Uploaded By: timg
Hole #3
Hole #3 
3 / 257ft. 3 / 274ft.
Par / Distance:
Hole #3 Tee
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Reviews: 24
Avg. Rating:
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Rankin Lake DGC 
5+ 
8/14/2010 
12/8/2009
Review By: bikinjack 
Played: 96 Reviewed: 18 Exp: 4.2 Years
This review was updated on 8/15/2010
Pros: Plays like two different courses, the front nine is more open, and the back is more heavily wooded, with most of the elevation.
There is a nice variety of long and short holes, a couple of ace opportunities, and a couple of multi-shot holes.
The tee pads are all concrete, except for #9, which is brick, and works just the same. There are long tee options for holes 7, 12, and 18.
The baskets are DISCatchers, all in good shape. There is no practice basket, but the course is seldom crowded, so you can usually warm-up putting on basket #5.
There are trash cans at several holes spread throughout the course, and rock "benches" at every tee.
You are never far from the parking lot, or the bathrooms, and the course plays back by them five times. The bathrooms are always open, and are heated and have A/C. There is also a water fountain with cold water at the bathrooms for those hot summer days.
The course is easy to get to from I-85 and Hwy. 321. There are two convenience stores, a Hardee's, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, and New Papa John's Pizza right by the park.
Some areas of the park offer nice views down to the lake, especially in the late fall and winter.
As of 8/13/2010, there are now proper tee signs in place on all 18 holes.
There is a nice variety of long and short holes, a couple of ace opportunities, and a couple of multi-shot holes.
The tee pads are all concrete, except for #9, which is brick, and works just the same. There are long tee options for holes 7, 12, and 18.
The baskets are DISCatchers, all in good shape. There is no practice basket, but the course is seldom crowded, so you can usually warm-up putting on basket #5.
There are trash cans at several holes spread throughout the course, and rock "benches" at every tee.
You are never far from the parking lot, or the bathrooms, and the course plays back by them five times. The bathrooms are always open, and are heated and have A/C. There is also a water fountain with cold water at the bathrooms for those hot summer days.
The course is easy to get to from I-85 and Hwy. 321. There are two convenience stores, a Hardee's, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, and New Papa John's Pizza right by the park.
Some areas of the park offer nice views down to the lake, especially in the late fall and winter.
As of 8/13/2010, there are now proper tee signs in place on all 18 holes.
Cons: One of the biggest problems with Rankin for first time players is the lack of signs on the back nine. There are great signs on the front (a couple have been recently vandalized but will be fixed soon ).
The fairways for holes 4, 5, 7, and 8 will be wet after rainy weather, especially 4 & 5.
There is a creek along holes 4, 5, and 7 that can eat discs, but isn't too bad. The OB shule to the left of the fairway on 6 will eat discs, especially in the summer. The rest of the course isn't too hard to keep up with errant throws.
Hole #9 could be dangerous, with either pin position being near a playground, and close to parking for the main building. Occasionally, there will be a car parked a little too close for comfort to the basket on #9.
There currently are multiple pin positions for eight holes, but there isn't a good system in place to let you know where they are, other than just seeing them, but some holes are blind, so you can't. Extra baskets for the alternate positions would be nice instead of having to move them to change things up, and a warm-up one would be icing on the cake.
Rankin Lake Park has a reputation for shady adult liasons, but this type of shady activity has decreased a lot recently, partly ( I like to think ) because of traffic from disc golfers, and probably more so because of a crack down by Gastonia's finest.
The fairways for holes 4, 5, 7, and 8 will be wet after rainy weather, especially 4 & 5.
There is a creek along holes 4, 5, and 7 that can eat discs, but isn't too bad. The OB shule to the left of the fairway on 6 will eat discs, especially in the summer. The rest of the course isn't too hard to keep up with errant throws.
Hole #9 could be dangerous, with either pin position being near a playground, and close to parking for the main building. Occasionally, there will be a car parked a little too close for comfort to the basket on #9.
There currently are multiple pin positions for eight holes, but there isn't a good system in place to let you know where they are, other than just seeing them, but some holes are blind, so you can't. Extra baskets for the alternate positions would be nice instead of having to move them to change things up, and a warm-up one would be icing on the cake.
