Elon Park is home to two separate CDGC courses, Angry Beaver being the longer, more challenging one. From what I was able to collect before my round, I was expecting a course slightly worse than Charlotte's big 3, but easily better than Scrapyard or Eastway. However during/after my round, I noticed that the course has been changed slightly, maybe over the past couple year(s)?
-From what I could tell, the course used to start at the Eager Beaver parking lot, and old holes #2 & 3 were across the road. I would like to know the story behind all of this.
-Although the course was different in some ways, its current layout is absolutely phenomenal. I played the short tees to long pins (when available) and it was incredible.
-There is a great mix of par 3's and 4's. There are no par 5's from the shorts, which is a bummer, but the split between par 3's and 4's worked great. After a couple of par 3's, boom, here's a par 4 or two for you.
-The course is mostly played in the woods, however, it's not all just tight fairways. There are multiple wide fairways and a couple open holes toward the end. Therefore, multiple shots are needed.
-Elevation isn't crazy here, however there are some holes that stand out to me due to their elevation factor. #3, par 3 that plays straight uphill over a small creek, #4, par 3 that plays back downhill over the same creek, and #12, par 4 that starts off going straight downhill, the short basket (par 3) off to the side.
-The little details that are present on this course are nice. Multiple raised baskets (#3, 7, 10, 16, & 18), and smart use of OB (more on this later) forces you to play placement shots on a lot of holes. It really takes a good round to post a decent score.
-There are four real stand out/signature holes on this course, all of which have the same quality as some of the signature Renny/Nevin holes, arguably better. I think this is mainly because of the OB usage. The first of the four is #12. I mentioned earlier about its downhill start, but what makes this hole special is the island green to the long pin. You have to cross two OB creeks to get to the pin, with another OB creek a couple feet long.
-The finishing three holes are the other three signature holes. Not only are these holes great, it makes such an amazing finish to your round. This is why I think the current layout might be better than the old one (but no certainty so don't take my word for it). #16 is a par 3 with a fairly open tee shot, down to a raised basket with OB only a couple feet to the left and long. It takes some balls to throw a putt that's not within gimme range. #17 (old #4, I think) is a par 4 (to the long pin) that has an easy tee shot, but the last 200ft to the pin is incredibly tight and funnel down to the left, which is another creek marked OB. It's going to take some luck to get a par on this hole. #18 (old #5) is a par 4 from the short tee, and has a completely open landing area but has OB marked on either side. The second shot requires a good RHBH shot past some trees to a blind basket. These three holes are just absolutely amazing and ultimately earn the 4.5 ranking for the course.
-There are multiple arrows directing you to the next tee, and they decipher between long and short tees. This is helpful because there are many holes in close distance, and navigation could've been difficult.
-The park is very nice and the woods are very clean. White banded DISCatchers are nice and tee pads were great. Benches on most, if not all tee pads. There is a nice practice area near the first tee with two baskets.

-There is only one major con, and it's the hole maps. How can a course of this caliber have no map of the hole? The signs have good information on them, but no direction of where the hole goes. This was a major problem only once or twice, but it would be nice to have. Also, I noticed that Eager Beaver had the standard CDGC maps, so why not Angry Beaver?
-It might be confusing where to park and find the first hole. Thankfully I did not run into this issue, however, I could see it easily happening. The parking lot near the Rec Center is where Eager Beaver starts. If you do happen to park there, you could start on #16 since it is literally right next to that parking lot. However, I don't recommend it because you could screw up the pace of play, and you should save those holes for the end. The parking lot next to the ball fields is the correct parking lot. (UDisc says that you should start at #16, so don't get confused!)
-One thing I think would've been better is if #15's basket was down by the creek near #16's basket. I think old #18 was that exact layout, which would have been yet another test to finish out the round.

I was really impressed by Angry Beaver. I think caliber wise, this course is definitely below the big 3. However, after playing it, I would prefer to play Angry Beaver over any of the big 3. Why? Probably because of the final three holes, but honestly, I'm not sure. The park is in a nicer area of Charlotte, and is more aesthetically pleasing than some of the others. I think this course goes under the lower 4.5 end, but there is just no way I can rate this a 4.0. This park is cool because it is the only park with two completely separate courses, Renny and Nest overlap. Definitely one of the best in Charlotte!

