When this course is spoken about it's typically with a mix of awe, ire and longing and I can certainly see why. The long and unforgiving nature mixed with fantastic design elements like tiered greens and heavily bending shots, wooded tunnel holes and mixed elevation make this a difficult challenge but one well worth tackling.

The majority of holes are in the 400-650 Ft range with many par 4s for fair scoring and a few reachable par threes as well as a could have 900+ ft par fives.

You will test a lot of shot shapes as well as how far you can throw, and it needs to have some accuracy as the OB is plentiful and sometimes tight. And to score you need to be able to throw at least 350 with good accuracy, if you can throw farther it would greatly help. Especially as on a couple of holes like 3 and 12 big wide hyzers are helpful and can help you get to a better position with 400 ft of hyzer.

Tee pads are all concrete and mostly very good, some have wooden platforms build around them.

Signage is adequate and looks pretty accurate, and the next tee signs are accurate and absolutely required.

Baskets are Innova Pro 28s and inn good shape even though they don't seem new. If they were shared between Gold and one of the other courses they usually have a portion of the band painted gold and some have different numbers and that's marked as well.

The cons are extremely minimal, the main one is the navigation is sometimes tricky since the course is shared by two others and depending on the layout it plays across and around the others in ways that can be confusing. Especially on the 12-15 stretch where some of the paths are windy and very small.

I also think a could have the tee areas could do with a new surface when able.

You need to be in shape for this one, it's long, walks between some holes are long and in the summer heat the more open parts were a bit difficult.

It is fantastic, and in the Charlotte area is very close to Nevin and Angry Beaver in my estimation but maybe ever so slightly below those two. Not necessarily because of quality but just a touch less fun and I'm having a hard time quantifying why.

Renaissance Gold has been on my "Must Play" list for a while. A few courses in Charlotte have been on that list. So when I found out that I would be in Charlotte for a couple days, I was ecstatic.

Renaissance Gold is not flashy. It doesn't have brand new Discatchers, pristine tee pads, exquisite tee signs. However, it makes up for this with exhilarating golf.

This course has some of the most extreme holes I have ever played, mostly due to the crazy terrain, especially around the green. For example, hole two seems harmless enough on paper. Under 600 feet, par 4. Pretty open, no extreme elevation changes overall. However, the approach shot is over a DEEP ravine, which is terrifying to traverse. Leave an approach five feet short, you are throwing 80 degrees up the hill. Go long, and you have a horrifying death putt.

This theme continues through the course. Holes that should be easy, but then you have one non-perfectly executed shot, and somehow you're 500 feet from the basket, shooting for double bogey. That's what I really love about this course. From start to finish, you can't take a single shot for granted.

I could go on and on about the brilliant hole designs, and fun shots, but it's impossible to do some of it justice. However, know that a course without water can still make discs disappear.

There is a great variety of shots needed to execute a great round. The front nine is shorter, but much more technical and has more substantial elevation changes. The back nine requires more distance, while still having different lines to throw on each hole.

A lot of courses that have a total distance like that of Renaissance Gold are reliant on distance. However, this is not the case here. I believe that if you can throw 350 feet with a good bit of accuracy, you can shoot par at this course. They put a lot of emphasis on landing zones, giving a more experienced player an edge.

Renaissance Gold is one of the best course designs I have played, it's hard to believe it's twenty years old. That's older than I am! However, it's far from perfect.

The baskets are no longer a shiny gold, but rather a dull, pale yellow. The tee signs are worn, not as descriptive as they should be at a beast of a course like this, and small. This course is showing a lot of age, and could use some new equipment to match the golf. The best courses deserve the best amenities!

Navigation at this course is not intuitive. There are signs to guide you to the next tee, but with the overlapping layouts, the multiple baskets, and not-so-great tee signs, there was definitely an advantage to having a map and a spotter to show us the way.

On a dreary December morning, the course was very wet in a few places, and, combined with the extreme elevation changes, it got a little slippery on the muddy areas. I would recommend wearing shoes with a lot of traction, and clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.

The rough at Renaissance Gold is dense and unforgiving. I said that you could never see a disc again without throwing it into the water, and I mean it. Steep drop offs, Thick underbrush. Overall, a lot of places you don't want to end up.

