Pulling into the parking lot in this well maintained park in West Virginia , I thought I was in for a treat . Instead , I was in for a Treatment . It would have taken a long time to find the first tee , which is located at the far end of the lot next to some old bathrooms . I was lucky enough to team up with Justin , one of the local players . who stayed with me for the first 7 or 8 holes and set my bearings . Disclaimer : If you have no map and don't hook up with a local , you will NEVER navigate this course . I had a guide AND a map and barely got through . The baskets are Yellow Discatchers that catch well and are easy to see in the woods . Some tees are gravel , but most are dirt . There were a few tee signs along the course . This is about as extreme as elevation gets . Typical West Virginia hills . There are also some small streams that can come into play , but you are never in danger of them swallowing your discs . Let me say that the course design is good . MOV Disc Golf Club must have been given the keys to this park and took full advantage of the area .Almost all of the holes have a red ( shorter ) and blue pro tee . The first couple of holes stay fairly level ( at least , for this course ) , Then you start to throw uphill for the next 3 holes into tight technical fairways . #6 is a long tight downhill bomber with a creek to your left and tree line to your right . 7 & 8 follow the creek bed back towards the parking lot . #9's tee is kind of straight ahead from where you are putting ( you will see some red and blue stakes ) a couple of hundred feet , and will make you throw out towards the road on the other side of the parking lot . #10 is a little hard to find , but it is straight across the road . you will tee off on the level , but you will aim your drive as far up and across on the hill as you can throw it . You will not see the basket right away , but it is located straight up the hill after your first up and out drive . After finishing this hole , you will take an immediate right and go down the embankment from the hill you are on to a brand new hill . The tee box will be hard to see , but it is there just up the hill . You are throwing down to a semi hidden basket with dropoffs on all ends ( not a very long hole ) . Pretty cool basket placement . You come out of the woods and play a level 12 & 13 , which have a creek in play , but are more open . You go back in the woods for some more tight and elevated holes for 14 , the more hills for 15, 16 and a long cliff shot on 17 with a trim strip of fairway leading to the basket 570' away , and rough that will swallow your disc on the left and right , throwing a few trees in the way to keep your drive honest , Great hole ( even though I lost a disc on it) 18 is a more flat open throw to conclude your round . This is not a course for the weak . I would discourage a newbie or a family trying to play this . The challenge is here . It should not be crowded here , even though it is the only course for miles . Not much in the way of amenities , so make sure you bring plenty to drink . Disc Risk : I don't lose many discs per year and I lost one here . Not only are there several holes with some tough rough , but you also could have your disc disappear on a blind hole , strike a rock or branch , and roll to the bottom of a crevice or hill . Take turns spotting if you have a group . #15 was a good hole where you have to throw a hard uphill drive to an outpost ,then you have to throw straight up a hill to the basket guarded by some trees . But my signature hole would be #17 , the long downhill cliff throw to the tight fairway .

Wow . Where to start . We are going for Double Jeopardy on all of these cons . #1. Navigation . If you are not a local or are not following a local , you are likely going to be lost on this course , even if you have the map . I am trying to steer you around to save you the time that I lost on this course . It is terribly marked , has no NEXT TEE signs and has little if no tee signs and has no defined pathways to the next tee box . It is a recipe for frustration . I never did find the tee pads for #14 and even worse , I found a sign for #16 tee on a pole , but not only did I have to scratch my disc on the cement road fairway , but I could never find the basket to it . Some really long walks ( some extremely uphill ) between several holes . #2 The elevation is so extreme that it is unbelievable that there are no steps , railings or anything that can help you go from point A to point B . If it rains or has rained in the last couple of days , you could suffer a nasty fall . ( ridiculous getting from the plateau to the basket on 15 ) . #3 primitive disc golf at it's finest . No bathrooms that I saw that were open , no trash cans ( carry out what you carried in),water , steps , benches , etc. #4 If you really want to showcase a well planned and competitive course such as this , you have to have at least adequate signage ( also , at least put tape or something on the bucket of the basket to indicate where you walk to the next tee ) and better tee boxes . A kiosk with course map would be nice , too

This course has been around for 9 years now ,or at least the first 9. I don't expect a club or park to lug cement up these hills for tees , but the tee boxes at present are abysmal . Rugs , turf or gravel will fix that in a hurry . The layout is very good , but there is nothing else here where you can tie a bow around the Mountwood Monster and present it to either the Walker or the touring disc golfers . I think the reason that the review score is so high is because this course is the only game in town . I am still glad I came here , but I doubt I would return . Not a destination course in my book . My Recommendation : If a local and an average or better player ( as far out as Parkersburg ) or traveling and bagging , PLAY IT . Otherwise , IT'S ON YOU .

Some very cool holes with dramatic elevation. Well-maintained park (not including the course).

Abysmal navigation. Dilapidated tee signs (those few that remain). Tee boxes that look more like an archaeological dig. Did I mention the abysmal navigation? Severely neglected course.

This course started out somewhat disappointing, with no tee pad for hole #1 (let alone a kiosk or tee sign). The basket was on the side of a hill, near the road, and behind an abandoned park bathroom. Not the most cheerful setting.