Rankin Lake Park has a reputation for shady adult liasons, but this type of shady activity has decreased a lot recently, partly ( I like to think ) because of traffic from disc golfers, and probably more so because of a crack down by Gastonia's finest.
Other Thoughts: I'm trying to give an honest appraisal of my home course. I think it's a little underrated. It's not the hardest course, nor the easiest, but it's got a lot of variety. I'm glad it's so close.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.
Report this Review Pros: Very fun course to play! Front 9 fairly open & easy with plenty birdie opportunities. Back 9 wooded and a bit tougher. All holes have good upkeep! Never very crowded
Cons: No signs on back 9. Confusing my first few times playing trying to find next tee
Other Thoughts: Great park! Very nice area and very nice course. Well worth the trip! Just outside of Charlotte, only 3 minutes off of Hwy 85 Convenient!
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.
It's a Sleeper!! 2-4 9/15/2010 8/28/2009
Review By: sloppydisc 
Played: 188 Reviewed: 132 Exp: 4.6 Years
This review was updated on 9/15/2010
Pros: Clean park in nice park setting. Decent mix of long and short holes. Some technical shots and a few long bombs. Good fairways and the rough isn't so nasty you will lose a bunch of discs. Some holes are tight and wooded while others are fairly open. New signs are being added to many of the holes. this is a nice upgrade and good work by the local players. The 'Stankin' Rankin' layout also adds a whole other level of challenge to this course. It will beat you up, but definitely adds to the overall experience. With concrete pads for this longer layout, this course could easily reach elite Charlotte status, and earn an even higher rating. Concrete tee pads are on all holes for the normal layout.
Cons: Holes 7 and 8 seemed to be squeezed in, and not as good as the others. Maybe different basket placement or some news trees could make them more challenging. Some navigation signs for non locals would be good, but after playing once or twice, navigation is quick and easy.
Other Thoughts: I have played this course 3 more times since the original above comments. This course can grow on you. While the 2 open holes still seem squeezed in to me, I appreciate them more after having my backside handed to me on the back 9 a few times. #7 does have a creek to one side that adds some risk if you have the arm to go for the ace. Miss and you may end up with a 3 or 4. There are a few trees on #8. It's an easy par, but if you go for the birdie the road and trees can hurt you. The wooded back nine plays VERY technical, and forces you to use accuracy and control on every hole. There is also enough length to keep you from making short, safe shots. There is also enough elevation on a few holes to punish you if you can't handle uphill shots. The more I play this course the more it seems on par with me to courses like Hornett's Nest in Charlotte, or possibly UNC in Chapel Hill. People may prefer certain parts of each course over another, but Rankin can challenge you in multiple ways, and holds its own with any of the other very good course in the Charlotte area. It also has the advantage of not being one of the well-known Charlotte courses so crowds shouldn't be a big problem. Give this course a try once, and you'll probably be back.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Two Courses In One!
Pros: The front nine is kind of a typical city park course, fairly open, with two long holes, #'s 5 & 6, which are both over 600 ft.. But they're are both made more difficult by semi-tight fairways with big rough on the left. The front nine has great signs, which are locked into little boxes and can easily replaced if vandalized. There is a nice little 188 downhill ACE run. A hole or two plays on a steep hillside which could produce some big time rollaways. The back nine is mostly technical through the woods. There are no signs yet on this nine so you are guessing the distance. The back nine has a couple of interesting basket positions. # 13 has an elevated basket. IMO, the signature hole is # 14 with it's basket protected by some huge boulders. But the most interesting thing about this hole is the large, flat rock (about 1 yard square) which sets 10 feet in front of the basket. I could see a shot skipping off this flat rock into the basket. It's an all-time classic ACE or birdie shot just waiting to happen. Locals must have a name for this. The Rankin Lake Ricochet or something.
Cons: Tee signs on the back nine would be great. Now that I have read all the other reviews talking about the homosexual activity going on in this park, I did see these two guys parked down in the lot and wondered what the hell they were doing. Funny, at the time I thought, "That's kinda gay looking."
Other Thoughts: I enjoyed this course and it's variety of holes. I think it's a recreational/intermediate level course. I don't see advanced to pros loving it. But for the rest of us, stop by and enjoy it. Just watch out for those dudes in the cars!
