Zilker is an incredibly popular park with an incredibly popular 18 hole disc golf course in Austin. Hole 1 is right by the parking lot. It's easy to see why the course gets so much play, it's very easy to digest, especially as a first timer.

Each of the holes is pretty short and manageable, straightforward disc golf. The distances are good par 3's for beginners, tempting twos for pro's. The back 9 is longer more difficult two's, and maybe just out of reach for a beginner, but not daunting. The front 9 does make a great beginner course, and the back 9 completes a pretty fun round.

The baskets are old discatchers, holding up well. The tee pads are full concrete, the signs are well designed maps on large rocks. Navigation is pretty easy, with maybe a couple spots on the front 9 where it gets kind of crowded and you could get turned around.

It's lack of length is just fine for beginners, not as fun for people who want a couple par 4s or a par 5 on the course.

A lot of the holes are just kind of straight shots. There are some fun lines, but maybe just a few holes out of the 18 that bend left or right.

I played on a Tuesday, but it looks like the parking is pay-to-park on the weekends. Just keep that in mind if you're passing through.

I had a great time playing this course. Austin has some pretty notable courses for various reasons, this one for just being a fun casual round, easy to access for people wondering what this game is like.

Zilker Park was a great warm up round, and I would play this course anytime I'm in town. I've played with a lot of friends before and if you're just looking to have fun this is the course for you

I always laugh when I read multiple reviewers list a course's popularity as a con. It's too crowded! You have to wait on # 1 to tee. These are a testament to a course's design and enjoyment factor. Only on the rare occasion is it due to a lack of competition. Morley Field in San Diego is the perfect example of that having the same great design and fun factor and almost no competing courses. Austin has a wealth of courses but there's a reason Zilker is so popular. Zilker Park is a lovely, well maintained recreational course and recreational players make up the greatest percentage of disc golfers.

Zilker is a very large, city park with much going on. This morning workers everywhere were setting up for a giant music festival. There was a large group of high school wrestlers engaged in a pre-season conditioning program and there was a disc golf tourney starting at 10 AM. Parking was a problem this morning. The park is too popular.

The course's amenities are second to none. Only, here in Texas have I seen these large stone benches. They are much more aesthetically pleasing than the hodge podge of old broken down lawn chairs and poorly built handmade benches you find on many courses. The same goes for the great tee signs which are bolted to these large stones. They have great information, look great and most importantly, appear to be vandal proof. The baskets are Discatchers in good shape. Another great idea here are the octagonal shaped, rubber mats below each basket. They look nice and are aids in the fight to prevent erosion around the baskets. The tee pads are masterful. They consist of a nice suzed concrete pad with a large border of paving stones.

Most holes are in the 225-275' range. There are only a couple playing over 300' making this a true recreational course. I think intermediate players can enjoy Zilker, as well. I see it as being beginner friendly, too. The course is mostly flat with just a touch of elevation here and there. It's mostly open with scattered trees but there are more trees and brush in the front nine.

Navigation is good with well worn paths leading you to the next tee although as I was hurrying through trying to beat the tournament start, I missed one obvious path and wandered away on another.

Rec distances. No par 4's or 5's.

Fairly repetitive design with no raised baskets, no crazy 90 degree turning holes and no water.

The holes near the busy street are quite loud, if that bothers you.

Although generally easy to navigate, I would love to see some simple next tee arrows attached to the basket. I saw a course in Michigan that had next tee stickers stuck to the bands on the Discatchers.

Players throw hysers out over the park road on # 7. Be sure and check for traffic before throwing.

The # 3 tee box is just left of the # 2 fairway. You need to be aware when standing at the # 2 pad and not just ignore those fellows teeing off behind you.

Wonderful course for you Austin players. If I lived here, this would be my go to course. I didn't get to play 16 & 17 due to the tournament getting started. My congrats to the Austin Park's Department. This is how you build a first class course from start to finish. As opposed to the buffoons who so badly bungled the design and building of Willow Fork Park DGC in Katy. If I were the mayor of Katy, I'd poach this parks and recreation director away from Austin. Maybe double his salary! Guarantee him hookers for life.

