-Great use of elevation.
-Quick rounds.
-Perfect warmup for castle hayne.
-Lots of ace chances.

-Crowded on weekends.
-16 is really the only hole to let one rip.

All in all a fun course and great way to spend an hour whether you are visiting or a local.

This course is pretty fun to play, considering how short it is. Usually courses of this length are reserved for one time play only, but Arrowhead kept drawing me back.

First off, if you're looking for any elevation changes at all in a course while you're near the beach, this is the course for you. The front nine incorporates elevation, sometimes rather large, in the majority of the holes. The back nine is a little more flat.

Counting holes that test your left/right abilities, it seems fairly balanced, although the two big downhill shots are both RHBH.

You have a few water hazards to deal with on a few holes, namely 18, although you'll find it takes a fairly erratic shot to end up there.

Every hole on the front 9 is what I would call wooded. The back 9 is a decent mixture of open and wooded, but the course lacks a truly open big arm shot.

For being at the beach, the course allows you to play in almost any weather due to the course's ability to wick away water. You won't have to tromp through swampland after a downpour.

The signs are well made and navigation shouldn't be much of an issue at all. There were even trashcans on the course.

To be a wooded course, there is hardly any underbrush. You won't have very many chances to lose a disc, so you shouldn't feel bad at running at those aces, which could come in bunches on this course.(In fact my brother hit an ace on 5 during our rounds there).

The course is short. It's perfectly acceptable to throw a putter on nearly every hole on the front nine and even nearly half of the back, although you might opt for a fairway driver. In this aspect, it doesn't challenge the big arm players in a way I look for when objectively rating a course.

A few holes on the back 9 play out into an open field which may or may not be used by the general public. Something to keep in mind when throwing there.

I don't recall any seating available, but the terrain would be difficult in many places to put any. Additionally, the course should only take an hour to play so you won't really need any in the first place.

Outside of the overall ease of difficulty to the whole course, I can't think of very many other cons. The layout dictates a lot of my rating and it just lacks that challenge I'm looking for. The layout takes advantage of the land available, but there simply isn't enough land to create a championship level course.

Don't hesitate to stop and play Arrowhead if you're in the area. At the very least, the park is well maintained, you're bound to have a fun experience, some ace runs and you shouldn't lose a disc. Use it to warm up your Putt and Approach game before tackling Castle Hayne.

- Short. Perfect for a quick getaway from the office during a lunch break. Two can easily play a round in under 45 minutes. Wham, bam, thank-you-ma'am.

- Location. It's set pretty far back in Monkey Junction, but because of it's propinquity to College Road it makes for a nice in-between course on the travel from Castle Hayne to Joe Eakes if one were so inclined to play all three Wilmington courses over a weekend. (P.S. "Propinquity" means closeness.)

- Well marked. Navigating the course is easy. However, those new to the course will probably wonder where to begin. First hole is straight up the first hill you see driving in to the entrance to the park. Chances are you saw a basket on your drive up. That was #2. #1 tee is to the right of that.

- Lots of trash cans that are emptied regularly. And they are bright! If you're not sure where the next hole is, look for the closest glare from the NC sun. One on every tee box.

- Baskets are fairly forgiving. Tee boxes aren't bad too awful terrible, but you can read about that in the cons.

- Provides some nice elevation changes in spite of its proximity to the beach.

- Not too much traffic on the course. Since this course is generally considered the bronze-medal winner in Wilmington (there's only three courses), most people prefer to play Castle Hayne or Joe Eakes in Kure Beach. Plus, with the course being a short one the wait times for groups in front are pretty short.

- Park itself offers great amenities: new shelter (with clean restrooms and a grill), basketball/tennis courts, ultimate/soccer/kickball field, and playground for the kiddies. (No reservations required to use the shelter either. First come, first served.)