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Rankin Lake, for the rest of us 1 7/3/2009 7/5/2009
Review By: BrotherDave Played: 85 Reviewed: 83 Exp: 5.9 Years
This review was updated on 9/30/2009
Pros: Great mix of wooded and open, the front 9 being virtually all open with nice length, and the back 9 being all wooded. The course is very quiet, charming. Nice baskets, good concrete tees and signs. Well maintained. Not a lot of elevation but not super flat, there are some potential roll-aways possible. Course is designed by local club who definitely seemed to know what they were doing. Excellent use of the park considering the space provided. One of the nicest park restrooms I've seen.
Cons: The wooded holes are kind of pitch and putt feeling, although 2-3 were real quality holes. They're still rough around the edges, too. I don't know the word for the opposite of tight, wooded holes but this course has a few. I didn't notice any suspicious "homosexual activity" although the Freddie Mercury look-a-like in the Mazda Miata kept whistling at me (joke). There is a shooting range nearby, kind of unnerving. The park is not obviously advertised if you're coming from the south, which isn't their fault, just a heads up for people looking for the park.
Other Thoughts: I'd like to apologize for the basket on hole 13. After my brother and I holed out there my bro said, "The basket is tilted." I turned around and walked over to it and slightly, gingerly touched it and it completely fell down the pole. I have no idea why. Just thought someone should know.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Fun course with a good mix
Pros: A variety of open and wooded holes.
A good variety of distance holes and short, technical holes.
Great use of elevation changes and other landscape features.
Great signs on the front 9.
A good variety of distance holes and short, technical holes.
Great use of elevation changes and other landscape features.
Great signs on the front 9.
Cons: Very few signs on the back 9 so you have to guess distance and location on several holes...no biggie if you play here a lot, but first time it was more or less a blind throw and hope for the best.
16 frustrated me because all 3 pin positions were blind so you just threw out of the woods and hoped you aimed right.
16 frustrated me because all 3 pin positions were blind so you just threw out of the woods and hoped you aimed right.
Other Thoughts: I loved hole 9, I found staying on the curved slope very difficult and challenging.
I also liked the use of the rock features on a couple holes.
This course had good navigation with arrows on the basket pointing you in the right direction and sometimes on trees if the tee is a distance away.
If this course were local to me I would probably travel 25-30 miles to play it on the weekends. This area has some tough competition but this is the first one I played and enjoyed it a lot.
Using my rating system this course scored 75 out of 100. Its main positives were the variety of distances, nice tees and general condition of the course. The biggest negative is related to new players...though there are not many huge arm holes, a grass alt. tee might be handy.
I also liked the use of the rock features on a couple holes.
This course had good navigation with arrows on the basket pointing you in the right direction and sometimes on trees if the tee is a distance away.
If this course were local to me I would probably travel 25-30 miles to play it on the weekends. This area has some tough competition but this is the first one I played and enjoyed it a lot.
Using my rating system this course scored 75 out of 100. Its main positives were the variety of distances, nice tees and general condition of the course. The biggest negative is related to new players...though there are not many huge arm holes, a grass alt. tee might be handy.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.
B = Better Than Average
Pros: What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward -- A (This is the biggest strength - bad decisions and bad throws are usually punished severely but fairly with 1-2 strokes added penalty for your sin.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities -- C (Most of the holes are all either too short to make them exciting or too long to make birdies possible for me. I loose accuracy over 300')
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography -- B (The shapes of the holes are nothing special, but the use of the topography is excellent.)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion -- C (While there are a few nice spots to breathe in some beauty, a lot of the course has a scraggly and/or run/down feel. And only a few holes are secluded.)
5) Bonus amount for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them -- C (the few multi-throw holes that are there are just longer....not much risk/reward or "strategery" added.)
1) Holes with good risk/reward -- A (This is the biggest strength - bad decisions and bad throws are usually punished severely but fairly with 1-2 strokes added penalty for your sin.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities -- C (Most of the holes are all either too short to make them exciting or too long to make birdies possible for me. I loose accuracy over 300')
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography -- B (The shapes of the holes are nothing special, but the use of the topography is excellent.)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion -- C (While there are a few nice spots to breathe in some beauty, a lot of the course has a scraggly and/or run/down feel. And only a few holes are secluded.)
