Texarkana, TX

Spring Lake Park - Central

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3.165(based on 19 reviews)
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Spring Lake Park - Central reviews

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6 0
Pevio
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 188 played 120 reviews
0.00 star(s)

This is a layout, not a course. Why are the signs still here?

Reviewed: Played on:May 28, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Central layout was the original course at Spring Lake Park. When new holes were added, it was replaced by the East and West courses, but the signs remained. But despite sharing all 18 holes identically with the other courses and having nothing unique to itself, there are some advantages to the Central layout.

First, it's very beginner-friendly. You never enter the woods, since the new holes were added in the woods on either side of the park. The signs are consistent (unfortunately), and the tees are all in good shape. You're never far from the main parking lot. There are also a few long holes, including one par 4. These aspects of the layout are really the only reason I considered giving this more than a 0.0.

Using the holes that are shared with West, Central emphasizes different ways to get to the basket, while avoiding any thick brush, and they are somewhat complimented by holes 16 and 17 on this layout (borrowed from East) which have one guardian tree in front of the pin.

Because East and West have some crossing fairways, I would guess that tournaments that are held here would use the Central layout, since it is overall safer and easier to navigate. But maybe having people play Central is actually a con...

Cons:

In case it wasn't clear already, every single hole on this layout is shared with one of the holes from East or West. There is absolutely nothing unique on this course that you wouldn't find on one of the actual courses. Everything good about this course can be said as a pro for one of the other courses. For some reason, the signs for Central are still the most prominently featured, causing confusion for newer players, encouraging players to play a layout that will bump people into each other, and quite frankly, play a worse layout overall.

This "course" combines not the best, but the worst of the East and West courses. There are several open holes (holes 13-17 on this layout) that are shared with East, which are mostly pretty boring, and all the safety hazards of both East and West (crossing walking paths several times). As a result, these 18 holes start to feel a little boring, and you may be looking longingly towards the newer holes in the woods. The fact that there are no alternate tees or pins shows up worst here, since there's less going on in these holes than the wooded holes.

The layout and navigation issues aren't any better with this set of holes. The walk from hole 14 to 15 is very odd, since there are weird issues with the East course going on at the same time. The tee signs help you out, but once the Central and West courses diverge after hole 4, you may be a bit confused.

Other Thoughts:

Judging by past reviews, it looks like a lot of work has been put in here to keep this course in good condition, and it appears as though that will continue into the future. Given the 36 decent to good holes that are here, I'm glad the park, or rather the Disc Golf portion of the park, didn't fall into complete disrepair. Don't get me wrong by my rating - I'm really glad this course existed, but it was a stepping stone to the two courses that are on site now.

If you want to play on a real course, just play the East and West layouts; they're both good courses that don't deserve to be overshadowed by an old layout. I've reviewed both of those already.

One last time, to anyone who may be taking care of or putting money into this course: PLEASE remove the signs for the Central layout and replace them with proper signs for the course the holes are on.
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11 0
TRoss886
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 283 played 32 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Huge park with 36 holes (kind of). 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- The Big 3: This course features the basic necessities of a good course. Discatchers baskets, metal tee signage, and big tapered concrete pads on all 18 holes. The tee pads are the real star here while the baskets and signage are showing some age. Sprucing these up would be a nice touch to the course. The signage receives kudos for displaying next tee direction.
- Amenities: Spring Lake does a great job in this department. I'm not sure that I've ever seen trash cans at all 18 tee boxes of a disc golf course. That's exceptional. I counted at least 7 benches on the central 18 course with even more on the other loops. Signage poles include bag hooks which is another great feature.
- Staging Area: This course has a large parking lot, picnic table, bench, practice basket, trash can, and large kiosk with the three course maps.
- Options: This is a really interesting setup of the "three" courses. In my opinion, it seems like this course would be better off being split into two 18 hole courses for the sake of player flow, shot diversity, and navigation. It seems there are a total of 33 baskets overall in the park and 36 tee pads (three holes share a basket on the east loop). However, at the end of the day, the more holes the better. You can always go out there and play your favorite 18 holes if you are adamant on only throwing that many.

