The Mountwood Monster truly is just that, a beast of a course that will have you saying "wow" on multiple occasions while traversing the West Virginia woods in this park. It presents disc golf in the Mountaineer State in its purest form - rugged woods and hills of great beauty that offer numerous tight lines to navigate through as well as having big elevation changes. After you enter the park, follow signs for the course that lead you to a parking lot on the left. The first hole is on the far side of the lot.

The red and blue tee positions do a nice job of giving different degrees of difficulty and offering different looks. The blue tees are very challenging while the red tees offer more of what rec players and below can handle. However, this isn't your typical park course that is littered with birdie-able par 3's. There are only three par 4's here, but the ever-present elevation changes and tight lines in the woods caused me to fight on every shot.

Like most hilly courses that play in the woods, the pictures on here don't do it justice. There are some epic throws that offer a great deal of risk and reward. The stretch from 2-7 was very memorable, playing up and then back down a massive hill with a stream running through a few holes. 6 is a highlight, a great downhill bomb. The pin positions are very carefully placed at the course as well, often being close to water, on a slope, or near some form of danger.

One of the things that makes this a special course and so fun to play is that while there are many tight lines from tee to basket, I never felt that they were unfair. The holes always had clear routes to the basket and multiple lanes to throw through. This greatly adds to the course's ability to be replayed over and over, while doing a lot for score separation. I imagine that this is the kind of course that you go in never knowing what to expect for how your round's going to be, in a good way.

Water is another great aspect of the course, appearing on 12 holes! While 12 is a high amount, you don't walk away here feeling overwhelmed by the water. It never really threatens the loss of a disc, more just adds to the complexity of the holes with the use of streams.

The worst part is probably its navigation, though it's not the worst I've seen by any means. There are a few confusing parts due to lack of 'next tee' signage or clear paths to take. It can get confusing in the woods as to which direction to head next. Also, the course plays in three separate loops that have you then back-tracking toward the parking lot which was a confusing design for me to follow as a first-timer. I would bring a map. Finally, it can literally be difficult to navigate here with steep paths that are without clear footing.

The tees are either gravel or natural and sometimes do not have a big space to throw from.

Because some of the holes are so long and complex, it'd be nice to have an indicator for the current pin positions.

With about 2/3's of the holes playing in the thick woods, there is a risk of losing your discs because of the amount of leaves on the ground. Many blind shots also contribute to this.

The Mountwood Monster offers a great variety of shots and is a thoughtfully designed course. I really can't see people getting bored here with its unique setting, holes, and layout. This is definitely a course you should play if you enjoy challenging woods golf. I would even characterize it as 'adventure golf' with many of the holes being thick in the woods. This is a peaceful - and rugged - setting that displays WV disc golf at its finest.

Beautiful scenery in a mature forest tucked in a great park with awesome mountain biking to boot. I had heard different things about the Monster depending on when someone had played it (old 9 vs. new 18) and wasn't sure what to expect. There was a good mix of wooded vs open bomber shots, and a strong use of terrain in this very hilly park. I played both rounds from the blue tees and found them plenty challenging. There was a creek in play for several holes and I also enjoyed the strong change of elevation and terrain stlyle throughout. There were red and blue tees for a good range of play for mixed skill groups. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed a tremendous round of mountaineer-style dg each time I visited.

I enjoy rugged disc golf and don't tend to take much off the ratings for a lack of concrete tees or professional grade signage. The gravel tees were relatively flat and an effort was made to guide the first timer from one hole to the next. Both of these things could be improved but neither took much away from my overall experience. There were some very steep access points to some of the blue tees and they could probably use some volunteer hours to build some steps and continue to develop some better trails etc. Maybe they could get some boyscouts to do their eagle scout project by helping out.

Overall I found the Mountwood Monster to be a very fun course. I'd come back and play as often as I get the opportunity unfortunately I don't find myself going past Parkersburg that often. I highly recommend folks to check this place out as they won't be disappointed if they like a strenuous walk to earn some super fun throws as a reward. If I still lived in Athens I'd probably choose to come here more often than I used to make the commute to Forked Run, a course I also enjoy but find it has fewer thrilling holes than this course.

Well maintained course, fun hills, and varying styles of holes.

The course is free of all trash and is easy to find the next pin.

The course travels a round trip from parking lot to other side of the parking lot, going up and back down a semi-steep hill.

The baskets are located in just about any clarity of shot from deeply wooded to clear holes that are uphill or downhill.

The main problem I have with the course is the ground itself. The ground between holes 1-3 are always moist, you might wanna bring shoes you don't mind getting dirty. Also you want to bring shoes with good traction, mostly because of the path downhill between holes 5 and 6.

Although I am a beginner, and my word may not carry much weight, this course is spectacularly fun and individual. It only takes around 45 min. to play the course, then you can cut across Rt. 31 and cross the Ohio River and play Big Buckeye-Red Course for an even longer course. Definitely worth a day-trip.

Hole 1 tee Box is at the parking lot and Hole 9 basket is on the other side of the parking lot so you start and end at your vehicle.
The course is family friendly as theres a picnic area and a play area with restrooms (not open in the winter) beside the parking lot.
Its located in a county park so theres alot of activities besides disc golf avaliable.
The course is a shorter course with 9 baskets with two tee areas for each. Plans to have three pin placements are still being disscused, as of now 1-24-2011 there is one pin placement. The tee boxes are crushed limestone (except hole 1 , blue,which is grass) and has good footing.
Holes 2,3,4,5,6 and 7 are in the wooded area and 1,8 and 9 are more in the open,close to the parking lot(8 is still in alot of trees but its in the public area).
Holes 3 and 4 play up hill while hole 6 is a steep downhill shot all in a very pretty woods.
In warmer months theres a snackbar located at the lake for food and drinks.

Mountwood is somewhere around 12-13 miles outside of Parkersburg on Rt 50.
The course can get alittle muddy in times of wet weather and the rest room is closed during the winter months.
You will want to take water with you as the hills are steep and you will get thirsty

The new course is many times better than the old course, which is no longer there. It would make a nice day of playing by playing Mountwood and then jumping on I77 and play Big Buckyee in Marietta or drive to Reedsville and play Forked Run(which is a 24 hole course and takes 2-3 hours to play).