Fun Course in a nice park. Easy to find. You can tell alot of thought was put int some of the holes, while other's left me scratching my head.

Signage was terrible. Hard to find tees and baskets. But my biggest Con was hole 18 and really left a bad taste in my mouth for this course. We were there on a busy Friday night and it was full of volleyball players. I understand that we have to share the course with others so that in and of itself is not a problem. The problem is that the last hole is designed so you are throwing over and at a parking lot. There is also a huge ditch in the fairway and there are no real signs stating how deep and dangerous this chasm is.

I liked the course overall but after playing Hornets and Nevins this was by far the weakest.

You hear about this course being worth the trip, but I have heard that many times and thought, "yeah, that was pretty good". This course is like Idlewild in that it is ridiculously hard, but you have to admit that there was a fair route (you just didn't hit it). Don't go off the fairway; if you want to beat this course then you have to know when to take a par and when to go for the bird.
I'm not going to give you hole-by-hole descriptions; I feel that takes away from the surprise. I will tell you that for two above-average players, expect to take 2-2.5 hours, and hit this course twice on your trip. I only gave it a 4.5 because the signs were kind of lacking, and there was once or twice when I wasn't 100% sure which way to go after a hole (a perfect course has to cover the basics, right?). In fact, Charlotte did so much on all of their courses except signage! That's the part that should be free, if you looked for sponsors. All in all, Stan McDaniel does it up, and what makes Charlotte a mecca is that they have so many high caliber courses in one area. I mean, there is no where else in the world that I would make a disc golf trip to for three days and NOT be able to make it to Winthrop Gold....

Interesting hole placement along gulch requires lots of skill. Creative placement of holes on rocks. Lots of trash cans and nice amenities.

I do not enjoy playing under power lines. I am not a bomber and do not like 1000 ft. holes. I could not find holes 5 or 6 in the woods or the tee for 7. The woods are a mess. Few tee's with hole info.

I love courses like Ashe County Park. Expected more after all the glowing reviews, but what do I know? I have played for less than a year. This is obviously a pro level course which I do not aspire to be.

1) Multiple signature holes. There are so many unique and interesting holes . . .holes you just do not see on most properties. A lot of this is due to the basket placement but some of the fairways have characteristics that are just incredible.

2) Good grippy and rough concrete teepads. They are a good size which is nice too because a lot of times you need to use the whole pad to get your desired lineup.

3) The dense cover of leaves on the ground in the wooded holes can be considered a positive and a negative but I consider it a positive. They cover the clay soil underneath preventing the bare areas from turning to a slick muddy mess. The leaves work intot he soil to help stabilize it, and they also help reduce the erosion that might ocurr on those holes.

4) Has two layout set on the same course. This is again an idea I like. In Milwaukee we may have multiple layouts but they are not in play all the time. You might have two tees and 4 different pins but the baskets are only in one position per hole and they canbe moved, but the setup Renny has is to leave the baskets in and you can choose which basket to play each day. The "Gold" layout is much harder and the baskets are generally much tougher locations. There may be as many as 1-2 extra throws required per hole comparing the short to the long. I like this because you can play the different layouts any given day.
Why the Gold layout plays to white baskets and the original layout plays to the gold baskets is still yet to be understood by anyone I bet.

5) Discatchers in good condition. The "Gold" layout are all colored white and #'d with a spider web logo on the white rim. The normal layout has yellow banded baskets and #'d. Why the Gold layout plays to white baskets and the original layout plays to the gold baskets is still yet to be understood by anyone I bet.

6) The lookout is a nice touch on Hole #9. You cannot see the basket and you may or may not be able to see the group in front of you because of the rock formation in front of the basket. These are the little things that go a long way to be a top rated course.

7) This course challenges you from beginning to end. There are some incredibly difficult baskets and you do not want to overshoot many of the baskets or you will likely take a bogey or worse. Massive dropoffs and punishing recoveries contribute to the difficulty. The length of the course is also part of the challenge.

8) There is an ultimate of variety on this course. No there isn't really any water in play but the elevation changes, the massive variety in hole length, the very unique basket locations, the variety of hole shaping, the variety in foliage density. It is simply one of the best variety I have seen on any course.