- VERY wooded. Only on a couple holes are you able to grip it 'n rip it. No matter how good you are, you WILL probably hit more trees than you're accustomed to or comfortable with when playing this course. Accept it and send frustration packing.

- All par threes. I know I said that was a pro, but it'd be nice to have a few holes to draw out the game. But hey, I was able to play 27 holes on my lunch break the other day, so if you value quantity over quality this is a good thing too. Beggars can't be choosers.

- No benches on tee boxes....but then, it's a short course.

- Tee boxes. They're plastic and can be really slippery when wet. Also, some are really uneven, especially #9. Careful on the run-up as erosion on that hole could easily cause you to slip off the back and sideline you with a sprained ankle.

- No topless Hooters girls frolicking along the #8 fairway.

All in all, Arrowhead is not a "bad" course by any means, but compared to The Castle and Joe Eakes it's junior varsity. The length is optimal for beginners and kids, but being so heavily wooded it could easily frustrate both. However, if you're looking for a quick round to sharpen your short game and technical skills, you could do a lot worse than Arrowhead. It's worth a look for anyone addicted to the game.

Good Beginner course
clean
bathrooms and trash cans
uses terrain very well

short
not enough space for some holes
trees everywhere

This is my home course, and I have played it every day this week. Its a fun course, but my biggest problem is all of the trees. They make it challenging, but there have been so many times I have hit them, or heard a thunk and an obscene remark from another played across the park. Either way, love this course.

This is the course I take beginners to. It is short but tight, so I enjoy it also as a change of pace from playing The Castle most of the time.

This area is typically below or at sea level meaning it is really flat around here. Arrowhead is the only course with any real elevation to practice on.

The course also allows for some neat shots you do not get anywhere else nearby. Try throwing an over head over all the trees off the 4th tee. That shot does not exist anywhere else nearby. Down hill over trees.

My only ace was on this course with a comet. I play a lot of ace runs here which I do not do anywhere else.

The park around the course is nice and has field for practicing before you play.

Really short, no holes to air the disc out on.

Needs a little pruning on a few holes. Not to take away the teeth of the course but just to clean up the lines.

no benches.

no practice basket.

Watch for snakes I have seen a couple at this course. If you go when no one is on the play ground try climbing the hill behind it and throwing a shot over the field and play to the basket at 14. Makes for a really fun 19th hole. Just make sure no kids are on the play ground.

All in all I think this course is really fun. After reading some the other reviews, I was worried that this course would not be playable. However we arrived to find the course in great condition. All tees and baskets are clearly marked and have a natural flow to them. The course makes excellent use of the elevation changes, a rare thing here at the beach. There are alot of Par 3's which is good for most players just starting out. More advanced players should expect to finish well under par.

There are still some trees that I think should be trimmed or removed all together. Some of the trashcans are way to close to the tees. I nailed 2 of them with my follow thru.

I wonder if they have considered expanding the course back into the swamp area?

The course is getting some attention and it's getting played. The re-design of holes 17-18 have made them very playable.
Lots of trees marked on Hole #4, hopefully by the county to be removed.
I've noticed some evidence of trimming and the fairways are opening slightly.
Trash situation seems a little better.

No signage yet.
They need an off ramp to Hole #1 teepad and a course map.
Too much ground debris and many of the greens are undefined.

IMO this course was not ready to review yet but the recent improvements inspired me.
My suggestions are:
1. Rake the fairways and greens right down to the dirt. This may sound tough but we raked all 6500 feet of Castle Hayne gradually and it made a ton of difference. It gives the holes a groomed look and improves footing where it's needed.
2. Give the greens a 30 foot perimeter of clean footing and trim any low skinny branches surrounding the basket.
3. Remove heavy downed limbs from fairways and greens. Use them for the transitions.
*Adopt a hole and rake it. You'll be surprised how quick we could make Holes 1-3 look groomed. Pinestraw and leaves will naturally fall and cover the dirt but the ground will remain firm instead of loose and crunchy.