Design-wise, a few holes were lackluster compared to the other holes, that are definitely signature. The wide open bomber holes on the back that are in a row are a little frustrating. Plus, the first hole does not match the rest of the course at all.

There are overlapping layouts, holes that play near roads, and more possible safety hazards that could arise on a busy day in the summer. I ran into a few people on the RenSke course that played across the Gold fairway. I can not see how this would work during a busy day, as I imagine it would cause a lot of backups.

This course is not for the weak-minded and weak-armed. Bring water and your game face. There is no short layout. That's at the other courses. This course is for the strong. If you play your hardest, its not hard to conquer.

I wrote a long review, because I have strong feelings regarding this course. I love the design, but there are issues with how it is laid out. While not a huge problem I imagine in the '90s, the disc golf scene continues to boom, and courses like this need to be cherished. Make it look like the Championship course that it is.

I will return to Renny Gold in the future, and I will definitely love it like I did the first time. I don't know what will change, but I hope it's for the better.

You can't go wrong with Renaissance Gold. Actually, a lot can go wrong if your game isn't up to snuff. This is a challenging course that will test every aspect of your game. You'll see tight-technical shots in the woods, long open shots across fields, and everything in between. The course takes our usual group of 3 people about 4 hours. We're intermediate amateurs and struggle a little bit here and there. The 1,000' hole on the back 9 is a doozy...

As mentioned in a lot of reviews, there is a giant ditch that is in play primarily on holes 2 and 18. If you're risky enough to throw over it during the Spring and Summer months (when this ditch is overgrown) be ready to potentially lose your disc. The ditch is very deep. Getting down to the bottom is challenging enough, but searching through the thicket of overgrown thorns and brush is nearly impossible. There is more growth, that can cause similar results on the back 9. The growth dies down in the Winter, which takes the risk down a bit. I speak from experience, but most of you are probably better than me. Overall, the course doesn't have the best maintenance, but the foot traffic from people playing the course helps keep most of it clear. The course is certainly playable, but overgrown bush, dirty tees, down trees and the occasional bits of trash can get annoying. The course is so great; I just want it to be perfect.

It's always a special occasion when the crew gets together for a round at Renaissance. It's a little out of the way for us when we play it; so, when we do go, we make the most out of our time. That being said, we have never tried the Silver course. However, it seems just as challenging. The two courses move through the park in tandem. Some holes share the same basket with different tee locations. At some point on the front 9, the two courses split and play separate holes entirely, then later come back together. Sometimes you have to be careful when you tee off on Gold. There may be others playing Silver at the same time, on another tee, which you can't see from your tee. Just keep a courteous eye down the course and have fun!

Renny's got two different layouts with concrete tees and baskets and benches. She's got them crazy greens that will make you decide to either layup safe or go for it and risk it all. She's got some of the best elevation in the area and pits of danger. Her variety is phenomenal with some fun downhill, uphill, across the slope holes. She got curves and doglegs, and multi-path fairways. The few flat holes on the gold layout are tough straight-ish par 5s and 4s. She's got some nicely built erosion control features and steps and bridges to traverse the course. Nice locals that helped me with navigation in parts. Port-a-potty by tennis courts/parking lot.

Navigation was a bit convoluted between the two layouts in the middle with overlapping of different numbers on the same hole. Lacking in the signage department, bring a map if it's your first time. Plays over/near parking lot/road. There was a yellow jacket nest on the little path to the green to basket 18. Muddy the day after rain. Tough and rugged course for the un-seasoned player and your normal everyday play.

Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the game
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You're gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, Renny and the Jets
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh Renny she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a maga-zine
R-R-R-Renny and the Jets

Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Maybe they're blinded
But Renny makes them ageless
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong

Renny
Renny
R-R-R-Renny and the Jetsss!

