Waco, TX

Brazos Park East

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3.875(based on 23 reviews)
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10 0
GeezerGolfDFW
Experience: 9 played 2 reviews
5.00 star(s)

This Course is still the Beast

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 5, 2024 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is long and is structured for younger players with a full set of skills and have power to throw long. If you can effectively throw a roller this course will reward you. It is fantastically beautiful. There are views up and down river and across the river looking at the limestone cliffs. This could be the most scenic course I have played anywhere: including Texas, Kentucky, Alabama and Oklahoma. The course is fair and very difficult. Most of us have seen the course many times played by the Pros on Jomez.

Begins with open holes with tight OB. Player needs to know how to play in the wind. Starting around hole 5 a number of holes encourage the use of rollers to go long and stay under the canopy of huge oak or pecan trees. The number of trees increases as we approach the back half of the course.

There are two holes around hole seven that are if not unique are very unusual and difficult. I think it is hole seven that requires a shot down a lane with tight OB on the left and dense scrub brush and trees on the right to a point bounded by a street and parking lot. The basket is about 250 feet or more to the right from that point in a fairly small meadow. It has brush on the north side. It has the Brazos River to the west and a pond on the south.

The next hole is the famous pond where Simon Lizotte threw his putter over 400 feet from the tee to the basket. The pond is about 350 long and about 200 or more feet wide. There is about 90 feet of open area to the pond. Once past the pond you have about 80 feet of open area until you hit scrub brush that is difficult to throw back out of. Imagine a square the tee is at one corner, the basket is at the diagonally opposite corner. The pond runs most of the length of the hole so that it must be thrown over.

The back half of the course is cut through Oak scrub. Most of the holes have narrow lanes that wind through the scrub. The lanes are mostly clean with definite danger if missed. Players needs excellent backhand anhyzer shots and forehand shots to be successful on the back half. This area is where patience and skill can help the older player compete. This course is a fun and rewarding round.

The course is always well maintained. It has great signage. An outstanding course in every way.

Cons:

? Maybe that this course is designed to reward power and skill beyond the average player. Playing this course helps me realize the true level of skill and power the Pro players display.

Other Thoughts:

I need some discs that do not have large fade or hyzer for wooded courses. In spite of my frustration it was fun to play this course. It is not the most difficult course I have played or maybe it is very difficult, but very fair. It does not have lots of tiny tree limbs sticking out unseen to catch what appears to be a great shot and it is not full of tiny trees in the middle of the lane. Lyndsey Park I am talking about you.
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13 0
Thomashasfun
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.8 years 496 played 494 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Don't leave after 9 holes! The back is much better!!

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 23, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Lots and lots of distance to showcase the arm
- The back 9 is full of long, tight holes (giggity)
- Par 4 is the norm not the exception
- Plenty of ways to punish bad throws out here
- Trees and lots of trees!
- The front 9 is very pleasing to the eyes and camera
- I personally appreciated all of the benches - it's a big course!
- Lots of different accurate shots required out here

Cons:

- Without Udisc it would be very frustrating to navigate here
- The front 9 while solid has a few questionably long, boring holes
- Lots of blind basket locations make you walk up fairways searching
- Almost a completely flat course
- NOT for n00bs!
- Hole 5 is a dangerous hole! It's a dogleg right and when finishing this hole you walk back through the fairway to the next tee pad. It's blind for you or anyone throwing so no way of telling if you're getting hit or if you're teeing off if you're going to hit someone else!

Other Thoughts:

I can see how it got its name. The back 9 is a beatdown but also quite fun. I wish there were more holes like the back and less like the front to be honest, too many open bomber holes for my taste but for me 1 is too many of those haha. Yeah this is a big course made for big arms with accuracy as well. Not a baggers dream because it will take a while to play but if you're looking for quality and to be challenged look no further!
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18 0
Doofenshmirtz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.4 years 124 played 72 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Schizophrenic 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 26, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is evenly divided between an open, overly long course with lots of pavement and water OB and a somewhat too long, tight-line course through heavy woods. The front nine is the utter opposite of the back nine. I've never played a course so distinctly divided between two different types of terrain.

BACK NINE: The back nine is the strength of this course. While clearly too long and tight for beginners, if the entire course consisted of such holes, I would have a difficult time finding fault other than an apparent lack of short tees on many holes. For advanced players, the fairways are tight and long, but fair. Discs will fly that way, you just have to hit very precise lines with distance. If the back nine were a stand alone course, it would be the best 9-hole course that I have ever played. Despite the lack of more short tees, I would rate this part of the course a 5.

