Pros:
+ The course takes players through pleasant views of nature, generous hills, woods of varying density and a few water challenges.
+ Flat, long and wide concrete tees.
+ Tee signs are colorful and informative, but...
Cons:
- ...They are only at the blue tees, I think?
-/+ The guiding signage is intermittent at best.
- Very dense roughage and undergrowth.
- Safety hazards present throughout the course but especially on the front9.
Other Thoughts:
I'm not a very good tourist.
Whenever I visit a new city, my first thoughts are not about lively bars, unique museums, historical sites or famous landmarks/monuments but of disc golf courses. During my trip to the Austin area in early November 2023, I kept hearing the slogan 'Weird Austin,' but I can neither confirm nor deny its veracity because the closest I got to the city proper was Austin Ridge Bible Church. (Sidebar: Does a Bible Church differ from a regular church somehow? Maybe it's where Bibles go to learn how to be Bibles?)
The disc golf course? Yeah, it's pretty good.
The first six or seven links are a lovely string. Those fairways bend, dip and rise with tree cover that is close but not constricted. A few of them have a pretty creek along the way that is nice to take in and, thankfully, not deep. Watch your step on those first seven fairways. There are rocks, roots and slants galore waiting to catch you off guard.
Speaking of being caught off guard, I was not prepared for links A and B!
In between 11 and 12 are two links with the type of steep fairways that we rarely see in disc golf. LinkA is a monstrous uphill climb not for the accident-prone or weak-kneed. That is not a taunt but a warning. The climb is rugged with dry dirt, loose rocks, hidden roots, plenty of bushes and short trees. While you're looking for your disc, you need to be aware of your footing. LinkB is the same exact thing except treacherously steep downhill. I found them enjoyable and challenging, but I can't blame you if you take one look at the incline and say, "Nah, screw that," and skip ahead to link12.
The view at the top of that hill is pretty nice, though. You can see the church, the nearby highways and all of the bounding hills receding into the horizon. I prefer those disc golfy kinds of quiet moments rather than bar-hopping on Main Street or taking some sort of guided bus tour. (Maybe I'd go bar-hopping after the sun sets, though?)
On the downside, I started feeling bored with all the dusty fairways. In particular I wasn't too crazy about link9. That fairway is straight, flat and had just a peppering of trees on the fairway. Link8 was the same way, except a lot longer. Link12 is a major lost disc risk. It's a blind downhill throw with a bunch of grabby shrubs and tangled vegetation on the way down. Keep both eyes open. I wasn't too thrilled with the sporadic guiding signage. Sometimes it's right where it needs to be. Other times I had no choice but to rely heavily on the Udisc map. In fairness, links13 and 14 have been removed due to construction. So that likely contributed to my confusion. But that's as bad as it gets at Austin Ridge, aside from the rugged walking.
My favorite one, link10, was a nice lengthy puzzle of shady tunnels and tree dodging until finally reaching an uphill putting area. By the time I reached link11, I said to myself, "I'm enjoying this course a lot." I appreciated 11's choice of tunnel through a gently rising slope. And that was before the suckerpunch sight of linksA and B! Special mention of link18. That sneaky pond on the left hand side of the fairway is a nasty kiss goodbye.
In conclusion, the power throwers out there won't really enjoy this course because there are no open fairways to let loose and unleash. I would advise newbies to the sport to play the short layout and take their time because there are plenty of trees to deflect and discourage the player with lost discs and crappy lies. But for those tacticians who don't mind a little danger in their day, then consider Austin Ridge Bible Church strongly recommended. Just wear sturdy footwear, watch your step, and pay extra attention to your throws.
Join me as a fellow bad tourist.