This course is located next to Pinewood Elementary, in Madison Central Park. I assume it is an EDGE course designed to help introduce Elementary School aged kids to the game, which is pretty cool.

The course has 9 double-chained DISCatcher baskets, which is pretty nice when you remember it is a course designed for Elementary Schoolers.

There are actually two layouts for this course. The green tees has distances ranging from 75' - 220' and the black tees range from 183' to 427'.

If you are bring someone who has never played the game before or you want to work on your long putts while trying to sink an ace or two, the green tees are a great choice. If you are in the area and want a little more of a challenge try out the black tees.

The tees are only indicated with signposts in the ground, and unfortunately, as of this review, the black tees do not have signs. I was running short on daylight, so I didn't take the time to decipher the course map to play the black tees. (But I took their existence into account when choosing my score.)

Located on a very compact tract of land, so be weary of this if you choose to play here and there are others occupying space in this park.

I was honestly impressed with this course, considering it is essentially an Elementary School course. A lot of the small 9 hole school courses I have driven past look pretty uninviting, and not maintained well. But after losing a disc and Renaisance and then dropping my phone for an hour or so, I didn't have time to get in the round on the PPC I wanted, so I opted for a less exhausting play-through of Pinewood. If you are in the area for a round at Renny Gold, and need a place to unwind afterwards, this course would be a fun place for that.

I am giving this course a 1.0 instead of lower because of the existence of the Black Tees. I didn't have time to locate them, but doubt I would go higher than 1.5 unless a little more work was done to the course, which is unlikely. Hopefully they will at least put up tee signs for the Black Tees.

Favorite Hole: 4

+ 9 baskets in good shape

+ There are tee signs listing hole # and distance

+ Seems like a safe neighborhood, the type of place you'd feel comfortable bringing your kid

+ Makes a decent course to bring a first timer to. It will let someone try out disc golf without ever feeling overwhelmed.

+ Plenty of ace runs. If you're one of those players that's gone years without hitting an ace and this frustrates you, play Pinewood once a week for a month and your problem will be solved.

+ Does a good job of catering to the elementary aged students, which I'm sure is the goal of the course. In this respect the course succeeds. Not every course needs to be a challenging & long 18 hole course requiring a hike through the woods.

- Zero challenge. I'd expect to shoot under par throwing with my off hand, blind folded.

- Most holes are throwing straight in an open field 70-150'. Bring a putter or two, MAYBE a mid.

- Hole 8 has you throwing towards a road.

My first time playing this course was on a date. The lady I was spending my afternoon with had never played before, and this course let her try out disc golf without feeling frustrated.

My second time was with a group of friends from out of town. We threw a standard 18 hole course (Winget), then I asked what kind of golf they wanted next. Epic and challenging (Renny Gold), something similar to Winget in difficulty (Kilborne / Sugaw) or pure ace runs for a fun and easy round of golf. They voted the latter, so we came to Pinewood where two of us walked away with aces.

I would avoid this course unless you fall into one of those following categories:

- You want to go for aces while not being challenged at all.

- This is your very first time trying disc golf.

- You go to Pinewood Elementary.


Other than that, there's no reason to come here. If super short and easy 9 hole courses are your speed, Lookout Park in Tega Cay and Springfield Elementary are both superior to Pinewood. They at least offer a few shots that feel like legit golf holes, whereas Pinewood does not.

This course is about as exciting as taking a practice basket to an open field.

I don't like the "poor" adjective attached to this 1.0 rating. This course succeeds in its design to be a place to introduce kids to disc golf. I rate it a 1.0 because I have to compare to all other courses I've played -- and it's not designed for me! Pinewood is a "putt and putt" course located in a small park in front of an elementary school.

+ Perfect course to introduce elementary school kids to the game.

+ Easy navigation.

+ Good baskets.

+ Ace runs on every hole! The longest hole is 220 feet. All other holes are much shorter, 70 feet to around 160 feet.

Again, great course for kids, but here are the cons for adults:

- Exceptionally short, wide open, and easy. No challenge whatsoever.

