Leander, TX

Benbrook Park DGC

2.735(based on 33 reviews)
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7 0
Pizza God
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 36.1 years 1717 played 566 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The good and bad 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 1, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some decent holes
decent baskets

Cons:

Some bad holes
No tee pads

Other Thoughts:

I was reviewing Wilco and didn't notice that I put it here instead on the Wilco page.

Well, I played this course about 2 years ago, I will do my best to remember it and do a late review.

This is not a bad little course, nothing special as it does have several boring holes as fillers.

Most memorable hole to me is hole 5, a par 4 hole 548ft with a pond you have to navigate the last 25% of the fairway. You want to set up your first shot so you can throw over to the basket on your second.

The other thing I remember about this course was holes 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15, these were all boring holes specially 9, 10 and 11, wide open with not much going for them.

That is why I can only give this course a 3.5 although it has some fun holes to throw.

Hole 17 is a fun little shot over a pond (was really full when I played it)

Would I play here again? Well, it has been 2 years since I played it, I doubt I will ever play it again. The course does not suck, it has several good holes, you just have to throw some boring ones to play them.
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7 0
markmcc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12 years 278 played 254 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Challenging Course with a Few Mediocre Holes 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 14, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This 18 hole course uses a strip of land located between a housing development and a sports complex. There is a wooded creek with a couple of ponds that are well used to create many challenging holes.

There is a paved parking area with clean restrooms near the first tee. A course map with an aerial photo of the course, hole lengths, and par information is located near the Hole 1 teepad.

Many of the holes utilize the thick trees and brush lining the creek to create challenge. If you miss the fairway you plunge into a real tangle of honeysuckle and brier. Getting back out will test your skills and add strokes.

Holes 1 and 2 are nothing special, but a decent beginning. Hole 1 requires a big left turn through a line of trees to the basket. Hole 2 is mostly over open ground.

Hole 3 begins with a wide open drive over open ground, but requires hitting a 30' gap in the brushline. The basket is set just beyond the creek in this gap. Missing left or right will add a stroke as you try to get out of the thick tangles.

Hole 4 is the first of the tunnels through the trees and brush, Like many subsequent holes being able to hit a straight, low drive is necessary to make birdie or par.

Some of the bad reviews for this course focus on Hole 5 which is a tough hole to be sure. The basket is set at the end of a 200' long pond, with heavy brush close behind the basket. The landing area at the basket is small and most approaches require a carry over the pond. Losing a disc is a very real possibility on this hole, and I lost one during my first round. But playing it well is very rewarding. If you want to play it safe you make a series of shorter shots alongside the pond, but even here the landing areas are small. All-in-all a very challenging hole, but I like it.

Hole 7 is a short but tough shot over the creek and treeline. If you have a good tomahawk this is the place to bust it out. I don't, so I have to try to hit a gap up in the trees. I accomplish that about 50% of the time. Miss and you're in the shule.

Hole 8 is a strangely short hole that makes a good ace run. But there are plenty of trees to knock down an errant drive and turn your easy birdie into a par.

Holes 14, 15, and 16 place a premium on a straight drive through narrow tree-lined fairways.

The finishing hole is a nice par 4 requiring a left-fading drive, and right-fading second shot over the creek, and an approach to a tucked-in basket near the creek.

Cons:

Teepads are gravel/dirt/mud and they get sticky in wet weather. Some of the tees have a couple of pads dug out, with no specific delineation of the front of the tee or even which pad is "correct".

Tee signs are attractive limestone "tombstones". They blend into the park setting nicely, but the hole maps are crude and in some cases confusing. The Hole 1 sign is a great example, showing the hole running "sideways" (right-to-left) on the sign when in fact it runs straight out with a slight dogleg left.

There are several creek crossings required to play the course. Some of the low-water crossings are partially or totally washed-out, so you either have to backtrack to a bridge or hop across on rocks and logs.