(3.230 Rating) I find Zilker to be a fun and relaxing round for every skill level.
- TEES - Some of the best tees in all of Austin. They are concrete, long and wide.
- CHARACTER - There is a community board, (no map unfortunately) at hole 1. There is very well artistically illustrated and accurate hole signage at each tee. Most of the tees are shaded well and there is some of the best seating in all of Austin at each hole. Zilker however, is void of multiple tees, extra pin placements, and a practice basket.
- FORGIVENESS - The odds of losing a disc due to an errant shot is very low. There are a couple of moderate overgrowth areas between holes 3 and 8. There are no water hazards. Perfect for beginners and rec players.
- MAINTENANCE - The course appears to be constantly trimmed and manicured. I've played here at least ten times and never saw the grass in the wide fairways, higher than 6 inches. Despite the heavy use, trash was in check.
- ACEABILITY - Numerous holes are very aceable to intermediate players and above, You will have great opportunities on holes (1,2,4,5,9,11,14).
- NATURAL BEAUTY - In my opinion, Zilker is one of the most beautiful courses to walk in the Austin Metro area. You will have wonderful views and picture opportunities of downtown Austin's skyline. I will also add that the wild flower bloom in March/April can be quite amazing.
- NIGHT GOLF - This is an ideal night golf course. Spacious fairways and no overgrowth. No water hazards in play.
- CHILL AREAS - holes 3 threw 6 all play threw a somewhat secluded wooded area.
- LOCATION - located in the "crown jewel" of the Austin park system, and across the river from downtown.

Just a few minor things.
- PARKING FEE - Although there is no cost to play, there is a cost to park your vehicle. I have gotten a ticket before, I think it was 20 bucks if I recall correctly.
- TIME WAITING - This course gets heavy use and sometimes has mob golfing going on. In addition, there are plenty of other park users and walkers about. I don't think I've ever played a round here and did not have to stop and wait for other park users.
- UNIQUENESS - The holes themselves in terms variety are a touch below average. There are no water features (creek on pond) along the layout. All but 3 of the holes play between 220 and 320 feet. There are only two sweeping shots (#16 and #18) There are only a couple of blind baskets. There are no par 4's or 5's.
- ELEVATION - Really not much to speak of. I know that lack of elevation is typically for other parts of eastern Texas, but its far less common for a south Austin course. No more than 40' elevation change throughout the entire course and no more than 20' on any one hole.
- DIFFICULTY - Not much of a challenge to advanced/pro level players as they should have no problem finishing well under. Intermediate and Recreational players may be delighted however as it can be a feel good round. It's a great opportunity for those players to finish a couple above par.

An all around good course. I recommend this course to those visiting downtown as it is easy to get to and quick to play. If you have more time in the area, check out Circle C or Bible Ridge nearby.

Location = Central Austin, most folks know where ZilkerPark is but locating the #1 teebox and parking may be an issue.
Easy = Not a challenging course for intermediate to advance players.
Tee box and layout = all tee boxes have pads and have very good signage. Course is easy to follow if you pay attention.
The view of downtown Austin TX is great.

You now have to pay for $5 for parking. The lot parking meter only takes plastic and coins. The parking pass gets you all day parking up until 9:59pm.

We played this course in the spring after an overnight rainstorm and the course drained very well. Little mud on our shoes and hardly any standing water. Tee boxes and cage surrounding all were damp but not wet.

This course was a pleasant surprise based on the previous reviews that I had read.

I was unsure about the kind of topography or wooded area in this part of Texas. However, I thought this course did an excellent job of using the lay of the land to weave between trees and across fields.

- Really good mix of shots, most of which required control.
- The flow of the course worked well, with the parking in the middle.
- The location of this course was really great. I spent a lot of time in Zilker park with my family, so the location was very convenient. And the backdrop of downtown Austin is great. It made the park feel very accessible.
- Quite a few birdie opportunities to make it exciting.
- Oh, and I thought the stone benches were super awesome. They seemed to be somewhat randomly spaced, but top quality benches.

I didn't find and major cons with this course, just a few things that could be improved upon.

- Some of the baskets and teepads were placed within close proximity on the front 9.
- A lot of the short hook shots seemed to favor lefties or a sidearm shot. Not necessarily a con, but worth noting.
- The course was moderately busy around 3pm on a weekday. With that said I only had to wait on 2-3 holes during my round.
- This course was not the most challenging, but I knew that going in to it.

I somehow managed to get 4 birdies on the back 9 and none on the front 9. Not sure how that happened. The front 9 plays quite a bit shorter.

Around hole 7 I caught up with a couple local players. We talked for a bit and they let me play through the remaining holes with them. Its a good thing when you have a friendly disc golf community. I can see why the park is popular and the folks in Austin made disc golf enjoyable too.

This is just a place holder for now till i can come back and review but:

The location on here is incorrect. It took me to another part of Zilker park that is nowere near the DG course.