If you have ever read any of my previous reviews of Angry Beaver, you'll already be aware that I have been a big fan of the course for a long time. Even advocating for the past decade that it was one of, if not the most criminally underrated courses in the Charlotte area. While the course has seen small tweaks and renovations here-and-there over the years, it has recently seen a rather substantial change that I believe is going to bring Angry Beaver right up in the conversation of destination courses in the Charlotte area, alongside Nevin, Renaissance - Gold, and Hornets Nest.

In all of the previous iterations of Angry Beaver, the course gave players three fairly simple birdies to allow them the chance to create a cushion for themselves before the course began in earnest. That cushion is gone, as hole 1 has been extended (actually playing to the old pin placement for hole 18), and old holes 2 & 3 have been removed. So right out of the gate you can tell that this beaver has had its teeth sharpened. If you continue to play you'll notice many holes have had long tees added (though when I last played the concrete hadn't been poured just yet).

The layout has been reworked and retooled to create much smoother transitions between the layouts. It might confuse veterans of the course at first, but I think with time they will realize the layout is much more fluid now. A short basket has even been added to what is now Hole 2, so that the transition to the short pad of Hole 3 quicker. I noticed that some of the pin placements have been pushed a bit further back and a number of other holes retooled to recreate/revitalize the original intention behind the course.

Angry Beaver, like it always has, places a premium on placement and accuracy over a long distance. The course has many memorable holes which manage to be just as beautiful as they are challenging. The course uses the terrain of the park about as well as it possibly could, and features a variety of different holes where hitting your gap and finding the proper landing zones are key in order to score well. The course has always been designed in a way that it tempts you to really go for it, but really just smart, solid golf is needed here. However, the newly tweaked layout offers players a few more chances to really go for it. The course attempts to use what little elevation the land has to offer a bit of variety, and add a bit of extra hidden difficulty into the course.

While the course is still primarily wooded, and features long, tight fairways - the retooled fairways remove the repetition of layup-after-layup, shot-after-shot. While this is still a staple of some of the holes, it no longer seems to be over done in an overbearing manner. The creeks that weave themselves throughout the course add to not only the scenery, but to the difficulty and intimidation factor as well. Fortunately, even after heavy rains, it would be easy to retrieve a disc from them. The retention pond by Hole 3 is a different story.

It is important to note that this course is not the best place for beginners, as it was originally built to test Advanced level players. The new layout still does this, but fortunately there are no longer three relatively tame looking holes right at the start, lulling people into a false sense of security. So if you're a relatively new player or unable to let go of your ego before attempting to tackle this beast, it might be best to head over to Eager Beaver. However, players of all skill levels could enjoy this course, if they understand and are looking forward to really testing themselves against a truly challenging course. This is a long course, and it is refreshing that there are benches at most of the tee pads. This will give players a chance to rest during their round, because this course is very demanding.

The biggest issue the course still has would be signage. It would be nice if each Tee Pad were given a nice tee sign with a detailed map of the hole layout, ala the rest of the courses in the Charlotte area. With how much work that has gone into this course as of late, I doubt this will be an issue forever. It really is likely only a matter of time until the course is given shiny new tee signs. I imagine the club is waiting for the rest of the details of the redesign to be finished before investing in new tee signs. While the signage has still improved and navigating the course has gotten easier, new tee signs would definitely be nice for first time players.

There are a few spots on the course where the rough can be thick, making disc loss a possibility. However, these places are few and far between. If you are focused on accuracy like this course demands, you'd be hard pressed to find them. The places that are actually rough (like the detention pond on Hole 5), are nothing compared to some of the rough that can be found on courses like Renny Gold, Robbins, Dry Creek, Eastway, etc.