9) Ultimate in risk/reward. SOme of the baskets require some tough shots and you have to decide when to shoot for the basket and when to just layup and give yourself an easy putt.

10) Portopotty is available if I remember correctly down by the tennis courts. I did not explore the park anymore but there may also be toilets in a building.

11) Fairway distance markers are an awesome idea especially when you have a 1042' hole! It really helps you to kno whow far you have thrown and how far you have left to the basket.

12) Very nice park has a large variety of activities. 18 awesome disc golf holes, mountain biking trails, tennis, and other things to do. I can only imagine how cool the mountain bike trails would be here.

13) Mandos are used effectively to create good shot shaping and cool hole layouts. They are clearly marked and in bright colors usually to make sure you do not miss them.

14) Benches and garbage at most if not all holes. They are consistanly available which is a big plus for me.

15) Rock formations really contribute to the uniqueness of many holes. They create additional challenge and also just plinly look cool on the course.

16) There are a few elevated baskets on this course. This is a fun way to create a different feel.

17) OB was used effectively to force certain shots on certain holes. Normally I wouldnt think the manmade mandos and OB are good, but they generally do a good job at defining an intended way of playing.

18) Bridges and stairs are in necessary places. The stairs help you to retrieve discs from the gulch areas. SOme of the areas do not have anything so where they are put in is a bonus.

1) No kiosk by the first tee. For a popular course I would think there would be al sorts of info posted. There was something by hole #2 near the parking lot but almost nothing was posted there. That is surprising to me.

2) Tee signs are inconsistant and some missing. They have posts with gold signs listing Hole # and distance for the Renny gold layout. The other distances listed on occassion but some are missing some are peeling off, and they are not consistant with how they post the distance etc. I like consistancy because then it can be relied upon.

3) The course in general is in good shape but there are numerous areas that are slightly unsafe. The hodgepodge type of construction can lead to issues down the road. Just be safe and walk carefully. Some of the retaining walls are not the safest and some are just failing. I appreciate it took a lot of effort to put them in, and some of it was probably done totally by hand, but in the end a properly done landscape will last longer and be safer.

4) 1st hole is a throwaway really. There isn't much interest in the hole and it seems very out of place. It is almost like they added hole #1 to replace an older hole that got removed. That might also b why the kiosk is at the second hole not the first. There also is no sign directing you to the first hole. Sure you can see the basket but first timers might struggle to figure out where the whole is.

5) No directional sign to the tee for the first hole. The original tee is set back in the woods while the gold tee is using already existing concrete by the corner of the tennis courts. There is a white line and two yellow circles painted on the concrete for the gold tee.

6) In my opinion the two long open holes on the back 9 are not that fun. It is purely a get up and throw as far as you can. Sure it might work as a good ego boost for the long throwing pros. Perhaps pros look at it differently because it may actually be harder to throw a long shot than it is to be accurate with 3 to layup for a put for 4. I am no pro and I do not have a huge arm, so I just think there are no fun.

7) Mulch could be used in a few places on this course to help cover soil areas. It also could be used to help slow erosion from some areas and would provide better footing for certain areas on the course.

8) I have to question the safety of 16 tee because of the 8th shot shape requiring going way out over that tee to let the disc hyzer back into the wooded green area. Outside of this area, there were only a few other areas where I would question the safety of the locations and fairways.

9) Obviously not beginner friendly. Nothing else needs to be said about this, but it isnt designed for anyone but advanced and pro players. Intermediate or worse will struggle mightily. I am a rec/int player but I love a challenge.

This is just another awesome course. I gave it a 4.5 because of the pure disc golf enjoyment I had. I can overlook a few maintenance issues and still give this course a 4.5. If the DG wasn't as good as it is I might only give it a 4 but I give the hole design, the layout, and the challenge some bonus points. All in all just an awesome course. I will be back to Charlotte every year or every other year because of Renny and all the other incredible courses in the area. This is one of my favorite courses and it is based on the pure disc golf enjoyment I can have playing here.

