The three major challenges to this course were as follows, in order of significance: 1) Following the course layout, 2) Avoiding the grand canyon, and 3) Hard putting.
Following the course layout was almost perfectly doable with the Gold map online. The line between doable and not really doable is very fine, however. I believe there are probably disc golfers out there who couldn't comfortably and correctly navigate Renaissance. Even with checking ahead to see if the pin placement is as depicted on the course map, it was still difficult to figure out transitions (15 to 16 and 16 to 17 specifically). Plus 14 was kind of confusing. Even 18 carried a sense of doubt until we got close enough to the basket to realize we were actually going to throw over the grand canyon to the basket. In hindsight, for the most part, we just had to follow our instincts (except from 15-16 where it seems like you should follow the path along the road). That's all just with the course layout as it is, that doesn't even take into consideration the fact that there are two layouts in place right now with signs for both. Sometimes you see a sign for one course, sometimes the other. Sometimes you'll see a basket 8 where you think basket 7 should be and realize you don't know if you got switched from Renny Gold to Renny Gray... It's kinda crazy.
**Update**: I've seen the new Renny signs that have since been put up and they are sweet!
Renny's grand canyon as well as the course's many little valleys are both treacherous and humbling. The difference between par and bogey gets small very quickly when you consider how easy it would be for a gust of wind to come right when you throw over them or even throwing next to them.
Never have I really had to weigh risk vs reward so much when trying to make a simple putt. If there's a small margin between hitting a putt perfectly and missing it with terrible consequences, you really start to slow down and put your all into each and every putt. This isn't true for all holes, of course, but I would say a significant amount of them. Bring your short game.
That being said, the huge holes are in the middle of the course where they should be. Perfectly placed to allow you to air out your drive after you've warmed up on the front 9. I really appreciated this. The beginners I played with found these holes tedious and too long. They were only throwing 250-275 max, though. Add the trees in and they were up to 7 and 8 shots for the big holes
All that being said, it was a very very fun course. I was challenged in distance and accuracy and enjoyed some great elevation change. The layout was creative and the landscape was really cool (especially holes 3 through 7). I appreciated the landing zones with boulders and rock structured greens. I also really enjoyed how the baskets were placed on man-made and natural structures. It's a good mix of all the various characteristics of other disc golf courses in Charlotte's blended into one really cool and huge course.
**Update**: After playing seven Charlotte courses, I also want to make sure I emphasize that Renny Gold is probably too much for brand new throwers. It will teach you a lot, but I don't think there's any one part of disc golf that Renaissance puts emphasis on that would amount to a good learning experience. If simply playing for pleasure, DO IT! In my non-expert opinion, new Charlotte players may want to work up to Renaissance with Hornet's (upshot accuracy), R.L. Smith (controlled putting), Bradford (overall accuracy), Eastway (distance), and Reedy for a good in-between course that blends all aspects.