Pros:
PawPaw is a two-course disc golf paradise unlike anything I know of anywhere else in the nation (and I've played ~200 courses in 20+ states). It's my favorite place I know of to spend a disc golf weekend.
Both The Woodshed and The Whipping Post are awesome, but what is even better is having both courses side by side. And having a hill by the house and barn where you can sit, surrounded by WV mountains, looking down over some of the pivotal and most beautiful holes on both courses makes this an unparalleled place to both watch and play disc golf.
Spencer and Gabi are two of the most generous and welcoming people I know of, and it has been a labor of love on their part -- and on the part of many dedicated volunteers -- to make these courses what they are and to keep them maintained for play.
The Whipping Post has an SSA of roughly 63-64 strokes, and when you're playing competitively, pretty much every hole will change the lineup on your card. Every hole will exact a range of scores from almost any level of players, and that's one of the marks of a great course. No matter how many times you play it, you will always have opportunities you missed and places you know you could have played better. But every time through, different holes will take a bite out of you. Not because of luck, but because every hole is a challenge.
Like it's sister course The Woodshed, The Whipping Post is a great mix of open holes and nasty woods holes, with many true par 4s and tons of elevation changes. Overall, I feel that the Whipping Post is more balanced in terms of giving you a tremendous variety of different types of holes with very little repetition (there are a couple of holes on the Woodshed that inspire a touch of dejavu). There are big uphills, downhills, tight fairways, roller holes, huge dropoffs, shots over valleys, places for max-D bombs, places for touch shots, lots of fast greens, risk/reward challenges, beautiful vistas and everything else you could ask for.
One of the perks of both courses is that every hole has a name and every hole has a history. Play through with a local or someone who's been there since the beginning and they'll tell you more stories than your brain can hold.
The camping opportunities at PawPaw are awesome -- lots of barefoot grass and flat places to pitch a tent. A clean pond for swimming. Enclosed areas for fires are provided, and Spencer usually has firewood and ice he'll sell you at a reasonable price if you've forgotten to bring your own.
If you go out for a tournament weekend, expect a late night of live music in the barn and some of the most beautiful stars you'll see anywhere in the country. The Milky Way is blinding out there in those West Virginia mountains.
Cons:
The only cons are that PawPaw is out of the way. But that's part of what makes is so wonderful -- the solitude and the true escape from urban/suburban life. So that's not really a con so much as it is the price you have to pay for solitude. Just make sure to bring everything you need with you for a weekend of camping, because you aren't going to want to leave and it's a bit of a drive even to the nearest convenience store.
The biggest con is having to leave the course after a weekend and return back to regular life. At a course like this, you wish you could stay forever.
Other Thoughts:
Course fees are $5/person per day, but I encourage anyone who plays to chip in more than that if they can. One of the great things about PawPaw is that it has some of the most beautiful rolling hills imaginable -- all of which are mowed regularly by Spencer or a volunteer -- and mowing all those acres is an unforgiving task (and more and more expensive with gas prices going up). I encourage everyone to find some other place to save money when you're making a trip out to PawPaw and give what you can to support the course and the generous owners, Spencer and Gabi.
I also encourage people to take friends and family out to the course and just enjoy the weekend. Last fall, I was out there with my brother and sister. My brother plays; my sister doesn't. My brother and I had a great time playing, my sister hiked along some and spent most of the time just relaxing in a hammock under the trees, enjoying the beauty and solitude of the place. On tourney weekends, many folks bring wives/girlfriends/children and there are kids running around and extra adults kicking back, swimming in the pond, and just enjoying the views.
PawPaw is one of the best places I know of to camp -- even for friends who don't play disc golf -- so if you can get there for a weekend, DO. And if you can get in to the West Virginia Open tournament (it's Pro only, but I encourage Ams to play up), DO come play -- it will be the best weekend of disc golf you've ever spent. And if you can, do yourself a favor and take off Friday and Monday -- show up early and leave late and just enjoy paradise and the chance to play with some of the best golfers in the country in the most amazing setting imaginable. See you there.