I would have called this course "Mountain Goat Gulch" because you need to be a mountain goat to get around and it is set along a high tension power line route that is absolutely best named a Gluch. This ranks in my top 10 courses ever and everyone should take an opportunity to come to this course. I reccomend throwing your ego out and just going balls to the wall and play the web layout. It is tough but what the heck you may not get the chance to return so see the whole course.

- Aesthetically Pleasing
- Good mix of shots required
- Great mix of open and technical
- Big teepads!
- Some really sweet basket placements
- Baskets in good condition
- Well maintained (although it is winter)
- Good Tee signs
- Multiple Tees

- Gold tees could be more informative

I played Renny Gold and it was one of the top disc golf experiences I've had. Although the course will destroy you if you aren't a good/great player, it is still really, really fun. I shot 25 over and still had an awesome time. I think this is course is epic in scale and some of the shots make you go "wow." There's a good amount of OB but it isn't that hard to stay in bounds, for the most part. I highly suggest this course to anyone around Charlotte.

- Focus. If you don't focus (and play "golf") on every shot, you will pay with strokes on your scorecard. Punishment for anything less than perfect shots is everywhere. Of the 100 course I've played, maybe only three others required as much focus as Renny Gold.
- Accuracy Required. 13 holes are dictated by "forced" landing zones (or multiple forced landing zones - par 4's and 5's) in that missing the landing zone will require some expert finagling (which will probably get you into more trouble) or a pitch out to the zone so that you can have a decent next shot.
- Par 70. Thank God they didn't try to call it "Pro-Par". The Par 4's are hard 4's... and the Par 5's are even harder 5's. With the aforementioned "forced" landing zones on these holes, you have to link several PERFECT throws just for the opportunity to get a birdie.
- Maintenance. The disc golf club has really done a fantastic job with the infrastructure: stairs, numerous bridges, elevated pin positions, OB markings, mandies, benches,...
- "Yardage" Poles. (I say "yardage" because it's actually "feet")... On the long holes, just like on Ball Golf courses, they have installed "yardage" poles mid-fairway that tell you how much further the pin is. Excellent touch!
- Overall Course Design. EPIC shots... Risk/Reward pin positions... Landing zones... OB... Need for perfection... "Golf"... Dual layouts... Etc...

- Signage. For a course of this caliber and prestige, the signage was Atrocious! Some were legit, however most were painted on wood, or were little engraved plaques, or were laminated pieces of paper... others were non-existent. With holes as complex as Renny Golds are, it would be nice to see professional tee-signs that show an overview of the hole, with OB's, distances to major features, pin positions, Par, elevation, etc... labeled.
- Consistency. From various forms of signage to various numbering techniques (plastic house numbers, metallic mailbox stickers, tiny plaques), to the size, shape and placement of the OB stakes, or the materials the retaining walled pin locations were built out of... there didn't seem to be any consistency in any way, besides great golf shots.
- Clutter = Ugly. At several points on the course it seems cluttered with stuff: multiple tees, crappy tee-signs, multiple labels on one post that say the same thing (?), unsightly OB stakes, yardage poles, extra baskets... I know I'm going to get ripped for this, but some of the "stuff" was Ugly.

- Local Routes. You need to have played this Renny Gold more than once to shoot well (and even then???). There are soooo many local routes and precise layup zones where the next shot should ideally be played from, that it is impossible to figure out in one try. Therefore, if it's your first time....
- Walk the Holes. It's hard to do sometimes because the holes are so long and the doglegs (on many) so severe that walking the holes becomes impractical. However, if you don't (like me), you will pay for it on the scorecard (like me). There are just too many spots where you need to throw a perfect 300-350' shot to a landing zone so that you are able to throw your next shot 90* (left/right) through the window another 200'+... or else be forced to pitch-out and bogey (bogey+).
- My 100th. I purposely saved Renny Gold for my 100th course and I'm glad I did. This course was fantastic and lived up to the hype. An EPIC day.
- My Charlotte Rankings. If you're planning a road trip to Charlotte, here are my rankings (of the courses I've played): Renny, Hornetts, Sugaw, Kilborne, Reedy, .....................Veterans.
- My Score: +8

this course will test you. every hole is a challenge. there are birdie opportunities, but only if you play often.most hole have a "risk-reward" quality to them. some other reveiws have been harsh to the fact that you need to be a decent player to score well on this course.

