- Distances on most holes are challenging enough for most divisions
- The overall length and terrain of the course made for a long round which helped with the openness of the course
- Certain holes that were just really enjoyable and well thought out
- The next hole signage was helpful considering the flow of the layout
- In a very nice area of town

- The course felt very gimmicky on some holes
- Some tee pads felt intentionally positioned in the wrong angle to the actual hole
- A lot of holes that just felt thrown together
- A lot of holes felt as if you were throwing on top of or toward another group
- The distances on the signs weren't all correct. Some 20-40 feet off

I feel like a lot of the holes could be repositioned to other locations where you weren't throwing the same shot over and over again in the wide open field. I don't think adding island holes, triple mandos and such is the answer to creating a good disc golf course.

I think some of the land near holes 6-9 could be used to create more holes without the use of the center section of the property

The course was redesigned in late 2020 to better flow, the front 9 goes around the outside of the property with the back 9 going around the inside making for a much easier walking route. Good mixture of Par 3,4,5's and open to wooded holes resulting in a good course for all skill levels. Beginners will be forced to execute situational shots around Mandos, OBs, island holes etc. While the Intermediate - Pro players can fine tune their skills on a well rounded course.

In the past, during summer months the grass will get higher than is preferred. The local club has established a good relationship with PARA and hopes that the grass does not get as long this year as it has in the past.

For anyone who has been critical to playing here in the past I urge you to give it another shot, I feel confident your opinion will be much better then it was the last time.

This course is in the best shape it's been since being installed. Go play again if you were disappointed before.

Occasionally, the park doesn't have the grass cut. However, it's been some time since I've seen it too long to play. Seems like that may have improved.

Great mixture of shots and challenging lines. The course has gone through some changes in the last year at the request of the parks dept but it opens up some great new holes. I really like the risk/reward of the triple mando and islands. The course is in the best shape it has been in for years.

No concrete teepads but the club is working with PARA to start installing some this year.

(2.827 Rating) A mixed bag of course with some well thought out wooded lines, but also some lame gimmick holes.
- THE THIRD BAND - Review Note before the Pros: The course got some tweaks over the summer of 2020 with about 5 or 6 holes greatly altered or completely new. In addition, the hole sequence is different other than (1 thru 3), and (18). My hole references won't match the prior reviews.
- HAPPY TRAILS - The navigation is great, just shy of perfect. First off, brand new updated tee signs for the tweaked layout. Tee signs have next tee direction on them. Updated course map at the community board. There's also a posting at the board indicating what layout the course is in, which is awesome. This however does limit the course configurations to just two. Which is A or B. The only real complaint I could make is to say that a few transitions are not intuitive.
- RUNNIN WITH THE DEVIL - This one feels like an Intermediate challenge. It requires some long throws and some major precision on a few occasions as well. Keep in mind I always ignore the fake difficulty inflation of the unnecessary OB and mandos when factoring my score for this category.
- HOT FOR THE TEACHER - The hole variety is pretty good. There seems to be an even mix of wooded to open holes. There are placement par 4s and even one par 5 on each layout. A few shots need to be bombed and a few need to hit a tight gap. Fairways hook both ways and there's some modest elevation change in the 20 to 25 foot range on a couple holes. Some could argue that the fake island holes and needless mandos add some variety as well, but I don't give credit for design vandalism.
- OH PRETTY WOMEN - Words like nice, or good, or pleasant I think sum this course up in a nutshell. The grounds were decently maintained for my visit, but a few areas could have been better kept up or smoothed over. The wooded holes were some of favorites out here, like holes (1), (2), (15) and (16), but then other holes were a little less appealing due to their open nature. I scored the course about 55 percentile among all courses I've played to date.
- CAN'T STOP LOVIN' YOU - DISCatcher baskets that were mostly in good shape.

