly untouched. This means that if you end up off of the fairway you may only be left with the option to pitch back out and try again. Holes 7 & 8 don't require much distance but you have to hit your line or you could end up in the small creek or deep in the woods. HOles 9 and 10 are my favorites. On hole 9 you can either attempt to lay up off of the tee to just short of the creek and then throw a long hyzer into the green; or play a turnover shot through a tight gap over the creek in order to get out to the right as far as possible and leave a shorter approach shot. The pin is nestled right above the creek and near an OB fence line. Hole 10 requires a 300'+ shot down a tight fairway to lay up before the creek or a 350+ shot to make it out into the field. Your next shot must make it through two large trees and over another small creek. If your first shot was long enough and you have the arm, you can reach the green on your second shot. But this does play as one of the hardest par 5's I've ever encountered. Holes 11 is another tight fairway par 4. There are some more 2able holes in hole 12, 13, and 15. Holes 16 - 18 play back out into the open, which is a relief after the previous 9.

Permanent signage is now in place for the holes. The map of the course is necessary the first time out, but it's not that difficult to find your way around. The owners have continued to clean the fairways of stumps and other problems. Bridges are in place to cross the creek when necessary and the course is regularly mowed.

There are only a few cons that I could find with this course. I don't feel that they are a product of bad design, but rather the setting that the course is in.

The facilities are very limited. This course is set out in the country on farm land so that is to be expected. The saloon has restroom facilities so I recommend using them before setting out on this course.

There is also very little traffic at these courses relative to Selah Ranch and other courses. This means that it will take longer for the course fairways to wear in. In the meantime the owners are maintaining the property religiously. This is not a course in a city park which means there will be some hiking required as you make your way.

This is one of the most overall challenging courses I have ever played. I think that it was designed so that a big arm will help, but is not required to score well. Bring lots of water and bug spray with you. I always try to play this course as many times as I can when I'm here and it always makes me want to come back and try to improve my score.

Trey Texas Ranch is a special place, located off the beaten path on an enormous East Texas farm. Trey deserves special mention, as he was very hospitable and was happy to have us playing the courses. He seemed to love hosting these courses. The saloon is an interesting place with a lot of character. Definitely seems like a cool place to hang out before and after playing; though, other than Trey and the cows, it didn't seem like anyone was within 100 miles when we were there. This type of atmosphere - combined with two John Houck-designed courses - is sure to offer a tremendous day of golf.

Tee signs, tees, and baskets are all in great shape. The tees do a great job of displaying the different lines offered, while the tees are very large and comfortable. Two tee positions are present on most holes, often significantly changing the length of a hole and offering a different look.

Texas Twist is a long, grueling course that is masterfully designed. Like other Houck courses, it is full of long, multi-stage holes that emphasize hitting the necessary landing zones. However, there are also a few short but challenging par 3's, giving the course a nice variety. This course offers a complete round, with holes ranging from 240-954 feet and with 7 par 3's, 8 par 4's, and 3 par 5's.

Shots and holes of all types are presented here, as well as some pretty unique holes that give the course great character. Holes 1-6 play with some surprisingly nice elevation, generally heading downhill and take you around a pond. Holes 7-15 offer a tighter, more technical challenge in a section of woods. Finally, holes 16-18 bring you more into the open, heading back uphill toward the road. While the course is only listed as moderately wooded, it only has 3 or 4 holes that I would call open.

The stretch in the woods from 7-15 is one of the best designed and most enjoyable stretch of holes that I have ever played. I was amazed at the quality of holes found in this seemingly small section of woods. While they all played around the same area, this section of the course offered an incredible distribution of shots and hole types. A few played out of and back into the woods, some offering birdie runs, with others forcing you to hit the landing zones. A few interesting greens were thrown in here as well, with holes 9 and 15 having to me what resembled island-greens.

The course only lists hole 3 as being a water hole, but a creek runs near or through a majority of the holes in the woods. The creek offers some fun risk/reward play, whether it's snaking through holes 7 and 8 from tee to basket or sitting behind your putt on 9, 15, 17, and 18.

The course flows very well in terms of navigation and design. There are no long walks between holes and the next tees are easy to spot. The course flows in design as it offers a constantly changing blend of par, distance, and shot selection. I also never felt that I played two holes that were remotely similar.

- This course definitely has the feel of "adventure golf" which has its positives and negatives. No amenities near the course as far as water, bathrooms, benches, or trash cans. Once you start the course, you will be pretty far off from where you parked. Make sure you come here prepared.
-Holes 6 and 16 are pretty open and plain, so not every hole here is amazing. However, it looks like they have already started planting trees on these holes.
-It's great to read that the course is starting to be regularly mowed. When I played in the spring, the grass was high throughout. However, I did not count that against its rating and we still had a blast playing this course despite its poor condition. That's saying something.

This is my favorite of the two courses on site. It is a little hard to find, look for a white sign on the right as the saloon comes into your view up toward the left. You can park on the side of the road. Walk through the gate, past the sheep and the cows, and down the hill toward the tree line. The first tee is on the right of the tree line.

There are very nice scorecards and course maps provided at the saloon. You have to sign a waiver and pay before starting your round, but I must add that the $10 is well worth it.

I am not just a Houck-fanboy or biased toward Texas courses. I say that because it seems that some people are looking at these courses with a critical eye and maybe that is because of disagreements about how high the Selah courses should be rated. My brother and I simply came into Trey Texas as city slickers not knowing we were in for, but we found our version of Curly's gold!

What a gem of a course Texas Twist is and it's certainly a unique, memorable experience. Go, give Trey Ranch a chance and see for yourself.

- dual tees
- concrete pads
- great maps/signage
- score cards provided in saloon

The second of two John Houck courses on this property (similar to Selah Ranch).

Twist is a longer course with a higher par than it's counterpart, but is no more or less challenging. While you will have more opportunities to really open up (hole 5 comes to mind) there are plenty of tunnel shots, dog legs, and OB creeks to appease.

Speaking of creeks, I do enjoy the fact that while you may consider them water hazards, discs are typically retrievable.

The hole of all holes on this course though, is the snake tree. I can't remember the number, but when you see it you'll know what I'm talking about.

Like Trey Deuce you'll need every shot in your bag of tricks to play this course.

A few stumps still remain, but I noticed they are all tagged for removal, so for the time being you just have to suck it up when your disc bounces off a stump instead of skipping towards the basket like you might have expected.

Also, occasionally the fairways are a little tall, but they never stay that way as the owners are diligent about shredding. Just be aware if it's been raining a lot and it's been too wet to take a tractor out.

$10 to play all day is more than worth it. Just give them a call and let them know you are coming to play and sign a waiver inside the saloon (the building you'll see as you pull up, you won't miss it... It's a saloon...)

Note: Took me a bit to find Twist. Leave right from the saloon and you'll see the gate with a sign on the left about 1/8 of a mile down.

The owners are awesome, have obviously put a lot of work into the course, and continue to do so grinding stumps out and such.