Pros:
Pease Park is one of the most fun courses I have played. I have it listed in my favorites. Right off the bat, my first impression of Pease Park is that disc golf is popular in Austin Texas because I had to wait awhile to get on the tee. The next stand out, is the park signs, take a look at the pictures, it's the famous Houck Design signs, top quality, if I'm ever lucky enough to put a course in the ground, its getting Houck Design signs! There does seem to be a few problem areas here and there that a person could get lost, but I had no problem following along the course because I was just following the herd. Seriously, Austin has an awesome disc golf scene. Plus, the tee sings tell you everything, you just have to remember to look and remember which direction the next tee arrow was pointing.
I wouldn't call the course hard. Its creative, yet open enough to be fun. There are different challenges on each hole. I feel like a wide variety of skill levels would have fun here. Some of the memorable things to me at Pease are; a creek to go fishing for discs in, a slightly elevated and tree guarded basket, disc eating cedar trees and the famous capital hole which has a direct view to the capital dome from the basket. I remember a cliff that I was told not to throw into and promptly did. I snapped one out into Larmar Blvd. too, yes I consider that a pro, it was scary and fun to have traffic as an obstacle. Mostly I remember how the challenges were each their own and the next hole would not be the same, it resonates in my memory like a disc golf roller coaster.
Cons:
I want to give this course a 4.5 but it has dirt tee pads. It baffles me how one of the most played courses I've ever been to doesn't have concrete. There is a big long turn around at number six. Some holes are close to one another. I saw a ton of joggers but I don't remember if they were in they way. When I walked under the bridge a few homeless people playfully (I hope) razzed, "welcome to the people under the bridge!" I laughed at them but I could imagine my daughter might have gotten scared.
Other Thoughts:
A month after I played Pease I wrote in my blog, "I loved my mid December time here so much that I have decided that this is the place I want to live. Not Austin, but right at the picnic tables by the 18th basket and the number one tee box."
Disc golf at Pease, for me, feelt like a celebration of the sport. A few here have mentioned how the parks proximity to the university and the fact that its in a downtown location invites undesirable golfers such as frat boys and chuckers etc. In my opinion it adds to the perception of Austin being such a disc golf accepting community. Its one of the only towns I've been to where disc golf is known, accepted and supported by nearly everyone. In my hometown I still get a lot of "Disc golf, what's that?" I have a brochure of Things to do in Austin and they even have disc golf listed. I don't think most other communities would add our beloved sport to a travel brochure.