Renaissance is definitely deserving of anyones time in the Charlotte area. The remarks of the course being a monster and the hardest course around have made me shy away from it in the past, but oh have been missing out. Renaissance has many elevation changes which make it hike, but not intimidating. It has narrow fairways but doesn't make you feel like you're staring down the barrel of a gun, and its those things that make it a lot of fun. The thing I like most about Renaissance was how well "Broken In" it is. It shows its age but in a really good way making it a disc golfers type course with cool walkways and stairs and benches and even a treestand to over look a fairway. There are many signature hole with pins on boulders and pins built into a side a of a hill which is really cool. There is a board by the practice pin that gives a map and course information. You can even get a free scorecard from the office by the tennis courts.

I wish some of the review and rumours about Renaissance where that it is a fun course and not that it so intimidating. Me and my buddy played the Black layout seeing it was out first time there and the navigation got to be a little rough at times. Even with a map and some signage the back 9 you start playing holes that are like hole 11 on the Black layout but is hole 13 for the Gold layout, which can get confusing in a hurry. A sign showing you where hole 1 is would not be a bad idea either. Also if you are playing a hole that has the same pin for the Gold layout and the Black layout, you are playing a nice, new Pro 28 Innova DISCatcher, but if you play the Black layout and your pin is separate, you play an old, worn out DISCatcher. Most of the holes you are blind from the pin but the fairways are so well designed and play even better its not to big of a deal. And not thats a real negative but Renaissance is a hike, so bring your walking shoes and plan to be there for a while.

Renaissance is the epitome of what disc golf course should be, fun. I give a ton of props to Stan McDaniel for such a good design, and a ton of hard work. It could not been easy building all those barriers for the pins and walkways. I have to put Renaissance right up the with Hornets Nest as Charlotte's premier disc golf courses. This course will definitely test you as a disc golf player but remind you why you love this sport so much.

Every disc golfer needs to play this course once. It's a true destination course with numerous holes that will be remembered long afterwards. There are some truly epic holes here. And I mean epic in the traditional sense, not in the 2010 slang term sense. That sinks in when you see the pin placement on 2. No words of mine could describe it as well as the picture so do yourself a favor and look at it already. And when you reach that pin, and find your disk hopefully on the ledge, you will look across the ravine and see 18 on a ledge by itself. You'll see the stairs that lead both down and up the ravine and you'll probably realize what you have signed yourself up for.

While 2 might be the pinnacle, basket placement is exquisite throughout the course. In that area, Renny is tops amongst all courses I've played. Never have I seen so many precariously perched pins. Never have I seen so many baskets placed just where they should be to give that extra wow factor to the course.

Of course there is more to do than admire beautiful pins here. I like to throw discs at them myself. The hole layout is also rather grand, with a ton, and I mean a ton of variety. Distances range from the low 200s to the 500s on the grey layout and upwards of 1000 feet from the gold tees.

Whichever layout you play, you're going to see thick woods, open meadows, and narrow fairways. The most impressive part of many of them is the construction that keeps much of the course hanging to the side of cliffs. You can see much of the effects of erosion, but you will also see a tremendous effort made to keep it at bay. In between throws, you'll climb stair cases built into hillsides, cross lengthy bridges, and even climb a lifeguard chair, which I assume was put there to spot your buddy's throw.

It's a real experience that I can't recommend enough.

It is also a course that you only need to play once, in some ways. Especially in summer, this can be a hazardous course. Now that I've been there, seen it, done it, etc, I'm not sure how soon I need to return. It's too epic in a way. I couldn't imagine it being my regular course. I couldn't imagine playing it every day. Partially, because it would take away from the mystique, but partially because I don't think it would be that fun.

Additionally, There's a run of holes, something around 13 to 16, that felt like they weren't up to snuff with the rest of the course. Felt a little but like they just ran out of ideas, or maybe the space they need to use to get to where they wanted 18 to be just didn't leave many options. In any case, the course didn't really close with a bang for me, as much as the first nine, and parts of the back nine were amazing.

However, one issue would be cleared up by frequent returns. The dual layout provide some confusion about what hole plays to where. I had downloaded a map from this site and tried to play a Renny Black that I guess no longer exists. Warning: don't use that map. Things have been apparently changed. Just follow the signs, although even doing that I think I played 16 holes from the grey layout and two from the gold after failing to locate a grey basket.. Not the world's greatest tragedy.

A true destination course. You must do this course at least once.

