Trey Texas Twist is another classic Houck course. For me that means I can play a competitive round against good players, which I'm not. The easiest way to summarize Houck' s skill in this regard is that the red tees, or amateur, total 6,674 feet for par 68 and the blue tees, or pro, are 9,049 for par 68. That 2,375' difference added to the easier location of the red tees makes this a fun place even if you're not advanced.

Your every shot and disc are challenged. From long open fairways, to water challenges, to tight wooded lines, to technical basket placement, to slight elevation...you need all you've got.

There are separate short and long tees for every hole except 12, which is a 222' par 3. One of the earlier reviewers asked whether there were separate tees since he forgot so there's the answer.

The signage is consistently great on every tee, long and short. And the concrete pads are nice, even though there is an occasional cow pie, but that can be brushed aside easily enough with a stick or something else handy.

The multiple bridges are nice that go back and forth over the river. When I saw this kind of care and cost that went into the course it made me believe an earlier review that said the owners invested about $270,000 in this course. And they occasionally get $10 from each of us. Wow, what a deal for us!

The grass was mowed. I called Trey, the owner, to schedule my round. I asked him about the note on this site complaining that the grass was too long. He said they'd been out mowing so it should be in good shape. It was.

The cows are friendly. We had to wait a little bit for about 20 cows to pass through the 17 fairway before we could make the turn in the dog-leg. But we were tired and didn't mind waiting. What a difference between waiting for people in a City park! We also saw some eagles around #11.

The "twist" in the name is because you are twisting around water a lot on this course. If you look at the course map it's easy to see your first twist on 3 around a pond, unless you've got a big enough arm and are brave enough to skip the twist, or dog-leg, and go over the water. Then you work your way over to 7, where the twists start in earnest. You'll have about 8 crossings, or twists, of the river before you finish.

It's a LONG course. But if you that going into it and have the right expectation then this is not a problem. If you go for longs, and you're not up to the challenge, then be prepared for a beat down.

There's no arrows in the baskets pointing to the next hole. Although most of the time this was not a problem since we had a map and it's fairly intuitive, I still wish such a simple, inexpensive, and helpful item were standard.

There's not multiple pin placements, but that's not a problem for me.

We played Trey Deuce first, which is near the saloon. The 2 ranch dogs followed us the entire round on Deuce. The friend I was with stepped on one of the dog's foot after it jumped in front of him on a drive and hurt the friendly hound. We felt bad about that. We also felt more than bad each time they fetched our discs and we didn't know exactly where our lie was. So after we left the saloon to play Trey Twist we were careful that they didn't see us. We came back the next morning to play Deuce again and snuck around the back side of the saloon to start on #3. We finished 1 and 2 at the end.

You really need 2 or 3 days if you're coming this way to get the full experience of Trey and Selah. Dave over at Selah told us he's got Selah up for sale. So if this trip is on your wish list don't wait or it may go the way of The Circle R in Wimberley, TX that was a great Houck course but got sold and is now labelled, "Extinct."

The hospitality you will get at Trey Texas Ranch is unmatched from anywhere you will play. Me and my partner walked with the owner and she was a great person to talk to about everything that goes on at the course. Easily worth the $10 payment.

I found Twist to be more enjoyable in the woods, rather than out of open, which is a different thought than I normally have. The stretch I enjoyed the most was 7-15 in the woods. They were masterfully crafted and I never thought to myself that any of the holes were lucky or had too many unnecessary trees, probably because Houck is the master designer and I am just a lowly intermediate player. Hole 14 was my favorite hole; the owner called it the snake hole as it winds around towards the basket, it really epitomizes what I have mentioned when I say the holes are well shaped and taken care of.

The owner mentioned that all 36 tees of concrete have recently been poured. It seemed as if it took longer to get Twist ready than Deuce, but it is very well cleaned and manicured.

For whatever reason, I just did not enjoy the holes outside of the woods. I was not a huge fan of the trees right in front of the box on hole 16 and hole 17 just seemed a tad wonky. (the owner told me I played it wrong; it seemed right from the tee).

The thing I like the most about this ranch compared to Selah was the lack of pin positions right on water's edge. Hole 3 was the exception to that. 1/36 isn't bad.

My rank for the four course in the area are:
1. Selah Ranch - Lakeside
2.Texas Trey Ranch - Trey Deuce
3. Texas Trey Ranch - Texas Twist
4. Selah Ranch - Creekside

Texas Twist is a great course, and one I would play often if I lived closer. You can make one of the best disc golf weekends in America if you play these four courses. All four are phenomenal at worst.


Trey Texas has hospitality that is better than anywhere you will play. The owners embraced the sport, and it is nice to see them caring so much about the course.

Texas Twist's contribution to the Trey Ranch/Selah Ranch quartet of courses offers probably the best diversity of the four 18s. Hole distances are wide ranging and evenly distributed, with everything from deuceables to challenging par 3s to the signature John Houck par 4s and 5s emphasizing placement and risk versus reward. Mandos, a lake, and creekbeds all come into play, and woodedness is exceptionally varied, covering the gamut from open bombs to heavily wooded tunnel shots and all manner in between. Shot variety is abundant. Elevation isn't significant, but plays a minor role here and there to further spice things up. All told there's something for everyone here, and this diversity is masterfully integrated and orchestrated.

Texas Twist plays more intimate and less grandiose than Selah Lakeside, and more technical than either Creekside or Trey Deuce, mostly due to the stretch of wooded holes from 7 to 15. These feature fair but challenging lines, tight windows, strategy-inducing landing zones and multiple lanes, and some punishing rough. Precision is tested here, but fairly so. It's a great mix of distances and pars that provides a clinic of wooded disc golf amounting to one of my favorite stretches of holes I've ever played. True bliss, with some picturesque moments, such as 9's creekside basket and 10's wooded lane off the tee.