Parking can be an issue at Elon, as Angry Beaver and Eager Beaver share a small parking lot. Other parking exists by the ball fields, but that is quite a hike to get to the disc golf course. More parking is also nearby the course, at the Rec Center. That lot is quite small too though. This hasn't always been an issue, but the new popularity of Angry Beaver (and the sport in general) could become an issue. Especially on tournament days.

I've never bothered heading over to the Rec Center, but I've never been able to find the restrooms or water fountains at the park. I would recommend bringing your own water.

In my last version of my review for this course, I said, "I think that Angry Beaver is criminally underrated right now. When compared to other courses in Charlotte, I would put AB in a tier just below the Big Three (Renny G, Nevin, and Hornets Nest), but with a little work it could go toe-to-toe with them. Which is not at all a bad place to be, the fact that those three courses already exist in the same city is pretty insane to me, but this course has always been up there for me - but for some reason many players seem to turn a blind eye to it."

The work that has gone into this course over the past couple years, in my opinion brings it right up alongside those courses as to why Charlotte is a marquee destination for disc golfers. So I am bumping my rating of the course up to 4.5 for now. This is assuming the work continues and tee signs are made for the course. If the land permitted it, one or more open holes could really add to the variety of this course, but for the land that the course has been given, the course is firing on all cylinders.

There will still likely be people who rate the course lower than it truly deserves because it does have such a high demand for accuracy and the ability to identify proper landing zones. This course tests your technical skills, your distance, and your mental skills on a really steep curve. If you are a little off your game on the day you're playing - remember you might want to back off and try to get settled into the course. Angry Beaver is a demanding course and it can punish a player who doesn't respect it, but it is certainly not unfair.

If you try playing Angry Beaver and are finding it too difficult, or if you want a quick warm-up/cooldown round, hop over to Eager Beaver and give it a go.

Favorite Holes: 2, 3, 6, 11, 18

The course has a very nice layout. Some short technical shots and some open long shots. Big range of hole lengths from 200 ft to 800 ft. The stream is OB for some holes makes it a bit harder. The course was very clean and clearly marked from hole to hole.

The retention pond on hole 5 can be a loss of a disc so be careful where you throw.

One of the best courses I've played from difficulty to cleanliness to layout.

Disclaimer: I only played the worlds layout.

There are solid concrete tees here and sometimes long tees. I love how the course starts with three birdie holes and then begins to get difficult. It's great that the first three holes are all treacherous greens. Even though they are short, they are not gimmies. Hole 4 is a great forced straight shot with ob on either side of the fairway. Hole 6 is a demanding placement par 4 that is very tough to stay clean on the skinny fairway. 7 is a solid dogleg right par 3. 8 is a good par 4. Even though the hole is only 380' a 3 does feel like a birdie here. Off the tee there are two defined gaps split by a large tree. Anywhere left or ricocheted left here will be OB. It is a tight twisty fairway and at the green there is more OB behind the basket. Hole 9 has a unique shaped fairway. It is a left turning horseshoe that goes up and back down. The drive plays up and over OB making it like an island hole. Again, you will need a gut check as you decide whether to run your putt or not. Hole 10 is a good downhill, tight, tunnel shot. Hole 11 is a great dogleg right par 4. Hole 12 is tight and doglegs left but has a tricky angle to it. Hole 13 is a solid uphill hole. Hole 15 is solid left turning par 3. Hole 16 is solid left turning par 4. 18 is an awesome finishing hole. It is a par 5 with a generous fairway to rip some drives on. Enjoy the finish.

Hole 5 from the short tee was too easy of a birdie for me. I could just throw two 250 foot hyzers and drop in my 3. It was not worth going for the 2 with the OB so I found it a boring hole. I have not played it from the long tee. Some small branches in the middle of the fairways seemed flukey and unfair when I played there.Hole 14's drive is really short and boring to me. It is a par 4 where I throw two putters to get to the green which is not very fun. Hole 17 feels exactly like hole 7 to me as it requires the same line.

The short par 4s are repetitive to me. Just not what I prefer.

Not crowded after 5pm. Good length. Course plays very spacious, not on top of other groups. Risk Reward is Med. Not really sure how you'd lose discs out here if you are halfway decent.