it can get messy after a rain. the course is built on a old land fill. elevation and mud dont mix well. bring lots of water in the summer, cause it is a hike.

probably the best course in charlotte. has good use of elevation, open holes, wooded holes , up hill shots, downhill shots, a challenge to make par on every hole. ive played here over 30 times and still have have not broken par. if you feel like you are playing well, come here to bring yourself back down to reality. i love this course for its challenge, it is a top notch course worthy of at least 3hours drive to play. stan mcdaniel is a mastermind of chaos

Very tough course. It will make you throw shots that you don't think are part of your game.

Very muddy after a rain. Hard to follow even with a map. Lots of elevation changes. Tee boxes and next Tee signs are not very helpful.

Take a map with you if you've never played before. There is no short basket on 1. Also, the original #7 is closed. They have re-organized the course as follows. #7 is the old 8, #8 is the old 9, #9 is the old 10, #10 is the old 11, #11 is the old 12. #12 is the Gold 12, #13 is the Gold 13, #14 is the Gold 14, 15-18 are the same.

By Far the Greatest Course I have ever played. Every shot is used at this course. If you can't thorw far than stay clear of this course. One of the sites for many Disc Golf Tournaments and The World Championships. If you shoot Par, you're a pretty nasty Disc Golfer.

There are no Cons except bring 2 bag lunches, your gonna need it. And Lots Of Water. Bunch of walking.

Designed by Stan McDaniel, who is one of the premier Disc Golf Designers. Go play Hornet's Nest as well

A long and challenging course layout will build your shot making skills if you play here consistently. It's cool and easy to differentiate between the original course and the gold course. I travelled 3 hours north to play it with my buddies based on the positive press received here.

I hate to slam the place that everyone seems to love so much, but I just want to put it out there for people playing in the future.

The fairways and almost all of the grass needed to be cut very badly. The tee signage was OK, but the next-T stuff was generally terrible. It seemed that additional holes were being moved or added and this created a lot of confusion even among the groups of locals we encountered.

Lots of thorns/thistle and dense underbrush off the fairways caused several people (including locals) to complain very vocally about being cut, etc.

And dare I say it, but the ravine on hole 18 is simply dangerous. If playing with younger kids - watch out. It's not visible until you are right up on it and falling down it would definitely hurt someone.

This course is hard. I'm not listing that as a pro or con because everyone has a different sort of game and expectations about what they are looking to achieve. I know if kicked my butt good (I shot a 70 on the original course). I lost 2 discs due to errant throws - again not a con as that was my fault. This course rewards accurate play. If you can't throw it where you want it, you will pay.

I like the course on a certain level, I really do. I've just played other courses that I enjoyed a lot more.

Variety of shots needed. Does not seem to favor forehand or backhand shots. You must throw long and accurate to score well. Multiple tee and basket positions. Decent signs and flow of course. Plenty of parking. Seems remote, but is easy to get to from anywhere in the Charlotte area. Play it if you need to feel challenged.

One tough mother. Not a course for the beginner. Could eat discs if you are not accurate or paying attention. Could be muddy and messy after rain. Not a real scenic beauty.

I was Ving Rhames and Renny was the cop form Pulp Viction. I feel violated and humiliated. Just when I thought I was getting better Renny slapped me around like a sex slave in Far East. The only good news was that it was between me and her, and there were no witness's. I lie here in the fetal position trying decide whether I should put my discs on ebay tonight, or sleep on it. But I know there will be no sleep for me...

This is by and far the way to play DG. This course is well maintained and technically the hardest course I have had the pleasure to play. The course will require you to play all of your shots and accuracy is a hard learned lesson here. Renny will earn your respect by beating you down both physically and mentally, but for the good. This course will increase your game 10 fold.

There is none other than it has the mis fortune of costing you valuable plastic if you are not careful

Thanks to CDGC for a great course and to mullet for all of his hard work

They said it was hard, I didn't believe them. Hell, I've been playing hard and steady for almost 2 years, poring over technique videos, thumbing the great annals of disc history, countless hours in the practice field. None of it mattered. Arrgh, this course be a dangerous mistress indeed. This course is long and hard; it does not hesitate to stick this fact where the sun doesn't shine either. It has everything you want. It simply is on a different level than all the courses I've played. It made me swear curses I didn't know I knew. Elevation? Check. Variety? Check. Wooded and Open? Check and check. Immaculate park, maintenance, etc.