Cons:

- Basic: Multiple flat, wide open holes on this course. This is especially true if you only play the central 18. Forced shot shaping can be very minimal at points due to the openness (16 and 17 are the biggest culprits). I have a hard time rating this course because of the loops it offers. I think there is a great way to break up the monotony of the basic holes by using the loops in this park. However, for the central course, this is the biggest con.
- Pedestrian Hazard: The course weaves through a walking path in the park and crosses it often. I counted a total of 9 out of 18 holes in which this could become an issue on the central course. The park seems consistently busy so be prepared for this to have an impact on your flow. For reference, this con seems to be a non-issue on the "loops".
- Flow/Navigation: This is where the central, east, west course setup goes from a blessing to a curse. 36 tee pads, 33 baskets, three 18 hole courses. You get the idea. However, major kudos to the signage in various locations on the course of trying to navigate you in the right direction of which course you are playing. It just seems like things would be simplified with an east and west course that are totally separate.

Other Thoughts:

Not pros or cons:
- Single Tee Pads/Pin Placements: While these are always a great addition to any course, I can't list them as cons. This is mainly due to the fact that there are so many baskets and tee pads total in this park. However, the addition of extra tee pads could help to diversify the total number of players that have a great time on this course. Multiple pin placements would help to keep things interesting for locals. This only really applies to the central course since the "loops" are more technical and often have defined fairways.
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2 1
GeneO
Experience: 4.9 years 11 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good Learning course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 13, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Well Maintained, both by Parks Dept. and locals. Central 18 is more wide open, while the East and West share some of its holes with challenging wooded holes.
Dog and Cart friendly, Signs and Map are good for out-of-towners, UDisc is a big help as it is anywhere. Locals are super friendly, always meeting new players.

Cons:

Occasional right-of-way waiting during busy times for the walking trail that meanders through the park. Rarely a big issue, as it only really about 1/4 of the 36 holes available.
Thick OB on wooded holes on Park boundaries, and can be disc-eaters.
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1 1
FlyFish84
Experience: 7.9 years 7 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Disc Golf Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 2, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a great course to learn the game! All new signs on central course as of May 2016. Makes it easy to navigate even for beginners. Not sure when the tee pads were installed but they are all nice cement pads.

Cons:

Walking path can slow play occasionally, and they also have festivals in the park that can interfere with part of the course occasionally.

Other Thoughts:

Learning the game here, and can't wait to get back out and work on improving my game!!
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4 1
Cwsteed07
Experience: 21 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Public Park Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 26, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-very well maintained course in the middle of public park
- lots of open holes holes for newer players to learn their throw
- some long, open holes to test your arm
- some good variety between open and lightly wooded holes
- a fun course for many different skill levels
- 27 hole layout (optional)
- alternate holes provide more technical shots for better players looking for the challenge
- nice baskets on regular 18
- nice teepadd on most of course

Cons:

- needs updated signs
- a couple of older teepads
- hard to navigate the entire 27 unless with a local player who knows the layout
- walking trail that can come into play during busy times

Other Thoughts:

Much improved course over the last couple of years. If you haven't played it lately all of the 18 hole layout had new baskets and all a few teepads.
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1 2
treysonagras
Experience: 9.8 years 9 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Where I learned to play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wide variety of holes. Some nice tee boxes. The park is very well maintained.

Cons:

Lots of trees that will rob you of some great shots. This is pretty challenging for a new player. Some missing signs.

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course and is where I am learning the game. It might be tough for someone who doesn't know the course very well but I enjoy playing here.
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2 0
huntin4hitters
Experience: 37 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

upgraded course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The park this course is in stays well manicured.
New tee boxes have been built on various holes over the past year and also new baskets put in.

There are I believe actually around 27 holes if you know where all the extra ones are but it is a straight 18 typically.

Some long holes that give a chance to rip some drives.

Cons:

some signs/maps at teeboxes are broken

Other Thoughts:

very good average day course
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2 2
Memphis Newbie
Experience: 12.3 years 33 played 22 reviews
2.50 star(s)

run down 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

pretty park
good variety of distances
good variety of shot shapes

Cons:

missing signs
unreadable signs
broken baskets
confusing navigation
mostly open, no tree lined fairways, which is expected of a public park type course

Other Thoughts:

would be a good course to have nearby, but hard to enjoy on a road trip because you will do a bit of wandering to find your way
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1 2
SuperBorg
Experience: 13 years 18 played 16 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A nice park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

A nice little park. Good distances. Good routes. Decent tee pads. A very pretty location.

Cons:

A bit crowded. I would like to have seen a better variety of lengths and pars. I like to see a hole or two I can go for, and 500 feet probably has no business as a par 3. Poor signage makes it hard to navigate at times.