- A couple holes are relatively close to the road or parking lot. Not really problem because you're likely only throwing a putter (or even *putting* a putter off the tee), but I can see a newbie throwing an errant shot to the street.

This is an easy one to knock out, if you're a course collector like me. I played it in 12 minutes. Don't worry about bringing a bag. Unless you need a different disc for 220 feet, all you need is one straight-flying putter. Go for the "perfect round" -- 9 under par. I hit 8 out of 9 bridies, but felt like I left a *few* shots on the course! Haha. Kind of disappointing not to get at least one ace. Play it a time or two, and you'll get one!

If you want to practice your long range putting or mid range you have found your course.

All open holes with no obstacles

If you have children that are leading to play DC then I would bring them here.

Madison Park at Pinewood Elementary is a short, pitch-n-putt course. This defines what a neighborhood course is about, and who it's targeted at.
- This is the ultimate beginner, introduction course. I picture a course like this getting a lot of play from people in the neighborhood looking to try something new. Holes average only slightly more than 130 feet, so it's clearly not aimed for the big throwers.
- For more experienced players, this course is going to be a birdie fest. There are a couple of safari hole layouts that will offer some more challenge and/or length. More experienced players will have to use some sort of gimmick (ace race, skins match) to make this fun.
- There are several interesting holes. After three uninspiring holes, you suddenly get a (somewhat) dose of reality on #4. It's the most challenging hole on the course, with basket protected by several trees, and the longest, at 220 feet. This is the only hole where you need to throw a good shot to be in birdie range. #6 is a dogleg right (165 feet) with the basket right under a tree. You can throw high, aiming for the tree, letting your disc fall close to the basket. #8 is a 160 foot hole with the basket protected by one tree, forcing you to throw around or over.
- Nice wooden tee signs. They only offer distance, hole number and par, but that's all that is really needed. It'd be great if other (18 holer) Charlotte courses had signs as nice as this.
- Holes #1 - 3 play in a decent sized field. It's at least 300 feet, which will allow people to practice drives or longer mid-range. This should be the only reason anyone will need to bring any disc longer than a mid-range or putter.
- Quick, easy play. It took me 30 minutes to play through twice, and that included time to right down all the course info for this site. Carrying multiple discs actually slowed me down.

Too many short, straight holes. #1, 2, 3 & 9 all feel like long putts or layup shots - all range from 75 - 120 feet with no obstacles whatsoever. #5 & 7 at least have trees that could come into play, but still don't offer much.
- I thought it was weird that the walks from #1 basket to 2 tee & from #2 basket to 3 tee are longer than holes #1 & 2. Not that adding length would make them that much better, but why not make those holes 50 - 75 longer, if you're already walking that distance? It would at least make them longer than jump putt distance.
- General lack of challenge. Again, this course is at a neighborhood park, connected to an elementary school, so it's not aimed for regulars. Renny is only 10 minutes away, if you're really looking for a challenge. This was a mini-golf course when compared to a real golf course.
- Lack of amenities. There's a playground, and that's about it. When most of the play is coming from neighbors, there isn't need for many bells or whistles, so just be aware if stopping by for a quick round or two.

I can't emphasize how much I enjoyed the "neighborhood" feel of this course. The main road (Seneca) is two-lanes with bike lanes and side walks, so you're already not having to deal with traffic. Add to that houses across and behind the course, and it just has that feel. I really think the course will get most of its play from locals who discover the baskets while walking by or at the playground. Madison Park, along with Fewell Park in Rock Hill, are the two courses that offer the most intimate, neighborhood feel.
- There isn't a lot of fun factor here, if you're more experienced. I think the fun factor will be in bringing newbies, or kids to the course, and watching them get a taste for disc golf. It'd be cool seeing lots of parents playing here with there kids.
- With this being a beginner course, it'd be nice to see more mention of other Charlotte courses or the local DG club. You would think once someone masters this course, they would want to try other courses.
- This is definitely a stat-padding course. There's not a reason to go out of your to stop here and play. Now, if you live in the neighborhood, it's great to have a practice course within walking distance.