I played Zilker while on a business trip to Austin. This was my first disc golf experience in Texas. I thought the course was average/typical, but my experience, and the fun factor, were well above average. I walked from my hotel in downtown Austin to the river walk and a system of parks with a nice hike and bike trail. The beautiful river and city views added to my experience actually playing the course. If I could rate the greenway walk plus the course, I'd give it a solid 3.5! Now, on to the course...

- Very well-maintained, especially for an urban park.
- When I say "urban park," this is a legit urban park. It's situated in a large, open, downtown park near the river. A major highway boarders one edge of the park. Skyline views from most of the course. Neat setting, minus the traffic noise on the handful of holes closest to the highway.
- The tee pads are fantastic. Very big. There's also a stone/rock border around the concrete pads, so they look really nice too. Good tee pad signs.
- Brand new baskets.
- There wasn't much variety in terms of elevation and obstacles, but there's a good mix of long and short holes, hyzer, anhyzer, and dead straight.
- No underbrush and no risk of losing a disc.
- Lots of ace run and high fun factor.
- This is a nice, open course with well-placed baskets and guardian trees. I'm used to wooded North Carolina courses, so it's a lot more open than I'm used to, but I think the course is laid out well with the existing trees, while also giving you plenty of opportunities to bomb.

- I can't overstate this: the mosquitos were out of control when I played. I was swarmed form the minute I got to the park. I played on a cool fall morning and assumed this downtown park wouldn't be a mosquito hot spot like heavily wooded courses I've played. WRONG. Those suckers attacked and tried to carry me away. Stupid move not to wear deet. Don't repeat my mistake.
- I thought this was a nice, fun course, but there aren't any memorable, standout holes. It's pretty repetitive. Decent mix of long/short, hyzer/anhyzer. But no real standouts.
- There were maybe 2-3 slight downhill holes and 1-2 slight uphill holes. Otherwise it's all flat.
- Two holes are laid out right beside the highway. I wouldn't say they're dangerous, but a newbie or an exceptionally bad player could potentially hyzer a drive right into the highway. More than anything, this part of the course is just loud. Most of the course, maybe 12-14 holes, are peaceful and quiet, but these few holes near the road are the opposite of that.
- Navigation is fairly straightforward, this being a compact, park style course, but I had a hard time finding hole 1 and then going from 9 to 10. Arrows pointing to the next hole, when it's not obvious, would be nice.

I understand there are better courses in and around Austin, but if you're downtown, this is definitely worth playing. I felt like I got a good taste of Austin.

+High fun factor here. There are ace runs, some quick greens, just enough obstacles.
+Course was still under construction when I played but what was done was great. Lots of erosion control and other measures being put in to make this course look and play better.
+Can't lose a disc here.
+Lots to do in this park but it didn't feel crammed at all.
+All the tees are nice. They aren't uniform but the unique ones add to the character of this course. Nothing dangerous or too small.
+Easy to navigate.
+Safe and a great place to take new players or kids.
+Lots of fun places nearby to eat, drink, and see. Austin is a cool place.

-Pay to park
-Others have said that this course gets crowded. I played on a December morning and had no issues.
-Can be Texas hot during the summer.
-Fairly short and lacking a ton of variety

+This course is a casual course. It isn't a tourney course. No real hazards.
+An easier option that should take less time than Roy G which isn't too far away. Could be used as a warm up for Roy.
+For me, this course had a high fun factor and the park had a great atmosphere. The disc golf wasn't the greatest but it was better than nothing.
+Thanks to the City of Austin for doing necessary upkeep.

Centrally located in Austin. Good for beginners/noobs. Nice old trees in park.

Nothing to write home about - Basic DG here. Can get crowded and parking is bad on weekends

So many better courses in Austin - I would play Peace in a heartbeat but not sure I would play Zilker again

-fun layout
-fairly easy to navigate
-well placed trees
-concrete pads on the north 9
-easy to play a quick round if it's not too crowded (which isn't often)
-in town
-other park amenities nearby

-very repetitive, very little variety
-nearly always very crowded
-no concrete pads on the south 9
-finding the parking lots can be an issue
-lots of beginners and families means slow play and people who don't know etiquette
-difficult to navigate if you don't know the course

It is clear that this course has been around for awhile as the design is a bit dated, ie there are no long holes. The north 9 is a little bit longer than the south 9 but I don't think there is anything over 350-375'. This is a major ace-run/birdie-fest. Beginners will love that they can score well here and more experienced players will play well below par.

