Pros:
The Timberdoodle Thicket offers a unique experience in rural WV, set on private property far away from pretty much anything. However, with no other courses within an hour in any direction, it is great to have this course in the area. I envy having a backyard course like this, and the property was made for disc golf with its hilly setting in the dense WV woods. Alan lives on the property and was my host for the day. I really enjoyed his hospitality and passion/knowledge of the sport. This is a course I would love to play regularly and it would be a blast to have league and tournaments here due to its balance of difficulty and fun factor.
The course does a great job of offering a fun, more casual round that still presents many challenges. One of my favorite aspects is the amount of holes that offer multiple lines to the basket. Between my two rounds, there were many times when I approached a hole differently. I appreciated this freedom to be creative on so many occasions, rather than being forced to hit a specific line. This greatly added to the course's replay factor. There are some big elevation changes here, which offered some really fun holes. Hole 8 was my favorite and is the favorite of many: a 315' downhill bomb through a tight gap. There are elevation changes on every hole and it is incorporated in many creative ways.
While this isn't a championship-level course, the designers have done a fantastic job utilizing the land given to provide many risk-reward shots. This definitely makes the shorter nature of the course more appealing. A few holes have mandos, like 9's double-mando, which forces you to either lay up or try to hit the very tight gap in front of the basket. Holes 7, 14, 15, and 17 all have very steep drop-offs with definite roll-away potential. Again, this makes the shorter holes (like 15 and 17) more exciting because you are forced to either lay up or make a run at the basket and risk rolling far past the basket. While the course isn't overly punishing, it keeps you on your toes in this regard.
Gravel tees are comfortable to throw on and the flags on top of the baskets made them easier to spot in the thick woods.
Navigation is straight-forward and you should have no problems as you will most likely be playing with a host anyways. Still, walks to the next hole are short and there are pointed rocks next to the basket that steer you in the right direction. Navigational aids such as steps and rails are also in place.
I was very impressed with how good of shape the course was in being a private course that doesn't often get played. Even in the thick woods, the rough was reduced and the grass was freshly mowed.
Cons:
The main thing for me that keeps it from getting a higher rating is its lack of championship-caliber and longer holes. I don't have a big arm and I still would have liked more chances to open up and play par 4 holes. There are 5 holes under 200 feet and only 5 holes over 300, so this course does not do much to reward big arms and provide score separation in that way.
There are some aspects of the course that could cause minor problems, but these problems are reduced down if playing with a host. For one, the tee signs do not have a map on them, which would cause some walking ahead to spot the pin. Also, there are times when multiple pins are in view, which could be confusing.
As others have mentioned, this really is out in the "middle of nowhere" with not much around in terms of food or gas. Definitely come prepared. The property wasn't too hard to get to in a physical sense, but you do have to ford a little creek (was low when I was there) and drive up a steep dirt road to get to hole 1. Recent rain would cause problems, but I made it to the top easily in mostly dry weather. I do echo others' statements that I would not want to travel to or from here in the dark, with many switchback roads. The journey there reminded me a lot like getting to the Woodshed/Whippin' Post, slightly less dramatic but more time spent on back roads.
Other Thoughts:
The hospitality at the Thicket is unparalleled and I really enjoyed my day here. Alan even gave me a complimentary mini and encouraged me to come to one of their tournaments. Surprisingly, they host a few tournaments a year. I encourage anyone coming here to allow themselves a full day of traveling and playing, this is not a course you can quickly bag on a road trip.
Don't expect to play a championship-level course, but do expect to play well-designed, unique holes on a backyard made for disc golf shots with its dense woods and constant elevation changes. You won't be disappointed you ventured here.