Mounds of Short Holes Amid Tall Grass
19 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Course on campus makes for a pleasant, extra-curricular diversion.
+ links-style golf with natural grasses and mounds
+ mowed fairways/pathways are both aesthetically pleasing and functional
+ fair use of terrain and natural obstacles
+ adequate space for simple layout
Cons: It's little more than a convenient excuse to cut class.
- pitch and putt course (appropriate for intended audience)
- dirt tee "areas" are rough and not well-defined
- tall grasses off fairways can be a nuisance to play through
Other Thoughts:
INFO
This short course, funded by UTD Alumni to continue the 1970's Rites of Spring disc golf tradition, plays out and back in a simple loop on grassland between Armstrong Dr. and Cottonwood Creek in the southeast corner of campus. The first hole lies across the street from the parking lot south of Naveen Jindal School of Management. A covered patio and picnic table are stationed midway through the course, and a bridge across the creek near hole #1 provides access to the adjoining neighborhood (an alternate parking option).
EVAL
Often I've found a disc golf course at a college campus is little more than another bulleted item on a list of amenities/activities promoting the school to prospective students, especially when no thought or consideration is given to its design and placement. Texas Wesleyan's former course comes to mind with baskets placed haphazardly close to buildings on holes crossing crowded lawns and busy pathways.
Sometimes disc golf courses are installed on college campuses in a suitable location with foresight and purpose. However, that purpose is not to serve the disc golf community at large. Instead, it's meant to foster social/recreational opportunities for students usually new to the sport. Thus, these types of courses are generally short, beginner-friendly and... well, dull. Here, I'm reminded of the former course at Dallas Baptist with those custom tee signs which included quotes from scripture. That course was "playable" and shaded which sums up all the positives I recall.
On rare occasions, an actual disc golfer or perhaps a course designer convinces a college to allow them to design a good course on campus. Rarer still, that campus may even have attractive land available to do so. When those two stars align then it gets the attention of area disc golfers whose definition of coursework doesn't involve textbooks or study groups. I discovered just such a course on a recent trip to Iowa at Central College in Pella. DFW could use more higher caliber campus courses like that with the two area TCC courses offering a good start.
So which type of course is UT Dallas Alumni? While this course is distinctive with its defined fairways and mounds, it's still rather forgettable since it falls into the short and dull category. Most of the holes are pitch and putts around a short loop designed to accomodate novice players. A fairway driver may be of use once or twice. The course has personality but lacks real character. Like freshman year of college, this course doesn't seem as fun once one sobers up to focus on graduating toward higher pursuits. The blind tee shot over a mound in the fairway of the second hole is my favorite feature of this course because it presents as much a mental challenge as a physical one.
NOTE
The disc golf course shares space with one of four certified Monarch Waystations on UTD campus. These unmowed areas rich with pollinator friendly plants such as milkweed and native wildflowers support monarch butterflies during their transcontinental migration throughout the year.
LAYOUT
Play begins with short, straight ahead scrambles on holes #1-2 down mowed fairways and over small mounds (guarding the green on #1 and blocking sightlines in the fairway on #2). Holes #3-4 continue in the same direction and line up one after the other near a tree-lined creek that borders the course, dodging a few trees in the fairway along the way. Then hole #5 abruptly turns to throw away from the creek and into an open field. Holes #6-7 turn to loop back with short throws past trees. Hole #8 revisits the rest area it shares with hole #4 before heading off in the opposite direction. Final hole #9 starts near the roadway and finishes beside #2's fairway.
19 of 19 people found this review helpful.
Not a ton to work with
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: I have a soft spot for this course as it is the first DFW course i was able to break par at. Anyone 900 rated or more should be able to go 5 down or more on the regular of course..
It sits on a wildflower preserve of some sort and from a technical standpoint is beginner friendly. Fairways are much better mowed than two years ago.. Can finish the entire course in under half an hour if playing solo.
Cons: That same wildflower preserve will shred your socks, shoes, and skin with stickers and god knows whatelse should you put even one shot in the rough. With the exception of 3 and possibly 4, every other hole you can more or less throw your favorite shaped shot and not be punished at all. Distance is designed for new players, most strong players won't need more than a midrange on even the par 4. Every hole is more or less straight. No signage on 5, and the tee boxes on every hole are unclear as there is no concrete or rubber or flags or any line of demarcation except for well worn foot prints that keep creeping forward.
Also, if you don't like critters, do not play near sun down, you will hear them racing underneath the grass at all hours and it could be unsettling.
Other Thoughts: Hole one is extremely straight forward and only 200 or so feet. Should be a birdie if you don't blow your putt.
Hole two is a blind tee shot with a little up and down in the middle with the basket slightly farther than you think and a bit farther than 1 but otherwise the same hole.