A few holes are long open shots across mowed grass. My least favorite pair is 10 and 11. Hole 10 is an open 452' hole from a slightly elevated tee. You then backtrack a bit to the tee for Hole 11, and play a 385' hole over flat, open ground.

Other Thoughts:

I liked this course because of the variety and many challenging holes. Probably not a great course for a new player as the narrow fairways and water on some holes can get frustrating.
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1 2
Kadedrako
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 2, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

I really like the mix of technical holes with easy wide open ones that you can really open up and let em fly.

Cons:

Not a big fan of dirt tees and the ponds on 5 and 17 can claim a disk quick. 7 is also an interesting one.
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3 1
Jeffrey Reiling
Experience: 4 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Crown of Thorns 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 15, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is the course I play with regularity when I'm enduring the long periods of time I can't afford to play the variety involving the little round ball. I am in no way an expert disc golfer and struggle to follow the terminology involving different throwing techniques ie. hyzer, anhyer, etc. I'm a chunker and proud of it. That's about as technical as I get unless faced with a hole like #7. This would be the one with the "tee box" (this term is used very loosly for this course) tucked away in a small clearing across a creek up a slippery when wet muddy path. You can try throwing your disc WAY up high over the bank of trees directly in front of you using a normal "playing catch with a frisbee" technique (is there a name for this-maybe forearm?). Good luck with that. It can be done, but more often than not, my disc catches the tip top of a tree and plunges downward either to the thorny netherworld below or into a tangle of branches only to be seen again in the fall when the leaves drop. So, I learned to throw overhead style (tomahawk maybe). "CLINK" right in the basket! Oh, I forgot to mention that was about the 68th or so time playing the whole, but yes, "CLINK" indeed. My first and thus far only ace obtained during any round of any variety of golf aside from putt-putt. Nope, I have yet to ace the infinitely simpler very next hole #8. Short, straight, and eerily carved out amongst leaning hedge apple trees and a swampy bog, this hole demands a tight controlled dart. A little to the right and you're knocked to the ground by branches. A bit long and your in the quickmud. A smidge too much mustard using a sidearm throw and you pull to the left directly crashing into a tree trunk. This type of variety and its out in the country/woods feel make this course a sheer pleasure to tackle. It has a fair amount of straight-forward open holes as well, making for a much appreciated reprieve from the canopy hugging (especially in the summer) wormholes that make your arm itch to let loose, but you'de better know better.

The pros would be:
1. 18 fun, free and secluded holes (although right next to a neighborhood-you'll never know it except for #3 which hugs several backyard fences).
2. Wildlife abound during the warmer months, including deer, fish, herons, turtles, many many snakes (could be considered a con by some-not me), fox, racoons, and a stunning display of monarchs and argiope garden spiders if you're there at the right time.
3. Challenging and highly varied play.
Almost never crowded. You will often be in your own beautiful world during the week.
4. Different every time you play, as the creeks and ponds come and go with the changing seasons, adding to the feeling of being part of something alive and evolving, just as your game will be required to be.

Cons:

The most looming of these would be the inconsistent upkeep and mowing. This is only mildly irritating to me but will be more so to others. The course has been trimmed back and several open areas cleared out considerably over the past year or so. Still, thorny brambles abound which will punish you (I mean this literally) for venturing off the beaten path. I have been dripping blood on more than one occasion. Also, be very careful when romping around not to trip up on vines. I have also taken a couple face plants while searching for my all too numerous misguided discs.
The other glaring con in the ease of getting turned around and heading to the wrong hole. This is especially true right at the start after hole #1. Don't throw toward the pond looking for hole #2 or #3 for that matter. #2 basket is toward the houses right in front of the backyard fences. #3 is out of sight down along said fences across a creek a bit to the left in the trees. Study the map recently installed at tee box #1 if you haven't played here before. There are zero signs or guiding aides on the course once you leave the start. The transition from basket #11 to #12 is also tricky. When at basket #11 look to the left behind the wood pile to find tee box #12. Don't go to the right around the corner, that's tee box #15. You'll see what I mean.