- Excellent challenge
- Fun approach shots to many of the interestingly-placed pins, including several on hillsides with impressive, fearsome obs.
- Good, stable tee pads.
- # 18 was a great challenging way to finish

- This is always an issue playing solo, but there are a lot of places where you could lose your disc forever. So, I played a bunch of shots with discs I wouldn't miss as much.
-Signage is consistently in adequate and contradictory. Looks like they're trying to have the course support too many layouts, so some signs make no sense. Almost impossible to move around from hole to hole as a newbie unless you have a local with you.

-Renaissance or Renny is a great park that is family friendly. Many recreational activities to choose from at this park. Plus, there is a nature trail but it's a real hike on the course.

-Navigation is MUCH easier because there are two next tee arrows on every transition. Gray next tee arrows for the gray course and gold next tee arrows for Renny gold.

-This is in the top 10 in NC and this course has everything a disc golfer could have. There is so much variety and amazing greens on this course (particularly #8's fifteen foot rock green.) Heck, that's not even it. #14's green is a platform and #18 has a rollaway green by the ravine along with #2's. There are also many trecherous greens.

-Some cool props on the course. A couple fairways have a rock on it, the lifeguard chair beside #9 is awesome, the powerlines on #15. Wow!

-#14 on the gold #13 on the gray is one of the greatest par 4s. A 564 foot dogleg left with a 30' elevation drop into a small opening in the woods and is on a platform green.

-#8 on the gold #9 on the gray is another great hole. A big downhill shot thatgoes into a big opening in the woods. The hole only plays maybe 270' but an overthrow can get you into the bottom of the hill, which is an overgrown ravine.

-Benches and trashcans on every hole. Believe me, you will have to sit for a while at least once. You really will need to, I played two rounds and I'm really worn out.

-Practice basket by the kiosk close to #1. #1 is beside the tennis court.

-Teepads are about 10' long. Should be good for most players. My run up is exactly that length. They are concrete so that's always a good thing!

-Elevation is used very well throughout the course. Some holes have elevation changes of around 30 ft.

-The 1042' foot par 5. #11 Gold is a very fun long bomb. You get the opportunity to just launch your driver a few times on this hole. I should have brought my aerobie pro because #12 is another open bomb. If you have an aerobie pro, you will want to throw it. #12 gold is a 617' foot par 4 and it would be fun to throw an aerobie 600' feet on an open hole like that one.

-Well, I'm going to just say that Renaissance isn't a summer course, vegetation gets very bad and #14 Gold #13 Gray's vegetation almost make it unplayable, I lost two discs on that hole. This is a winter course, in winter, vegetation isn't so bad. There have been snakes spotted, and there are parts of the course with tall grass and weeds where you won't have a choice but to cross them.

-Erosion is getting pretty bad. I can see that roots have be moved in the fairway. The WRONG spot. It's making the fairways a mess.

-#13 on the gold layout has trees in the fairway that catch discs. I've had to climb 30' into a tree before on this hole.

-Some transitions are very steep. Particularly from #6 to #7 and you have to walk back up the hill from #13 Gray #14 gold to get to the next hole. This course is a hike and has very long holes. I must admit, it was foolish of me to play two rounds here, I should have stopped at one. Playing more than one round here can wear out your body.

-#17 gold. This one is aggravating. It's only 517' but a real live pain. The tee shot is fair enough. Throw straight about 280' and try to not go left in the ditch. The second shot is a mess. You are throwing up an oddly shaped trail edged with pine trees. You could have a gorgeous looking tee shot and have no line at the basket for birdie even if you land at the landing zone. #16 is an aggravating hole too. It's an extreme right to left skip hyzer. The line is very tight and you are bound to hit a tree somewhere along the way. Almost no way to birdie this one unless you slip through the cracks.

-Renaissance is a truly great disc golf experience. I'm so glad I only live 30 minutes from this course. Charlotte is an amazing place to be if you love disc golf! This course, along with RL Smith and Nevin are three of some of the best courses in NC!