Only holes 5 (an acute dogleg right with plenty of OB water) and 6 (an excellent hole with elevation off the tee, a sub-500' basket distance that some might be tempted to try to reach from there and a water carry if you want a par) are the standout holes.

Cons:

While the front nine isn't bad overall, only holes 5 and 6 are worthy of being on the same course as the back 9, so I'm putting the front nine in the negative category.

FRONT NINE: This part of the course has distance as its primary obstacle in the sense that distance was used to make otherwise open holes more difficult. There are 2 memorable holes with water in play and a couple of decent holes through a lightly wooded area, but the rest are mostly forgettable tweeners too long to birdie and too open not to par for most mortal payers. One hole encourages a blind throw along a walking path. Other holes use walking paths as OB unnecessarily. One short, blind par 3 has had its throwing gap become obstructed by vegetation and encourages throws dangerous for unseen people on a walking path. As an example, of a tweener, hole 4 is a 615' par 4 with the first 400' in an open field. There are a few large trees afterwards, but nothing to provide much in the way of an obstruction for your approach shot. The hole might was well be out in a field. Overall, I give this part of the course a 3.5.

Other Thoughts:

The division between tight and open fairways seems to be a bit polarizing in the reviews. I definitely fall into the group that appreciates the design of the tightly wooded back nine more than the wide open front nine. With some tweaks to the distances, I could up my rating somewhat. I'm going to weight the front nine a little heavy and land on 4 overall.

The back nine makes this course a must play for me. I'd probably just play it twice for 18 holes if I play it again.
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16 0
Shadrach3
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.1 years 339 played 322 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Well-Deserved Reputation 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

The bEast is a real championship tournament course, yet somewhat accessible to lower-level players.

-Amenities: Concrete tees. New Prodigy baskets. Tee signage from longs with #, distance, map, and very aggressive pars (some of them lower than the Pro Tour pars). Paths between tees are mostly clear.

-Layout: The first nine holes play in the open, with the second nine in thick woods. This creates two 9-hole loops, and also segments the course for partial play. If you want to use the DGPT pro layout, start at hole (7).

-Natural Beauty: Though it's a city park, the bEast has some stunning and pleasant sceneries. Several of the open holes overlook the Brazos River and opposing cliffs, while the woods holes are very lush and (5)-(6) have a beautiful little lake in play.

-Challenge: Though one of the easier courses on the Pro Tour, the bEast is still a major challenge from the longs. I arrived at (10) and was floored by the difficulty of the woods. I rate it in my top 5 or maybe top 7 of difficulty. This rec player got demolished, though it was a bad day.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Very demanding, very fair, and very thrilling to throw. The open holes present several options that can lead to birdies if executed well, but OB or water for many mistakes. The woods holes force you to play smart and not go for too much, since the rough is nightmarish to scramble from. All the lines are highly believable but still interesting. Nine par-4 and two par-5s give lots of style variety. A lower-skilled player could score well with excellent execution, but probably won't--an indicator of a course that challenges the wit side of the sport and not just the strength.

-Multi-Tees: The shorts definitely make the course easier. It's a better track for the options.

-Terrain: The water and elevation are both used very well here. Interesting plays on hills, and water is both a decision-maker and a creative hazard.

Cons:

-Rough: On the woods holes, a shot off the fairway may well be left with only a pitch-out. It's incredibly thick.

-Navigation: A bit hokey in parts. The (17)-(18) transition isn't intuitive, and a couple other parts could lose me since they require utilizing walking paths. I recommend using a map/UDisc if not being guided.

-Disc Loss: Between the rough and the water, losing a disc is not improbable.

-Difficulty: Don't bring a beginner. Only bring a rec player that knows what they're getting into.

-Why Not a 5? The bEast lacks drop-dead beauty, though it is very fine. The open section is also quite open and, while still challenging and interesting, is not best-in-the-country type terrain/design. I actually disagree with the previous reviewer, and think the woods holes may present the better side of the bEast (though very demanding).

