Austins Colony Park sits next to an elementary school. The park has the usually attractions plus an archery range and a roller hockey rink. And the bathrooms were unlocked and reasonably clean. The grassy area out by the # 7 basket was pretty wet and soggy.

There are only two tee signs left. The tee pads are natural and the baskets are older, single chain Discatchers with the yellow rims.

The course starts near the parking lot and bathrooms. However, the little ass wipes have tore down that sign so it was a little confusing. It's not an easy hole playing 330' down a fairly narrow corridor. I seemed to be one of the chosen ones who was able to track down the two short, wooded holes, 4 & 5. Just cross the little bridge beyond the # 3 basket. Naturally, the same little pricks have ripped down this sign so you're guessing as to the distance. Fir the record, it's a very short, little hyser throw of 120'. Since there is no official tee pad, you can easily lessen the severe angle with each step to the right you take. But be aware that the creek is just a few feet to the left of the basket. That nifty hyser throw could easily skip right into the little creek. Add a stroke for OB. # 5 is 245' and technical. Crossing over two small bridges will lead you back out to # 6. The last four holes are pedestrian like, the same throws you'll find in every little, average course like this.

The little schmucks have knocked down 7 of 9 signs. And these were pretty nice signs. You gotta make them stout and vandal proof.

Especially without signage, the navigation is iffy your first time playing here.

Holes 4 & 5 are a little troublesome to locate.

The trees on the right side of # 3's fairway are about the grippiest little mothers I've ever encountered. If you happen to not make that corner, be sure to look up when searching for your disc. These trees don't want to let go.

Course doesn't loop back to start. Long walkout after 9.

This course desperately needs a course angel. A retired guy who likes the game, has time and likes to see a course looking nice. I ran into just such a candidate while playing here today. He seemed like just the right guy. I tried to put the bug in his ear about being the course angel but in the end, he just wasn't too interested.

If I played here regularly, I would carry a pair of clippers and would covertly be clipping some of those nasty, Texas plants every time I landed in the rough. I'd be getting those plants that are so clingy and stickery. And I'm in the rough on a regular basis. That would make me, like a junior second rank, course angel.

Austins Colony DGC is a pretty good 9 hole course, located around a school, and recreational area with covered basketball and tennis courts, archery range, walking trails, playground and more. A nice variety of long and short holes in lefts, rights, and a couple of doglegs. The tees are dirt, usually level and clear. All baskets are in place and in good working order. Several of the holes use thick rough and trees, effectively adding difficulty. Others are easy twos for experienced disc golfers. Scoring par is not a given.

Many other park users means occasional delays in play. A walking path crosses the course in places and ball fields border some holes. The ninth hole ends with a good walk back to the car. The course could be marked better, but after one time through is isn't hard to navigate. Two holes are missing tee signs. It was dry for my most recent round, but rains can leave muddy tee pads and puddles on the fairways.

Austins Colony offers a few challenging holes, and a fast nine with a lot of different looks. I played it often when I lived in the area, and still would if I were still there. It isn't the best course in town, maybe not in the top three, but I enjoy it all the same.

There is enough variation in this nine hole course to use a repertoire of shots, and the overall length of the course is good. There is a nice creek and a wooded area for holes #4 and #5 with a different look from the beginning and ending parts of the course. There is ample parking, and it looks like this is an underplayed course compared to more prominent courses in the area.

BEST HOLE/S: #3; #5

Pin #4 is currently missing. Being in the heavily wooded area - I'm not surprised if it has been stolen, which is too bad because it takes so much away from the course. We used a tree about four feet from where the pin placement was as our target for this exceptionally easy 120' dog leg left. #4 seems more like a filler hole than the impressive tightly wooded creek-lined hole it could have been. #5 also looks like a lazy design choice picking an existing path rather than cut the forest a little to make a interesting shot.

In addition, #7 is a throwaway hole - a straightforward, barely treed 265' shot that seems like a throwback to older courses like Alex Clark Memorial DGC in McKinney. The signage is average in general, but sub standard to most Houck designed tee signs. Plus, besides hole #3, most are easy to drive in one. Really, the first three holes I believe are the best and the only reason it managed a 2.5 disc rating. Note, make sure you consult a map for the walks between #2 and #3 as well as between #3 and #4.

WORST HOLE/S: #7

Austin's Colony is not a bad course, however - I guess I just expect more when I come to a Houck course. The combine of straightforward lines, and no real wow factor, I would prefer to play the other courses if I was in the area. So, would I enjoy playing here if I lived close - sure, it makes for a fine home course. This just isn't the course I would drive out of my way to play, and certainly is at the bottom of the around 10 different Houck courses I have played.

Having finally played all of the current courses the Bryan/College Station area has to offer, I have made two separate lists for you to consider when making your next visit to Aggieland. I have ranked them first by overall course quality and then my personal enjoyment rating which varies a bit from the first list. Please note however, I enjoyed all of these courses, and none of them stood out as the clear favorite.

Course Rating and Quality:
1. Research Park 3.5 discs;
2. Southern Oaks Park 3;
3. Wolf Pen Creek 3;
4. Austin's Colony 2.5;
5. Oaks Park 2;
6. Bonham Park 1.5;
7. First Baptist Bryan DGC 1;
8. Tiffany Park 1.

Personal Enjoyment: (1 is best & 5 is worst)
1. Southern Oaks Park
2. Wolf Pen Creek;
3. Research Park;
4. Oaks Park;
5. Bonham Park;
6. Austin's Colony
7. First Baptist Bryan DGC
8. Tiffany Park

A well designed 9-hole course that has a pretty good balance of holes. For RHBH players there's one anhyzer, five mostly straight shots, and three hyzer shots. No significant elevation, but good use of trees to make challenging shots. Tee signs are very well done.

A nice multi-use park with all the amenities including bathrooms, plus a roller hockey rink and archery range above and beyond the standard fare.

First timers absolutely need a map as the transition from #2 to #3 is not obvious and #4 & #5 can easily be missed if you don't know where they are.

There's more walking than you might expect from a 9-hole course. #9 does not finish close to where #1 starts.

Stay out of the creek because that water is nasty. The park isn't filthy, but it definitely has its share of litter.

The weather was poor when I played thus the park was mostly empty other than the golfers at the tournament, so I can't speak much to the possibility of interference from other park patrons but I can see where that might be an issue during peak periods.

<span class="underline">#1</span> starts off with a fairly wide tree lined fairway shot with a slight hyzer fade at the end. <span class="underline">#2</span> is the biggest anhyzer shot on the course. <span class="underline">#3</span> is long at almost 550'. <span class="underline">#4</span> is a very challenging 120' sharp left curve that abuts the creek so don't overthrow it. <span class="underline">#5</span> will test your straight throwing, tree dodging ability. <span class="underline">#6</span> is a straight, slight anhyzer shot with a gap to hit 2/3 of the way down the fairway. <span class="underline">#7</span> is a pretty easy straight or hyzer shot. #8 and #9 have a pond area which a local told me is almost always dry. <span class="underline">#8</span> is a straight shot ~160' over the pond which should be easy to clear for most players. <span class="underline">#9</span> is a great hole: it takes an almost perfect shot to put yourself in birdie position and that's assuming the pond is dry. If there's water then the hole changes completely as the OB risk wouldn't be worth the reward.

Bottom line is that I thought the course was technically okay, but I just didn't get a great vibe from it that would inspire be to go out of my way for this course.