Pros:
Quail Ridge is a beautiful park right off the junction of I-70, I-64, and US-61 that gets a lot of use between disc golfers and other parkgoers. Taking I-70 exit 209 will take you right past a gas station to grab whatever drinks or snacks you need before your round, and going north instead of south at that exit will also take you right to Smokin' Aces, a pro shop with a fantastic selection of discs and bags. This is one of 4 courses that the St. Charles County Parks Department oversees, and while I have not played all 4 yet, my experiences here and at Indian Camp Creek Park, along with the reviews of New Melle, leave me very impressed with the care they give to their disc golf courses.
This course is in the process of receiving a number of improvements. The most significant improvement is the switching out from older DGA baskets to MVP baskets that all have blue top bands. These baskets are a very recent addition, and the blue band makes them much easier to spot as you work your way through the woods. This was my first experience playing a course with MVP baskets, and they seemed to be great at catching discs that hit more than a couple strands of chains. These baskets are pretty deep too which should keep discs contained.
Right off of the parking lot, you will find a bulletin board for the disc golf course, a practice basket, and a bathroom. The bathrooms in this park are very well maintained, and have been clean and in good condition every time I have used them. The practice basket is on enough of a hill where you can practice with a little bit of elevation depending on where you putt from. One amenity I find to be especially unique about this course is that next to the practice basket, you will actually find the concrete tee pad to a practice hole that is clear of trees and a good distance to practice shots with putters, midranges, or fairway drivers. This practice hole provides an opportunity to get some practice shots in as you walk around the corner to hole 1.
This course has very nice tee signs that note pin distance, pin locations (including which is in use), and the location of the next tee, making course navigation easy for first time players. Most of the tee pads are concrete and are in good shape. Hole 11's short tee was the exception I found and is natural, though with all of the other improvements happening at this course I would not be surprised if this one gets upgraded to concrete like the rest. Course goers that go around the time of this review will also find that many holes also have benches on the ground that are ready to get installed, with many of the other holes having benches already set up.
This course starts with 2 holes that are open, followed by hole 3 which has pins just inside the woods. After the first 3 holes, holes 4 through 12 are all in the woods. Holes 13 through 18 open up with varying openness of fairways.
The holes on this course will require a variety of shots; I found myself throwing most of the discs in my bag at least once. While most holes on this course do not provide opportunities to bomb a driver for max distance (maybe none of the holes will depending on what pins are in use), anyone that likes wooded courses that require a variety of shot shapes will love this course. Quail Ridge really gets the most out of the terrain and elevation throughout the course. I think holes 8 through 12 really highlight this. Hole 8 is a tight fairway that ends on a hill, making for a risky approach and putt. Following that, holes 9 and 10 make for back to back opening drives that go over a valley, requiring you to hit gaps to avoid difficult scrambles. Hole 11 is a very fun straight downhill shot that requires some good finesse to make sure you land close for a birdie opportunity. And finally, hole 12 is an uphill shot that ends right, requiring some good touch on a RHBH anhyzer or FH hyzer.
Other holes have some nice design touches, including hole 3's primary pin being elevated on top of an old tree trunk, and the primary pin for hole 14 being surrounded by some nice brickwork that highlights circle 1.
This course layout has seen some recent changes to holes 5, 6, and 7. These changes are easy to follow, and the tee signs have updates that are laminated and stuck on top of the old signs for the time being. These new holes take you a little further into the woods, and are not quite as treacherous as the previous holes, especially hole 5. While these holes are pretty short, they still require a variety of shots. I see these holes as improvements over the previous designs. Hole 8 has also been cleared out more than it has in the past, making for more gettable gaps and less of a chuck-and-pray drive.
While this is a primarily wooded course, the brush is typically open enough that it isn't typically too hard to find errant shots. This course also has limited blind shots, which will leave first time players more confident on all of their tee shots.
Hole 9 ends close enough to the parking lot that you will be able to see your car as you approach the pin, and it's just close enough where you will be able to stop off before the back 9 for a bathroom break or a stop at your car.
Cons:
The cons to this course are very limited, and some really come down to personal preference.
This course really only has a couple of pin placements that will allow for a true max driving opportunity for intermediate and advanced players. If you like to use your distance drivers a lot, you may not like this course as much.
It was a rainy day during one of my recent rounds, and while grip wasn't a huge concern, I did find the tee pads starting to get slightly slick once they were completely drenched with water. A practice run up during rain or putting a towel where you are going to plant your foot should solve this for most players.
As stated above, one tee does not have a permanent tee pad.
While the majority of this course is away from other park uses, the practice hole and holes 1 and 2 are near the road and some pathways, so be alert when throwing drives.
The course layout has mostly short walks from hole to hole. The walk from 12's pin to the tees of 13 is really the only exception. Just follow the path by the pin of 12 around the corner, and you'll find hole 13 without too much trouble. Hole 18's pin requires a little bit of a walk back to the parking lot.
Other Thoughts:
This course is a true gem among the courses in the St. Louis/St. Charles area, and will leave any lover of wooded courses very pleased. St. Charles County takes very good care of their parks, and their disc golf courses really benefit from the care they get.
be respectful of other parkgoers, and be mindful of the park speed limit; it sounds like speeders may get punished here.
If they're open when you play here or one of the nearby courses, give Smokin' Aces a visit. They're right off the highway, seem to be pretty involved with the local scene, and have discs and bags from a variety of manufacturers, including a number of tour series and other special runs.
This is a very strong 4 out of 5 for me. This course is currently in the middle of receiving multiple improvements, and as the improvements on this course continue, it could have the potential to become a 4.5 in the future. Quail Ridge is more than worth a drive to play for anyone living in or visiting the St. Louis/St. Charles area.
*Edited on 2/8/20 for grammatical edits and improvements.