Other Thoughts:

The bEast was the most fun I've had on a disc golf course for a while. The challenge and design is pro-level, with solid beauty, substantial challenge, and a propensity to favor good mental gameplay. Though it may not be Best of the Best, it's fully Phenomenal and worth a visit from any disc golfer with experience.
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18 0
blake833
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.5 years 161 played 142 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Been waitin' a long time for you 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

I've been wanting to play this course for a long time, and it did not disappoint. I really want to write about my round, but this isn't a review of my round, this is a review of the course. And this course blew me away. And sometimes destroyed me.

The front nine is big. Long holes, more open, and some truly epic lines. I am usually not a huge fan of power holes, but I actually really liked these. Number 5 or 6 is the epic dog-leg right hole, and it was a joy to be in the circle after two (still missed that putt tho).

The back nine is much more technical. Sadly, most of the discussion of the back nine is coming in the next section.

The tees were ample sized concrete, the baskets white Dynamic Disc Veterans. No complaints there. Some tee signs still had the tournament stuff on them, but they were basically the same info and pictures, just a different pro-level par I think.

The views of the river were spectacular. The opposite bank was a cliff face topped with some trees. I wish there were more views on the back nine, but it was pretty tight.

The lines in the woods were wide enough to be fair, and a variety of directions.

Cons:

After the front nine, I was thinking about maybe even a 4.5 rating. But the back 9 solidified the 4, and the main reason is because there were many holes where the gap was just crazy tight, the angles not exactly following a natural disc flight. Maybe opening up a little bit in some places, taking some guardian trees out, could help it a bit.

There's not a lot of elevation. I'm from New Orleans area, so really the little elevation there is feels like a relief (badum-tsh)

Other Thoughts:

I truly enjoyed being able to play these holes after watching the pros play them. To me, that's a pro, and the big reason this was the only course I played on my way through Waco.

The two different nines feels like two very different courses. It's hard to rate them both together, because both experiences are so different. Their strengths and weaknesses are different, the skills you need are different, and mixed together would be the better way to play it, but it would still be the same rating- Excellent.
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4 14
34blast
Experience: 27.4 years 50 played 31 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Great challenging course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 14, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good parking
Good signage
Facilities
Challenging
Some tight out of bounds

Cons:

None

Other Thoughts:

There is the reason the pros play here. This is a great challenging course. There are alot of holes that a big arm is a huge bonus.

The front 9 has some really long holes, but they are not just bomber holes. There are some serious out of bounds problems and shots across or by water.

The back nine has some serious woods holes. If you get off the fairway, it can be punishing. I've seen guys in my group take a 8 on a hole because they can't get out of the woods.

I recommend looking over the map and holes before going if new to help plan your attack. My scores went way down after the 3rd time of playing and knowing how to play my the lies
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19 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 694 played 680 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Complete Challenge 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 8, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

(3.751 Rating) A tale of two different nines. The front is for power and the back is technique. Please note that this course appears to have had a couple more tweaks in last year or so.
- CHALLENGING - Brazos Park East, AKA "The Beast" is going to challenge a player's full arsenal. Hugh bombing plays and tight technical holes. There is water in play on a few shots that offer amazing risk reward choices. A great example of this is on hole (6), which plays 500 feet as the crow flies but has a 450 foot water clear on the direct line. No doubt the biggest bombers can make this, however those that can only clear 425 will have to start making choices on whether to throw across to the right on a constantly shrinking fairway or play it safe to the left and add distance and also a more difficult water clear approach shot. Hole (5), when in the back position, is a gut checking dogleg par 4 with water left and beyond. Then there's the back nine, which is almost entirely heavily wooded. A hole like (15) is a relatively short par 5 at just over 500 feet, but the line is consistently less than 15 feet wide. A perfectly executed bullet play tailing to the right at the end could offer an approach play towards to basket and then an eagle putt. However, a miss early off the tee with a bad ricochet could result in a big number.
- RAW BEAUTY - Way up there in my personal rankings. Several views of the large Brazos river and cliffs in the backdrop. The approach of (5) and the tee off on (6) give the best views of the river. The entire back nine are all heavily wooded gems. Picking a favorite is like picking a favorite Ferrari. Most of the holes on the back nine are full length tunnel shots. Several have rolling elevation elements to them. The areas around the baskets were fully manicured on my visit and they had some mulch thrown in to make the framed basket area pop. Hole (13s) basket plays over 12 deep dry wash and has nice heavy timber stairs and terracing. Overall, I'd roughly give the back nine a 4.5/5 and the front a 3.75/5. A few shots on the front are rather average looking being lightly wooded park style shots with manmade feature in view.
- UNIQUENESS - Other than missing substantial elevation plays, this course has just about it all. Open shots and heavily wooded tunnels. Water clears and a parallel water plays. Pockets shots and 4 dogleg holes. Although unfortunately all of these doglegs are to the right. Hole (7), has vegetation growing up cutting off a direct line. If left as is, it provides a shot that must be played more overtop than level. Lots of bomb plays on the first few holes to stretch out the arm. The only thing that is not ideal is that the front 9 and back 9 are not mixed together to provide a better balance throughout.
- CHARACTER - The amenities and extras is one of the course's weaker areas, but it's still above average. Nice concrete tees being 5 feet by 12 feet. Effective hole signage showing a fairly accurate hole layout along with distance, par info and next tee direction. The baskets are top of the line Dynamic Veterans. There are several benches although it would be nice to have them on every hole considering the length of this course. An updated course map at the entry of the park. Lacking and missing items include; No community board, only 2 multi tees, no alternate basket locations with maybe (5) being an exception. Basket (4) was missing on my visit.
- NAVIGATION - Considering the signage noted under the Character Pro and all the well placed navigational cues between holes, this course is fairly easy to navigate first time through. The course is also mostly cart friendly with hole (13s) steps being the one hick-up.
- MAINTENANCE - The grounds were in awesome shape on my visit. There's a sign on the way to (10) stating that the local club keep up the back nine. They've done an amazing job.