5) Bonus amount for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them -- C (the few multi-throw holes that are there are just longer....not much risk/reward or "strategery" added.)
Other Thoughts: It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (115 18-hole, 50 9-hole as of early 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.
I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me….that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me….that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
6 of 15 people found this review helpful.
Rankin Lake 
Pros: True Jekyll and Hyde course. The front nine is fairly open with a pair of air it out holes. Though open it is still a challenge thanks to some stingy OB lines. The back nine is a tight technical course with dense woods that you do not want to get stuck in. Great ameneties with an heated indoor area with bathrooms and water fountains. Clean course, well maintained, and makes great use of a creek that runs thru and elevation changes. Easy to navigate.
Cons: Back nine could use some nicer teesigns. Also, this isn't a park that I would bring the wife/kids to as the aforementioned "homosexual sex soliciting" does seem to be an issue here.
Other Thoughts: This course is well worth making the time to play. It offers a great mixture of shots and variety of holes, all located in a beautiful park.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.
G-Towns Finest 5+ 1/14/2009 1/16/2009
Review By: willstradamus Played: 32 Reviewed: 10 Exp: 14.7 Years
This review was updated on 11/21/2010
Pros: This course has almost everything. long holes, short holes, open holes, tight holes, OB you cant go over and OB you must go over, as well as every line you can think of.
Allows and almost forces a veriety of different shots (backhand, sidearm, rollers, overhand, etc)
The front nine is beautiful, open, OB laiden, and can set you up for a great round or make you want to go home.
The back nine is wooded and makes any golfer pay for his/her mistakes, but still allows for a some birdie chances.
The course continues to improve with more alternate pin placements and tee pads.
There is a nice "clubhouse" near hole 1 which sets up perfect for tournements or parties. building is almost always open for a quick restroom or water break
There are no long walks between holes and the course is very easy to navigate.
Allows and almost forces a veriety of different shots (backhand, sidearm, rollers, overhand, etc)
The front nine is beautiful, open, OB laiden, and can set you up for a great round or make you want to go home.
The back nine is wooded and makes any golfer pay for his/her mistakes, but still allows for a some birdie chances.
The course continues to improve with more alternate pin placements and tee pads.
There is a nice "clubhouse" near hole 1 which sets up perfect for tournements or parties. building is almost always open for a quick restroom or water break
There are no long walks between holes and the course is very easy to navigate.
Cons: Tee signs on the front nine are wonderful but need to be updated for the alt positions.
Back nine doesnt have tee signs which is unbelievable with all the work that they have done.
Back nine doesnt have tee signs which is unbelievable with all the work that they have done.
Other Thoughts: Rankin Lake is already a must play course amd the current expansion is only going to make it better.
They have placed large rocks at many of the tee pads as benches.
There is a kiosk going up at hole1 soon and the tee signs for the back nine will follow shortly after.
There are now even more alt pin locations as well as new concrete pads for 12 and 18
GDGC put on a great Ice Bowl and the park looked great
They have placed large rocks at many of the tee pads as benches.
There is a kiosk going up at hole1 soon and the tee signs for the back nine will follow shortly after.
There are now even more alt pin locations as well as new concrete pads for 12 and 18
GDGC put on a great Ice Bowl and the park looked great
15 of 18 people found this review helpful.
5+ 8/6/2008 8/13/2008
Review By: heelboycraig 
Played: 135 Reviewed: 129 Exp: 9.1 Years
This review was updated on 8/31/2010
Pros: Very challenging course. It's underrated in terms of name recognition compared to the other top courses in the Charlotte area - Renny, Hornets Nest, Winthrop, etc.
- Great use of the land. Lots of elevation changes, many wooded holes, some good scenery. You'll get a workout just walking the course. On some holes on the back 9, notably #15 - 16, you almost get the feeling your in the mountains, because of the terrain.
- Good variety of holes. The front and back nine are complete oppostion, with 1 - 9 played in the open, 10 - 18 in the woods.
- The back 9 has some really tight drives and good pin placements. If you don't throw straight, you're going to struggle.