Other Thoughts:

Really pretty park. Worth a stop.
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5 1
c_a_miller
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 299 played 207 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-The park is very easy to find and it is easy to find where to park and begin play.

-The course is very scenic. The trees are huge and the park itself is very well manicured and cared for.

-There were asphalt tee pads which is not as good as concrete tee pads but much better than grass or dirt. The course was very easy to follow on the first 10 holes.

-The course had very good lengths on some of the holes, some holes involve a big bomb others need the player to weave through the big tall trees.

Cons:

-If the first 10 holes were easy to navigate the back 8 were nearly impossible to navigate. All 8 are missing signs and I completely missed about 5 holes because I simply could not find where to go, I never saw any of the last 5 baskets. I assume either they do not exist or they are in a different part of the park because were I go lost there was, what seemed like, a brand new walking path so those last few holes must have been relocated.

-Walkers are another thing to be cautious of. Some kind of walking path comes in play on a few holes on the front 9 and since the park seems to get a lot of walking traffic there may be small waits waiting for the pedestrians to walk through.

Other Thoughts:

This course is very forgettable. The front 9 are fun but the fact that the back 9 is very hard to navigate makes for not so fun disc golf.

This seems to be the only course in the area that is worth playing but definitely needs a bit of work to get the rating up.
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1 2
ulickeldroma
Experience: 16.4 years 8 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Spring Lake Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 23, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A nice course, there are some large trees on some of the holes that adds some challenge. The course flows well and you can find the next hole pretty easily when there isn't a sign (at least for 1-18).

Cons:

There really aren't any long holes. About half the signs are missing. There are 4 extra holes in the woods, but there isn't a sign or map directing you to them, so they're hard to find if you don't know where they are.
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3 1
sidewinding
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.2 years 81 played 67 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 21, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is my favorite type of course. Huge mature trees, short grass, no schule to deal with. You can really let your disc do what it was designed to do. This type of course is usually criticized for not offering enough challenge but to me it makes for fun, stress free disc golf in the shade. What more could you want?

Right off I-40 so you can hit up a quick round if you need a break from driving across the vast expanses of Texas and Arkansas.

Cons:

Very busy park with walkers, joggers, kids, soccer games, picnics, etc, etc... so you have to be very careful and patient to play this course, especially on a nice afternoon or a Saturday morning.

A walking trail winds it's way through the entire course and you have to throw across it on quite a few occassions so just be prepared to wait.

This course seems to have evolved into 22 holes so the flow is a little confusing. I think they could easily redesign it and take some of the wide open field holes out and use the wooded holes to create a nice balanced 18 hole course on the original side of the park.
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2 0
yelkcubnwahs
Experience: 13.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

great park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 13, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

this is a great place to get your toss down, and work on your mechanics. the distance is great for bigginers and long drivers will hit birdies with no problem.

Cons:

as of right now hole eight's basket has been broken by hoodlems but it is still operational, the walk way goes through over half of the course. and the holes 2,6,and 17 have a fence that you are not suposed to jump over( but i am not losing my disc, so it happens, be careful begginners)

Other Thoughts:

this is a great place, no fear of danger from riff raft, they recently opend a police training facility right next to the park so crime is almost no existant, park closes at 10pm so night golf is limited.
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2 1
cullen50
Experience: 13.9 years 5 played 5 reviews
4.50 star(s)

great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

its a beautiful course with a great atmosphere. it is a large well groomed course. has a side course in thick woods across the street from #4 so u can work on ur short game.

Cons:

i really dont see one bad thing about this course. i think it is missing a sign or two but this course is easy to figure out.

Other Thoughts:

this was the course i first played on. i learned the game on this course and when i ventured out to other courses, the other courses seemed easy.
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1 1
vtsquid
Experience: 18.1 years 21 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Loved it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 14, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well maintained, great lay out, great location (safe and beautiful),

Cons:

signs been to be updated/replaced

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course, in a great location. Be sure to watch out for people trying to fly kites, play foot ball or walk on the paths, because they all will cross here and there. but it adds to the game. The lay out is not that challenging, but... they are all good distance shots, some baskets hide behind trees which is interesting!

all in all, I really enjoyed the course and area, parking is easy as well!
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4 0
disc4life
Experience: 18.6 years 11 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

So where's the next hole? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 23, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Since the completion of the walking path, the holes have been moved and placement seems well thought out (given what obstacles they had to work with).

Like others have said: safe, nice, scenic park. I enjoyed my time walking around the course, checking the rest of the park out. Good place to take a family (plenty for spouse, kids to do if they don't play disc golf).

