Trip to Charlotte, NC area

[whitechocolate]

Headed to Charlotte with the misses in Mid May to visit friends (and ditch them to play disc golf)! I am not sure how much I am going to get to play but I will definitely be playing. I will be up in Davidson. There are plenty of decent courses in the area for me to play (especially compared to here in Chicagoland) but really mainly had two general questions.

What is the easiest way to get on the Davidson campus course since it is just for students? where to go in, what/who to avoid. Not super excited about this course but it is close. a bike ride close.

IF I skipped Renny would I be disappointed? With the possibility of playing some with 3 non-disc golfers I would not want to drag them to Renny because of the length and difficulty of the course. I can only let some many groups play through before not wanting to play too. I might trek out there myself but haven't decided. It might be take up too much of my time (drive there, play a round, drive back) and be better off knocking out a couple of courses on the north side instead. I got time, just planning ahead.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Mando]

Headed to Charlotte with the misses in Mid May to visit friends (and ditch them to play disc golf)! I am not sure how much I am going to get to play but I will definitely be playing. I will be up in Davidson. There are plenty of decent courses in the area for me to play (especially compared to here in Chicagoland) but really mainly had two general questions.

What is the easiest way to get on the Davidson campus course since it is just for students? where to go in, what/who to avoid. Not super excited about this course but it is close. a bike ride close.

IF I skipped Renny would I be disappointed? With the possibility of playing some with 3 non-disc golfers I would not want to drag them to Renny because of the length and difficulty of the course. I can only let some many groups play through before not wanting to play too. I might trek out there myself but haven't decided. It might be take up too much of my time (drive there, play a round, drive back) and be better off knocking out a couple of courses on the north side instead. I got time, just planning ahead.

Any suggestions are appreciated.
If you want your 3 non-disc golfers to lose all their discs and give up the sport, take them to Renny... or take them to Reedy Creek or Kilborne and you will still be friends afterwards.

[bikinjack]

+1 for Reedy Creek

[sloppydisc]

Stumpy Creek is very close to Davidson and a pretty good course. Renny is a no-brainer, and I really like Hornet's Nest. From what I hear Nevin is a must if you have the time. Reedy and Kilborne are both good courses too. Leave th enoobs at home and meet up with some of th eguys from this site. Everybody i have played with has been great and you'll get around the courses quicker that way too.

[Mando]

Renny is a no-brainer,
Read this guy's review... it's a no brainer only if you are a masochist.

[Dave242]

I have not been to Davidson in a few years, so I can not vouch for the maintenance. But, IMO it gets a bad rap here. It is not a bad course (other than finding the 1st and 2nd tees). It is quite appropriate for beginners to give them a good feel for what DG is about.

Stumpy is ridiculously narrow (and punishing) for most of the first 6-7 holes.....I a not high on it if you have limited time. Hornet's Nest (a favorite of a ton a pros) and Nevin (brand new and difficult) are on the north side of town and will be close to you.

[sloppydisc]

Just because Renny kicked my backside doesn't mean it's not a great course. Plus I am not that good anyway. And on top of all those problems, I played the Gold layout. Not the smartest move I ever made. But it is still a great course, it just has lots of challenges. I am planning on going back. My game has gotten a little better since then, and I could use some more humbling.

[bikinjack]

If you're taking noobs out, Reedy Creek is probably the best place to go. Kilborne would be a close second. Nevin is an incredibly difficult course. My brain hurts just thinking about it. Renny original would be a better place to take a noob than Nevin. Hornet's Nest Original would be an ok option, as the front nine is fairly open, and not too long. I haven't played it yet, but my understanding is that Elon Original is very beginner friendly.

Stumpy Creek is a terrific course, if a bit on the difficult side. Lots of up and down, and about 2/3 of the holes are in thick woods. If you decide to venture over to the other side of Lake Norman, Beatty's Ford Park (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3529) is a terrific little 9 holer. And by little, I mean small and short, but it's FUN.

[whitechocolate]

I definitely would not bring them to Renny, Nevin, or Hornet's Nest. I would bring them to Reedy, Davidson, Stumpy, or just a 9 holer. Plus they wouldn't lose all their discs, they will be losing all of mine. Being from Chicago, I appreciate disc golf for disc golf. I am not overly picking about where I play. It doesn't have to be a great course for me to be happy. Also I am still stuck at Novice/Rec abilities. So long courses is not where I do well. I still enjoy playing them. I don't get upset when I don't 3 everything.

