Pros:
Robert L. Smith Park has been a course high up on my wish list, and I finally got to play it. But boy, was I underwhelmed.
-RL is known for its drastic elevation changes, and I can confirm that it is true. More than half of the course features holes that either go straight uphill, straight downhill, or a mix of both.
-Pretty good amount of variety here. Along with the use of elevation, RL has straight and dogleg layouts. I also enjoyed the mix of open and wooded holes.
-Accuracy over distance. The course is pretty short and tight for the most part, so keep those discs in the fairway!
-Many risk/reward holes. The course plays around a series of creeks and rivers, as well as some thick rough. If discs are not kept away from those areas, it will be a long day.
-Typically, I am a person who wants a lot of par 4's and 5's, which is not present at RL. But I enjoyed there being mostly par 3's, with some par 4's sprinkled in there. I think the walking makes it a pretty tiring day, so I was pleased to be throwing some softer, less powerful shots off the tee.
-Of the par 4's present, I think they were very good layouts. #3 and 7 were both wide open with water right. #5 was a tight, wooded shot with a creek running down the left and across the fairway.
-The course designers did an excellent job of placing baskets in good spots. Some that come to mind: #5 & 17, pin just across their respective creeks that split the fairway. #7, pin is tucked into a spot that angles toward the river. #9 & 12, their baskets are placed on/around some cool rocks.
-The back nine is an awesome stretch of holes, especially the final three holes. If the whole front nine has layouts this fun, I would be ranking RL at least a 4.0, maybe even a 4.5.
-Since #5's basket is right next to #14's tee, this creates a fun 10-hole loop if time is short.
-Course amenities are good. Baskets seem old, but they were strongly mounted and caught well. Tee pads were a mix of concrete and turf, which I thought was cool. Tee signs/maps (when available) were awesome, just like all Charlotte courses.
Cons:
-For me, the main issue at RL is the course maintenance. The grass is very irritating and overly long on the open holes, and the rough seems extremely out of control. The vibe that the course gave off was very unpleasant, especially on the front nine.
-Navigation was very frustrating at times. First off, I struggled to find the first tee, which ended up being a long walk from the parking lot. The transition from #5's basket to #6's tee was annoying, especially with #14's tee pad being the first thing you see. There were countless signs pointing to the next tee, but I still think that the navigation aids could be improved.
-Following off of the previous point, there were several long and hilly walks between holes. Transitions from #5 to #6 (as mentioned above), #7 to #8, and #12 to #13 are the biggest ones. Be prepared to hike!
-The course is prone to disc lost, mainly because of how thick and unforgiving the rough is. During my round, I found a total of 3 discs, which just goes to show.
-There were a handful of holes on the front nine that were without tee signs and/or maps (I think mainly because the front was slightly re-designed, but it's still worth mentioning). This was frustrating, and I had to pull up the UDisc map several times to view the hole layout.
-The last hole doesn't loop back directly to the parking lot, and there is a long walk. Personally, I was not effected by this, but I can see some people being annoyed about it.
Other Thoughts:
As I mentioned before, RL was very underwhelming and overrated. Ratings could be inflated because of the previous design of the course, but either way, I think a 3.5 rating is a perfect score. The park itself is small, but still has a couple of ball fields, a playground, and restrooms. I don't think that this is a must-play course, but I would advise going, especially for the fun of the last three holes.