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Old Settlers' Park reviews
18
0
New Settlers, For Sure! 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 31, 2021
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Excellent, level, grippy concrete tees on every hole.
Good, descriptive signage on each hole and many "next tee" signs that help with navigation. Course navigation is easy, despite some long walks (more on that later).
Big stone blocks, a hallmark of Austin-area courses, which double as benches and sign-holders on each hole.
DGA Mach X baskets on every hole. Not my favorite model, but they are of good quality and in good condition.
The fairways on the more wooded holes feature copious amounts of mulch in all the right places to mitigate erosion and difficulty with footing. A lot of work has gone into this course and the mulching is part of what makes that obvious.
No two holes are alike on this course. Each hole has its own character and shot shapes are not often repeated. Also, there are no "tweener" holes. The seven par 4 holes are all definitively "two shot holes" and the only chance for birdie on those holes starts with hitting a good landing zone off the tee.
There are a few holes with one obvious line to hit off the tee, but almost all holes have more than one option from the tee and all of the par 4s have choices from the tee and on the approach.
Elevation is used very well throughout the course. Many of the basket areas have roll-away potential on at least one side, so it is important to hit your spots on approach. There are several holes with sloped green areas and several with mid-fairway slopes that necessitate careful shot placement to avoid skipping or rolling into the rough or the creek.
Good, descriptive signage on each hole and many "next tee" signs that help with navigation. Course navigation is easy, despite some long walks (more on that later).
Big stone blocks, a hallmark of Austin-area courses, which double as benches and sign-holders on each hole.
DGA Mach X baskets on every hole. Not my favorite model, but they are of good quality and in good condition.
The fairways on the more wooded holes feature copious amounts of mulch in all the right places to mitigate erosion and difficulty with footing. A lot of work has gone into this course and the mulching is part of what makes that obvious.
No two holes are alike on this course. Each hole has its own character and shot shapes are not often repeated. Also, there are no "tweener" holes. The seven par 4 holes are all definitively "two shot holes" and the only chance for birdie on those holes starts with hitting a good landing zone off the tee.
There are a few holes with one obvious line to hit off the tee, but almost all holes have more than one option from the tee and all of the par 4s have choices from the tee and on the approach.
Elevation is used very well throughout the course. Many of the basket areas have roll-away potential on at least one side, so it is important to hit your spots on approach. There are several holes with sloped green areas and several with mid-fairway slopes that necessitate careful shot placement to avoid skipping or rolling into the rough or the creek.
Cons:
There are several long walks between holes. The walk from hole 10's basket to hole 11's tee is approximately 1,000 feet. There are at least two other walks between holes that are over 500 feet each. I think this course features more distance walking between holes than any other course I have played. As a consequence, the course doesn't flow well, either in the sense of knowing where you are or in the sense of feeling like playing your round is one continuous activity that you did that day.
The rough is rough. There are thorns throughout the rough on holes 6-18. In most places it's a pitch-out if you get more than a few feet off the fairway.
Every time I have played the course there have been lots of walkers, joggers, and dog-walkers. Each time, at least one of these other park patrons has been walking or jogging or walking their dog (or in one case letting their dogs run freely) down one of the fairways I was playing. Be on the lookout for random people down the fairways and not just on the paths.
The rough is rough. There are thorns throughout the rough on holes 6-18. In most places it's a pitch-out if you get more than a few feet off the fairway.
Every time I have played the course there have been lots of walkers, joggers, and dog-walkers. Each time, at least one of these other park patrons has been walking or jogging or walking their dog (or in one case letting their dogs run freely) down one of the fairways I was playing. Be on the lookout for random people down the fairways and not just on the paths.
Other Thoughts:
When you arrive at the designated parking lot, hole 1's tee is to the left side and hole 18's basket is to the right. I suggest parking to the right for a shorter walk at the end of the round.
The first 5 holes play through the more open area and are the only holes that use the portion of the park that contained the old course. Holes 6-18 play along the creek. There are a few holes where the creek is very much in play, but in most places a disc would need to be off course and break through the rough for a distance before reaching the water. Discs are retrievable in most parts of the creek.
Maybe it is because I was familiar with the old course in this park, but the first 4 holes feel like they belong to a different course, hole 5 seems like a transition into an entirely new realm, and holes 6-18 seem like one very good woodsy course, interrupted occasionally by long walks through an exercise area filled with suburbanites talking too loudly on their phones or blaring podcasts without headphones.
Without question, my favorite holes are the par 4s in the woods, holes 9, 12, 15, and 17. On each of them it is a challenge to pick the perfect landing spot, choose the flight path to get there, try to hit your line, then try to repeat the process from that spot to get near the basket. I also have a strange affection for hole 6, a tunnel shot that ends 252' away and up a slope to the right. It feels particularly rewarding to park that hole and I can't do it as often as I think I should, but I enjoy trying.
I guess it was time for a redesign, because there are certainly a lot more new settlers in this area than old ones and there are scores of houses under construction within sight of the park! This course is a welcome addition to the Austin area!
The first 5 holes play through the more open area and are the only holes that use the portion of the park that contained the old course. Holes 6-18 play along the creek. There are a few holes where the creek is very much in play, but in most places a disc would need to be off course and break through the rough for a distance before reaching the water. Discs are retrievable in most parts of the creek.