Could be a good course, but it was ruined by gimmicks.
- WHY CAN'T THIS BE LOVE - I've nominated hole (4), with its new triple mando, for worst hole in the observable Universe. Imagine will you a 375 foot openish par 3 hole with the basket straight ahead. However, there is a 12 foot wide triple mando 50 feet short of the basket and its shifted 30 feet to the right of the straight line. Fortunately, there's an alternate long tee that's 500 feet long... requiring the triple mando as well, smh. I forgot to closely check that back tee sign, but I think players were required to walk on all 4s and play "The Floor is Lava!" when approaching the basket. In addition to that disaster, there are two improvised island holes on this course. The first one, hole (11), I paced off 15 feet from the basket to my out-of-bounds throw. I scored myself a birdie, because the hole design was out-of-bounds before my throw was. The second island hole is (12). This one however is a par 4, which is something I have never seen before, and also hope to never see again. (12) has an OB drive line. Go over the line, go to the drop area with a penalty. From tee, I didn't know how far I could throw-it, because they obviously didn't put that crucial info on the tee sign. I played very tedious and left my drive a good 100 feet shy of the line. With over 250 feet left, would I make the circle on approach? I sure did, but not the OB stakes circle. Dear all inspiring course designers, please don't ever consider doing crap like this. For every one person that gets there rocks off on this stuff, there are a half dozen that'll want to stab you with your ob stakes. Not one respectable course designer does gimmicks like this. It's distasteful and ruins the nature of the game. There are three or four other holes I could mention here, but I feel I've rambled on long enough with my displeasures. There are however four really well-designed holes using the woods. This excludes hole (9s) par 5 placement with its wonky twisting and constricted line.
- JUMP - The tees are carpet and are not in the greatest shape. I don't recall any benches either.
- YOU'RE NO GOOD - I've played all three courses in Tuscaloosa now, and none off them seemed beginner friendly to me. I could see Recs and Novices having a good time out here though.

I went back and forth on some rating attributes for this course and ultimately settled on a low 3.0. I so wanted to give it a 2.5 because of a few holes out here, especially hole (4), but there were no doubt some good holes on the layout. Of the three courses in town, I've personally rated it second. Way behind Bowers and in a near tie with Palmore Park. If in town for a game, the first stop is no doubt Bowers, but if a player is looking to switch it up, Ol' Colony should be an ok to good play. Players that just want to bomb shots in open fields should head over to Palmore Park before here, and possibly over Bowers as well.
- I'll WAIT - It moves somewhat quick. I had to pause a couple times for a guy doing some throwing videos. It took me 65 minutes on a near empty course solo.
- VAN HALEN - Eddie Van Halen passed away while I was on a work trip and just a couple days before this review posting. While driving back between Atlanta and Huntsville, I found an XM channel playing nothing but Van Halen for 3 hours. Like many young kids in the early 80s, I envisioned I was Eddie while rocking in the garage with a broom guitar and playing a borrowed tape from my older brother. He was without question my favorite guitarist growing up. RIP Eddie, f cancer.

The course offers a good mix of technical shots and open air throws. Great baskets and outstanding amenities on the property create a great complex for golf. The discatcher baskets are great and because of its proximity to the golf course, golfers are treated to restrooms, alcohol sales and food options.

Some of the uber technical par fours require shots that are not typical golf shots. This course is cut by contractors and in the summer, there is little that can be done to deal with the tall grass.

Ol Colony often gets a unfair shake in comparison to the other courses in town, but there are a number of great and challenging holes on the property and you cannot beat the amenities for new golfers and recreational players.

-two pin placements, long & short. Short is great for beginners, long adds a great challenge for more experienced players

-variety in lengths, mandatories, obstacles, open vs. wooded

-easy to navigate, plays a loop, good signage, decent baskets

-scenic, located at well-maintained country club, garbage cans at some holes

-free to play and use the clubhouse amenities

-no benches

-natural/carpet tees

-seems to favor RHBH a bit, and some holes are a little too straightforward, basically shooting at a basket in a field w/ no obstacles

-I could see how wind would be an issue on some days - many of the holes are playing across an open field w/ little in the way of cover/shade. I can also see how the grass might get a little long in the summer.

-Check out the clubhouse - it has restrooms and a concession stand selling snacks a drinks including beer (they ask that outside drinks aren't brought in)

- Ol' Colony balances out Bowers Park pretty well. Bowers has everything you're looking for in elevation and difficulty while Ol' Colony is a nice easy round. Hike vs. stroll. The course has been coming along for a couple years. Looks like more improvements are being made and still to come. I have to imagine concrete tees are on the list of things to do.

Course is heavily redesigned, so I think it's worth a brand new review.

The new layout fixes the flow issues and confusing backtracks that plagued this track, and adds a lot more intrigue to the old boring holes.

Two pin placements add a lot of variety. Tight tunnel shots, demanding right-to-left and left-to-right lines, and plenty of length.

The short pins are mostly gettable par 3s but there are a lot of lines required, and two legitimate par 4s add some length.