Two tees per hole accommodate a variety of skill levels while keeping it interesting and challenging. Concrete tees are fantastic: level, huge, and well-signed.

Favorite holes: 10, a gorgeous, daunting tunnel shot that exits the woods ~300' out before cutting left and playing across a field to a nestled basket; 13, a deuceable multi-lane par 3 requiring tight FH or BH hyzers to make a run at the basket; 14, a gonzo multistager in tight conditions that is a true test of control. 18 deserves honorable mention as a thorny closer.

While the variety here is really something, the holes outside of the woods for the most part don't measure up to those in the wooded stretch. Some of this is a product of the course being in its infancy: 17, for instance, is presently quite open, but has some saplings that will notably enhance the technicality in a few years' time. Elsewhere there are a few too-well-trod Houckisms: yet another pin placed at a pond's edge, for instance, feels a bit stale to me, as does the cumulative effect of several open bombs and/or obstacle-free approaches to the basket. These latter cons aren't about design so much as land limitations, but that doesn't change the disparity between them and the sublime golf to be found in the woods. Such holes are largely what keep Texas Twist from being a perfect 5 for me.

When I played here in April 2014, the upkeep was very poor, with knee high grass throughout. It made searching for drivers on the longer more open holes a real drag. Others' reviews suggest that the grooming has improved, which would be a great plus.

The course is a hike, both for being long and for often requiring first timers to scout ahead. I'll bet it's brutal in the summer, even with the shade.

I would rank the Selah/Trey courses thus, from best to "worst": Lakeside, Texas Twist, Creekside, Trey Deuce. If TT's full 18 was on the level of the wooded holes that tickled my fancy, it'd likely be ahead of Lakeside and atop my favorite courses of all time. Even as it stands, it's a fantastic, memorable course that pairs well with Trey Deuce with its increased technicality.

$10 for a day of disc golfing on fantastic courses is a steal in my book.

Owner and namesake Trey is a helluva nice guy. Come give him your money and play his courses!

Trey Texas Ranch is a special place, located off the beaten path on an enormous East Texas farm. Trey deserves special mention, as he was very hospitable and was happy to have us playing the courses. He seemed to love hosting these courses. The saloon is an interesting place with a lot of character. Definitely seems like a cool place to hang out before and after playing; though, other than Trey and the cows, it didn't seem like anyone was within 100 miles when we were there. This type of atmosphere - combined with two John Houck-designed courses - is sure to offer a tremendous day of golf.

Tee signs, tees, and baskets are all in great shape. The tees do a great job of displaying the different lines offered, while the tees are very large and comfortable. Two tee positions are present on most holes, often significantly changing the length of a hole and offering a different look.

Texas Twist is a long, grueling course that is masterfully designed. Like other Houck courses, it is full of long, multi-stage holes that emphasize hitting the necessary landing zones. However, there are also a few short but challenging par 3's, giving the course a nice variety. This course offers a complete round, with holes ranging from 240-954 feet and with 7 par 3's, 8 par 4's, and 3 par 5's.

Shots and holes of all types are presented here, as well as some pretty unique holes that give the course great character. Holes 1-6 play with some surprisingly nice elevation, generally heading downhill and take you around a pond. Holes 7-15 offer a tighter, more technical challenge in a section of woods. Finally, holes 16-18 bring you more into the open, heading back uphill toward the road. While the course is only listed as moderately wooded, it only has 3 or 4 holes that I would call open.

The stretch in the woods from 7-15 is one of the best designed and most enjoyable stretch of holes that I have ever played. I was amazed at the quality of holes found in this seemingly small section of woods. While they all played around the same area, this section of the course offered an incredible distribution of shots and hole types. A few played out of and back into the woods, some offering birdie runs, with others forcing you to hit the landing zones. A few interesting greens were thrown in here as well, with holes 9 and 15 having to me what resembled island-greens.

The course only lists hole 3 as being a water hole, but a creek runs near or through a majority of the holes in the woods. The creek offers some fun risk/reward play, whether it's snaking through holes 7 and 8 from tee to basket or sitting behind your putt on 9, 15, 17, and 18.

The course flows very well in terms of navigation and design. There are no long walks between holes and the next tees are easy to spot. The course flows in design as it offers a constantly changing blend of par, distance, and shot selection. I also never felt that I played two holes that were remotely similar.

- This course definitely has the feel of "adventure golf" which has its positives and negatives. No amenities near the course as far as water, bathrooms, benches, or trash cans. Once you start the course, you will be pretty far off from where you parked. Make sure you come here prepared.
-Holes 6 and 16 are pretty open and plain, so not every hole here is amazing. However, it looks like they have already started planting trees on these holes.
-It's great to read that the course is starting to be regularly mowed. When I played in the spring, the grass was high throughout. However, I did not count that against its rating and we still had a blast playing this course despite its poor condition. That's saying something.

This is my favorite of the two courses on site. It is a little hard to find, look for a white sign on the right as the saloon comes into your view up toward the left. You can park on the side of the road. Walk through the gate, past the sheep and the cows, and down the hill toward the tree line. The first tee is on the right of the tree line.

There are very nice scorecards and course maps provided at the saloon. You have to sign a waiver and pay before starting your round, but I must add that the $10 is well worth it.

I am not just a Houck-fanboy or biased toward Texas courses. I say that because it seems that some people are looking at these courses with a critical eye and maybe that is because of disagreements about how high the Selah courses should be rated. My brother and I simply came into Trey Texas as city slickers not knowing we were in for, but we found our version of Curly's gold!

What a gem of a course Texas Twist is and it's certainly a unique, memorable experience. Go, give Trey Ranch a chance and see for yourself.