Minutes from the beach, you'll find Bill Smith Park. A nice, simple 9-hole layout that feels like many other Carolina coastal courses.
- From Charleston to Myrtle Beach to the Outer Banks, this course felt like many a coastal course. Think Four Poles & Tidal Creek (Fire Swamp) in Charleston or Ace Run in Manteo.
- This is a wooded course. For a course that averages 183 feet per hole, there is a fair amount of variety. Holes #2 & 3 are 'open' by this course's standards. But you still have to carve shots around trees to have a look at birdie.
- #4 & 6 are the fun wooded holes. Pick a line around trees on #4. You have multiple options to get close to the basket on this hole. On #6, it's a tighter line to the basket. Plus, you have marsh/water to the left of the fairway. Hit a tree and get a bad kick, and good luck with your disc.
- #7 is the prettiest, and probably, the course's signature hole. 185-foot shot over water. Avoid the one tree next to the water, and the pond doesn't come into play. However, when I played, and based on reviews in the past, be careful of the gator. It's a smaller gator (3-4-foot range) that's not going to cause you much of an issue unless you get too close to the water/try to retrieve a disc. This is a hole you'll be throwing a second disc for fun.
- Course is pretty easy to navigate. Tees are framed and have wooden signs at them. There's a nice, carved directional sign from #6 to 7.
- For a short-to-mid-range layout, it's a perfectly enjoyable layout.
- Course is close to a lot of local activities. The park is tucked away, however, that on an August Saturday evening, it was nearly deserted.

Some people aren't going to be a fan of seeing a gator in the water right in front of the tee on #7. It does make this otherwise simple tee shot a little more nerve-wracking.
- Biggest issue I saw was the dual tees on holes. Without an interactive map on a disc golf app, it wouldn't have always been clear which one to throw from on certain holes. Granted, if you play through twice, making it an 18-hole round, the point is moot.
- Course is in a very compacted portion of the park. If others are playing, you will need to keep an eye out for stray discs - #1 - 3; 4 & 9, and #8 & 9 all have overlapping potential.
- Tees are crushed gravel. They haven't been filled in a long time, and are in desperate need of a little more attention. That said, when you're throwing putter and mid, you can be throwing most tee shots flat footed.
- Despite being a shorter course, I wouldn't call this beginner-friendly. A higher-than-normal lost disc factor on #5 - 7, especially for those who don't have distance and accuracy yet. For the other six holes, yes, great for beginners.

Bill Smith Park is a perfectly decent course. It just seems like I've played this exact same course every time I've played a coastal course.
- So, it's all about perception. If this is one of your first coastal courses, you'll hold it in higher regard when playing comparable courses later on.
- By the time I got to #8 & 9, I'd lost interest. A couple of simple flicks, holding my drink in my off hand, and I sped through these final two holes without any issue.
- It's deflating for any course when you end on a flat note. Maybe make the water/gator hole your closing hole and make current #8 & 9 your first two holes. Get the bad out of the way first, and end with a memorable layout. Or, find a way to add a different hole and eliminate #8.
- In some ways, this has all the feel of a touristy course. After having just come from a garbage, run-down, tourist trap mini golf course, you see the 'if you build it, they will come' mentality in full effect. Having an ice cream and fudge shop on seemingly every corner, you're used to a whole lot of mediocrity. The only thing that separates Smith from those places is that this is free.
- Good for a quick round if you're here in Southport, Oak Island, or Holden Beach. Otherwise, focus on the better courses this area has to offer.

All the baskets are in good shape.
Adequate tee signs and two tees per hole.
In a largely unused part of the park.
Restrooms available in park.

Tees are gravel and uneven.
The whole area hadn't had any upkeep in a while.
The tees and footing were pretty wet on #7 after rains.
Several of the fairways didn't have a path.

I was expecting an overgrown, hard to find your way around, mess of a course. But navigation was easy, after you drive all the way through the park and park just before the exit. For a small, out of the way town, this course fit right in to this park. Another activity for families that are there for a picnic, ball sports, fishing, whatever.
There were a few holes I liked:
- 3 choose a path through the woods, or a big hyzer up over the ball fields.
- 6 wide enough fairway, with marsh on your left and the hole bending to the right.
- 9 good enough finishing hole, decent sized fairway to give you a chance to take a run at it.
Not in that list was #8, from one of the tees, it had about the tightest double mandos (naturally) I have ever seen, right in front of the tee.
Great idea to have dual tees on the holes, I played a few of them and it does change the playability of the hole. Not a bad little practice course, if you live in the area. Except for the pond carry on #7, this is also a good course for families and beginners.

It's a nice clean park with a well-marked course. It's a mostly non-descript collection of short holes but 6 is a pretty cool hole that actually tops 200 feet and runs parallel to some wetlands. It also offers a throwing line that can reward solid play. 7 could be considered interesting as well as a rare combination of a carry and ace run. The tee is one side of a 160 foot lake and the basket is on the other. Between them is open water and an open run at the ace.

The amenities are pretty solid with nice tee signs and even bag racks. The navigation is easy and the course flows well so if a fast round is needed, that can definitely happen.

I'm not sure who this course is targeting. Considering the length of the holes and the lack of golf lines, it can't be experienced players. But it isn't a good beginner course either. There are too many early, narrow gaps. And really, encountering the wall-of-tree holes won't encourage someone in the sport. A few of these holes are just as plinko as plinko can be. Might as well have thrown 4 with my eyes closed.

Nor is the carry on seven a good idea. Anyone who can consistently carry 150 feet will find the hole uninteresting. Those who can't will probably be frustrated and spend more time getting their one disc out of the water than playing the other eight holes.

And while typically I don't care for the "second is labeled as a different hole" thing, it was good here as some tees faced directly at trees(8A). That allows the hole to be played more reasonably. For most of the holes, there will be no desire to play them twice anyways.

A few unique holes that are worth playing

First 2 holes are so heavily wooded its unplayable. 8 is a small pond hole with a wall of trees guarding the other bank before the pin.

VERY new course that will probably be renovated over time(hopefully). Holes 3 4 5 6 7 and 9 are pretty much the only playable holes. Theres so much land in this park and its a very nice park but they really gave the shaft to the disc golf course.