Just want to say I played this course in the gold format without the ropes, and I played with people who knew how to get around.

Beautiful- This course is awesome, good up keep, and great looking water.

Tee Pads - Nice Tee pads long and good for most holes.

Almost every kind of shot, not to much wooded stuff, but a little

Good amount of trash cans (could have a few more but still a decent amount)

Hole 7- I saw this on video many times and loved throwing on that bad boy.

Pretty open. Without the ropes in play this is pretty much a chuckers dream and as someone who can't throw much further then 300 (on a good day) this course was kind of mundane.

A few parking lots come into play, and can make it kind of dangerous.

Water - I didn't know it here, but figured I would add it as it is kind of a con as you should bring a throw away disc just in case.

If I didn't have a person who played golf, I think you would need a map to get around. Its kind of crazy lay out compared to the normal course.

To be completely honest, this course is more or less one that I am glad I can say I played as the pros play here. Besides that without the ropes the Gold Course is pretty cut and dry.

Everything is here is in good shape and taken care of as it's on a college campus.

Hole 7 was awesome to finally play. And I made it in the door first throw

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The grass is freshly mowed, the sun makes the lake gleam bright as to fulfill you with hope and the fountains soothe your soul with a serene melody. You stand at tee one, your hands sweaty in anticipation. You're not only in the shadow of "the Shack," which sells all the Innova/Discmania swag you could hope for, but also in the shadow of all the greats that have graced that tee and waited patiently for their tee time to start. It's a short hole, albeit with a low ceiling, but your jitters of a shameful round are momentarily quelled when your shot skids forward into a possible deuce. "It's gonna be okay" you tell yourself, but then...

The OB makes itself painfully evident. Almost like being alone in the wilderness when the beauty wears off and the terrible, dangerous reality sets in that you're locked in a battle of survival, the most dangerous game now begins. Numerous varieties of OB appear, like menacing beasts of the jungle. The parking lot looms large like a herd of gray elephants, harmless if you keep away and always apparent. Rivers of sidewalk stealthily appear here and there, like lines of deadly ants. The giant, brown, hungry hungry for discs hippo lies in the center of this jungle in the form of the lake. But the OB to be feared most of all, is the ceaseless, ever winding yellow rope that is seemingly everywhere and always placed just tight enough in key places for you to skip barely out of bounds. Trying to keep a long drive in bounds here is like trying to fit into your skinny jeans after you've pigged out during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even if you do stay in, you're not gonna be comfortable. When it's windy, it practically renders you impotent.

This course is longer than a LOTR movie. Never mind the 1000' hole and the rolling elevation, some of the walks between holes feel like you're walking to throw the ring into Mt. Doom at Mordor, especially the uphill trudges to hole 12 and 14. It's not that bad, but in a slow tourney setting, especially playing stroke and distance for going OB, you'll be out there all day roasting in the sun, making the walk seem much longer.

Yes it's a championship caliber course but it's still park golf. Unless you're playing in THE tournament, you have walkers, joggers, their pooing dogs, and sunbathers often in the way. Oh, and geese crap too.

It's really just a big, city park style pitch and putt for big arms. A few trees here and there but you mainly play around roads, parking lots, a ball field, and of course the lake. Ho hum. Not terribly exciting unless you can throw 400' with ludicrous control. Then they throw yellow OB rope everywhere to actually give it shape. My only problem with the OB is that it's used in a lot of places that aren't necessary IMO. I get it when it's an open field hole but what's the point of putting it along the edges of rough like hole 18? Is there anything more quintessentially disc golf than trying to throw out of rough? That's a DG skill that is not evaluated here. Go into the rough, instead of being punished with trying to rescue your round, giving you a glimmer of hope, you're simply shot in the face with an OB penalty. Is this disc golf or Operation the board game?

I'll take any of the good Charlotte courses over this any day of the week.

The course plays through a beautiful piece of a college campus. The grounds are impeccably maintained, and the course is especially scenic around the lake. This layout plays very long, there are a few shorter holes mixed in with interesting obstacles mixed in, but in general you'll need a big arm and/or a big roller to be successful here.

A lot of the course plays pretty open, with artificial ob, water, and tricky pin placements providing most of the challenge. Some holes play through nice mature trees and call for shaping some different lines. The water is used quite well on this layout, many holes require decisions on how to play the hole, going for the better score often entails quite a bit more risk. All holes have decent concrete tees and discatchers in fine shape.

One week out of the year, this course has all the ob ropes in place and good signage. The rest of the year, a lot of the place is wide open and very long, which makes it pretty repetitive at times. There is no signage (other than some outdated markers that don't match either current layout), so it's pretty much impossible to follow without a guide or map. With the course map, it's easier to follow, but you can only estimate the challenge of the ob without the ropes in play.

A lot of the course brings roads, paths and parking lots into play, major safety issues when you're trying to throw longer shots. There are also lots of places that get used for picnicking and sunbathing, not an issue I'm sure during the USDGC but it is an issue the other 51 weeks a year.

I had a really hard time rating this course. I can easily see a top rating for it in the USDGC setup, with ropes and signs and the overall tournament atmosphere. The problem is that the course isn't like that when the vast majority of players will see the course, it's just wide open boring bomber holes. It's worth a stop when you're in the area, but make sure you have a good map to get a good idea of the ob lines and for navigation.

Beginners won't have fun here at all, nearly every hole is either long or has water in play (or both). More experienced players will find many parts of their game tested, there aren't many holes that call for really tight line shaping, but shot placement, distance, and wind game are all vital here.

Good length for big arm players

Made decent use of the little elevation available.

Hole # 5 is one of the best designed holes I have ever played. This hole is all about distance, placement, wind, guts and glory.

Semi wooded holes are interesting enough and require a precise placement shot off the tee

Great course for what it is. It is a spectators course, thats the main reason they host the USDGC here. As far as a players course it is meant for the top pro players and that is it. If you are looking for a casual round of DG this is not the place.

Very well manicured and mowed allowing one to throw big rollers.

My bag was stolen at this course before my first round at the 2008 USDGC!. I throw all Discraft so I was completely screwed! I ended up playing with a Firebird, roc and birdie putter! It was by far the worst three rounds of my life, but a great learning experience none the less. I will be back for revenge at this beast.
Without the yellow rope and other artificial ob this course would be a wide open borefest.

If you ever get the chance to play this course in tournament set up it is well worth the time that is if you are an experienced player.

Grip and Rip on a lot of holes. Very well kept. Love the bamboo hole #7? and #4 with the trees surrounding the green. A very distinctive course.

Lake. Lake. Lake. It comes into play on too many holes. After you toss 3 of your favorite discs into the drink--you feel like giving up and going home.

It is challenging--yes. Does that always mean enjoyable for the recreational player--no. This course doesn't have too much in the way of finesse shots--big arms will love it. But i didn't enjoy all of it due to water and wind=lost discs. Play the shorter "Waterfront" course and you might enjoy it more, if you are recreational player, that is.