• Heavily wooded and technical rewarding accuracy over power
• Flowing design with outstanding use of elevation, ravine, creek
• Multiple tees with signage at white tees
• Some risky pin placements; many are 'blind' from pro tees
• Worn in and heavily played so nominal amount of undergrowth
• Ravine is a daunting hazard on the front 9, less so on back 9
• Not especially long course so somewhat easier to recover from tree hits (and you WILL hit trees here)

• Not much diversity in holes types as mainly wooded
• Ravine has some severe drop offs and steps/walkways/bridges could use upkeep so caution is warranted
• Bring a map as first timers may have some navigation issues
• Natural tees are worn/eroded from use as is expected w/tees of this type

The first two holes are not representative of this course as they are more open and play primarily on the outskirt of the woods. However #2's pin placement at the edge of the ravine gives you a taste of what's to follow on the front 9 - a tight, technical wooded web surrounded by a deep chasm waiting to gulp up errant throws. Accuracy and shot placement are critical here as tree collisions are guaranteed and even the slightest throw gone astray could end up deep down in the gorge.

The back nine, while still heavily wooded and technical, features a tamer version of the ravine where the drop-offs are not as extreme but pose a challenge nonetheless with baskets at its edge and fairways in, around and over it.

Chestnut Ridge appears to be a popular course and for good reason - it's tough with all the woods but fair in its length with a good deal of risk to boot. Undeniably a recommended play if in the Buffalo area.

What's not to say, the course layout is the best I've ever seen. The holes flow very naturally and compliment the beautiful surroundings. The course incorporates alot of elevation changes and it's very heavily wooded. Very technical course, focus more on accuracy rather than power and you'll save alot of strokes. The back nine is just as amazing as the front. My favorite course I've ever played.

The signage could be better, there could be more trash cans scattered throughout the course. I wish there were concrete tee pads too.

This course can be very very crowded with first time players and limited experience players. I would advise to go at off hours, like early morning/mid afternoon. Avoid weekends and after 5 pm

I play this course 2-3 times a week (in the summer) for the last 5 years. It is a great course to work on accuracy due to the heavily wooded nature of the course. A lot of elevation changes and paths along the creek make for an exciting round. Being in the woods helps keeps you cooler on hot days, which is nice. A fun course to play in the winter as well. No leaves on the trees makes it easier to navigate but deep snow drifts of several feet make discs hard to locate. Overall, the best course in the area by far in my opinion, and playable in any weather conditions.

RAVINES!! Holes 1-7 (4-6 especially) all play along the side of a very steep, deep ravine. Wayward shots have a way of finding the ravine. I actually developed my backhand toss to suit these holes (being lefty a right hook on 4-6 will find the ravine). Another con is waits. A lot of high school kids love to come out on this course, and they will be in groups of 6+ several times. A lot of people are stopping after every hole to smoke and there seems to be a lack of etiquette by mos tplayers to let faster players play through. Also, sloppy conditions in the tee boxes after a rain can really affect driving.

I love this course and reccomend it to anyone looking to challenge their accuracy. Big drives are devalued here as this course requires precision. I play Evangola and Beaver Island all the time and rarely compete for the lead with my friends who throw much longer than me, but typically compete here due to my accuracy.

This course has everything you need in a course. Places for long drives. Tough fairways that demand Hyzers and Anhyzers. the Ravine and hill give you demanding places to shoot your disc or risk a risky climb so bring your hiking gear. A Rope would be a good thing too.

Tee's are dirt and w/the WNY rain muddy alot of the time. They need to install concreate tee's. Baskets are right on the edge of large cliffs although a challange it is a big risk and not family safe from time to time. An adult would have to fetch poor throws alot and could get real sore climbing all day.

