Favorite Stan McDaniel Course

[The Ox]

Stan McDaniel is responsible for designing and creating the top two most played courses on this site, Hornet's Nest and Renaissance.

What is your favorite Stan course, and why ?

Top Ten in the Charlotte Area :

Renaissance
Hornet's Nest
Nevin
Bradford
Angry Beaver
Eager Beaver
Stumpy Creek
Eastway
Sugaw Creek
Crooked Creek

 

[New013]

You left off Pinehurst DGC.... charlotte bias.

 

[The Ox]

You left off Pinehurst DGC.... charlotte bias.

There's disc golf outside of Charlotte ?

 

[New013]

It's a better course than half of those listed.


went Hornets Nest... best course in the CLT

 

[The Ox]

It's a better course than half of those listed.


went Hornets Nest... best course in the CLT

Pinehurst DGC is definitely one I need to check out.

Why did you choose Nest over the others ?

 

[New013]

Fun + Challenging .. and if you want the pain it has the Web layout.

 

[R-Intermediate]

Hornets Nest is my favorite, but IMO Bradford is the best designed out of that list.

 

[DiscGolfCraig]

The list needs to be updated. You left off Morningside in Knoxville. We do have to share Stan with other cities.

 

[bhadella]

My Top 5:

1. Nevin
2. Bradford
3. Hornet's Nest
3. Renaissance
5. Eastway

I like the combination of variety of holes, fun factor (shots that are a joy to throw) and challenge. Nevin and Bradford both have a great mix of those attributes.

 

[Dave242]

This is how the courses stack up for me based largely on the criteria I find most important....with some personal intangibles explaining the inconsistencies. To me, the best way to measure how "good" a course is, is to figure out how often I would play it compared to others if they were all the same distance from me and time was not a factor.

[B]Grade	RR	RB	TV	BS	MTHB	Course[/B]
97	A+	A	A	A	4	Nevin Park DGC
93	A+	A	A	B	3	Renaissance Park - Original
93	A+	A	A-	B-	5	Renaissance Park - Gold
91	A	A+	A	B+	4	Hornets Nest Park - Original
90	A	A+	A	B+	4	Hornets Nest Park - Web
88	A	B	A	B-		Sugaw Creek Park
88	B	B	B	B-	3	Bradford Park
88	B	B	A-	B	3	Eastway Park
88	B+	B	A+	B	4	Elon Park - Angry Beaver
87	B+	B	A-	B+		Davidson College
85	B+	B-	B+	B+		Elon Park - Eager Beaver
84	B+	B-	B+	C+	2	Stumpy Creek
76	C	C+	C	C-		Bearskin Creek

RR - Risk/Reward
RB - Rewarding Birdies
TV - Throw Variety
BS - Beauty & Seclusion
MTHB - Multi-Throw Hole Bonus points (5 is best)

I think Stan might have designed Davidson....and he did design Bearskin/Dickerson in Monroe.

 

[grodney]

Beauty and Seclusion of Hornet's Nest gets a higher rating than Renny? And Elon Angry???? With all that hokiness on the first 7 holes at Hornet's?

(Man I dislike Hornet's.)

 

[New013]

Interesting how you rated Bradford only a B- on Beauty and Seclusion. To me it's one of the more beautiful and secluded courses in Charlotte, definitely more so than Hornets which has some holes up by the road and parking lots.

I don't think I can rank them til i've played them all, especially since I've yet to experience Renny Gold

 

[optidiscic]

I like Nevin but I thought some other guys designed that one?
I have a hard time warming up to that early stretch of holes at hornets nest.
Renny was cruel lol and Im still scarred
Eastway had great moments but has a bunch going against it.
I liked stumpy a bunch pretty close to par 3 perfection. I wonder how it used to play before being broken in.

 

[Dave242]

Beauty and Seclusion of Hornet's Nest gets a higher rating than Renny? And Elon Angry???? With all that hokiness on the first 7 holes at Hornet's?

(Man I dislike Hornet's.)

I really dislike the scruffy feeling of that red-ish clay eroding through the scruffy grass and weeds. I do not know why it is, but that stuff stresses me out when I see it....and I am after an experience that de-stresses me what I play.

Renny has a lot as does Eastway, Bradford and Stumpy. Angry has enough to wear on me (1-3 and 5). The Nest has very little/none (I am not a big fan of the ugliness of the new 8 & 9). I also do not like the power line at Renny.

This Beauty & Seclusion category is a weird one and tries to capture and make objective something that is very very subjective. The best possible way to describe what I am trying to capture is how well a course sucks out the toxins of the daily grind when I play. It is very weird, but the 2nd half of hole 12 at the Nest magically does the trick in such a way that it overcompensates for all the other B&S downfalls of that course.

 

[Plankeye]

Fun + Challenging .. and if you want the pain it has the Web layout.

The last time I went(2 months ago) many of the baskets in the web placements were not there.

 

[grodney]

To me, the best way to measure how "good" a course is, is to figure out how often I would play it compared to others if they were all the same distance from me and time was not a factor.

I always have liked this way of comparing courses. Of course some days I'm in the mood for Renny and some days I'm in the mood for Eager Beaver. But in general it's a good way to think about it.

 

[Dave242]

I always have liked this way of comparing courses. Of course some days I'm in the mood for Renny and some days I'm in the mood for Eager Beaver. But in general it's a good way to think about it.

Thanks. I do the hypothetical thing where I imagine playing 5 days a week over the course of 2 months....and then counting up how many time I chose to play each course. That factors in my different moods and all the different motivations I have that drive me to get out an play.

If you are not measuring how well a course makes you want to play it, how on earth else do you measure how good a course is? If you are reviewing restaurants, it is how much you like to eat there, music - how much you want to listen, amusement parks - how often you want to visit etc....

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Only played five, so I didn't vote.

Of those I've played, Renny was my favorite, but that's more due to the land the course is on more so than the design itself. Nothing off Stan - he certainly did a lot with that property. I'm just saying his best work may have been Nevin.*




* Cue "evil laughter/rubbing hands together in sinster fashion" clip.

 

[DavidSauls]

Did Stan design Crooked Creek? I was under the impression that Harold Duvall did, and he's listed on this site as the designer, though I'm far from certain.

 

[vonDrehle]

Did Stan design Crooked Creek? I was under the impression that Harold Duvall did, and he's listed on this site as the designer, though I'm far from certain.

They both did one . Here is Stan's.

*Side note the one is Chapin is currently my only 1st place finish...