If you are coming south on Mo-Pac and get off the exit to the turn around for barton springs... head north on barton to the second right wich should be Andrew Zilker Road, then make a left. The course is in there.

(didnt find it till i did some random exploring)

It's a short course. It's a perfect course to practice your mid-range throws if you're at least an intermediate or advanced player. It will make an easy and quick round when you're playing the course when it's not busy.

Ever since they went with all 18 baskets, we all can play true round of disc golf as opposed to having to play 9 holes twice in the past. There's good amount of variety of shot selections for a short course.

The location is perfect for casual players who are looking to hit the town after a round. Down the street from the course is several restaurants that you can get drinks or grub. There's always the famous Barton Springs Pool that you can cool off after a round if it's particularly a hot day.

The problems with this course are going to be a bit obvious to some people who have played this course before.

First of all, it can get very crowded, and it can get very tedious trying to get a round in with the casual players who may not know the basic etiquettes or have the decency to let people play through.

The second problem is that, even though there's "new" stone benches, the signage seemed to be an afterthought. They were never installed, so visitors from out of town will be confused about the navigation or about where the first hole is. The baskets are fairly old, so some of you may not enjoy that as well.

It can get boring for the most advanced players unless they're looking for ace runs. That's something to keep in mind, because the Austin area certainly have other courses that can give better challenges to the more experienced players.

I gave this course a score of three. I think it is a good course for what it is, and nothing less. It's certainly better suited for the more casual players who are learning the game of disc golf. It's the reason why it's so popular along with it's proximity to downtown and the Barton Springs Pool.

I come here a lot during the week and during early mornings on the weekend. I usually only bring mid-ranges and maybe couple of fairway drivers. I've come to enjoy this course because it really helped me improve my throwing skills with mid-range discs.

For you who are more advanced, it may be a better idea to find other courses in the area as Zilker will not give you the ultimate experience, especially with the weekend crowds.

Mostly open holes making the course beginner friendly. They now have concrete tees on all holes. They also have large stone blocks at each tee for those waiting to throw to sit on. The few wooded hole didn't have tons of underbrush so very hard to lose a disc here. Friendly locals. Some of the tees where very large giving you freedom in how you tee off.

No Tee signs though one of the people I talked to who was part of the Worlds Biggest Disc Golf Weekend Event( WBDGW.com ) said tee signs would be in soon. Some of the holes are just to close for my comfort. I am not comfortable having disc shoot by with in 20 feet of me. This wasn't because I had thrown bad or the other people had it is just that some of the baskets and fairways are very close to each other. There may have been more trees in the past that helped prevent this. They are having a drought and you can see where trees have died off and they had to cut them down.

I really enjoyed attending the WBDGW event. Everyone was friendly.
This course is very beginner friendly. Easy to see most baskets from the tees. No overly long holes, no thing I have learned is beginners hate throwing 10 times on just one hole cause of how long it is. Little or no underbrush makes recovering from a bad throw easy. I will defiantly be bring my in-laws who are very much beginners to play here the next time I am in town. Layout if cart/stroller friendly. Saw people pushing baby strollers around the course. Saw a few dogs. Not sure if the park rules allow for off leash or not.

Easy and quick. In town. Great course for beginners.

Crowds on the weekend. Takes forever to recover from rain.

Bring your kids out to the south 9 and watch them light it up. For a good golfer it's a putter drive on 5 of the 9.

Until I put a midrange in my bag I hated this course. I just found the second shot to be between putter and driver for me. Now I drive most holes with my midrange and my attitude about the course has changed drastically.

As stated before this is really two 9 hole courses but sometimes all 18 pins are there. Both North and South courses offer different shot selections, with North being a bit more open and longer for the most part and the South being a bit tighter but shorter on average. Together as 18 holes it's a nice round. Or just play the 9 twice and you're good as well.

This is the course I would recommend to beginners in Austin...or if you've been playing a while and want to introduce someone else to the sport. I'd say it's a little less crowded than Pease and not as frustrating for a new player. They won't have to worry about throwing discs in the water. And you can work on your midrange and short game. Win-Win.

Once you get over the relatively standardized difference of the hole lengths this course is exceptionally designed for such a small area. Even though the North side is open, it does require a lot of different shot types. Left and right turns, long low shots (or rollers,) uphill, downhill, skip shots and a nice long drive. The South side will make you place your up shots, maneuver around trees, forehand or anhyzer, throw off a hill, long shot under some trees, a tight tree hole and a putt drive. All in all, it has a bit of everything.