Cons:

Only a couple minor issues of note and some preferential things.
- SAFETY HAZARDS - Several holes on the front 9 bring park roads and walking paths into play.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Keep the kids away from this one. Far too many unforgiving areas on this course. I'd personally would only recommend this course to those at the 850 rating level (Recreational) and above.
- LOOSE DISC OPPS - Water plays a major role on holes (5), (6) and (7). Unless a player's disc floats, making a mistake here could mean lost plastic. There are also a few scrubby cattail areas where retrieval seems impossible. The back nine has lots of heavy overgrowth area, where searching could extend beyond 10 minutes.
- POISON IVY - I could tell that the club is taking it out in the common flight path areas on the back nine. However, any horrible ricochet could possibly end up in it.
- LACK OF ELEVATION - I wasn't expecting much considering the course is in the flood plain of the 400 foot wide Brazos river. A few holes have 15 to 20 feet of grade play in them. Hole (15) might get close to 30 down but it's a 500 foot long hole.
- TIME WAITING - I had to wait several times on the front. I had to completely change my tee location on (6). There was a fisherman 325 feet down fairway. The perfect distance for me to nail him and too far to yell "Hey, why the %#@& are fishing in the middle of a disc golf course"
- TIME PLAY - I finished in 90 minutes solo, first time through. I figure this will translate for a foursome in at 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 hours.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course and it's a must play for anyone traveling between Austin and Dallas. I ran my numbers on this course several times and kept getting numbers right around the 3.75 mark. IMO the back is a strong 4 perhaps flirting with a 4.25. The front has some awesome elements to it, but it has some glaring issues as well. There is still room for improvement on this course too, as it doesn't have all the bells and whistle like the top established course along the I35 corridor. Putting a full second set of tees out here and adding some alternate baskets, among other things, are dynamics I look for in excellent and phenomenal courses.
- PAR STRUCTURE - The new tee signs have a par structure set up according top pros. The signs indicate several 500 and 600 foot par 3s on the front. In no way, did I rate the difficulty of the course based on these artificially lowered par figures. Holes (1), (3), (4), (6) and (8) were clearly par 4s before the signs were updated.
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16 0
Chained Evil
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.4 years 1179 played 232 reviews
4.50 star(s)

The pros make it look so EASY 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Solid mix of every shot on this course. Short, moderate, and long holes are present. Dog leg left and right as well. Good park style holes with tasty lines and OB to keep things interesting and some great wooded holes on the back nine to balance things out.
Signage is very good and the tee pads are more than ample.
Water threat on a few holes especially holes 5 and 6. Some baskets sit on slopes or next to the river so the roll away factor and/or pucker factor is present to add to the challenge of running putts.
Directional arrows to assist with the navigation.
Flow is logical.
This course will challenge all levels of players and there is a good mix of every kind of shot on this course.
There is a little bit of elevation on the back nine but not like at Cameron Park across the river.
Beautiful scenic views of the Brazos river and the scenic cliff.
The mandos that are in place serve to keep you from endangering any other park goers or cars so they were well placed.

