Colorado City, TX

Ruddick Park

Permanent course
2.75(based on 5 reviews)
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4 0
armiller
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.9 years 273 played 60 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Fun, Quick Golf in a West Texas Crossroads 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 29, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- good quality small West Texas park in Colorado City
- baskets, tees, and signs all adequate to good
- fun golf, though simple and not terribly challenging
- close to I-20

Cons:

- rather open; not much trouble to get into (that was more of a pro for my quick round, but does decrease challenge overall)

Other Thoughts:

I played this while driving south to Big Bend National Park. It's conveniently located between Abilene and Midland/Odessa on I-20 (as well as a diagonal route from Wichita Falls). It was exactly the type of course I love while playing on long road trips, as it was a nice break from the road and a chance to stretch the legs and arm. I had plenty of fun and was impressed by the quality of the course and use of the park. I had my wife and toddler with me, and they enjoyed the stop just as much as I did. Stopping here was a memorable part of this road trip for the whole family.

It's a nice park and wasn't busy when we stopped. I would guess my experience was representative. The designer made good use of the limited trees, but the golf was pretty open overall with just one wide open shot (hole 1). My favorite holes involved good use of trees obstructing the tee shot, the green, or both. There's some slight elevation change as well, which is used particularly well on holes 5, 7, and 8. Fairways are very generous (i.e. the whole park is usually your fairway), so you usually have a pretty open second shot even after missing an initial line. Most of the holes were in that distance range (250-320') that makes you use your arm but not break it (since you probably skipped your warm up). I used Buzzz/Undertaker a lot out here. I felt like I needed to hit quite a few different lines without using the same shot over and over, but I had the benefit of not worrying about losing discs or finding too much trouble.

Some holes:
2 - one of those tee-near-tree shots where you choose your initial line and make sure your disc gets the right action afterwards; RHFH slight turnover or flex for me, into a green with some nearby trees and brush
3 - slightly different iteration of same; trees provide early tunnel and an obstructed green - Buzzz flex backhand for me
6 - felt like the longest hole on the course, due to trees a little farther from the tee obstructing the line; a good Leopard turnover got me pretty close to the basket (after my first tee shot went 70' into a tree)
7 - slight downhill, close to 400'
8 - maybe my favorite: shortest hole on the course, uphill, with two arching trees making a tunnel off the tee - for me, a controlled putter or mid shot; my arm was nice and warm and I parked both a putter and a Buzzz
9 - nice little closer with an overgrown cluster of brush obstructing the view to the basket; a good spike hyzer or overhand works here

The navigation struck me as odd initially. The first three tees are essentially parallel, leading to some little jogs back and forth. Tees for holes 2, 3, 7, and 9 are all quite close so make sure you check the sign. In the end, I warmed up to the layout, realizing it suits this park perfectly. As I was roadtripping and wanted a fairly quick round with a quick exit (toddler in tow!), I appreciated the proximity of 1's tee and 9's basket, and with no unpleasantly long walks between holes. If you're driving through West Texas and pass by Colorado City, I'd highly recommend stopping.

Rating: 2.5 for "decent/typical." A decent 9-hole course in a nice park in a convenient West Texas crossroads. I think anyone will have fun out here unless they're expecting big distance shots or super technical golf. I wouldn't hesitate to stop here again when passing through the area.
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3 0
ivanhenson
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.8 years 664 played 218 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Small town decent course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 25, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

I think for a small town this course it good.

Has a few elevation changes for west tx thats rare.

All able to par nothing to hard. But nothing too easy

All the correct distance. Markers on each hole

Cons:

Flow is odd. Some cross over some too close some to far.

I found the dead space frustrating. With they would have done 3 more on this side and 6 on other side of pond for 18

but for small town i think its great they have anything

Other Thoughts:

If driving through stop. Its close to highway fast to play
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7 0
markmcc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 278 played 254 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Surprise in West Texas 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 1, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Considering that Colorado City is a town with a population of only about 4000, it is great that they've installed a decent 9-hole course.

There is a course map near the parking lot, and each hole has an excellent tapered concrete teepad. The pad may be a little narrow for some (3' across the front) but I found them serviceable as none of the holes require big runups on the drive.

There is a simple sign at each pad with the hole number and distance. And many have a second sign naming the hole sponsor.

Hole lengths vary from 216' to 396' so you get some variety on your drives.

They didn't have much elevation or vegetation to work with, but they did a good job with what they had. Trees are used either to screen baskets or to present some challenge right off of the tee pad. There are really no tight holes out here, but you'll get a chance to shape a few drives.

Hole 6 is the "signature" hole with a nice group of trees to work around (or through) in front of the teepad, and a large mound of earth supporting the basket. The mound is about 12' high and perhaps 50' diameter and adds a lot of interest to the hole.

Hole 7 drives toward the river/creek and if you blow past the hole you'll find yourself wet. But the basket is a fair distance from the water so I didn't really have an issue.

Cons:

There isn't much variety on the course. Mostly a straightish drive to the basket, with no tricky lines.

It is dry, sunny and windy out here, so the ground is dry with sparse vegetation. I didn't have an issue but it looks like it would be grass-bur city later in the summer.

Teepads for Hole 5 and 6 are a little tricky to locate for first-time players, so print out the map (uploaded to the files section).

Other Thoughts:

When I played (and I'm guessing much of the rest of the time) the challenge out here comes from the wind. There are big power-generating windmills all over the countryside in this area, so this is a windy course to play!
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2 1
Jim and Marla Bell
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The more I play other courses, the more I like this one. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I've only played on 3 different courses so far and this is by far my favorite one. It does not interfere with picnicners as in other parks may do. The holes are mostly short and to me, makes it more enjoyable.

Cons:

I know its west Texas, but the grass burrs are terrible. There are 2 holes that I hardly ever play because of them. The tee's are a little far from the last hole played.(Being that they are far apart, I usually "practice" from hole to tee). So it kinda works out ok.

Other Thoughts:

I will continue to play this course. The more I play other courses, the more I like this one.
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3 0
tbone
Experience: 32.8 years 79 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Not a bad 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 1, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a fairly basic little 9 hole course with great concrete tee pads and signs with hole lengths. This is a fun course for beginners to intermediates. It's situated in a very nice park right off I-20, so it is easy to find.

Cons:

They have you walking quite a bit from hole to next tee on some. The fairway on #4 looks like it has never been mowed. More experienced players won't find much of a challenge here, as most of these holes are short, with only 3 over 300' and none over 400'.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, this is not a bad little 9 hole course. I hope it sees some use. Don't drive all the way to West Texas just to play this one, but if you are in the area, check it out.
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