"At that moment, the Chosen One learned a valuable lesson about iron claws... THEY HURT LIKE CRAP MAN." - Master Tang from Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. This is pretty much my summation of all the cons, just substitute iron claws with the rough. This is a disc eating monster. I lost my coveted Star Teebird and my beat, trusty Dx bottom stamped Roc. Losing discs is not fun. This course can very easily be not fun. Think of Renny as playing Russian Roulette. It's hard to have fun when you are sweating every placement throw. There are also a few holes that you can't really see where your disc ends up due to the elevation change, spotters are pretty necessary. B/w holes 9 and 10 is disc eating nastiness (sorry Teebird). 18 has some too (sorry Roc).

This is the 1st course I've rated a 5. I didn't want to, I really didn't. I had a craptastic time. I birdied one hole, I slipped and tripped more times I can remember, scratched up by thorns. It kicked my arse worse than a tequila hangover. But it earned my respect. DO NOT play this course after taking 3 months off to heal your tendinitis. If you don't have perfect control over your discs you need not apply unless you have discs to get rid of.

Now that all the new courses are around town I came back to my Renny review to say I lowered the score a half disc for taking out the short course. I liked it a lot. Especially old seven. Still play it daily, still in LOVE with my hatred of this park I call home. Since my review I have tamed this beast.Par and under rounds instead of twenty over. You gotta think it through and execute precisely to start seeing birdies. Chase par here and become a better player at least once in your life.

the cons are as follows...it is a free park, but I spend 20 bucks a time in lost discs.....gotta throw accurate or go home mad, hard to figure out if you don't live there like I do....took me 3 times pro and 2 times am to seperate the 2 in my head.oh yeah, 1042 ft. longest hole in NC i suppose!!

love this place, will round you out as a player, will make you play the game like it was meant to be played....in the woods, and cursing.see you at hole 9 on the boulders!!I play here daily, I am obsessed with this place.

Tough, most difficult course in Charlotte, by far. Both layouts are very challenging. You will be hard pressed to find a course more difficult than the Gold Layout. Distance and accuracy are required here. Wooded, open, multi-shot, elevation changes this course has it all. Design is spectacular with awesome hole locations. All shots are required to shot anything near par. Take advantage of the front nine as there a few birdie chances as they will not come easy on the back nine. Bring water, this course requires severe endurance.

Navigation can be a bit tricky especially on the gold layout. Print a map from the Charlotte DG website.

Not for beginners. Everyone else don't be afraid.
Favorite hole -- #9. Downhill 300'+ feet. Basket on top of huge bolder surrounded by other large bolders.
Hardest Hole -- Most.

This course will test everything you have. I was able to team up with 3 regulars who were great in taking me through the course.

Since other reviewers have done the hole by hole I will skip that.

The course is well taken care of and seems to be in a constant state of improvement. The group here is working hard to make this a classy course.

Bridges and stairs are everywhere. The big stairway into the ravine is a godsend.

You have bathrooms available and parking is plentiful. With the high use of the park for other things, there are a bunch of volleyball courts that were packed the day I played, you will find picnic areas, water fountains. and plenty of people to play disc golf with.

My favorite basket was 5. It was a great challenge technically.

The spotting tower on 10 was a great asset.

I and 18 are near roads and parking areas so be careful.

That ravine nearly killed me. I am 48 with a bad leg. I had one end up in there and it is a bear to get it off the side walls of the ravine. The bottom is not to bad if you have a spotter, on top, because the stairs are sound. Just hope it dose not get on the side walls where you will have to climb up or down to get it. The sides are made of clay and I saw some poison oak in there.

The logging that was on 10, to the right, will definitely help the course but made it a nightmare for me in the short run.

Some signage needs to be improved. Without help and or a map this would be a difficult course to get through.

I thought a lot about the grade for this course. In fact of all the courses I have played this one was hardest to decide.