The signs that are up at Tee pads easily move you from one hole to the next.

Cons:

Since the completion of the walking path and the movement of some holes, signs are missing in places and/or holes have just been renumbered. And, early in the day, I didn't run across any of the local players to show me the way. They were there as I was leaving, though.

Walkers of course have right of way, so you may have to be patient for a minute or two on 2 or 3 holes (the pedestrian path stays out of the way / to the side for the most part).

Not many shady tee pads throughout the course.

Not a good mixing of short / long (if you can call them that; the longest is a little under 500 feet) holes. Most of the shorter holes were around the beginning. Then the longer holes went out into the open fields.

Other Thoughts:

Since they moved the holes around, the course no longer starts in the northeast corner of the park. As you enter and go left, the parking lot is about halfway back on the left side--the old hole one is now around hole 15 or so.

I pass through Texarkana every now and then. I'm sure I'll be playing this one again in the future.
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6 0
NDABRUSH
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.2 years 58 played 46 reviews
2.50 star(s)

For a city park, not too bad 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 23, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Safe park, pretty easy to navigate. A few wooded hole across the street from hole 5 added a little variety to the totality of the design. Friendly local pointed me to the first tee. Good place to try out new drivers as it is mostly open, good for beginners. I liked hole 8 and the wooded holes the most. Rest rooms and a few benches. The trees that were available were used as best possible in my opinion. More than 18 holes, if that doesn't annoy you. long concrete tee pads except wooded holes.

Cons:

Some tee signs were missing. This course could get old very fast unless you prefer this type of course over wooded and elevated types. Walkers, I had to skip hole 12 because of kite enthusiasts and hole 16 because there was a baseball game in progress. I didn't find one of the pads for 1 of the wooded holes, although I didn't look too long for it. Limited terrain on most of course gave some holes that "sameness" feel.

Other Thoughts:

Overall I suggest if in the area give it a whirl. Just don't make a long drive to play it unless curiosity gets the better of you like it did me. If you are from Louisiana Earl G. Williamson is on the way home in Oil city Louisiana. It is only nine but has some technical holes with a creek in play on 4 holes.
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5 1
bjreagh
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.6 years 350 played 317 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 14, 2007 Played the course:once

Pros:

Serene park setting. Trees as obstacles, not in woods, no rough, but you have to throw good shots. We played on a weekday morning and were the only people in the park.

Cons:

Tricky to navigate at times. The open holes across the road did not fit the character of the rest of the course.

Other Thoughts:

I was unaware of the "extra" holes (read some of the other reviews of those that are more familiar with them.) Fun course for the average DGer, not too difficult, but not jokingly easy either.
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7 0
RustyP
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.9 years 83 played 34 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Current home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 22, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is beginner-friendly, with the exception of a few holes on the regular 18-hole layout, and all 4 of the "woods" holes. Although the landscape remains mostly the same throughout the entire course, there are enough trees to force hyzer, anhyzer, and straight shots (though mostly hyzer). The park looks very nice now that the city mows regularly...lush green grass in most parts with mature pine trees scattered throughout. Course plays very quickly, since most holes are short and there isn't any "schule" to deal with.

Aside from the regular 18-hole layout, there is an extra basket on hole 13 (and an extra tee near that basket) that makes for 19 holes...though you'll need a local to point the extra hole out. There are also 4 extra holes in "the woods" across the street from hole 5's tee. These holes are probably the most interesting of the course, and although they're fairly short, they do require accuracy to score well.

Cons:

Advanced and higher-level players will find this course very easy, as a RHBH hyzer can be thrown for birdie on almost every hole. Just to give you an idea of how simple the course is, my usual score on the full 23-hole layout is between 9 and 11 under par...and my personal best / overall course record is 16 under par for 23 holes.

Lacking variety, both in distance and hole design.

Navigating the course for the first time can be difficult, as it crosses park roads in a few spot. Right now many of the signs are missing or broken, which only makes matters worse.

Finally, the baskets are probably the biggest con. All but 4 were hand-made by local prisoners and tend to spit putts with a lot of speed or spin. The basket portion of the target has large "nipples" on the rim that causes low putts to be rejected...which isn't necessarilly a con, since you shouldn't putt low anyway :)

Other Thoughts:

All in all, Springlake will make for a fun round for most...but for the avid disc golfer always looking for a real challenge, it could be a let-down.
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