With not being sure on how much I will play trying to figure out if I go Renny as the first choice if I wander off alone. I am leaning towards playing Hornet's Nest as my first solo course out there, just struggling with the choice of passing on Renny or not. I figure it will take longer to play Renny than anywhere else. It might mean one round instead of two. But I don't want to pass on Renny it I am going to regret not playing that caliber of course. I have played a lot of courses, but not a lot of champion caliber courses. Probably not any really. Stupid region I live in. So that's my real debate.

Good thing I am trying to sort it out 3 months in advance. The best part is I talk the wife into a road trip so we can play both ways. I am glad she likes breaking up the ride by playing disc golf with me. Even if she just decides to play out from my drives (which are not great anyway).

[bikinjack]

I just played Stumpy for the 2nd time today, the first time from the short tees. It's tough. Hornet's Nest Original would be a much better course to take a new player. I forgot just how much up and down there was. It's fresh in my mind now. The shorts are listed as 5555 ft., but it sure feels like it's longer than that.

[JTacoma03]

I could understand skipping Renny if you are playing with non-DG'ers, but if you can play it (without them) don't pass that up.

Also, +1 on Reedy and Hornet's nest if you've got that group going with you. Reedy is easier, but Hornet's Nest is more scenic and IMO more fun.

[jkdisc]

i havent played many in the area but my parents live in concord (north of charlotte) and Reedy was easy to get to and fun

[harr0140]

Charlotte, NC sucks, it only has 2 of my top 5 courses!!!

[bettsjc]

Non-discers would enjoy North Cabarrus(Sp?) from what I hear. Stumpy might wear them out. No to Nevin, Renny, the Nest. Kilborne isn't too bad, Reedy's baskets are in the short position, so they might enjoy that more.

[bettsjc]

...and IF you are looking to get in more rounds, or a quicker round, I suggest Reedy Creek, which(since the pins are in the short positions) will take a little more than 45 minutes to play 18 with no course traffic. Kilborne on a weekday before 2:00 a single can get in a round in about an hour. Renny will probably take you almost 2 hours if you don't run or shoot -6. Renny is also a huge potential to lose a disc, and being only one set of eyes you may spend time looking for a disc or two, or leaving them behind. North Cabbarrus is supposed to be a fairly challanging 9-holer, with Dorton close by. I've hear that North Cab towers over Dorton, but they are fairly close to each other, so what's another half hour to shoot 9 at Dorton, right?

[bettsjc]

Charlotte, NC sucks, it only has 2 of my top 5 courses!!!

Your profile shows Brackett's at #1, Renny Gold at #3 and the Web at #5...equalling 3 Charlotte courses in your top 5. So we don't suck THAT bad...unless you are counting the fact of Brackett's current "non-existance"

[ReedyCreekProduct]

...and IF you are looking to get in more rounds, or a quicker round, I suggest Reedy Creek, which(since the pins are in the short positions) will take a little more than 45 minutes to play 18 with no course traffic. Kilborne on a weekday before 2:00 a single can get in a round in about an hour. Renny will probably take you almost 2 hours if you don't run or shoot -6. Renny is also a huge potential to lose a disc, and being only one set of eyes you may spend time looking for a disc or two, or leaving them behind. North Cabbarrus is supposed to be a fairly challanging 9-holer, with Dorton close by. I've hear that North Cab towers over Dorton, but they are fairly close to each other, so what's another half hour to shoot 9 at Dorton, right?

I'm not sure how this discussion started, so forgive me if I am taking things out of context.

Dorton is truly for beginners. But there is still water and brush to lose a disc in.

North Cabarrus is more interesting than Dorton, but the problem is it has too many straight-drive holes as opposed to strong hyzer and anhyzer holes. And we all know that new-discers simply cannot throw it straight.

You can tell by my username which course caused me to fall in love with the game....

[BrotherDave]

I don't think Hornet's Nest original would be too brutal for non DGers, and it is tons of fun. Renny is as punishing as it is awe inspiring. Unfortunately, that's all the Charlotte courses I've played. :wall:

[whitechocolate]

Thanks for the help. I am not really about courses for beginners. That I have under control. Was more conserned about the time spent at Renny alone and if it was worth it. Obviously it is if I have 4 or 5 total hours. But I could get more bang for my buck if I hit a couple others in the same amount of time. Just gonna have to call it when I am there.

Thanks again for the help.