Hole three is the only hole that you have to really commit to a line with trouble to the left. A RHFH is probably best but you could be cute with an overhead throw or a more advanced backhand line. The lack of length will still make this a frequent birdie for strong players.
Hole 4 would be a par 3 at almost any other course with the length and openness. Basket is guarded by a couple of trees and this is the one other hole where missing left could put you in serious trouble.
Hole 5 is the longest par 3 but is the most open with the least risk of losing your disc in the tall grass.
Hole 6 and 7 are both comically short and strong birdie opps. Hole 8 is straight forward but with a curved fairway. As long as you don't mind being stuck/stung, and find your disc, the rough will not punish you. Hole 9 is i think 235 feet and a good ace run hole if you are not in love with your round.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
UT Dallas
6 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -- Navigation. Once you find, No. 1, you follow the mowed paths from hole to hole.
-- Baskets look worn, but they catch well.
-- Not a lot to work with, but the land and the few trees were well used. The knee-high (or higher) rough makes accuracy really important.
-- There is a cool looking pavilion with benches at hole 8.
-- It's on campus, so if you're a student, you LOVE this.
Cons: -- Tee boxes are terrible. The holes aren't very long -- only one longer than 300 -- so you don't need a lot of run-up but using the tee boxes could be dangerous.
-- Parking. Playing during the summer, there were plenty of spots in a nearby lot, so I risked just parking. I'm not sure that would work during the school year.
-- Not much shade, no restroom and no water.
Other Thoughts: -- A hidden creek on the left side of the course can come into play. You might not notice it because of the trees, but your disc can definitely find its way there.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Typical easy college course...(see what I did there?)
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Course is very well maintained
Quality innova discather baskets
Decent signage for each hole
Trashcans on sight
Very difficult to lose any plastic
Fun 9 hole course
Cons: Not the most difficult course
Mostly wide open, few mature trees
Not much protection from the sun in the summer months
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Great for beginners and low stress weekend rounds
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Good course for beginners
-Good course to work on approach shots
-Hard to lose a disc
Cons: -Very short
-Difficult to find parking for
-Only a 9 hole course
-TERRIBLE teeboxes
Other Thoughts: Difficulty(1.5/5): This is my home course, and one of the easiest courses I've played, which was great for me starting out. It's a very short course, but there are plenty of trees to make things interesting.
Maintenance(2/5): The baskets are in great shape, but it's missing a couple of tee signs. The tee boxes are atrocious, though. It's not wood chips anymore, it's just crushed granite. And most of the tee boxes have little divots worn in from repeated use. I now exclusively throw from behind the teeboxes. The fairways are kept very short very consistently, which is great.
Variability(3/5): UTD has a surprising amount of variability for such a short 9 hole course, and keeps it pretty replayable for me. Holes 1, 6, 7, and 8 are just putter/midrange ace runs (though they do have trees to avoid). Holes 4, 5, and 9 are out of my range but pretty much play like open fields. Hole 2 has a large hill in the middle of it that requires either a hyzer, a wide anhyzer, or a tomahawk off the tee. Hole three is definitely the signature hole of the course with the woods off the left and a planned row of trees running down the right-ish side of the fairway. This forces you to choose to play the low ceiling tunnel down the middle or take the longer hyzer route through the trees on the right.
Flow/Experience(4/5): It's nearly impossible to get lost heading to the next tee, it's laid out very well. Hole 9 ends very close to where hole 1 starts. This definitely isn't a pro level course, but I keep coming back here to work on my short game as it gives you a surprising amount of obstacles for under 250' shots.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
UT Dallas Alumni DGC
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: My three pros:
-I enjoy courses that have the 'fairways' mowed lower than the surrounding rough as it gives a ball golf feel and looks cool IMO. The fairways here at UTD were mowed nice and low while everything in between fairways was wildflowers and weeds from knee-high to chest high. Im not sure if the course looks this way during the winter and fall, which i assume is when the course photos were taken, but This course is unique in that it probably looks and plays pretty differently depending when the rough is so high. The rough was just high enough to make a fairway shot seem that much better and punish any errant shots with minutes of searching, providing some risk on otherwise safe holes...
-The flow of the course is intuitive and easy to follow, especially with mowed pathways between holes.
-There are decent signs, decent baskets, a buncha benches, several trashcans, and even a bridge to hole 1 from the neghborhood. There were probably more accomodations out at UTD than Ive seen at some full courses.
Cons: My three cons:
-PARKING- UGH driving through UTD brought me back to my college days of endless 'permit required' parking lots. My 1st time here I passed on the visitor pass route, didnt want to risk parking right next to the course due to permit only signs so i parked far away in a neighborhood, which also had no parking signs. Ive come back since and parked next to the course and just kept an eye on my car which is visible from most of the course and I havent had an issue yet.
