Pros:
After kayaking the Upper Gauley River, I decided to play a quick round at Ravens Ridge before driving home. Just a couple of minutes off of the interstate, located at Adventures on the Gorge, Ravens Ridge is very accessible! The course is a fun 9 hole layout with tight, technical fairways that will test your ability to throw your disc on line. For the amount of space the designers had to work with, I think they did about as well as they could have.
The course makes excellent use of elevation. Not only are there some excellent uphill and downhill holes, but there are also holes that utilize the ridge as a fairway - where if you miss the fairway, or take an unfortunate kick, you are probably going to sail/roll far down the hill. Hole 6 is easily the signature hole on this course, it is a sharp uphill shot that slightly bends right, but the tee is located on a tiny little ridge, that creates a death putt from almost any angle as it is sharp downhill in both directions.
Even though you'll never really need anything faster than a midrange here, the course packs enough variety into every tee shot that it never manages to feel repetitive. With the added benefit of featuring a breathtaking overlook of the New River Gorge with an outstanding view of the bridge.
Despite the heavy emphasis on accuracy, with a lot of risk/reward shots available, the course never feels unfair. This is exemplified in Hole 5, a par 4 that is less than 300' long. When you see the fairway you'll understand. It has some of the tightest lines I have ever seen, and there is no real way to regularly drive the pin every round. I did manage to have a long look at an Eagle, but hit off the basket.
The course features tee signs that include the hole number, par, and distance. Each basket is numbered (and there is a practice basket) and each hole has a rubber tee mat. The course was likely designed to cause a minimal amount of environmental impact; I noticed a trash can lid lashed to a fairway tree that I imagine is meant to guard it from taking disc damage.
Located at Adventures on the Gorge, the course has plenty of amenities, and camping available right there. If you end up camping there, there is a pool with its own beautiful view of the gorge! Honestly, thanks to seeing what AotG has to offer when visiting this course, I've decided to try to camp there on one my next paddling trips to West Virginia!
Cons:
It is a shame that the course is only 9 holes, because it is a blast to play! Having said that, I imagine that for the casual players who choose to play here while camping, I imagine a fair amount of frustration is had by players taking bad kicks/rolls here.
One of the biggest issues this course suffers from, is signage. Even following the directions on DGCR, I struggled to find the course. There were signs for everything else and only a sticker on a post for the disc golf course, and I felt awkward randomly walking around the edge of the woods looking for walking paths. I ended up spending just as much time looking for the course, as I did playing it. I decided to add a little to directions to the course, hoping it provides some help to others in the future.
I wish the tee signs were a little more noticeable (I didn't realize they were there until a few holes in) and featured a map of the hole. I wasn't aware of the landscape around Hole 6's basket, so was extremely thankful when my birdie bid hit the post and settled below the basket. If I had missed just a few inches left or right (or had taken a bad roll) I would have been left with a second death putt to save par.
The last three holes, Hole 7 in particular, play parallel to the road. A very unfortunate tree kick could send a disc into our across the road.
While all of my drives were standstill, I did notice that some of the tees were very uneven. Players who need to make use of them might trip during their drives.
Other Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this course! It is a really good place you can stretch your legs if traveling down I-77 while fitting in a quick round and a nice view of the Gorge. As it stands, I plan to give it a 2.0 rating. Which feels fair for a slightly above average 9 hole course. I think that the course would need better tee signs, flatter tee pads, and signage that makes it easier to locate for me to give it a higher rating. Especially since there doesn't seem to be any room for an additional 9 holes, or even second, longer tee pads.
Favorite Holes: 4 & 6