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Wonderland reviews
1
0
cdunlapb12
Experience:
9.1 years
9 played
5 reviews
Good Time 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 31, 2016
Played the course:once
Pros:
Surprisingly long for its location. "Fair" fairways for the most part. Multiple ways to approach each hole. No gimmicks. No extreme elevation changes, which are common in this state. Located in one of the coolest outdoor parks on the east coast. If you love the outdoors and disc golf I recommend giving this course a try.
Cons:
The man who runs the course does his best, but needs more support. Some of the fairways need to be better maintained, the rough is rough, one or two holes where you could seriously lose a disc.
Other Thoughts:
Overall this course was fun to play and I never truly felt frustrated by the course. This park definitely needs more support, come play the course, support the guys taking care of it, and see the natural beauty that southern WV has to offer!
2
0
greg_b_4
Experience:
12 years
63 played
9 reviews
It's getting there 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 31, 2015
Played the course:once
Pros:
This was my first time playing the "new" layout. I was fortunate enough to play with Thom, the course designer, who really has a passion for the sport and the improvement of this course. The new layout is 1000X better than the original back and forth layout of the front 9 and most of the wooded holes stayed the same with slight improvements to the tee pad locations. It's quite obvious more thought went into the new layout than the previous. There are 2 tee pads for each hole, currently labeled white and blue, but probably plays more like red and white. There is room for a third tee on most every hole which could then be blue level. While the holes arent terribly long they do take thought and execution to play them well. There are picnic tables placed near a lot of the tees and some trash bins also. Holes that stood out are the new #4 which is a tight uphill hyzer line, #5 is a tough left to righter with the pin guarded by pines, #13 is an open right to left shot in the open after a long run of wooded holes, #17 is a long straight shot that has to stay straight or you will be in trouble on both sides.
Cons:
- Number one con is still the grass. It seems Thom is a one man show and just doesn't have the time or the equipment necessary to keep the course in good shape. He is forced to use a brush hog instead of a real mower which doesn't really get the grass down to where it should be.
- In addition to the grass are the briars, they are everywhere. I agree with punishing bad throws but I want the throw to suffer, not my legs.
- Keeping with the maintenance theme, on a lot of the new holes the greens have a lot of brush, saplings, and trees very near the basket. I am a huge fan of a couple trees in the putting circle to make placement a premium, but on most of the new holes there was thick brush and copses of trees in the circle.
- The course does need better signage which I am certain it will come as the courses layout becomes finalized. There is no need putting in permanent pieces when its not finished.
- Not really a con but more a pet peeve... with all the elevation that there appears to be on the property, it wasn't utilized at all. Where there was elevation the holes went across it instead of up and down it. I personally love severe downhill shots and uphill shots. I think there were a few instances where this couldve been taken advantage of.
- In addition to the grass are the briars, they are everywhere. I agree with punishing bad throws but I want the throw to suffer, not my legs.
- Keeping with the maintenance theme, on a lot of the new holes the greens have a lot of brush, saplings, and trees very near the basket. I am a huge fan of a couple trees in the putting circle to make placement a premium, but on most of the new holes there was thick brush and copses of trees in the circle.
- The course does need better signage which I am certain it will come as the courses layout becomes finalized. There is no need putting in permanent pieces when its not finished.
- Not really a con but more a pet peeve... with all the elevation that there appears to be on the property, it wasn't utilized at all. Where there was elevation the holes went across it instead of up and down it. I personally love severe downhill shots and uphill shots. I think there were a few instances where this couldve been taken advantage of.
Other Thoughts:
I never reviewed the previous layout but if I had it wouldn't come close to this one. Original layout would've been lucky to have gotten a 2 from me. This is a very fun and very challenging layout. The only thing keeping it from being a great course is the upkeep and landscaping. I think once a club is established Thom will get more help, and with more help will come a better course. Kudos to Thom for getting it to where it is and to where I know it's going. He turned the course from one you'd most likely read the reviews and skip to one where you will want to stop and play. I know I'll be playing it any chance I get now. I hope the course starts getting the reviews it deserves so people will want to play and grow the disc golf scene in the Beckley area.
5
0
DiscGolfCraig
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
20 years
604 played
546 reviews
Beware the Jabberwock
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:May 16, 2015
Played the course:once
Pros:
Wonderland is a work-in-progress, improving layout. When it's complete, this has the potential to be a very nice addition to the region's disc golf scene.
- There is some excellent variety at Wonderland. The first six holes are mainly open, followed by a stretch of wooded holes before closing with a couple more open holes. Throw in some nice elevation, varying degrees of tight fairways and some great risk/reward layouts, and I was generally pleased with the variety.