Other Thoughts:

Take your family, dog, patience, and long pants. You won't be disappointed. Enjoy the natural world around you and never forget that you're simply one part of it.
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5 0
discgolf512
Experience: 29 years 23 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

North Austin GEM 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 22, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I will take the leap and call this course a "Hidden Gem"
I see no reason this course shouldn't be as popular as; cat hollow, wilco, bart or pease (rip).
This course is technical with a wide variety of shots required.
There are several tight tunnel shots that require finesse.
Some wide open holes with distance (for the big guns). A couple of ACE runs and... a really fun shot midway through the course (hole 7), requiring a big hyzer or thumber over tall trees - you make it and deuce... if not, good luck :)
Throughout the course there is a creek and several ponds that come into play. If you can manage to stay out of those, the trees will try to grab your disc and leave you in the thorns.

The best hole has to be 18!!! It is a combination of the whole course in one long par 4. There is a creek, a pond, and more trees... all waiting to get one last shot at you. Brilliant!
Don't be scared though... slowly the course is getting more popular and the trees are getting worn in (and thus a little more forgiving).

Cons:

The course needs better upkeep from parks dept. even when they do mow, they tend to just cut a 10' swath through the waist high weeds (the winter is great out here).
The tee boxes are hard to find, tee signs are badly needed out here... bring a map and have a great time.

Other Thoughts:

What this course REALY needs is to be adopted by a disc club!
Just a little TLC and this gem will sparkle. I can't wait for someone to run a tourny out here.
UPDATE: 4the chains ran a tournamet! They did a lot of work marking teeboxs and clearing brush. Not only was the course in awesome shape, but one of the golfers at the tournament works for the parks dept. and told me the course will be mowed every two weeks.
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1 1
ian j.
Experience: 14.8 years 6 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Benbrook 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 1, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Challenging
-Long and short holes
-Variety of different shots

Cons:

-Very woody
-No signs at tee boxes
-Not mowed very often
-Dirt tee boxes

Other Thoughts:

Fun if you are fairly good at disc golf. Not a beginner course. Make sure you know where your disc lands after every shot or else you might lose it.
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1 0
musicman
Experience: 15 years 10 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Benbrook 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 8, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Great course for beginners and pros alike
-has a good variety of holes
-water comes into play on at least 4 holes, which can be a good or a bad thing
I'd say it's worth the drive

Cons:

-Not well manicured
-no distinct teeboxes
-very hard to navigate for the first time. My first time I played there, I found myself looking for dirtspots.
-the vegetation will "literally" eat your discs
-the water holes are like quicksand

Other Thoughts:

Make sure to catch this course when it's been mowed. Also, play it with a local if it's your first time out.
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3 0
austin aero
Experience: 24 years 40 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

benbrook 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

It's good to have a tough course in the area. Aside from Wilco, the other courses in Leander tend to be 9 hole beginner neighborhood park courses. I played this course before it opened and again recently. The open holes are easier when the grass has been cut. The "creek" holes have gotten tougher as vegetation has continued to make the fairways tighter. There is a good mix of holes challenging you to throw a sidearm here and a tomahawk there.

Cons:

Definitely take a map the first couple times. The tee pads need a lot of work. If the parks dept. can keep some of the fairways cut to a decent height, play can run a lot smoother. I remember when Cat Hollow opened, it had the same problem and now play on it is faster with maintained fairways.

Other Thoughts:

Tough holes are the ones you remember and make the game memorable.
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2 1
biggio1
Experience: 17.9 years 39 played 27 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 22, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

There are a wide array of shots to be had. There is a beautiful creek that runs through the course that has water in it every time I play it.

Cons:

Some high grass at times. Hard to find tees at times. 4-5 really open holes that get boring.

Other Thoughts:

A great course located close to 5 more courses in the Greater Austin Area.
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