I play here almost everyday . The trees are plentifull. Somtimes a great shot off by 3" will hit a tree and cost you a boggy. Then a bad shot 3' wide ends up not hitting anything. But a Great player will be challeged at every hole in a different way. Chestnut Ridge > Emory imho

Best Course in WNY... A variety of different holes great for both forehand and backhand... As well as some holes for the big guns and the more accurate... Mixes up Well... Shit loads of fun

Leaves... in the fall there are a million leaves and its very easy to lose a disc

Id Recommend it to Everyone... Super fun course for all skill levels

Amazing view on the first hole. Nice changes in elevation. Nice tunnel shots through trees. Three different tees for all skill levels.

Poor signage and tee markings. Many, many, many trees. Difficult to see baskets when leaves are on trees. no "next tee" signs.

worth going to play if you are in the area. print the map!

The course has a lot of elavation change and plays in the woods. There is a decent amount of variety in the shots you have to make.

A couple hole have a poke and hope feel. Some hole are really unsafe. The natural teepads and ridgerats (local vandals) are the biggest downsides.

If your in the area and want to play this it isn't bad but it's not worth a trip on its own.

Challenging, but still fun for amatuers. Lots of variety from hole to hole. Lots of elevation changes make for interesting holes. Easy to follow, not confusing, signs on most holes. Course stays relatively dry, even during rainy months. The sledding hill is a great way to start. Opportunity for Aces for pros.

The ravine is steep and can be difficult to navigate if you're tracking down a disc. Lots of scummy people leave trash EVERYWHERE(course has about 2 trash cans). Back 9 seems like an afterthought compared to the front. WARNING, this course can get VERY CROWDED on weeknights and weekends.

This course was more fun before the sport started gaining popularity. Would've been 4 - 4.5 a few years ago but the trash and crowds kill this for me lately.

I hit an ACE on hole #1 Pro pad 381'. BEST SHOT OF MY LIFE! sidewinder laid down and woosh right over the fence thru the trees and ching!

Messed up my knees running down the hill to check on the glory.

Conrad Young saw the whole thing.

-I loved this course
-Its challenging
-Great scenery
-Loved the ravine

-Lots of trees, but that makes it more challenging so its not really a con
-Kind of muddy

-I just played at the ridge for my first time, and it was great, i defantely plan on going many more times

A good variety of challenging shots off the tee. Abundance of trees make the course tough to master. Great contrast between the front and back nine even though all 18 are through the woods.

Tees are often muddy and some have roots right in the middle of them. Several tee markers are missing. Some tees may be tough to find if no one in your group has ever played the course before.

Accurate drives are key here, with power drives playing a much smaller part. The course is often crowded on nice days, sometimes causing a jam at the tees. While less challenging than Black Diamond at Emery Park, this is my favorite course in Western New York.

there are a lot of trees on this course but for a wooded cousre the fairways are exceptionaly wide this is ny fav buffalo cousre

on 15 the sigin is down so when you cross the bridge to get to 13 keep walking because the first hole you will se is 15 and if your not familiar with the cousre then you will probably play 15 as 13

there is a large ravine that runs along the first three or four holes that is quite deep and a pain to get you disk out of if you loose it

Chestnut Ridge is a change of pace from Como, Beaver Island and Evangola. Love the ravines and the elevation changes. Loved holes 1 and 9.

TREES!!! The course plays through way too much of the woods. After the first 9 holes I was going to grade the course out around a 4, maybe even a 4½. After playing all 18 the grade just kept descending down to a 2. The course is starting to need lots of repairs. 1/3 of the signs are missing. Tees are missing, mud bogs at the tees, difficulty finding hole 10 (you have to walk through the basket area of 17), trash all along the course (very few garbage cans or bags) ...

I hadn't played this course since it opened in 2001 (nearly 8 years ago) and after today I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. Chestnut Ridge Park offers so much potential for a top-notch course, but I think they failed to utilize all of the parks strengths. A few, maybe even half, of the holes being in the woods would have been plenty. All 18 in the woods is over kill. I only occasionally saw other disc golfers while I was there but you knew they were there because ever 30-60 seconds you would hear a "thunk" as another disc hit a tree.