It is a must play course if you are in the area.

It is a great place to play. Especially if you have some experience already. But there were probably 60 people that day and I now know why I was by far the oldest.

If you are new please have someone with you and/or make sure you have brass ones.

It is probably not family friendly either. This is the perfect course for the players that like there golf and want a challenge each time out.

The ravine means you better be careful.

This course is very good and they will have it even better in time. But for me to get to excellent it needs to have a part that is more user friendly for others. It has the room. Or the signage were better I could jump it up to 4.

There is nothing I can add that has not already been said repeatedly, so here is an overview of what I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward -- A+ (This course is the pinnacle of decision making combined with execution....and harsh but fair penalty for sins in either area....gotta love it!)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities -- A (Original is ideal for me = A+. Lots of the Gold holes are too long for me to score birdies, par often feels routine/boring and a bogey is a downer = B. I lose accuracy over 300' and that is not enough to score really well on Gold.)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography -- A- (Use of topography on both is outstanding! Original forces much more touchy/finessey shaped shots, but are still demanding in length = A+. Gold is more about length/accuracy and less about shot shaping = B)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion -- B- (This is the only area Renny hurts in. There are a few pretty spots to breathe in some beauty, but overall it is pretty rough feeling - under a powerline for most of the front, and brambles, sludge and scrubby trees on the back. Renny's holes on Idlewild's KY land = heaven!)
5) Bonus amount for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them -- A (I would give an A+, but my opinion is that some of the OB rubs salt in the wound too much. For example the OB on the creek left of 8O/7G's fairway adds an unneccessary stroke to a lie that will already take you 1 and probably 2 strokes to recover from. And, as stated before, some landing zones on Gold are too long for me to reach......but, it is a Gold course and I am not a Gold player.)

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (115 18-hole, 50 9-hole as of early 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

Oh....and a PS: I love the online "Be the Disc!" narrated fly-by videos!

Elevation, Elevation and Elevation! Gorgeous scenery, extremely challenging. Park office on-sight that offers course map and score card. Bridges and stairs provided. Course is laid out extremely well and it is obvious that allot of time and work went into this course. The course is convenient to uptown Charlotte and is not far off the interstate. Benches or sitting area's at nearly every hole and you will need it!

Well these are minor as this course is a masterpiece! However the back 9 can get EXTREMELY muddy after a rain and will take a few weeks to dry out. (However the park has laid out carpet on some of the really bad parts but it is still very muddy). Their is allot of traffic noise coming from the road that hurts the beautiful scenery. The course lay out can be very confusing - GET A MAP!!! There are quite a few blind shots - but I like those as they make the game a bit more challenging.

I have to admit this course was bit much for me. I am nowhere near the caliber of player that should play this course, but the course is a masterpiece. You will be challenged to throw over creeks and ravines like you have never imagined! Make an errant shot and you will pay for it dearly!!! This is worth a long drive to see this course!. I highly recommend this course to any players who are experienced or advanced!!

Original course: Great variety of shots. Elevation changes. Short & long holes. Open & wooded. Clean with animal proof trash cans & nice concrete tee pads. Mando's, OB's & creeks. Great benches. Nice tee signs. Wood bridge crossings, beautiful landscaping, & tee box/pin supports, directional markers all show that the Charlotte DG club has made a large commitment. Aug '09- Played the 'Gold' course. The 'gold' layout adds length & complexity. The grass was high so lost discs were a problem. Throwing my disc into the fairway would help in most cases. Keep it out of the shule!

Some muddy spots.

After having seen this course showcased on a number of videos I couldn't wait to actually play it. This course seems bigger than life in person.

Upon playing this course it is mind boggling at how much work it must have taken to build . Course offers every kind of shot you would want on a perfectly maintained course. Nice Teepads, benches and trashcans throughout course. Clean restrooms and water fountains near hole one. The original layout is challenging but can be enjoyed by all skill level players. The Gold course is Championship caliber and will demand your best game from the first drive to the last putt.

Only negative I can say is the course can get a bit muddy after a rain.

Quite possibly the best course in NC, and should be played by everyone that gets the oppurtunity.