Last minute Charlotte trip, 10/17

[12StonesScott]

Looks like my thirteen-year-old son and I may be making a quick trip up to Charlotte so he can go to a NASCAR race Saturday night. Was thinking that since I've heard such good things about the Charlotte area scene, this would be a good chance to hit one of the courses there. We'll probably end up at a hotel near the airport (Hyatt's the only hotel chain I've got any meaningful points left with, and they have two or three locations in that part of town). Drill would be to drive up on Saturday, probably arriving late afternoon with just enough time to check into the hotel and drive up to the track, then back to the hotel to crash Saturday night. I figure by getting up at a reasonable time Sunday morning, we could get a round in at one course before starting the 4 hour drive back home.

Neither of us has much of an arm, we generally prefer wooded, technical courses to wide-open distance-fests, and we're used to a certain amount of elevation change. I don't want to be so whipped after playing, or have it take so long, that I have trouble making the drive back to Atlanta.

It looks like Renny would be the most convenient to where we'll likely stay, but the length and difficulty are really giving me pause -- I'd like to have fun with this trip, and it doesn't take a particularly difficult course to establish that neither my son nor I are world-class players. A lot of the review comments suggest or imply that if you're not a 950-rated or above player, you may have a decidedly unpleasant experience. So would a different Charlotte-area course be a better option for us?

 

[DavidSauls]

Hornets Nest (standard layout, not the Web) is challenging, but not excessively so. Certainly less strenous than Renny.

Elon Short is good if you light tight, short, in-the-woods play.

Can't speak to all the Charlotte courses. An option is to catch a course on the way back in Upstate SC, where there are a number of fun, shorter courses.

 

[billnchristy]

Heck yeah on the upstate!!

Rankin Lake in Gastonia is on the way to and fro
Va-du-mar
Timmons
Foothills (if you are feeling frisky)

 

[Sadjo]

A nice short course in the upstate is Sertoma Field in Walhalla. It's only 4,000 and offers several small waterfalls that add to the whole experience. There are 4 other courses in the same county at Walhalla that are longer and more challenging.

 

[grodney]

From your description, the Elon Short course (probably from the long tees) would suit you well. It's a reasonably quick trip over on 485. Reedy and Kilborne would also fit nicely, but I don't think they're as easy to get to from where you'll be.

 

[bikinjack]

Reedy, Kilborne, and Sugaw all sound more like what you're looking for. I'll always put a word in for Rankin, and it's super, super close to I-85. It's a little tougher than the first three I mentioned, but not too bad, especially with the current basket positions (all short except 5 in the long and 16 in the long-left). Va-Du-Mar is also an excellent option, and it's only a few miles off the highway. The short tees play more like the first three courses I mentioned, with the longs being much more challenging, more like Renny or something.

 

[12StonesScott]

I plan to hit some of the upstate SC courses at some point, but I expect to have opportunities for that in the future -- my wife's family lives in Asheville and we're up there visiting several times a year, and it's easy enough to get to the Greenville/Spartanburg area, or anyplace near Clemson, Walhalla, Seneca, Anderson, etc. either while we're there or on the way up/back. I rarely make it as far up the road as Charlotte, so I figured this would be a good time to hit one of the courses there, particularly as Worlds is coming up there in 2012.

We're not afraid to play courses with some length to them -- we've done Jackson and Headrick at the IDGC in the same day, and I've played Flyboy and JP Mosely as well as the "supermax" Central Park layout in the Atlanta area, as well as Richmond Hill in Asheville (not long but lots of up/down hiking). It's really more of a time constraint than anything else -- If we had more than a few hours to spend on this I'd probably just go for it at Renny, given how convenient it'll be to our hotel. So navigability is important also -- I'd rather not spend a whole lot of my time trying to figure out where the next tee is, or where the basket is, etc.

So, if the choices were Hornet's Nest, Sugaw, Reedy, and Elon (and maybe Kilborne) and you had, say 3 hours or so to play, then needed to get on I-85 South and head for Atlanta, which would you choose?

If we get through early enough we might just hit Rankin on the way home (or if we can't make up our minds, maybe instead -- it's far enough from home that we also wouldn't likely be back there any time soon).

 

[DannyM]

Hornet's would probably be my choice, the regular layout, not the "web" It has a great variety of shots, is very technical on several holes, and does have a few more open shots.

 

[DavidSauls]

I agree with Danny, have played 3 of the 4 (haven't played Sugaw). Reedy Creek is fun; Hornets Nest has good variety between front 9 (semi-open) and back 9 (wooded), and a bit more challenge without being brutal. Both are pretty easy to navigate. I'm a 907-rated, noodle-armed player who still likes a challenge; my choice, if I were avoiding the gold courses, would be Hornet's Nest.

Elon has 2 courses; the long is a championship course, the short is sort of a beginners wooded course and perhaps less than you're looking for.

 

[jack straw]

Sugaw is an underrated tight course and is located right off of I-85. There is a handicap league event Sunday morning at 10:30 that you could play in. I love Hornet's Nest and would suggest printing a map if you play. The transition from 1-2 and 9-10 could trip you up.

 

[1978]

If you have 3 hrs. I would suggest Hornets nest (would only need like 2.5 hrs or less), its got a little of everything open, wooded, raised baskets. I agree that unless you want to play the Elon Long and Elon short course (skipping the third course( the professional one) you wouldnt get that much DG in. Either Elon short course plays in like 1:15 and might even be too beginner. I don't think you would dread the longer course. Many of the holes are technical and there are like 330' par 4's. Its not that long of a course and I would suggest it over the shorter courses in the park for your skill level.

 

[12StonesScott]

It's sounding like a consensus is developing around Hornet's Nest, which is sort of the way I was leaning after spending more time last night looking at the reviews and course info. I did give some thought to trying to do Elon Long and then Elon Short if we have time and energy left. Also thinking about trying to get an early start and do Hornet's Nest and then Rankin Lake on the way home if we're still up for more.

Thanks for the input, and keep the suggestions coming if you have more.

 

[12StonesScott]

Played Hornet's Nest today with my son. Enjoyed it a lot -- neither of us played as well as we'd have liked, but I wasn't too upset with my round. First time out on a course with some really long holes, etc. I missed at least a couple of very makeable par putts, as well as couple of birdie putts on elevated baskets (haven't ever played a course with 'em that high, so I didn't really have a good sense of how to play them at first). Definitely a course I'd play regularly if I lived close enough. Thanks for the input and advice.

We didn't get started early enough for more than one course today (slept in after being out really late at the race last night); would love to go back and be able to check out a few more.

 

[tallpaul]

Nice....that's the course, above all others, that brought me back for a bigger tour the second time. Unfortunately, didn't get to play it the second time; so, I'll just have to come back for a third...