For me, it's RL Smith.
Over the years I've watched numerous people visit Charlotte, a mecca for disc golf, and come away with RL as their favorite course.
I've watched people rate it 4, 4.5, 5...thinking, why?
RL currently has a 4.15 rating. Nevin, Renny Gold, and Hornets Nest, Charlottes 3 premiere courses in my eyes, currently are within .10 points of that rating.
How?
I just don't see it.
I've made repeated trips to RL Smith, always fueled by a 4/5+ review. Maybe I'm missing something, I'd think.
Nope.
I played it again today, and still, I don't see it.
To me the course is in the 3.25-3.75 range.
It has some tricky holes, but it isn't as challenging as the 3 other courses I mentioned. It has some neat holes, but none of them are as memorable as say, #18 at Renny Gold, #2 at Renny Gold (One of the coolest upshots ever IMO), #18 at Nevin, etc.
Half the holes are what I consider gimmie holes. some of them don't even feel like very good golf holes, they feel more or less like they're there to fill in the space.
I see lots of land that looks like it would have made for more interesting golf when I play here. I wonder why it wasn't used?
This course never establishes much of a rhythm IMO. Its a weird mix of easy, gimmie birdies, then tricky Par 3's, with 3 easy Par 4's thrown in the mix. It never really feels easy or challenging, it just hovers between the two.
Every time I come here, I walk away with cut up shins, tons of bug bites, soaked in sweat. The first few holes are just open enough to let you get soaked in sweat as you're exposed to the warm Charlotte sun, then the up and down elevation on the shaded #4-18 makes it tough to get dry.
The rough here is abysmal. I'm talking there are holes you can ace run (#3, #18, etc.), drive 10' deep of the basket, and never see your disc again. It's just dumb how bad certain holes are.
There are spiderwebs everywhere. Combine that with the terrible rough and the wooded nature of this course, and even if you don't throw into the rough someone in your group is bound to. Rounds at RL always take a while because someone always loses a disc in the rough, and someone always throws into the stream on #4, etc.
I've given this course so many chances but frankly I just don't see the appeal. I live within a half hour drive and play RL less than once a year.
If I want a quick, easy to play 18 hole course, I'll go to Renske or Winget. If I want to be challenged, I'll go to Nevin or Renny Gold. RL falls in a weird gray area where its not a quick, convenient to play course like Winget or Kilborne, but its not as challenging at Charlottes best courses.
So RL is my pick. Its rated the same (essentially) as the best Charlotte has to offer, when its my 6th or 7th favorite course within Charlotte's 485 loop. IMO Renny Gold, Nevin and Hornets Nest are clearly a cut above RL, but for some reason there has never been any scoring separation between the 4 courses over the past 3 years.
Just don't get it. RL isn't a bad course by any standard, but its completely insane to me that its rated the same as Nevin, Hornets Nest and Renny Gold. Its more tedious to play and less challenging.
Over the years I've watched numerous people visit Charlotte, a mecca for disc golf, and come away with RL as their favorite course.
I've watched people rate it 4, 4.5, 5...thinking, why?
RL currently has a 4.15 rating. Nevin, Renny Gold, and Hornets Nest, Charlottes 3 premiere courses in my eyes, currently are within .10 points of that rating.
How?
I just don't see it.
I've made repeated trips to RL Smith, always fueled by a 4/5+ review. Maybe I'm missing something, I'd think.
Nope.
I played it again today, and still, I don't see it.
To me the course is in the 3.25-3.75 range.
It has some tricky holes, but it isn't as challenging as the 3 other courses I mentioned. It has some neat holes, but none of them are as memorable as say, #18 at Renny Gold, #2 at Renny Gold (One of the coolest upshots ever IMO), #18 at Nevin, etc.
Half the holes are what I consider gimmie holes. some of them don't even feel like very good golf holes, they feel more or less like they're there to fill in the space.
I see lots of land that looks like it would have made for more interesting golf when I play here. I wonder why it wasn't used?
This course never establishes much of a rhythm IMO. Its a weird mix of easy, gimmie birdies, then tricky Par 3's, with 3 easy Par 4's thrown in the mix. It never really feels easy or challenging, it just hovers between the two.
Every time I come here, I walk away with cut up shins, tons of bug bites, soaked in sweat. The first few holes are just open enough to let you get soaked in sweat as you're exposed to the warm Charlotte sun, then the up and down elevation on the shaded #4-18 makes it tough to get dry.
The rough here is abysmal. I'm talking there are holes you can ace run (#3, #18, etc.), drive 10' deep of the basket, and never see your disc again. It's just dumb how bad certain holes are.
There are spiderwebs everywhere. Combine that with the terrible rough and the wooded nature of this course, and even if you don't throw into the rough someone in your group is bound to. Rounds at RL always take a while because someone always loses a disc in the rough, and someone always throws into the stream on #4, etc.
I've given this course so many chances but frankly I just don't see the appeal. I live within a half hour drive and play RL less than once a year.
If I want a quick, easy to play 18 hole course, I'll go to Renske or Winget. If I want to be challenged, I'll go to Nevin or Renny Gold. RL falls in a weird gray area where its not a quick, convenient to play course like Winget or Kilborne, but its not as challenging at Charlottes best courses.
So RL is my pick. Its rated the same (essentially) as the best Charlotte has to offer, when its my 6th or 7th favorite course within Charlotte's 485 loop. IMO Renny Gold, Nevin and Hornets Nest are clearly a cut above RL, but for some reason there has never been any scoring separation between the 4 courses over the past 3 years.
Just don't get it. RL isn't a bad course by any standard, but its completely insane to me that its rated the same as Nevin, Hornets Nest and Renny Gold. Its more tedious to play and less challenging.
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