My suggestion would be to play 9 at Chestnut Ridge and then drive to Como to finish off the day.

UPDATE 9/10/10 -- played another round tonite and left with a bit more favorable impression, however the course still is lacking in many respects. Topping the list is [1] the need to replace signage that has been removed or stolen for many of the holes and [2] getting garbage cans placed throughout the course. The course is strewn with garbage at nearly every tee. I look forward to when the NRDG gets to putting in the proposed second course at Chestnut (Eternal Flame course) and hope they utilize more than just the heavily wooded areas of the park. It would be really nice to mixup the holes a bit more. A mix of 9 holes through the woods and 9 holes that are a bit more open would be great and would nicely challenge all aspects of your game. Until then we will frequent Como and Emery as courses that are far more complete and well laid out.

UPDATE 9/17/13 - Took my daughter for a round here after a run in the park. The course hasn't changed to match and still has many CONS. Signage is mostly there now, but so many tees are missing; tee pads, when found, are rutted and muddy; and garbage is still a HUGE problem. The Eternal Flame course may have even been quashed because of the state of this course. It needs help ... lots of help.

UPDATE 9/7/15 - We squeezed in a round at Chestnut after playing Hawk's Landing earlier in the afternoon. Our first time back at Chestnut in 2 years. Boy, has this course REALLY gone downhill. This course is a trainwreck. It seems that they are trying to clean it up and make it better but the results do not justify playing this course anytime soon again. New signs have been put in to replace the ones that have been stolen over the years. The only problem is they are posted on trees somewhere near the blue or white tee about 15 feet off the ground. Good luck trying to read them. It's too damn far up to see it well. Good news is that many tee pads have been installed. Bad news is ... they are almost only for the White tees and the Blue tees ... good luck on finding them on many of the holes. Apparently, a few of the holes have Mandos on them now, according to the signs, good luck trying to figure them out. We found about half of the Mandos marked on the trees with an arrow. The others ... who knows. The arrows are apparently gone. I hate to say it but they need to start over on this course. A complete re-design needs to be done. When there so many better courses in the area (Emery, Como, Hawk's Landing, ...) I will find it extremely difficult to ever want to play here again. I've changed my previous 2.5 star rating to a 1 star.

Tough course where trees will have you thinking on the right approach. Also great for practicing accuracy. Wooded Areas keep you cool during the hot summer days. There are many different ways of approaching a shot from the tee. Unique tees that is very different from each other.

Since this course is very popular you may find yourself waiting for others to finish. Blind spots around the course may cause people to hit you with their disc (doesn't happen very often). People have taken signs from the holes which tell you were the tees/pins are. Ridge Rats that leave trash on the holes. In some spots the tees are muddy right where you begin a new throw. Easy to lose a disc if you're not careful. People sometimes move the colored wood tee blocks. Not enough garbage cans.

Favors the forearm throwers for right handers and vice versa for left handers. learn how to throw your disc more than one way for this course or you'll be in some pretty tough situations.

hole 13 and 14 are to the right of the trail after you cross the bridge from 12

the picture for the blue tee on hole 18 is wrong, there is a path to the left that leads up to a dirt platform which is the blue tee

** Always keep an eye on where the disc lands. It is easy to lose a disc here esspically if you get it under a bunch of leaves on the ravine. Be careful with your throws the ravine will eat your disc alive

Bring Insect Repellent

****BE CAREFUL ON HOLE 7! STEEPEST CLIFF ON THE COURSE

Course designed around the Ravine make for challenging and yet go for it opportunities.You will need to test most all your shots through this course. Release well and score well,If your a little off it could be a long day. I have had it both ways

OK I saw at least two trash containers on this course ,but that wasnt enough as there were beer bottles and cans all over. If only people would be more considerate and pack out what they packed in.The back nine seemed a little haphazard when compared to the thought out well front nine.

