Pros:
I was wondering what I would find when pulling into the pre campus parking lot . Ohio Valley University , a nice looking small college near Parkersburg , had joined the ranks of colleges that have an on campus disc golf course ( circa 2014 ) . They have recently expanded to 18 holes . When you pull into the first lot up the driveway , your first basket sighting is the #18 one . You have to go past a shed past the end of the lot to get to hole #1. The baskets are pretty basic , the tee pads are dirt , and the tee signs ? well , there are a few of them left over from the original 9 holer , some renumbered . Others are posts in the ground with just a number on them . I didn't see any NEXT TEE signs . The course flows sort of clockwise , with some ins and outs to it . The grass was manicured where the mowers could get to them . Many holes are in the woods . Bring a map for sanity's sake , but you are going to abandon it for some of this course . Without going into detail about each hole , I will just say to be aware as you leave the path to some of these baskets and move on to the next tee. An example would be #4's green goes left into a thicket . You need to follow sort of a path behind the basket to get to #5 , then #6 . You then have to pop out of the brush on a path to your right ( this one was marked some ) which leads you on a bigger dirt path to #7 tee . You need to abandon the online map you have for a while and just follow the flow of the course . Some paths and a couple of markings help with your navigation . The woods holes ( 3-15 ) aren't necessarily long but are technical . Redesign must have taken over from 8-15 . You might even encounter some nature on this course . I had a standoff on hole 8"s tee pad with a family of deer that stood in the fairway and stared at me for a long time . I finally gave up and walked past them on the way to #9 . I didn't have a problem with finding the holes until holes 12-14 . You may have to circle down the path you came up for #8 to get to 12 . #15 is a hyzer hole that leads you to the edge of the woods , where you pop out for 16 ( I think old #7 ? ) a long open hole running around the edges of part of the woods to a basket up against it . #17 is a nice downhill blast that starts next to #1's tee pad and goes down towards the road you came up . #18 tee is through a little path to your right and a little up the hill and throws uphill and around a large tree to another large tree with canopy guarding the basket . Even though the course will leave you scratching your head , and seems to still be a work in progress ( hopefully ) , there are still some memorable holes here , #2 starts on the level ( 364' ) then tails downhill and left behind a tree . #14 is a nice uphill pump straight to the basket . #7 is a hard right to left on a path in the woods . #'s 16 , 17 & 18 were very good . My signature hole was #3 . A straightaway 357' narrow fairway drive to the basket with a treeline on the right and heavy foliage and some trees on the left . The course design is good , and as far as campus courses go , it is 18 holes and meets typical college criteria .There is a pretty good amount of elevation here . I DID like the course length and would have played to course a lot if a student here . This course will never be crowded so you should have uninterrupted play .
Cons:
!. Navigation . I am pretty sure someone needs to make a more explanatory map for this course . Any graphic arts students want some extra credit ? Finding hole #5 and the transition from 11 to 12 was awful. #2 tee pads . Anything . Carpet , turf , gravel . In a good rain you are going to slip on the tees here , especially in the rain . #3 Maybe some better signage ? Some signs are informative and good . Others give you nothing but a hole number . Also , you can paint on one of the rods on the bottom of the baskets to point you to the next hole if you want . maybe a few NEXT TEE signs .. #4 No course amenities . I am okay with this but some may not be . Pack water because I saw nowhere to fill a water bottle , no bathrooms , no benches or shelters , no trash cans ,( carry out what you carry in ) . Even a picnic table near the #18 basket would be a plus . #5 The rough is way too rough . On the sides of 1 & 2 , down the fairway of 3 , even 16 if tails left of the fairway and 17 on either side . You could spend a lot of time disc digging in high weeds . #6 You may not want to play this course after a rain . It could be a mud bath and treacherous in the woods .
Other Thoughts:
If the course was made to be an good alternative for the students to relax and grab some exercise after class or during the weekends , then mission accomplished . Some colleges use their course to showcase their campus and to throw their name out there for recognition , just in case high schoolers come out a throw 18 holes and decide to look into the college further . For whatever reason , I still think this course is a keeper and is light years better than Ohio University's course . My Recommendation : locals and students and course baggers should play this course for sure . Otherwise , I wouldn't go out of my way to play here unless you are combining it with the much more accomplished Wood County Veterans Memorial Hippo Ridge or Broughton's .