Kind of confusing to play. Not a lot of action means spiderwebs in the summer. Parking can be a hassle sometimes.

Wish this course was here when I was in high school. A great alternative to renny for kids from deep south charlotte.

One of the best I've played, this course offers some of the best variety in one 18 that I've seen. It's mostly wooded with a few open bombs, has great length, realistic and legitimate pars, and the hole design varies superbly from left to right and lengthwise in combination with the good elevation. Practically every hole requires some forethought on disc placement, even the first 3 shorties, and it will punish you with a bogey or sometimes worse if you don't execute your shots wisely. The tees are all in and they are nice and level, there's enough trash cans available that respectful DG'ers shouldn't make a mess and most of the back 9 seemed to have these nice benches with ergonomic back support that was a welcome relief for this weary traveler. If you like tight, long, technical courses in NC woods then you'll love this one. The fairways themselves have their "tough" spots, usually off the tee, where they are pretty tight but usually you can exhale if you clear them, unlike some tight fairways that stay tight from end to end like a lame hipster's pair of jeans.

You don't tee off from the giant mound on hole # 5.

Some noodle-arms (<300' of accurate D) may be disadvantaged here. (No disrespect to noodlearms, I have one often when I'm tired.)

The first couple of holes deceive you into thinking you might have a birdie fest, the difficulty level gets ratcheted up really quickly so smoke 'em while you got 'em so to speak.

Hole # 9 is a little gimmicky for my tastes, you're forced to land on this tight island area or you're OB. It might not be so gimmicky when that creek is flooded though.

The tee signs were temporary pieces of paper that were taped to poles. Half of them were laying on the ground.

I'd rank this a 5.0 easy if there were benches on every hole like the ones that were there and if it had more permanent tee signs.

Signature/Favorite Hole: #5. This hole is like playing Wii Golf, it's a long par 5 that requires strategy and good shot placement on every throw. The tee off is a wooded tunnel with the object of hitting the landing area straight ahead at the end. Then, you have some disc eating marsh directly in front of and to the right to throw over. OB woods on the left and the huge mound to the right means you can't be too careless with the rest of your throws, even though it's a very open hole the rest of the way.

Like bettsjc said in his review, there's just something about those white Discatchers that lets you know that you are in for a challenge in Charlotte.

(Oh, and when I typed '...Bound to get the Friction on,' I meant it. Definitely powder up the ol' inner thighs if you have Scottish tree trunk legs like I do, it's a long walk and you will chafe in this heat.)

UPDATE: some tee pads are finished!! The ever so sloppy ninth hole is now concrete and straw at the tee, which gives relief to all chucking it a few feet behind the tee in the mud. Even with a few tees in I can tell this is my home course, played 54 holes on two courses, and didn't have to get back in my car...upgraded score to 4.5 I love this park.

This is a pro course, and is not complete. Wear waterproof mud kickers, and you will be golden.I do see some tough spots in the drainage of the land after a brutal Charlotte rain, but all in all it looks well thought out so far.No holes stuck out as unnecessary, they all fit the bill nicely, and compliment one another.Be ultra careful with your footing on the rocks on five if you traverse them, and look out for ankle twisting holes covered by leaves.

Couldn't ask for a better course than this at this park.Beginner(Elon am-tees)Intermediate(Elon pro-tees) and finally pro (Elong), all at the same park.I really Love Charlotte Disc Golf, if I didn't live here already, I would move here, just to play all the great courses spread out across town.Thanks CDGC.
My score of 4 discs, will be increasing as the park gets complete I am sure of it.
Favorite holes at Elon are #5 (par five with a 90 degree left to open fairway over snake like gully and swamp), #8 (par four, fairway meet creek he will be filling in for you in your absence) , #10 (tunnel shot with quick elevation drop, creek at bottom to stop you from laying up on either side of fairway), and #13 (par three straight up hill, hit the bottom of the basket with a sidearm, so close, took the birdie). Can't wait to play it again, really impressed with the treachery and reward.