-Renaissance on the gray isn't a super difficult course. It's not very forgiving if you don't place your drive well and there will be times when you will be stuck in the woods and will have to throw a very short but safe shot out. Ripping it on some of the holes here will mean that you are taking a big risk, #14 on the gray which is also #10 on the gold has a big rock blocking you from going further down the fairway. That hole gets eagled on both layouts but it can be super hard to even make a par on that hole. Every hole on this course has a way to really mess up your score. Every hole asks you "How will you play it?" That question will make you think on some holes. Will you risk going big and possibly make a birdie or will you play it safely? Well, I went for it on every hole and it wasn't a good idea. I shot +10 on the gray and +14 on the gold. An example of a hole to go for the birdle would be #9 gold/#10 gray. It doesn't take much to get a 3 on that hole. An example of a hole not to go for the birdie would be #18. The ravine is very steep with lots of vegetation, it's OB as well. You will have to decide what you will do, just like at Nevin.

-The gold course can easily tear you to shreds. #13 is an example here. I triple bogeyed that hole, it tore me to shreds. #7 did too. I cought a roller in the creek on #7. That hole messed me up as well. I know that I what to play Renny again and again but some holes you will not want to play again but those two holes I really blew up on will make you better at the game. This entire course gray and gold will make you better at the game. You may not get better the next time and you may not realize when you get better but you will because this course, along with Nevin make the other Charlotte courses seem easier. I would recommend that whoever lives around Charlotte plays this as much as they can in the winter, so you won't lose four discs like I did, heh heh. Or you should play Nevin as much as you can, I find Nevin harder than this course but this course will make you better just as well as Nevin will.

-Send me a message and tell me what else you want to know if this isn't enough for you.

While on vacation in the NC area I made sure to include Renny as one of my stops. I must say this course is one of the toughest I have played but also one of the most I enjoyed playing.

There are what I call spectacular holes on this course (2, 8, 13, 18 in my opinion). Renny has just about every type of hole you could ask for in a course, from tight wooded holes with lots of elevation to long open holes.

The length of the course and elevation is a workout and adds to the toughness of the course.

A course which will you will use most of the disc in your bag. A true gem of a course and a must stop if your in the area.

At the time of this review signage is a major problem. Its a shame a course like this with so much potential to be one of the top rated courses in the entire country has such poor signage. Renny Black, Gold and now Gray? I actually seen that name posted on a couple holes and thought there were 3 layouts. There were a few playable original holes not on the map here that I missed the first time through but found on the second round when getting directional help from others on the course.

Good news is that I happen to run into the course designer while on the course and they were walking the course taking notes to improve the signage so help is on the way!

Course could use a sign board with a large course map, lost disc drop off near the 1st hole. If there was one I did not see it.

Its a tough course but it really has a Fun Factor which offsets the toughness.

Clearly correct signage for the gold-black or gray tees, make sure the basket numbers match, throw in beginner friendly Rec tees and you got one of the top rated courses in the country.

With all the elevations on this course it was great to see the many steps and bridges created to make the walk safer. I lot of courses lack this feature but not this one! Not only were there steps but many were painted so you could see them well.

Basket placement is very creative here and is part of what makes this course unique and challenging. Several locations will make you lay-up or take a high risk putt.

I have to mention the awesome park itself which has many features including bathrooms, pleanty of parking

Definitely will get a workout here. Many holes are really long, however fairways are generally wide which offer a lot of forgiveness. Great place to chuck and throw it.

Bike trail intersects with course at many points. Can slow your game down as you wait for them to get completely out of the way.

Not easy to play by yourself the first time unless you know exactly where to go. I recommend following a group or asking to play with someone.

Renaissance Park provides one of the most complete advanced and pro-level disc golf challenges anywhere. Scoring well at Renny requires accuracy, power, shot-shaping, putting, course-management, and nerves of steel. Renny has very rugged terrain that pictures don't do justice. There are many points during a round to stop and say "wow, that's a beautifully framed basket".

It is evident that literally thousands of volunteer hours have been spent building and maintaining this course. There are many places where erosion control barriers have been wisely constructed that protect the integrity of the course and provide very unique risk/reward putting scenarios. Many stairs and bridges have been constructed to ease traversing this rugged property.

Few courses have such high quality dynamic "greens" that make three and even four-putting a possibility. The short or "black" layout provides much more challenge than nearly all courses in existence and the long or "gold" layout takes it two steps further.