- There is good use of the terrain to create elevation and other natural challenges. The course felt pretty compact in its 18-hole layout, so much so that I wonder how (or why) they had 21 holes in this same piece of land. The only hole I wish was still around - at least based on the pics - was the old #14. Other than that, it seems to be solid the way it is.
- I enjoyed the overall flow of this course. You start with a simple open hole, followed by another enjoyable open hole. #2 goes down a slight hill, over and through trees (that reduce your angle) to a dogleg left basket. A couple so-so holes on #3 & 4 are followed by two more enjoyable open holes; highlighted by #6. It's almost the exact opposite of #2, this time throwing in an open field to set up your second shot to a basket back up the same raised elevation from where you teed off on #2. There aren't any wide openings in the small trees/growth, so you either have to throw high or be accurate throwing through the stuff.
- The wooded holes, as is the theme, were mostly solid. I loved the back-to-back stretch of #11 & 12. #11 is the course's best hole in my opinion. It's a slight downhill, slight dogleg left mid-range shot in the woods. To the right and long of the basket is a steep drop-off. The basket is right next to the drop-off, as in a matter of feet, that it even makes you question how aggressive you want to be on a 15-foot putt - play a safe lay-up two putt versus going for it and risking disaster. #12 is then a tightly wooded, straight 215 foot layout. The drop-off to the right isn't as bad as the prior hole, but with that side of the fairway so thick with trees, a roller down the hill is going to be a major problem. My buddy's tee shot was sailing right until he got a lucky kick off one of the last trees, ending up with a 10 foot birdie putt. So, the trees could also work in your favor.
- This course, as highlighted by #11 & 12, has a generally high risk/reward factor. For an aggressive player, when you're on your game, you're going to do very well here. And when you're not, the scoring range will be pretty extreme.
- There is some excellent variety at Wonderland. The first six holes are mainly open, followed by a stretch of wooded holes before closing with a couple more open holes. Throw in some nice elevation, varying degrees of tight fairways and some great risk/reward layouts, and I was generally pleased with the variety.
- There is good use of the terrain to create elevation and other natural challenges. The course felt pretty compact in its 18-hole layout, so much so that I wonder how (or why) they had 21 holes in this same piece of land. The only hole I wish was still around - at least based on the pics - was the old #14. Other than that, it seems to be solid the way it is.
- I enjoyed the overall flow of this course. You start with a simple open hole, followed by another enjoyable open hole. #2 goes down a slight hill, over and through trees (that reduce your angle) to a dogleg left basket. A couple so-so holes on #3 & 4 are followed by two more enjoyable open holes; highlighted by #6. It's almost the exact opposite of #2, this time throwing in an open field to set up your second shot to a basket back up the same raised elevation from where you teed off on #2. There aren't any wide openings in the small trees/growth, so you either have to throw high or be accurate throwing through the stuff.
- The wooded holes, as is the theme, were mostly solid. I loved the back-to-back stretch of #11 & 12. #11 is the course's best hole in my opinion. It's a slight downhill, slight dogleg left mid-range shot in the woods. To the right and long of the basket is a steep drop-off. The basket is right next to the drop-off, as in a matter of feet, that it even makes you question how aggressive you want to be on a 15-foot putt - play a safe lay-up two putt versus going for it and risking disaster. #12 is then a tightly wooded, straight 215 foot layout. The drop-off to the right isn't as bad as the prior hole, but with that side of the fairway so thick with trees, a roller down the hill is going to be a major problem. My buddy's tee shot was sailing right until he got a lucky kick off one of the last trees, ending up with a 10 foot birdie putt. So, the trees could also work in your favor.
- This course, as highlighted by #11 & 12, has a generally high risk/reward factor. For an aggressive player, when you're on your game, you're going to do very well here. And when you're not, the scoring range will be pretty extreme.
Cons:
The biggest cons for the course, at least for spring 2015, are the problems and inconsistencies being caused by the re-design. Some holes have easy to spot tee pads while others don't. I never could find a short tee pad for #6, or at least an explanation if there was only one tee for that hole. Some have great tee signs while others have hard-to-interpret, handwritten (and turned sideways) tee signs, as was the case on #2. Some parts of the course had great signage from one hole to the next while other parts were a guessing game. For example, after playing #10, you follow the path to the next hole, and the tee sign says #12. That's good, except that was now hole #11. The info is accurate on the course map, just make sure to carry a copy with you, instead of just seeing the one near the first tee.