Want to play course again and again

Excellent all around course, very challenging 18 through the woods snaking over and around a deep gorge and creek. Lots of elevation change, both throwing downhill and uphill.

Can be a bit frustrating at times, alot of densly wooded fairways. You will hit trees. Other than the occasional cry for a chainsaw... no substantial cons.

This is my home course, about 5 min. away. I play at least 5 rounds a week here. I have heard and read alot of complaints about "RIDGE RATS" making a mess, Look, this is a very very popular and heavily played course. Instead of complaining about the mess. DEMAND GARBAGE CANS!

Challenging course that takes you threw the woods at Chesnut Ridge. Good course to go to and practice side arms. Blue tees are one of the hardest sets of tees that i have ever played.

The Ridge Rats. Very popular course. Young kids go to the course and trash it. They will throw their discs at you because there are a lot of blind shots where they can not see the basket.

You get one of the best views of buffalo that you can get on top of the hill at hole 1. Get a nice shot of the city, Ralph Wilson stadium and the Niagara Falls.

I got hooked on disc golf at this course. The front nine are the toughest, starting off going down, then coming back up, a steep grade with the ever present ravine on your right. The back nine is much flatter, though still densely wooded and incorporating the creek and ravine. The ravine on the back nine is much smaller and not so deep. This course is so well designed, so deceptive. They've made excellent use of the ravine as a hazard, often placing baskets within feet of the edge. Going for it can punish your score sheet, and a moment's lapse in focus usually means a hike- which I view as a plus due to the exercise. There are plenty of ways to get safely down into the creek, so don't fret. I've never lost a disc here in two years.

The tees are a mess. Muddy when wet, roots, rocks, uneven- Watch your step- it'd be easy to twist an ankle here.
The saddest thing is that disrespectful people litter and wreck the forest, ruining one of Western New York's gems. This old hardwood forest is a treasure, along with the 'New Deal' free-standing stone structures and architecture. I guess you can't change people, but I agree that more garbage cans would help. Show some respect!!!
Do yourself a favor and print a map from nrdg.net site. Many people get turned around and miss #13 & #14.

I'd love to see improvements in the tees and creek crossings and signage, but until the destruction ends, who would invest in it? Some tree pruning would be great, I've often sworn to bring a saw.

Technical and challenging wooded course will severely punish an errant throw, but with little chance of actually losing a disc. The danger of the ravine is a bit overstated; if you backtrack far enough you can usually find an easy and safe way down to your disc.

Most of the course is shaded, making it a good choice on a hot summer day.

Pretty scenery, elevation changes, and hundreds of trees to either damn or cheer, depending on where they deflect your disc to. Red, white, and blue tees truly play to their intended level, from an enjoyable jaunt in the park to a maddening sharpshooter's challenge.

Young, inconsiderate "Ridge Rats" sometimes frequent the course, and litterbugs abound. More garbage cans would help alleviate the situation.

Teeboxes can be a muddy mess during rainy periods.

The course dearly needs better signage, as almost every new player gets lost trying to find 10 and 13 for the first time.

The Ridge can quickly become an obsession for local players, despite its minor faults. A few inches here, a few inches there can be the difference between an excellent round and an embarrassment. Players who rely on a big distance drive off the tee will be cut down to size here; deadly accuracy and the ability to thow a variety of lines are far more valuable.

The scenery is tough to beat, This is a nice wooded 18 hole course that rivals the other Buffalo courses. Multiple tess pads provide variety in distances.
Nice elevation changes. I really like the double ditch shot at hole 9

missing signage slows down the game a little. The ravine is a constant pain in the butt and at times can become an extreme hazard.
Some holes cross other holes paths and it can get confusing.

don't worry too much about throwing your good plastic, there is a small possibility of disc loss, but nothing like Como Lake.
One of the best wooded courses I have played in any state, but bring someone who knows the course if possible.