kmstich

Very fun course. Greens could be in better shape, but they are fast.

I can see where some people might get an unwelcoming vibe, but for the most part people are friendly and corteous.

For under $20, this is a good deal.

For being February, and having had some freezes in December and January, the course is in fantastic shape. The greens run a bit slow but are receptive and true for the most part. The grounds crew has done an amazing job with the fairways, bunkers, and short areas. Seriously impressed.

As for the staff, I've had my run-ins with a few bad apples, but the majority are OK. Problem is, the ones with issues are really quite rude. I had a marshall yell and threaten to kick me off the course because my cart wasn't entirely on the path near the tee box...

Pace of play is fine during the week, but slow on the weekends.

Other than that, for $20 or less, this is a steal. At $25, it's fair. Would recommend a trip out there for those prices!

We were a foursome behind another foursome and we waited on each teebox for five minutes or more on each hole. The groups behind us started to quit. What is it with Austin golfers not letting faster groups play through?

Other than that, the course is in OK shape. Worth about $12-$16/round. Anything too much above that and I would consider playing elsewhere.

Staff is OK. No real complaints.

The course is fun--just wish it were in better shape and played faster.

The range is sad. The range balls are sad. It mad me sad.

There is a large amount of deer skat around this course, and mud-balls aren't actually mud-balls. The deer look sick. It's sad, really. I can't expect the course to keep the deer healthy, but efforts should be made to have them kept away from the main areas of play.

The greens are patchy and overly hard, the benefit of which is there are few unrepaired ballmarks, nor do golfers need to repair their own. The surfaces do not roll true, and some of the holes are on such severe slopes that balls will end up farther away than whence you started.

The fairways are inconsistent, bumpy, and bare in places, making crisp shots hard to come by, though balls do run for some distance. If you're search is to hit a 400 yard drive, this is your runway. There are other times when it's hard to tell if your ball is in the fairway or rough due to the deer overgrowth of wild grasses in some areas.

The bunkers need tending to. The sand is fine but there are rocks the size of golf balls in all but a few.

The staff is in the clubhouse can be a bit rude, but the on-course staff is friendly enough. However, it is clear that the course shows signs of being uncared for, as if those with the charge don't want to bother.

It's a shame the course is in such a state because the layout is fun and unique, and I believe it could attract much business with a relatively small effort, but at this time it's not worth the rate and drive.

I used to play out at Beacon all the time in its heyday, but the course has since fallen into disrepair. It pains me to see the track this way as it is such a fun play. It has so much potential and is still a test if you're not on your game. However, the $20 green fee for walkers just isn't a good value.

So, I've played Tour 18 a few times in the past and never had a bad experience, but that changed this last time. The course is in OK shape, but the greens really need to be attended to and some of the rough spots need to be addressed. All in all, it is definitely NOT worth the price of a $30-$40 green fee. Our threesome teed off at 3:12 p.m., and despite the fact that it was a bit slow, we were having a decent time. Then the rain hit... After about an hour of waiting, it seemed all clear. The players waiting around the clubhouse started heading back out to continue their rounds despite. We went back out to finish off our 7th hole, and upon reaching the 8th hole, were told by a couple of employees that the course was closed and that rain checks were being handed out in the clubhouse. Fine. We were a little peeved that they didn't shut it down before everyone headed back out, but we were happy to get a rain check. Unfortunately, once we got back into the clubhouse, the guy running the register refused to give us any sort of compensation for our round, claiming that since we didn't pay the "posted rate" we couldn't be offered any sort of discount or recompense for our round. And just like that, $66 down the drain. We tried to reason with the guy, we tried to explain that we only played seven holes, to no avail. Ridiculously enough, he said, "Even if I did give you a coupon, it would only be for $3." Where he pulled that number from, I can't say on here, but it was complete nonsense.

We won't be returning to this course, and we will be calling the Arnold Palmer management group to try and get a refund.

No, not the nicest par-3 course in the world, but for what you pay and how much fun you have, it's a decent value.