Maybe it is because I was familiar with the old course in this park, but the first 4 holes feel like they belong to a different course, hole 5 seems like a transition into an entirely new realm, and holes 6-18 seem like one very good woodsy course, interrupted occasionally by long walks through an exercise area filled with suburbanites talking too loudly on their phones or blaring podcasts without headphones.
Without question, my favorite holes are the par 4s in the woods, holes 9, 12, 15, and 17. On each of them it is a challenge to pick the perfect landing spot, choose the flight path to get there, try to hit your line, then try to repeat the process from that spot to get near the basket. I also have a strange affection for hole 6, a tunnel shot that ends 252' away and up a slope to the right. It feels particularly rewarding to park that hole and I can't do it as often as I think I should, but I enjoy trying.
I guess it was time for a redesign, because there are certainly a lot more new settlers in this area than old ones and there are scores of houses under construction within sight of the park! This course is a welcome addition to the Austin area!
18
0
Thrilling, Moderately Technical 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 4, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
Pushing the upper limit of 4.0 courses, Old Settlers' is a great, largely wooded course requiring lots of skill.
-Amenities: All the normal. Concrete tees. Mach X baskets. Signage with #, distance, and map. Next tee signs are very helpful.
-Terrain: Despite its situation in a massive suburban park, Old Settlers' has a variety of great disc golf terrains. The first 4 holes and some later ones play in a field with sparse trees and gentle gradation, while most of the other holes play through thick woods along a creek with spots of substantial elevation change.
-Challenge: Though not a championship-level course, Old Settlers' will require skillful throwing. There are many short par-3s, but the lines are no easy stroll and the rough ensures tough scrambling. With seven par-4s, it also has abundant multi-shot requirements. I found much of the course to be similar in difficulty to another Houck course, Hobbs Farm.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Very demanding, but lots of fun. There are fun holes in a typical style (gentle par-4s, straight tunnels, directional plays, etc.) and quite a few very unique-feeling holes. The most special features of Old Settlers are a couple that play with a cool combination of creek, steep hill, fairway trees, and twisting (holes (9), (11), and (15) come to mind). There are open hills requiring good touch, tight and technical and quirky par-3s that are only birdieable by puring the line, and mid-length par-4s requiring multiple shapes on the same hole.
-Pacing: The layout of holes is such to steadily vary the diet in terms of openness, length, and difficulty. Moments of reprieve are followed by a different kind of challenge.
-Amenities: All the normal. Concrete tees. Mach X baskets. Signage with #, distance, and map. Next tee signs are very helpful.
-Terrain: Despite its situation in a massive suburban park, Old Settlers' has a variety of great disc golf terrains. The first 4 holes and some later ones play in a field with sparse trees and gentle gradation, while most of the other holes play through thick woods along a creek with spots of substantial elevation change.
-Challenge: Though not a championship-level course, Old Settlers' will require skillful throwing. There are many short par-3s, but the lines are no easy stroll and the rough ensures tough scrambling. With seven par-4s, it also has abundant multi-shot requirements. I found much of the course to be similar in difficulty to another Houck course, Hobbs Farm.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Very demanding, but lots of fun. There are fun holes in a typical style (gentle par-4s, straight tunnels, directional plays, etc.) and quite a few very unique-feeling holes. The most special features of Old Settlers are a couple that play with a cool combination of creek, steep hill, fairway trees, and twisting (holes (9), (11), and (15) come to mind). There are open hills requiring good touch, tight and technical and quirky par-3s that are only birdieable by puring the line, and mid-length par-4s requiring multiple shapes on the same hole.
-Pacing: The layout of holes is such to steadily vary the diet in terms of openness, length, and difficulty. Moments of reprieve are followed by a different kind of challenge.
Cons:
You have to get nitpicky on this one.
-Navigation: Multiple long transitions. Due to the good next tee signage it's not too confusing, but be ready to follow the walking path a ways to get to the next hole.
-Multi-Tees: On a course this hard, it would have been kind to include rec tees for newer players in the neighborhood.
-Footing: In between thorn-infested rough and a few very steep slopes, it may be hard to get footing if you don't execute a great drive.
-Nitpicking on Length: A lot of the par-3s are quite short. Though they require very creative shapes, it can feel a touch underwhelming.
-Navigation: Multiple long transitions. Due to the good next tee signage it's not too confusing, but be ready to follow the walking path a ways to get to the next hole.
-Multi-Tees: On a course this hard, it would have been kind to include rec tees for newer players in the neighborhood.
-Footing: In between thorn-infested rough and a few very steep slopes, it may be hard to get footing if you don't execute a great drive.
-Nitpicking on Length: A lot of the par-3s are quite short. Though they require very creative shapes, it can feel a touch underwhelming.
Other Thoughts:
I came very close to giving Old Settlers' a 4.5. The quirky holes are demanding, but so much fun to play along. The navigation, lack of shorter tees, and proliferation of short par-3s barely dissuaded me from including it in the ranks of the bEast. I may yet reconsider, but for now this is a solid 4.25, which means it's a Very Excellent course well worth a visit from any avid golfer.