- Great tee signs. Some of the best I've seen. Too bad they're only on the front 9.
- Great signage between holes makes it easy to navigate the course. Of special note is the transition from #12 to #13. The directional signs painted on the road between the 2 holes are a tremendous help.
- Many holes now have long and short layouts. The course is a beast when its playing long; much more pleasant/less demanding when it's in the shorts. The dual layouts give a lot of the holes a good change-up; requiring different strategy.
- Great use of the land. Lots of elevation changes, many wooded holes, some good scenery. You'll get a workout just walking the course. On some holes on the back 9, notably #15 - 16, you almost get the feeling your in the mountains, because of the terrain.
- Good variety of holes. The front and back nine are complete oppostion, with 1 - 9 played in the open, 10 - 18 in the woods.
- The back 9 has some really tight drives and good pin placements. If you don't throw straight, you're going to struggle.
- Great tee signs. Some of the best I've seen. Too bad they're only on the front 9.
- Great signage between holes makes it easy to navigate the course. Of special note is the transition from #12 to #13. The directional signs painted on the road between the 2 holes are a tremendous help.
- Many holes now have long and short layouts. The course is a beast when its playing long; much more pleasant/less demanding when it's in the shorts. The dual layouts give a lot of the holes a good change-up; requiring different strategy.
Cons: There's still a problem of salacious activity taking place. It's been greatly reduced since over the past several years thanks to an increased police presence, but its still there to some degree. The most recent time I played, I noticed a police car and park vehicle both driving through the park within a 2-hour span.
- It seems the holes that are similar to each other are all clumped together. For example holes #1 - 3 are played on a hill with a slope to the left. Holes #5 & 6 are the 2 long holes. Holes #9 - #11 are all doglegs right. Would like to see these holes spread out more through the course.
- Course could use more benches & trash cans. There's a lot of walking involved and any chance to sit down on a bench, instead of rock, would be appreciated.
- There aren't any restroom or water fountains. The main park building has restroom in it, but it's always closed. There are a couple of fast food joints and gas stations right up the road, so you'll have to stop there.
- It seems the holes that are similar to each other are all clumped together. For example holes #1 - 3 are played on a hill with a slope to the left. Holes #5 & 6 are the 2 long holes. Holes #9 - #11 are all doglegs right. Would like to see these holes spread out more through the course.
- Course could use more benches & trash cans. There's a lot of walking involved and any chance to sit down on a bench, instead of rock, would be appreciated.
- There aren't any restroom or water fountains. The main park building has restroom in it, but it's always closed. There are a couple of fast food joints and gas stations right up the road, so you'll have to stop there.
Other Thoughts: This has been a good addition to the Charlotte-area courses. It gets overlooked because it's a 20-30 minute drive to any of the other top courses in Charlotte.
- A lot of work has gone to improving the course layout over the past several years. Some trees have been cut down on #6; a lot of tall grass/rough has been removed in between # 6 & 7 to give the area a much cleaner look, not to mention less risk of losing discs. Great signage on the back 9 makes it nearly impossible to get lost between holes. These small things make the course even better than before.
- You have plenty of chances to rip some drives on the front 9.
- Nice view of the lake along #6. You also get a good view looking down at the lake, and rest of the park, on holes #16 - #18, when you're at park's tallest point. You really get the sense of how much elevation the park has.
- Favorite hole is #5. Need 2 good shots to be able to throw through an opening in the trees and over a creek to the basket. You can walk away with a birdie or double bogey (or worse). A true risk/reward hole.
- A lot of work has gone to improving the course layout over the past several years. Some trees have been cut down on #6; a lot of tall grass/rough has been removed in between # 6 & 7 to give the area a much cleaner look, not to mention less risk of losing discs. Great signage on the back 9 makes it nearly impossible to get lost between holes. These small things make the course even better than before.
- You have plenty of chances to rip some drives on the front 9.
- Nice view of the lake along #6. You also get a good view looking down at the lake, and rest of the park, on holes #16 - #18, when you're at park's tallest point. You really get the sense of how much elevation the park has.
- Favorite hole is #5. Need 2 good shots to be able to throw through an opening in the trees and over a creek to the basket. You can walk away with a birdie or double bogey (or worse). A true risk/reward hole.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful.
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