Holes 2, 4, 7, 13, 14, 17, and 18 are standouts.

Renny is a great part of the awesome Charlotte area disc golf scene. At present, North Carolina doesn't have any courses on the DGCR top ten list, but overall I don't see any city that stacks up with Charlotte in terms of the number and quality of disc golf options within a short drive.

With all the time and love that has gone into this course, it feels like nit-picking to list any cons. However, the course is NOT well suited for beginner players. It is extremely rugged and some people may have difficulty just traversing it, let alone enjoying themselves. Much of the ground is clay that can be extremely slippery at times. Discs can easily wind up in places that require difficult climbs up and down hills to get to and play from.

Despite all the work that goes into the course, unfortunately, the grounds still have a fair amount of trash.

The short baskets on hole 1 and hole 18 have been placed dangerously close to the park roads.

Getting from hole 14 to hole 15 requires crossing hole 10's fairway.

The signage is inadequate for first-time players without a guide. The concept of having the overlay course is great, but not readily apparent to someone that walks up to the first tee. Speaking of the first tee, the "black" tee is hidden back in the woods. Some holes have two tee pads while some only one and some holes have two baskets and some only one, but the tee signs don't indicate this.

The use of mandos is overdone. If the mandos have been implemented for safety reasons, the need for many could have been eliminated with minor tweaks in tee location. If the mandos have been implemented to add challenge, then I believe them to be unnecessary as the course itself provides sufficient challenge without them. The same could be said for many of the OB's. Many of the OB markers are hidden in some thick schule.

Holes 11 and 12 are out of character and just to be endured, in comparison to the rest of the course.

Hole 15 and hole 9 crowd each other unnecessarily.

The course does not loop back to the parking lot after 9.

The pros far outweigh the cons at Renny. Just be prepared for a very long, tiring challenge and pack your bag accordingly.

Don't be a dirty discer, leave the course cleaner than the way you found it.

The course plays through a park with a mix of wooded and open areas with some great elevation changes. Several holes on the front 9 and hole 18 take advantage of a deep ravine with some really tricky pin placements. I love the risk around the pin, it makes you really think about your approach to the hole. The back 9 brings some open hilly areas into play with a couple fun big downhill shots.

There are two layouts here that overlap, the original and Gold layouts, and they offer some very different looks. Some holes have a different tee, others have a different basket, some have both. This adds a lot of variety to the course, with several ways to play to keep it fresh. I liked the mix of potential ace runs, tough wooded holes that called for a controlled drive, and some bombers where you get to open up but still have to think about placement.

There is a good mix of hole shapes here, you'll need a complete set of shots to score well and stay out of trouble. Many of the holes have good rough, thick enough to punish errant shots but not so thick you'll lose discs, or always have to just pitch out to the fairway. The tees are nice concrete pads, and there is adequate signage to follow the course.

The signage is there, but it's inconsistent. Some holes have great signs that show the hole layout and distance with all basket positions. Many of the gold tees only have number and distance, which makes for some blind shots that aren't obvious where to shoot. Some of the original baskets have multiple placements shown on signs, with no indicator of which is in use, a little frustrating at times.

There are some safety issues here, with a couple places you shoot near other holes or have to walk across another fairway. There are also a couple holes that bring roads and parking lots into play. There are some erosion issues, especially around the streams and ravine on the front 9.

This course has some great variety, I liked the technical challenges juxtaposed with the open shots, especially with tricky greens on many of the open drives. Beginners will find even the shorter layout pretty challenging and punishing, it's more at an intermediate level. The gold layout will challenge a full range of skills for any player while still having holes that are fun to throw.