Cons:

There is a walking path that comes into play on a few holes on the front 9 so be aware before you throw. Also the parking lot is close on a few holes to.
There is some long walks between basket's and tees but its not too extreme. Some will find that it slows the flow of the round down a bit however.
I could see some of the hard pack in the fairways on the back 9 being slick after a good soaking rain so footing could be an issue.

Other Thoughts:

Hole 5 is an extremely challenging hole that will test both your accuracy and mental game. OB on the left hand side and heavy rough on the right. Its a placement shot basically to the big trees and then an extremely accurate approach to get to the well guarded penisula in which the basket resides. Heavy rough on the right upon approach and a pond on the left. One of the signatures holes here IMO. You follow up 5 with hole 6 that if you have the arm and can carry the water 400+ feet you could have a look at an Eagle. Its a par 4 but for the majority of players a smarter play to the fairway and then trying to come across the water is a better play. Fun risk reward hole.
There is a sign before you enter the back 9 that reads "bEast Back Nine" and it lives up to its name. The holes on this half of the course are wooded and there are very nice lines that must be hit in order to score well. Again your accuracy, mental game, and patience will be tested. The shots vary from hole to hole and so does the length. This section of the course will test you for sure but it is so fun to play and see how your game stacks up.
Staying in the fairway on the back 9 is critical to scoring well on the back 9. The rough is going to make you work to get back into the fairway so strokes will be accumulated if a player isn't accurate. A player that can throw both BH/FH will have a leg up on this course for sure.
Theres a reason this course is featured on the Disc Golf Pro Tour and host the Waco Annual Charity Open. Its a very good course that has enough teeth to test the best in the world. Now don't let the Pros fool you into thinking its an easy play. Of course they make it look easy on TV because they are PROFESSIONALS after all. For the rest of us mortals you will have to work in order to score well here.
Overall this is a solid course that is a MUST play. IMO I would play William Cameron Park across the river first to get warmed up before tackling this extremely challenging course. Both are solid courses and compliment each other very well. I definitely want to come back and try to tame this beast again.
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2 7
Jmk5704
Experience: 10 years 58 played 32 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fantastic 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

This just a fantastic course, lots of variety, open, tunnles, water, and ob all come into play on this course. It's just a great course to play that will challenge your game in all areas.

Cons:

It's not that beginner friendly. It would probably make most beginners not want to play disc golf anymore.
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1 6
Jennay
Experience: 8.8 years 34 played 6 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Favorite course in Texas 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Most shot variation of any course in Texas
Extremely difficult but there will be a few holes that for sure play to your strength because theyre so varrying
beautiful park
nice people
super easy to follow layout
awesome baskets

Cons:

Hole 5 (I think) is a really good hole but odds are youre loosing a disc playing it

Other Thoughts:

Love this course so much!
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8 0
Notorious21
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.2 years 106 played 48 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Difficult, but fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Great mix of open and tight holes - front 9 is very open, back nine is very tight - feels like two different courses
- Professional lengths and pars - not a typical par 3 course
- Challenges all parts of one's game - requires power and control to achieve par on any given hole
- Scenic view over the Brazos river and sandstone bluffs
- Nice concrete teepads, good signage - easy to navigate without a map, despite potentially confusing layout

Cons:

- Mixed use front 9 - pedestrians, fishermen, boats loading and unloading close enough to fairways to be at risk
- Mosquitoes prevalent in the back 9
- Not a lot of elevation change
- Hole 5 is a nasty disc eater - very sharp dog leg right with only a narrow landing strip to the basket

Other Thoughts:

Do not go into this course using the conventional "par 3 for everything", unless you like to count high. This is a professional level course, and there are legitimate par 4s and 5s, and they should be played that way. A 4 on hole 18 from the long teepad, for instance, definitely feels like a birdie, not a bogey.
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4 4
254dga
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Technical course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 20, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Well manicured front 9 and clear fairways for the back 9. Real restrooms, no big groups in the way, only serious players if you come across anybody. Pdga rated holes, uploaded recent Par for every hole on udisc app. Can play a whole rd under 2 hrs.

Cons:

If you can't hit lines or fairways don't try and play the back nine down. Only the "smart" & "skilled survive the back 9. The wind in the front 9 is killer on drives off the tee on a couple holes. The wind/ o.b in the front 9 can make or break a good rd.