I have a newfound love of this course and it makes a nice companion course for Pease...or if Pease is too crowded it's a 5 minute drive and usually not as bad.

Sometimes the course gets crowded and there are a lot of new players here. You may be looking forward to playing one side and the other is up. The North side has you playing next to a busy road at times and sometimes you'll have to deal with a honk or two.

The only real cons are lack of signs, dirt tee pads on the South side can get muddy. Only 9 holes at times. And doesn't really let you get out there and throw huge bombs as much as I'd like.

Park under the overpass on the way down to avoid the park fee on the weekends. Really makes a for a nice quick round or a secondary round if you've just played somewhere else and just need a bit more to top off your disc golfing for the day.

A great place to visit for Ice Bowl early in the year if you don't want to play in the snows up north. lol

You Can't really loose a disc on this course unless you get it stuck in a tree. It is a quick play and not usually to busy.

Short, only 9 holes at a time. Only half the course has cement tees.

Bartons Springs is right there if you want to jump in after a round. NICE

Cement tee pads. Central location. Plays quick.

18 hole course with only 9 baskets.

Course is 18 holes, but the city will only allow 9 holes in the ground at any one time. Baskets are moved back and forth between the North and South side of the course, to give the land a chance to 'repair' itself, and cut back on erosion.

North course: Well groomed. Concrete tee pads. It is quick and easy to get around the course.Hard to lose a disc.

South Course: Good shot variety, lots of ace runs, great course for midrange work. Very difficult to lose a disc here. Nice and quick for when you need to get in a quick round.

North course: Kind of wide open, especially if you like tunnel shots. Pretty short. No map of the course at the bulletin board.

South course: Dirt tee pads that aren't marked very well. No course map or signs on the course. Some tees are really close to the baskets of other holes, so if its busy you have to watch yourself.

I played the North course and found it to be a fun little course. I did get turned around my first time out as the tee boxes aren't marked and there is no map at the bulletin board, but once I figured it out everything was great. The course is pretty easy and it is short, so most holes you can either drive or have a short second pitch to the basket. Needless to say birdies are common.

South course: You have to take this course for what it is. It is very short, in fact if you can throw 300 you can reach almost every hole on the course. Most are around 225-250' with hole 7 at around 380'. I like this course for practicing my midrange shots as you can play the whole course with a midrange and a putter. It really is a pretty good course- its in good shape, has open and wooded holes, and has some minor elevation changes.

Of the two courses the North course is a little more challenging and longer, but the South course is a little more dense and actually has the more technical shot variety.It is just short.

If you're looking for a super quick playing course then this is the one.

There are two nine hole courses here. Sometimes only one side has baskets and sometimes both sides have baskets. You never know until you show up to play.

The North 9 is moderately wooded with huge trees making it a beautiful and shady course. High canopies, and no brush means it's not as frustrating as most moderately wooded courses.

The South 9 is not as park like and has some holes with cedar and brush lining the fairways to punish the errant shot. It is a little more frustrating to the beginner but has shorter distances.

The large concrete teepads on the North side are rare around Austin and very nice.

The South 9 has dirt tee boxes.

Each side has it's own bulletin board with a picnic table where groups will wait to meet up with each other. You will see some real Austin "characters" around these bulletin boards.

It's close to downtown and very popular so it's always crowded even at mid-week, mid-day.

Finding the course can be confusing because the two courses are seperated by a park road and have seperate parking areas. If both sides are open you can just park anywhere and follow the masses to which ever side you want. The first time you play you will probably park on the wrong side and have a long walk to hole #1 on the other side but after that you will know where to park.

The zigzag flow of the North side is hard to follow the first time, even with the printable map because the course is poorly marked.

The South 9 is also poorly marked but I had no trouble following the flow by looking for worn paths leading away from each basket.

The North 9 by itself would get a 3.5 disc rating from me because it is prettier, has concrete tee pads, has larger trees and is more park like. I would give the South 9 a 2.5 disc rating. So together I give the course a 3.0 disc rating.

This course is relatively easy. It is mostly flat and open with lots of opportunities to birdie or even get the occasional ace. Not too crowded. It can be played very quickly due to its lack of length making it a good choice for a quick before work round.

It was not marked well after about the 4th or 5th hole. I had a hard time finding the tee for #6 in particular. Very little shade so it can be very hot on summer days.

Hole #6 is quite fun plays down hill over and around trees.