Renny is a course like Idlewild that everyone should play once. It's a stubborn course that is a good measuring stick of where you are as a player.
This course will test you physically and emotionally. The greatest test of putting of the 150 courses I've played. If you miss you are often re-approaching again and not just three putting here.
Demanding mix of open air heaves, fairway golf and wooded holes. Some hills but more undulating terrain to make you really think and play smart. Course seems to be mostly exclusive from other activities so conflicts should be minimal.
In short its a pro caliber challenge that will test every player's ability. What makes Renny unique and loved/despised is the incredibly fast greens and extreme basket locations that if missed will generate huge totals as OOB ravines and steep dropoffs await many of the greens. If you are on you could blow away the field as many will be making the ditch 5 putt scramble.
Good variety here with open field length , long wooded holes, followed by insanely difficult pin positions being the theme here.
Basically if you can't putt you are in trouble (fastest greens and most difficult basket positions Ive ever seen with zero layup), if you can't throw with big D you are in trouble (many looooong open holes where you are apt to lose a stroke if you cant heave it a mile), if you can't hit tight lines you are also in trouble (a few tight pinch points just out of the non elite players comfort zone and with thick woods off the fairway rescue shots are rare and pitch outs are the norm) and of course all of this ends up testing your emotional balance and ability to shrug off a missed 12 foot putt that becomes a ravine rollaway etc. If you can't handle these skills you are gonna find yourself at the bottom of a ditch looking up at your partners physically and on the scorecard.

I had been reading and hearing about Renny since I began helping to build Nockamixon in 2002. When I got down to North Carolina I was giddy and could not wait to play this course. Locals here warned me that many did not like it and that other courses were much more preferred. These were decent veteran players and not noobs. I was perplexed....but after playing I think I'm in the anti Renny camp. I can't hate the course and give it a low score because I realize it was not meant for me (I can't putt and am getting older) I am not going to sit here and give the course a free pass and assume that it's just a matter of my AM type skills not being able to handle the course.
Quite simply too often luck is the determining factor and the true challenge on many of the holes. A great deal of work and craftmanship has been put into this course and the holes are solid holes until you get to the greens...this is where my game disagreed with the design. Too often I played a hole as well as I could and had a shot to garner par or birdie and instead I missed a putt by a minimal amount and ended up multi putting and my score blew up. I found that too many of my throws were putts here....too many actually. I began to try to lay-up and just take bogey but often laying up garnered the same result....a rollaway to oob abyss and a 100+ ft upshot. I love a few risky greens and admit I need to work on my putting...but when you can't lay-up and if you can't reliably make a 35 footer what are you supposed to do. I admit I lost it and broke down and made an ass of myself amongst the guys who showed me the course. I just think too much of the difficulty was derived by "GIMMICKY" greens over and over. I found it to be a very uncreative play as well...basically you had to be able to do exactly what the designer intended without many options or room for imaginative shots. I felt forced to throw specific lines and wasn't given the option enough to try something different. (this is a southern phenomenon I think as the dense woods dont really allow for any get out of jail shots or alternate lines like you can do up north)
In short I felt that even after doing axactly what I was told to do I was met by a basket on a perch that I had to make a long putt on or take multi-bogey on. Unforgiving, excessively punishing, and not really enjoyable despite the fact that I was hitting all my lines all day. Kind of like going on a wonderful date with a girl and when it's time for the good night kiss her Dad comes out and beats your ass. Thats how I felt when people asked me about how I liked the course.

I really held out on reviewing this course and emotionally wanted to give it a lower score but realizing I am not a top caliber player and am older so missing putts and climbing in and out of clay canyons is not so much fun I decided to rate it as a 4. There are better plays in Charlotte. I really think Nevin blows this one away....The other Charlotte course have a few elevated baskets and risky greens but this place has overdosed on them much to my scorecard and memory's chagrin.

Talk about something for everyone, you get it all in one round at Renaissance Park DGC. Renny is not built for the novice DGer, with plenty of distance, technicallity, and variety.

Renaissance Park DGC is equipped with concrete tee pads and DISCatcher baskets, yellow baskets for the original layout, White for the Pro layout. Benches and trash cans located at various holes throughout the course.

Course layout is a very big pro in my book. The layover of the short and long course is very well thought out, and has been tweeked here and there. Most of the Gold(Long) course's baskets are separate baskets, longer than the original baskets. Some holes have mulitiple tee pads. A few holes even have a few basket placements, which allow you to mix it up if you frequent Renny often.

The course is quite challanging. The front 9 is the shorter half of the course, playing through denser woods. The front half is much more technical, requiring alot of shot-shaping and accurate throws at the expense of distance. The back 9 is a totally different beast, with plenty of distance. Most holes on the back require more than 1 drive to reach the green.