Other Thoughts:

I've played many other courses in many cities, states, and none can compared to the "beast" as the locals call this course. It can eat you alive if your not carefull...Beware the Beast.
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5 3
Pizza God
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 36.6 years 1888 played 637 reviews
4.50 star(s)

The BEAST 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 5, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Cement Tee pads on all the holes
Very wide variety of holes
Course map is near hole 18? Thought this was funny.

Cons:

Hard to think of too many.
Tee signs could use maps of the holes.
Fairways are pretty tight in some places.
There are several holes on the Beast side that you are forced to lay up your drive to get the right shot for your upshot.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a monster.

Front holes are longer and more open. There are some birds, but several are out of my range.

The Back Beast lives up to it's name. STAY ON THE FAIRWAY.

Loads of poison ivy and if your off the fairway, you are loosing several strokes.
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3 4
RyDaddy
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Perfect mix of open bombs and wooded bliss! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 20, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great open front with some long and some medium length holes, just enough trees and OB in play to make you have to make good shots! The pond on hole 6 tempts you to throw over it and go for glory or play smart and lay up.
The back is heavily wooded with tight, but fair fairways and there are some beautiful holes back there! I think a few trees were taken out of 15 and 18 since last I played it.
Well upkept course, nice concrete pads and no damaged baskets!

Cons:

A few of the tee pads need to be textured because they are pretty slick with dirt on them.

Other Thoughts:

This course demands every shot and you to know your limits and be comfortable with them. Don't try and be a hero on every hole and you may just end up with a great score!
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5 2
JerryChesterson
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30.2 years 186 played 42 reviews
4.00 star(s)

nice mix of park and woods golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 27, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice tee boxes
Decent signage
Easy to navigate
Great design
Good facilities (bathrooms, etc.)
Very pretty on the eyes

Cons:

The back nine is a little rough and wasnt mowed. When i played it wasnt a problem but since the rest of the course was manicured i figure the back nine migjt get a little overgrown.

Other Thoughts:

If you are traveling through on I35, hit this course up. Lots of fun. Not sure why some of the other reviews didnt like the back nine. Its exactly what i want out of woods golf.
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12 0
pablo.diablo
Experience: 14.7 years 66 played 11 reviews
4.00 star(s)

The BEast 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 24, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Love this course. It has the perfect mix of bombs, control drives, and super technical play. There was some water in play, plenty of OB, and elevation, which are 3 requirements for an excellent course for my own personal taste in course design.

Front 9 has some beautifully framed bomber holes, including street and water OB. Reminded me of a much better Old Settlers Park with huge trees in the fairways.

I would have to say the signature hole on the Front 9 is the one that plays along the pond, then forces a throw over a little bit of water after crushing a nice drive. I setup for a beautiful '3' and it was very rewarding.

There were excellent tees with plenty of run-up and very nice signs that detailed the pin positions and distances.

There was a nice bathroom facility at the end of Hole #1 which you loop back towards to finish the Front 9, and I always enjoy that type of routing so you can stop by your vehicle to refill waters or have a snack break, etc.

The Back 9 enters you into some technical warfare, and personally I have no problem with this type of challenge. People get bent out of shape when they can't stay under Par easily and that's just an attitude / perspective problem if you ask me. You have to have all techniques to navigate this type of technical layout - straight mids, controlled backhands, forehands, and a few tricks up your sleeve like overhands and rollers to get you out of trouble. I don't remember any bad holes but I'll have to play it again and re-check the "unfairness factor".

Again, the Back 9 loops back to the parking area, so you can choose to replay it without an epic walk if you need some instant revenge.

I had a blast, and it would be a fantastic doubles course, which is the most enjoyable and stress-free way to play golf in my opinion.

Cons:

I really have nothing bad to say about the course, although I only played it once so far...I will be back!

I will just say that difficult, challenging, highly technical golf is my favorite style, though, whereas most players find it to be immensely frustrating. Some of my favorite technical courses are Little Egypt, Spring Valley, Lindsey Park, Lake Nacogdoches, Pier Park, Shawshank, McClain, if that gives you a better idea of my preferences.

If you only like throwing wide open shots that don't require L-R control, you will probably get very frustrated by the back 9, and even some of the front. Learn to throw a straight midrange shot and put the drivers away then try again.

I thought the other nearby course, Brazos West had just as much technical play but they were much shorter which suits "old man" style golf much better. Meaning you can have a bad tee throw and still recover for Par lots of times, whereas the Beast will punish you more accordingly on the score sheet.