Since it is in town and beginner-friendly, this course is always packed. I've had to wait on just about every hole every time I've played here.

There isn't much variety in shots as most of the baskets are straight ahead. Some well-placed trees will make you shape a line or give you a low ceiling but for the most part you can just go at the basket.

A great course to work on your short game or play a round with just a putter or mid. Or bring the family. If you're looking for a more challenging experience then go to Roy G or the Metcenter.


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Can be super fast to play if there aren't a lot of other people out. Straight-forward, with no super-long holes if you've got shorter arms. Great course to work on mid to long range putting/approach shots for the more experienced players, in addition to the multiple opportunities to go for the gusto with ace shots. As most other people have said, great course for beginners due to its ease and location...

...However, due to its location and the relative ease of the course, it is almost always crowded. The worst part of the crowds that are out here are 1) lots of beginners who take a long time to complete a hole, 2) lots of experienced players who feel that it's okay to come out in a group of 6+ and each launch 2-3 discs per shot. Coupled with this is the slight confusion of the course layout and the lack of adequate markers/signs; many people shooting at the wrong pin or playing the course out of order. The North half has concrete tees, but the South half doesn't, and so those tee boxes get brutalized by the amount of traffic and inclement weather.

Not sure where people park that they're being charged. Two parking lots right by the North & South side are free every time I've parked. Maybe they charge on the weekends in the Summer? Or if you're parking by the Barton Springs swimming area?

I just play the short nine. It's an all out course for ace runs, just bring a couple mid range and a putter. I wonder how many Aces have been taken here? I bet it's got to be the most per course in the state or real close, would be great to know but there's no way to find out. Oh well. If you wanna ad some to your belt this is the place. Good place for a quickie, or night round too. Not technical or tough. very beginner and Ace friendly.

Justed chained hole 9 and left it smokin on 1/6/10

People who know nothing about the course will be happy to find 18 holes on a relatively flat and easy terrain. New players will also like that this is a great course to learn on - with few obstacles and no water. It reminded me of my home course in Houston, Anges Moffit Park - not hard, fairly popular, and centrally located. The other two pluses are that this is a big park with the springs and botanic gardens, so family members looking for something other disc golf can be fully entertained for the day, and the course is located near the iconic Pease Park if you still need a disc golf fix.

BEST HOLE/S: #4 South; #6 South

Nine holes? Two nine holes courses? One 18 course? Zilker seems to have an identity problem and suffers from some false advertisement. Currently, a new to the course player can show up to expect 18 holes of golf with a definite distinction between each nine. Rumor mill is that the 18 pins are now going to be permanent, but take this information with a grain of salt, since it looks like it may be some time before the dust settles and people figure out the long term status.

Other major cons include no real tee markers showing the hole number or distance. The "South" course currently has yellow markers in the ground indicating the tee box, and the "North" course has the world's largest concrete pads to help to see where to throw. The north course has no numbers, so we jumped on a hole #2 (according to the map under links & files) near the road, since that made the most sense and the concrete tees line up well to show you your way. This way we could easily play 18 holes without backtracking to much because the north course hole #1 ends back at the parking lot where started the south course. The north course is also wide open, so you'll be able to scan the area easily.

The south course has some flow issues, so print the map, but note that you backtrack from hole #2 to hole #3, and take the left path through the trees after hole #4. Fortunately these pins have numbers, so it makes it harder to foul things up. Besides that - both nine hole courses are fairly straightforward with little challenge. Basically it's a good flat place to learn the game then have a dip in Barton Springs when you're finished.

Last issue is parking. Play on a week day or pay three bucks on the weekend? Believe me, unless you're hitting the springs as well, this course isn't worth three bucks. I second the other reviews that suggest you park under Mopac at the exit near course and walk across the frontage road. It's almost as close as any parking you would have to pay for anyway.

WORST HOLE/S: #6 North

Zilker Park's silly layout and the determination to have two nine hole courses is silly to me. Take a few minutes, do some renumbering, and just call the thing an 18 hole course. That will make it a bigger draw anyway. Having played East Metro Park and Circle C at Slaughter Creek before finishing the day here was a mistake. Next time I would just drive the extra few miles to Pease Park and hit a much better 18. I think the thing that frustrates me most is when a place with great potential doesn't meet it.

Zilker Park isn't horrible, and being the first ever Houck designed course over 20 years ago - you've have to give some props. However, with so many newer good courses in the area with time and love devoted to them, one just wonders when one of the most popular parks in the city will get it's due again.