Basket placements offer plenty more difficulty, whether its tucked neatly behind a tree, on the edge of a cliff, anchored into a large boulder, or way far away from the tee. The Gold layout is this x5, with plenty of island greens on the edge of cliffs and such.

Variety is a large pro also. You are likely to use every shot in your bag through a round at least twice. Plenty of ups and downs, lefts and rights, tunnel shots and open shots.

-Tee signs are a bit of mix-and-match, with some being accurate, some not so much. Most Pro holes only have distance and par posted with no hole map. Maps for some holes include pin placements no longer in use.

-Course is pretty much unplayable after a storm. Footing is quite tough in a lot of areas when the ground is still wet.

-A few OB areas on the course which require climbing down into a very large ditch which can be quite dangerous. There have been steps/ladders set in place to help. Hey, at least it isn't a deep disc eating lake.

This is one of those courses that you must hit in your road trip through Charlotte. Only problem is that it will take you at least 2 hours as a single player to play a round here, and that's not factoring in navigation issues you may have if its your first time at Renny.

Plenty of unique holes, and although not as picturesque as some other courses here in Charlotte this course sure gets the job done.

Renaissance Park DGC's Gold layout ranks in the top 3 toughest courses in the Greater Charlotte area, along with Nevin and the Web layout of Hornet's Nest. A good score can be shot on this course, if you are able to keep your head in the game and not let the distance get into your head.

- 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.

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...

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.

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.

Difficult, long, challenging, fun, well-designed. Great use of alternate tees and baskets. Very inventive use of elevation. Mix of fairly narrow wooded holes and wide open holes. You will need every shot in your bag for righties and lefties. The Gold course is looong.

Can be confusing to navigate, lots of blind tee shots. The original course is overlayed by the Gold course, so there can be some confusion when navigating the course.
The woods can be thick, you will make quite a few blind throws, and the slopes that border the holes can be prohibitive. This is an easy place to lose your disc.

This is a really pretty course, but it is a long hike up and down lots of elevation. It's a great challenge, but take your time and take it easy. It will take some stamina to finish because it is hot in the summer and windy in the winter. The Gold course navigates an old bike trail, so it can be messy when it's been raining.

This course is definately one of a kind. When my friends and I play other courses alot of times we make comparisons. Like this course is like that course or this course is like this course and that course combined. However the Renny is like nothing else I have ever played. The first two holes are in the open and still play harder then I thought they would. Then you go into the woods. 3 and 4 play like any wooded course but then you take a look at five and start having a harder time visualizing the shot. It is a short uphill hyzer with lots of trees and as easy as it looks I still never birdied it! The woods will continue to beat you down untill finally you get to one of their signature holes. Throwing down a hill into a cascade of rocks with the basket sitting nicely on top of them. Throw it short and you are in the woods. Long and you are in a muddy mess! If you have confidence in your putting ability you can drill your putt and go on to the next hole. But if you have any doubt in your mind you better lay up or you will find yourself 40 feet below the basket on the other side. The next hole is one of the easiest holes as a 300 hyzer will put you in good shape for a birdie or an easy par. Par on this course is like a birdie on most other courses. I gave myself a big pat on the back for a par, the two or three times it happened! The rest of the holes from here on out have a nice open fairway but usually end up with a basket in some trees or on top of a hill making the risk reward factor as high as it can be. If you can manage to hold yourself together untill the 17th hole you are doing better than me as I was black and blue by then and begging for mercy! 17 will now take another stab at destroying your score as it is probably 600 feet or more to the hole and 200 trees in between! The best I could do there was a bogey and that was with tomahawks the hole way. 18 is a nice finish if you can throw 500 feet. A noob like me took a double bogey and went home feeling like I was thrown down a mountain and left for dead!

At the time that your a$$ is getting stomped you will be thinking that ol Renny is one mean unfair SOB! I left thinking that the course accentuated chance way too much and I wouldn't be back anytime soon. Then I was back again the next day for another round. Ol Renny whooped me again, but this time I was only 25 over instead of 30+.

Definately a must see, the most difficult course I have ever played. I think a newer player, however, can have more fun at other courses in the area.