- For being a mountain course, I actually was surprised how little the elevation was incorporated into the course. I'm not saying it's not used, just that there were opportunities to do a better job of it. In the wooded stretch of the course, more often than not the holes play across the elevation instead of going up or down. Add to that, the hole that did appear to have the greatest elevation in the old layout - #14, from the pics - had been eliminated in the redesign.
- With such a high risk/reward factor, course can test your mental game. Add to that there are plenty of spots on the course where you could be searching for a disc longer than normal - lots of tall grass on the open holes, the drop-offs in the woods, bad bounces off trees, etc. - and this course can get frustrating at times.
- The course isn't the easiest to get to. Once you get off US 19, you drive on some narrow roads just to get to ACE. Once you're at ACE, had a couple real close calls with cars driving the other way on what's essentially a two-way, one-lane road. And it's a long drive from the home base up to the course. Just bring your patience, and maybe an aspirin or two.
- The course is lacking amenities. I don't recall seeing any trashcans or benches. I'm not sure whether the bathhouses are open all the time. And it's a good haul back to town for drinks or snacks. If you come here to play, come prepared.
- For being a mountain course, I actually was surprised how little the elevation was incorporated into the course. I'm not saying it's not used, just that there were opportunities to do a better job of it. In the wooded stretch of the course, more often than not the holes play across the elevation instead of going up or down. Add to that, the hole that did appear to have the greatest elevation in the old layout - #14, from the pics - had been eliminated in the redesign.
- With such a high risk/reward factor, course can test your mental game. Add to that there are plenty of spots on the course where you could be searching for a disc longer than normal - lots of tall grass on the open holes, the drop-offs in the woods, bad bounces off trees, etc. - and this course can get frustrating at times.
- The course isn't the easiest to get to. Once you get off US 19, you drive on some narrow roads just to get to ACE. Once you're at ACE, had a couple real close calls with cars driving the other way on what's essentially a two-way, one-lane road. And it's a long drive from the home base up to the course. Just bring your patience, and maybe an aspirin or two.
- The course is lacking amenities. I don't recall seeing any trashcans or benches. I'm not sure whether the bathhouses are open all the time. And it's a good haul back to town for drinks or snacks. If you come here to play, come prepared.
Other Thoughts:
Wonderland's overall quality impressed me. Based on its rating and with so few reviews, I didn't know what to find in terms of course quality. I was pleasantly surprised the amount of work going on to make this course even better.
- One concern I have for this course will be the general upkeep. If the numbers on this site are a reflection (and maybe they're not), I don't know how much foot traffic this course gets. We only saw one other person playing there. That said, I'm wondering how often the grass will get cut, how often will trash get picked up, how often will there be general course walkthroughs to make sure signs are accurate and everything seems to be in proper order. It would be a shame for the improvements to be wasted.
- This is a course that can be played more effectively if the driver is left in the bag. For starters, there isn't much length on the course. That was a disappointing aspect of this place. This course is essentially a mid-range course with lots of premium being placed on accuracy.
- If it is feasible, it would have been nice to find a way to break up the wooded holes more throughout the round. Instead of just one long stretch of all the wooded holes, find a way to flow the course more consistently between open and wooded. It would also possibly add to the course ending with more challenge than the current closing stretch.
- Overall, I liked this place. I'll like it even more when the entire redesign is complete. I'm feeling good about giving the course a 3.0. In its 'in progress' phase, it's probably playing a little lower than that. When it's complete it might merit a slightly higher rating. Regardless, the Wonderland 18-hole layout is above average and is a solid part of the West Virginia disc golf scene.
- One concern I have for this course will be the general upkeep. If the numbers on this site are a reflection (and maybe they're not), I don't know how much foot traffic this course gets. We only saw one other person playing there. That said, I'm wondering how often the grass will get cut, how often will trash get picked up, how often will there be general course walkthroughs to make sure signs are accurate and everything seems to be in proper order. It would be a shame for the improvements to be wasted.
- This is a course that can be played more effectively if the driver is left in the bag. For starters, there isn't much length on the course. That was a disappointing aspect of this place. This course is essentially a mid-range course with lots of premium being placed on accuracy.
- If it is feasible, it would have been nice to find a way to break up the wooded holes more throughout the round. Instead of just one long stretch of all the wooded holes, find a way to flow the course more consistently between open and wooded. It would also possibly add to the course ending with more challenge than the current closing stretch.
- Overall, I liked this place. I'll like it even more when the entire redesign is complete. I'm feeling good about giving the course a 3.0. In its 'in progress' phase, it's probably playing a little lower than that. When it's complete it might merit a slightly higher rating. Regardless, the Wonderland 18-hole layout is above average and is a solid part of the West Virginia disc golf scene.