-The rough is a nice feature that makes the course look cool but some areas are at disc eater level. It was easy to get overconfident, rip one a little wide and spend 5 minutes hunting. I felt lucky i didnt land in some patches of weeds b/c it would be a goner.
-As others mentioned the teepads are dirt patches that are rocky, uneven, short, slanted etc. - They're mostly not good. Concrete tees were the one thing the course was really lacking.
Other Thoughts: The other big comment that could be a pro or con is the hole length. Most holes seemed 200' or less with some trees here and there to add interest. I thought some holes seemed a little too short, but they are just right for a quick round between classes, after work or for beginners. The hole difficulty is somewhat helped or thwarted by the superduper rough, which would tear up any beginner or make the short holes a little more juicy for better players.
Overall I thought the course looked nice and was fun to play, but played a little too short, the parking is unsure and you will likey spend some time looking through the weeds.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Missed the Mark
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -convenient central location
-quick play
-good parking
-nice baskets
-plenty of things close by (restaurants, shopping, etc.)
-beginner friendly
-good course flow
-it would be next to impossible to lose a disc here
-all holes are essentially aceable or birdieable (of course, for some, this could be a bad thing)
Cons: -Mostly open, vanilla holes
-dirt teepads that are too worn in to get a run up...or even a walk up without twisting an ankle
-there is plenty of room for more holes, why not make it an 18 hole course? 9 hole courses are always less desirable
-there is a heavily wooded tree line with a creek right by it...why didnt they use this in the design?? It could have been much better
-this area is kind of the black hole of DG courses in the metroplex. I know...I live nearby. There is nothing too great nearby. Audubon, jimmy porter, or Bill Allen are your closest best bets. If you are looking for a 9 hole, go up hwy 75 a bit and check out Bethany lakes.
Other Thoughts: This is "technically" my home course now, but I'm not claiming it. The only intetesting hole here is #3 which has a tree line on the left and a manicured tree "row" on the right. I see no reason why someone would play this unless they just like wide-open courses or they happen to be a student at utd with time to kill between classes.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Parking....
2 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Nice little 9 hole course.
Fun for a quick round.
Good baskets.
Good mixture of distance.
Well maintained.
Good placement practice for staying in fairways.
Cons: Needs teepads.
No bathrooms.
Basically all flat.
No parking or have to pay for parking.
Other Thoughts: Anything as far as teepads would help.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
I attend UTD- course is rough.
6 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: EDIT - I bumped my score up half a star for a few reasons. The newly marked fairways are looking great. They're outlined in wildflowers that are just starting to grow in, and what you can see has been amazing. It now seems to have been groomed up nicely. The water has drained and it is playable again. Further improvements are coming very soon and I'll update with more later. Expect this course to be looking AWESOME for Fall golf 2015. That's all I'm sayin'
---
I actually go to UTD so it is really awesome to have a course on campus. There's only so much complaining I can do when there's a course withing walking distance.
Short holes make for some reachable ace runs. However they keep it interesting with some good pin locations, behind or around trees to add challenge.
Just had many renovations with new signs, flowers, and few new trees.
A decent bit of variety makes for a solid practice course.
Cons: However also included in those renovations were god awful teeboxes. Even the dirt patch next to it is brutal. Whoever thought the small concrete square was good enough was wrong.
The creek and bushes can eat some discs and is pretty dense. Sometimes there are snakes and wasps to be found in there.
Very unkempt currently. Someone needs to mow hole number 5- it's pointless to play as the entire 250' field is three foot tall grass.
Other Thoughts: Decent for a course that is easy access, but actually very marginal. Teeboxes alone dock a star.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Decent for practice/quick game
8 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Well-groomed course with fairly easy holes. Excellent for practice or a quick game when you don't have time to play through an 18-hole course.
The holes range from ~150 to ~400 or so with pretty straight-forward shots. Trees are really the only obstacles - no water hazards or anything unless you manage to get a disc into the creek located through the trees to the east.
Basket placement is interesting on a few of the holes (mainly 3, 6, 7, 9), which can give you good opportunities to practice your approach shots and hitting the correct angles. Also there is always the chance for an ace on most of these holes, which can be fun.
Cons: As others have said, the tee boxes are bad. I don't even use them when I play. I hope the university will fix them up, as this is the biggest issue with the course.
Parking can be a major problem when school is in session. Also, the university does ticket vehicles that don't have a parking sticker. You can get a free one-day pass at the Visitor Center (if you want to play by the rules) or just park in the neighborhood directly east of the course and take the bridge over the small creek onto the course.
Other Thoughts: I practice on this course quite a lot. In my opinion this is a good place to bring someone who is new to the sport, but experts probably won't find any challenge here.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful.
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2-4 
4/11/2022 
4/12/2022
Review By: dgaficionado 
This review was updated on 7/26/2022
Hole #6 (Taken 3/2018) 
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