But the few holes that followed were promising -- winding, wooded fairways with just the right balance of challenge, fun and scenery. There was also some exceptional elevation on holes 4 & 5. Throwing back down to 6 was good fun. That's when the round stopped being enjoyable...

Holes 7 & 8 were decent enough, but I knew they were just slogging me back to the parking lot and to tee 9 (I'm guessing this was a 9 hole course to begin with, many discs ago).

I never found the tee for 9, despite there being the only sign in the parking lot pointing to any of the tees. The basket you drive right past on your way in to the parking lot for the course.

It took a while to realize I had to cross the street to get to hole 10. I wandered around in the woods near the basket for 10, looking for 11. Of course, about 500 yards away there was a tiny sign on a building that pointed to "Next tee". Unfortunately, I never found tee 11, despite walking right past the basket for 18, then 17, then 16. I looked into the woods a bit and saw a few yellow basket rims, but got tired of walking and the holes I already passed were pretty uninspiring anyways.

The few reviews there are for this course are all very old. This course was on my way to another destination, so it wasn't a total loss. But let me save you from a total loss: avoid this course. These inflated reviews from 2011 are probably based on it being the only course within a great distance in any direction. On that scale, I guess it rates a 4. But based on the somewhat-nearby Black Course in Moundsville, which I played earlier that day, this stinker barely even rates a nod, let alone a round.

My score of 2.0 ("Reasonable") is based solely on the fact that there is an actual course here (I think) and some of the holes (the ones I could find) are kind of cool. But this course is old, outdated and neglected. It's not good for casual players, nor travelers. You'll just end up frustrated.

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.

-Creative and challenging layout utilizing the many trees, steep terrain, and creek that runs through many of the holes.
-Good variety of distance.
-While teepads are gravel, they're long enough and level (for the most part).
-Two teepads and three pin positions per hole.

-Gravel teepads (still better than short cement pads in my opinion).

As of writing this, the course is a full 18 hole with gravel teepads and limited signs. Supposedly, they'll be getting better signage soon. I'm not sure about cement teepads, but that didn't actually bother me any.

This was a really fun, rather challenging wooded course. It was moderately-heavily wooded, however most of the difficulty came from the out of bounds. Almost every hole had the creek running through/alongside or a road next to it. Play smart, and you should be able to avoid it for the most part.

So, take a trip to Parkersburg when you can, and definitely play if in the area.

First of all, the PDGA directory only lists this as having 9 holes. FALSE! there are 18 beautifully designed holes here! Long and short tees separate the men from the boys, (or the girls from the women) The terrain is the star of the course. if you love technical courses, meet your new favorite course. Not one hole has a terrible rough (except maybe 17 just for long grass) Playing this course regularly will steady your hand for punishing putts, as most of the baskets are on severe slopes. Walking this course is a great workout. Hole 6 is an ace-run downhill, and is very memorable. GREAT DESIGN!! even errant shots dont punish the player as bad as other courses. very tight, but gives you a few holes to really air one out...

I can see a safety problem. many holes border each other. Navigation can be difficult without a map. Arrows on the baskets pointing to the next tee would be a nice addition. Sometimes the blue tees are fun to find. Some of the terrain is so rough, you may find yourself losing your balance just walking from the basket to the next tee. more signage would be great....but you'll hardly complain once you catch on to where the next tee is.

One of my top 5 courses of all time. right up there with the Whippin' Post and Woodshed...also west virginia courses...and im a pennsylvania boy. PUT THIS ONYOUR LIST. and club members, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR PDGA LISTING. it still shows that there are only 9 holes! fix it!

There's no comparison between the old layout and this current layout. As this layout is much more deverse with the baskets being placed at stratigically locations (from what I remember how the old layout was).

There's 2 teeing areas (RED, BLUE painted tree trunks)

Hanging basket, hanging from downed tree over hanging of the creek, (this basket didn't have a well like any of the other baskets that we're through out this course, but it didn't seem to mattewr as it catches the disc perfectly well (for me at least)) near hole # 2 and # 7, didn't know which hole it belonged to but played it on both holes (just because)

Bulletin board at # 2 tee and on the wall of what appeared to be an old rest room.

ONLY 9 HOLES.... I realize funds are to come by these days, but if the State of West Virginia only knew that if they would put in another 9 HOLES at this park, you would find much much more players playing this course as they have plenty of room and the room they have is ideal for DISC GOLF.

dirt tees, I realize the terrain and funds will make it tough to get cement tees at this DGC, but it's also another reason why I'm not rating this DGC any higher.

some baskets hard to locate as DGA Basket blend in with nature and with tee sign not telling the player which basket position the course is in today made it tough to navigate on a few holes. (Solution.... paint part of the basket a vibrant color??, personally I'd rather play DGA basket than to any other basket, but since I didn't know which position the baskets we're in today, it was hard locating basket positions on a few holes)

Parking across the park road adjacent to the dog park (not a long walk, but ....)

Did I mention that this DGC only had 9 holes?? Needs 99 more, I'm serious. This park has ample room for a really good Disc Golf Course, but only has 9 holes.

Small cave near hole # 5 fairway

about 12 miles to the east of I-77 (parkersburg area)

if you pass the horse trails and Oak Ridge youth camp ? you went to far. Back down the park road and find the dog park parking lot and the DGC begins across the park road.

I like this layout, I just wish they're we're more holes at this park

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).