Other Thoughts:

In conjunction with Brazos West, this course makes Waco a good destination for a day of disc golf. The Waco club has a nice golf scene and there were a ton of players out there for the Mini we played. Good times.

If you want a tasty beverage between or after rounds, go hit up nearby Cricket's Bar and Grill. They had like 80 taps (lots of good Texas Craft beers), decent food, and darts, pool tables, and shuffleboard to make it fun for a whole day of gaming. I'm sure there are times it's busy and not as fun, but we enjoyed it.

My name is "Boogie Flights" on Facebook if you want to hit me up for a round in the Austin area sometime.
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3 8
griff17
Experience: 16.4 years 69 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

great front 9, not so great back 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The whole front 9 is really good "park golf". Nothing really tight and just scattered trees. There are several " duece" holes and some big par 4's. Distances on par 4's were well thought out. Ob street,sidewalks and a pond make you think before just crushing something with no concern for a bad finish. There were several ways to attack most holes. Again, I really liked this half of the course.

Cons:

I strongly dislike 6-7 of the holes on the backside of this course. Bottlenecks at 70-90% of the way down long tight fairways, low canopies, tons of random trees littering already tight fairways...I understand this portion of the course was recently revamped and may beat in a little, but not near enough to be what I would consider "fair"ways. This is much luck required to navigate this course.

Other Thoughts:

Let me say this so you know where my review comes from, I am a 5th year pro rated as high as 990. 90% of the golf I play now is tournament golf for $. I review the actual course with aesthetics and amenities playing only a small role bit those will be included in this summary. I take into account % of good holes to bad and give extra credit accordingly.
This course is in a beautiful park on a beautiful river, but I would only play this course for casual or dubs play because of the unnatural lines and luck factor on the backside.
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4 0
Joe6Pack
Experience: 34 played 18 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Bring a BIG arm! :) 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 4, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Front 9 is very well maintained in community park
- Variety of open/tight, varying elevation, and water holes
- Great tee pads, signs and baskets
- Lots of challenge (mostly due to long distances)
- Tons of trees make for good play and lots of shade
- OBs provide extra challenge

Cons:

- Ridiculously long course
- Somewhat difficult to navigate (especially back 9)

Other Thoughts:

While I enjoy airing out 400-450 ft drives, it seems this course relies a little too much on having a long arm. Would like to see a little more touch lines on the course, especially in the heavily wooded back 9 (so much potential). This course really challenges your distance accuracy, so make some smart shots, otherwise you'll be searching for discs in dense trees and brush (be prepared to lose a disc or two). This course is definitely not beginner friendly. If you want that go across the river to the main park.
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4 0
WD09
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.3 years 690 played 78 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Now my Favorite Course in Waco 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 30, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Absolutely beautiful park, especially the open front nine near the river.
-Good topography/elevation changes.
-Several holes provide a choice of more than one route off the tee.
-Concrete tee pads on every hole and all were in good shape.
-Excellent course length and hole layout that requires a plan for approaching most of the holes instead of just throwing straight for as far as you can off the tee and then deciding what to do next.
-Nice restroom facilities on site.
-Good mix of open and wooded holes, though some of holes that appear to be open have challenging lines to hit among the trees.

Cons:

-No tee signs on much of the course and tee signs are definitely needed. We found navigating the front nine to be very simple and intuitive, though no signs were present. However, it would have been nice to have signs to indicate distances and clarify what is OB on each hole.
-The back nine had tee signs on most holes, but the absence of signs on a few holes made it difficult to navigate the hole and to find the next tee.
-There were only two places where the transition between holes was not clear, but we had to wander around a bit to find those holes.
-There are a few places on the back nine where the trees make it difficult to find a good line off the tee, but most of the holes have good, fair lines.

Other Thoughts:

Maybe the perfect weather, the autumn leaves, and the beautiful river had something to do with it, but I was amazed when I played this course. I loved it. I have played Cameron Park several times on trips through Waco and never made it over to this park. From now on, this is my first choice for where to play in Waco.If this course had accurate signage on each hole, this would be a four-star course.
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1 6
sampldj2
Experience: 12.4 years 18 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Tough to follow 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 11, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Park is easy to find, nice views for area. Park was not busy, was able to go at a good pace.

Cons:

No tees are labeled. If you do not play with someone from the area it is very hard to follow. A course map would have been great!
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