Other Thoughts:
Course is in a regional level park with adjacent nature preserve; the total property acreage is about 750. Course is in rolling piedmont terrain with mature canopy and is sequestered completely from other park activities. Course is now almost 25 years old and reviewer has played this course early on, which may make it an interesting case. Reedy Creek is Charlotte's second iteration of the wooded piedmont style of course.
One may easily observe the effects of high foot-traffic and sustained community interest in developing the course over a relatively long period of time at Reedy Creek. The foot-traffic has made this course much more playable and its rough much less penal and over the years. Amenities, equipment and signage are all superior, although some may disagree regarding the Mach III targets. Tees are above average. Canopy blunts most play affecting winds. Course features completely separate returning nine loops with a dedicated shelter between the nines. Course looks and feels very well defined regarding the play paths and transitions; in contrast to wooded courses that are more 'raw' and which can often feel 'vague'. Undoubtedly this factor helps speed play, which can be quite brisk when course is not crowded. Reedy Creek probably receives the most play of any area course and is routinely crowded during peak seasonal hours. Play delays are not uncommon.
Billed as a 'beginners'' course, reviewer feels Reedy Creek DGC is one the best available venues to introduce someone to disc golf for the first time. Like many courses in the Charlotte area, straight flat shots with good fade control are highly rewarded (up to about 250'), but length off the tee is not critical here. Fair to average power is enough to score well, as the average hole length from the short set-up is about 260' for the 18. Lower speed discs will be very effective here. Course moderately favors stable counter-spin shot shapes off the tee and on the landing areas, (strongly so on the back nine), Back nine considerably 'tougher' than the front, in keeping with this area's 'unwritten' design ethos (an interesting aside: this area's next course, Kilbourne TPC features a back 9 favoring stable clock-spin shot shapes from the tee). Ample fairways and generous landing zones allow for 'fair' play. Plenty of recovery chances are available while scrambling. Course asks for mastery of all the basic shot shapes, except the roller game and uses the minor elevation changes enough to make the golfer continue to pay close attention. Also 'keeping it interesting' is two sets of tees and a minimum of 2 pin positions per hole, so the course is not inflexibly stuck in the past of rounded-shoulder style discs.
Greens are generally flat and open, with a handful of exceptions. Of note are the constructed features on the course, which appear to be largely a response to high foot traffic around the few highly sloped greens. These features control erosion and accentuate some greens while improving safety. Greens are neutral and balanced regarding spin receptivity overall.
'Fair' course, in the following aspects: generous average width of fairways, rewards for conservative play, appropriate penalties for size of throwing errors, few blind holes, overall balance, ease of 'seeing' trouble from the tees (or where to play), and limited ob areas. Course is also 'honest'. It lacks any 'perceptual' design tricks or extremely acute angles that must be hit to keep the disc in play (with the possible exception of #6 short tee).
#8 is the first area iteration of the now iconic straight flat tube shot about 300' off the tee, but since golfers (and arguably discs) have gotten better this 'first version' is only about 250'. This type of hole is so common in disc golf that the reviewer feels some special term should have been coined for it by now (like the 'Redan' in ball golf). Reviewer also feels this type of shot is the most difficult of all to consistently execute, especially as the distance required is increased, and this type of hole needs to be in the vocabulary of every aspiring course designer.
Reedy Creek DGC is one of this reviewer's personal favorites, largely because it shows high aim and forward thinking in its overall design. Course is an excellent candidate for Vintage/Super Class competitions. It is an 'early' course that appears to have been constructed - rather than installed. Each hole is largely buffered from the others, which gives it a wonderful cloistered feel without being oppressive. Several fairways have established turf. Undoubtedly this adds to maintenance expense, but the trade-off in 'polish' seems well worth it, especially when compared to the standard wooded course, which are not as comfortable and often experience erosion issues. As mentioned earlier in this review, the course's amenities are superior, not only with respect to play, but also regarding the administration of competitions. When others totally dismiss Reedy Creek DGC, this reviewer feels they are largely spoiled, missing the point and more focused on their own selfish pleasures, rather than the larger aim of growing disc golf. The Reedy Creeks of the world are the wellsprings from which the Renaissances flow.