In long, this course is now a beast. Seven par 4s and two legitimate par 5s will absolutely test your game.

In terms of maintenance, the course is being mowed much more regularly. No more losing discs in the middle of the fairway.

Baskets are great -- fairly new DISCatchers that do what they promise.

Carpet tee pads are mostly flat and well-kept.

OB on the course is cleverly used and well-marked. Plenty of signage to explain each hole and to direct you to the next tee if not obvious.

Very little shade on much of the course.

A distinct lack of creature comforts: No seating, very few trash receptacles, no practice basket.

No concrete tee pads, although the carpet pads available are in good shape and offer plenty of grip.

The only restroom available is in the ball golf clubhouse, which is quite a distance from the majority of the DG course.

Maintenance can be an issue. The grass in the field most of the course plays through grows FAST, and right now there are a lot of downed trees / limbs / junk from a project on the golf course.

Woodsy areas of the course are RIDDLED with mosquitos. Make sure to bring plenty of bug spray and sunscreen.

Thanks to some tireless work from Brian Thompson, the layout of this course is now on par with anything else on offer in Tuscaloosa.

Good baskets and ok signage, good mix of terrain mandos, nice layout, sorry no more pros

Very high grass, weeds, very dirty slippery pads terrible maintenance

Could be average or better if it had decent upkeep!

A course can only as good as the land can be. Innova Disccatcher baskets that can be seen far away. #1 hole/tee next to the parking lot.
Hole 1-2, 6,7, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 18 all use some elements of the woods. 9 uses artifical island and/or park road as o.b. to enhance the pucker factor. Good use of what little elevation it has to create a couple downhill throws. Beginning stages as they clear out wood, brush, and the roughage. Two pins per hole. A faithful local club that rotates the baskets.

Long on potential, stronger on roughage. If you richochet off the fairway, be prepared to battle with the brush. The clearing is still in the rough stages. The open area of 3,4,5,8, 10,11,12, 17 will heavily dependent on mowing. If they dont get out and mow, you're in for a long day. Be prepared with long socks or pants. The signs are not as clear navigating the first time. Some holes may be blind from tee, especially if they are in the long pin positions.

Hole 1, 13, 14, and 18 are the closest to the parking lot if you need to restock.

Some people like carpet tees since they dont ruin your shoes as fast. Some people prefer concrete tees since that's the nom de plume. Be prepared for the alternative tees.

I got lost the first time and bumped into Brian Thompson clearing out brush on hole 14. One man working crew is a testament to the course's potential.

Holler on the Tuscaloosa disc golf facebook page and chances are you'll find someone who will throw with you. Friendliest bunch of locals!

Nice Mix of woods and open spaces, and when the grass is cut it's a fun course to walk. Highly visible baskets. The wooded Par 3's are a lot of fun and the local golfers are very friendly. Good course for beginners because it is (relatively) hard to lose a disc on most holes. The short layout is better in my opinion.

When the grass is long it becomes a lot more difficult to find discs and enjoy the walk. Beginners will not like hole 9, which is more technical and long, but I think the consensus is that advanced golfers appreciate the challenge. Not a lot of shade on many holes - bring water! Tee boxes are carpet but they aren't bad. Poison Ivy, which is typical for this area and this sport. Just keep an eye out.

Fun place to play and a great opportunity to iron out kinks on the long, wide open holes. The local club has worked hard to keep the place playable and it's definitely noticeable. About 5 years ago the course was in disarray and unplayable - now it's a nice spot.

This course has a very unique layout in that it incorporates just about every kind of shot. There are some very short technical holes, some open short holes, long open holes and semil-lenghty wooded holes. Holes 1-10 is one of the most fun stretches of holes I've ever played.
When the course is cut and maintained it has the potential to be one of the greats in Alabama.
You can drink alcohol on this course. It is dog friendly.
It isn't pay to play.

It has been a very difficult process with the City of Tuscaloosa PARA department, to get them to cut and maintain the course. SO for long periods of time the course becomes highly unplayable with very tall grass and brush.
With the back 9 being majority open, it can get a little toasty in the summer time with no benches or break from the shade.
Don't throw your disc into the thick stuff off the fairway or you won't find it.

It would help out tremendously if people from the community and other out of town disc golfers could come play the course and then complain as to some of the conditions. I know that's asking alot but as of right now that is the only thing that is going to help. Chances are this turns into a seasonal course between late Oct-Early March. It's a shame bc it really is a beautiful and fun course when taken care of.