An absolutely beautiful 18-hole course with a mixture of wooded and open holes. The course is inter-mixed throughout a historically rich heritage-based site of West Virginia along with 4-H camping. Due to many events such as the 4-H camping, weddings, fairs, et cetera that take place throughout this location; Jackson's Mill requests that those interested in obtaining Disc Golf passes contact the Registration Office when it is open at 304-269-5100 (I was not aware of the latter at the time which was under-going their 4-H camping).
I have played many courses in Ohio and this is the first course I have ever played in West Virginia. I absolutely loved this course as it weaved in and out of the wooded and cleared areas, over ravines and draws, and had you walk around many old Civil War era buildings/log cabins.
Course details:
Scoring:
The course is extremely generous with their par 4's and par 5's as the course appears to be geared more towards beginners and possibly the 4-H campers; however that does not mean that it was not fun. There were many holes that ranged from 100-some ft. up to I believe 600 ft.
Obstacles:
There are many trees that create natural obstacles, but the course also has multiple OB territories laid out such as service roads, fenced areas, a volleyball course, a large horseshoe pit, and I recall at least one main road that is extremely far off to the right on the 17th hole that shouldn't be a real problem for anyone as you should not be throwing in that direction anyways.
There are some ravines, draws, small creek areas, and some tall weeded areas, but nothing in which you should really be able to lose a disc at. There is also a large river far off to the right of holes 1, 2, 3, and 4, but I would not consider it to be of any threat and I thereby will state that there are NO WATER HAZARDS at this course. While there are many buildings at this course, most do not pose much threat of being hit by any discs except for possibly the first two holes which are some cabins to the left.
Mandos:
There is one Mando between two trees I believe at hole #13 which also has the OB Horseshoe pit (I loved this hole) in which you have to fade or hook to the right. Holes 1 & 2 should be Mando's to the right due to some log cabins to the left, but were not labeled as such.
Tee-Pads/Baskets:
Every hole had great 8' long, concrete tee-pads and baskets which looked very new, possibly because the course is new. However, there is only one tee-pad per hole.. There is no Intermediate or Expert Tee-Pads. Hole # 4 did have an alternate Tee-Pad, but I did not locate it to be able to give a review on that particular Tee-Pad.
Course Maps:
I love this part of my review! I have not seen many courses that went to this extent of making their courses look so amazing. There is one large overall map on the wall of the restrooms at the very beginning part of the course; just behind Hole # 1. Also, each and every course map was large, detailed, and made of metal which should hold up against the elements for a long time (unlike the photo-copy maps at some courses, which could learn a lesson from this place). This being said however, I did find it somewhat difficult to locate some of the next Tee-Pads after completing a hole (especially Hole # 8 and Hole #16). Definitely, take a picture of that large Overall-Course Map at the beginning of the course to prevent aimless wandering.
Extras:
The Main/Registration Office is located just before you would get to Hole # 5 on the campus road. Also, the Office is also a Gift Shop and does sell Innova Discs, bags, and some Disc Golf gear.
In addition to the course, the West Virginia University had installed at every Tee-Pad some very impressive signage that promotes wellness education and diabetes prevention. I could not help, but read each and every sign as I progressed throughout the course and learned more and more about diabetes. I actually looked forward to reading and learning what the next sign would teach me.
Negatives:
I dislike making recommendations or changes to any courses, as every Disc-Golf course is unique in its own way. With the beauty of this course, I dislike making any recommendations even more.
1) I only knew there was a course here due to seeing the # 16 Disc-Golf Basket out in an open field and knowing what it was after attending a relative's wedding there a month prior. There was no other means in letting the community or locals anywhere in the region of the entire county (let alone those who may drive right by the course every single day), know that there is an actual large Disc-Golf course at the location.
For someone who loves the sport as much as myself and loves to promote the benefits of Disc-Golf, I found that the lack of any signs anywhere in the county (again, let alone the road next to the course itself) had any form of creating awareness to the course and sport which I found to be a plain shame. I would recommend placing signs of the new course and Jackson's Mill in the nearby cities such as Weston, on the nearby roads, and on camping websites as a local/nearby attraction (and West Virginia Gov. Tomblin, antique shops and service centers are not attractions and should not be promoted on your highways as such!).
2) There is nothing written anywhere that states that players must check in at the Main Office (which is on the other side of the campus from Hole # 1) prior to playing. In addition, the feel of the course upon entry feels as though the course may be private, but the course is open, free, and available to the public whenever the grounds of WVU Jackson’s Mill are open (again, not posted anywhere on campus).
3) Trying to locate the next hole at some spots was a little nerving as I had to walk around actual cabins, which I was unsure if someone was staying in or not. Going from Hole # 7 to Hole # 8, I actually had to walk around and behind the staff-member's cabin/building (after searching for 20 minutes). I would recommend placing signs, arrows, or tags of some kind allowing players to know where to go next and not feeling lost and confused.
Summary:
Overall, I really enjoyed this very new 2016 18-hole Disc-Golf course and would easily classify the course at the Recreational/beginner level. The course has an even mixture of technical and open holes which made the course fun. The addition of the multiple OB's and some Mando's helps create some extra challenges for those who are more experienced.
The overall mixture of the Disc-Golf course mixed in at such a beautiful location such as Jackson's Mill and the very intriguing diabetes educational wellness campaign (if you want to read the signs), I could not help but enjoy myself. Though the scoring was very generous with the multiple Par 4's and Par 5's, I still had many challenges throughout most of the course. I would say that there would even be plenty of potential for possible PDGA tournaments at this location if the WVU wanted to expand on the course and even add extra challenging Tee-Pad locations.
The course itself is very well maintained as it is also shared on a campus that also coincides with many other events that take place here such as weddings, fairs, and young campers. Due to the multiple events that do take place, this creates a downside to just any avid disc-golfer being able to just go out and play whenever they like. Some events such as the 4-H camping or the Buffet Dates, I do not see posing anyone from being able to play. However, if there are any weddings or fair events that may be taking place, there would be no way to play a game as multiple fairways would be closed off. However, if anyone is in the general area and has the time to play, I highly recommend that you call the Main Office at 304-269-5100 and see if you can get a game in, you would not be disappointed.
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+1 votes 
Gary Heflin
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August 6, 2016
