Huge clear fairways
Distinct gravel tees
Color signs for each hole
Located in a beautiful park
Holes stay away from the populated park areas
Well maintained and cleaned
There is a sign close to the bathrooms. For sure read this before you play for your first time. Has the map so you know where you're going.

Buggy
The woods are not forgiving and it's hard to come back from a bad hole.
The front nine and the back nine are split and can be hard to locate your first time here.

Definitely more of a professional course. I think I do worse every time I play this course. Difficult but possible. Even though I suck at this course, I know that this is a VERY NICE course.

Layout - Castle Hayne is a true test of your technical ability. You'll need every shot in your bag and the ability to perform them time and time again to play well.

The course has a great mixture of short and long holes but make no mistake, there are no holes where you can let it rip out there. Many of the longer holes require precise placement type drives to a spot to set up your next shot.

Not only will you need to place your drive very well but on some occasions you'll be playing through tight early gaps which really increases the difficulty of each hole. Even after a good drive you'll still need to play a great approach shot to set yourself up for a makeable putt.

Huge risk/reward out there; each hole really makes you think about every shot. If you try to bite off to much you'll pay for it. It's a course where you'll have to make a lot of accurate left to right, right to left, and S shots.

There isn't much elevation on the course but where there is it's used extremely well. The greens here are well designed in that they use the small elevation changes to their advantage by sticking them on slopes in some places.

The course is tough but not overbearing, as long as you stay within your game and play accurate shots you can stay within par.

Each hole has an original and alternate basket location that mixes it up and changes your approaches.

Layout is very fluid, no real long walks and it's easy to see where you're going next except for the 9 to 10 change up. The course does loop back to the parking lot after the front 9.

Equipment - Solid baskets in good shape. Large and level with the ground tees. Excellent signs for each hole that really explain the holes well and show you where the next tee is. Benches and trashcans throughout the course. On the longer holes there are distance to basket markers along the fairway that add a nice touch.

Atmosphere - Perhaps the best cared for public course I've ever played on. The locals do a great job of keeping it clean and on keeping the course in top shape.

Once you get in to the woods it's a beautiful pine covered course with a small creek running through parts. Very laid back feel to all of it and makes for a great round. There's usually a good breeze blowing to keep the heat off.

The layout does a really good job of weaving the course through the park and keeping discs away from other park goers.

Layout - Not really a lot you can complain about here.

There's never really a chance to let one rip and I always feel one or two of those holes give a course more balance. There's a few holes where it's possible but you still have to be very accurate.

Not much elevation on the course which is one thing that would put it over the top for me.

The course could be frustrating to new and lesser skilled players.

Equipment - One of the best equipped courses I've ever played so the only thing I can really complain about is the transition from 9 to 10 can be confusing, a sign right after 9 could help that.

Atmosphere - One of the main drawbacks that I can see is that you never get a real secluded feel on the course. Every time you start to feel it you run in to a part where you can see other parts of the park, a railroad track or a park road. At several points you'll cross park roads and even though you're never playing across or near them it ruins that wooded feel.

With the creek mosquitoes and bugs can be a problem out there as well.

I really love this course, I've yet to play it well but I always leave with the feeling that I had fun out there and tested my game.

The things that keep it from being a 5 for me is the lack of elevation and natural OB, the cons I listed under Atmosphere and a lack of a few more open holes.

Beyond that this is one of the best courses in NC hands down and a must play.

Aside from the fact that Castle Hayne Park in Wilmington, NC appeared impeccably maintained and litter was entirely absent, the well marked and well equipped disc golf course would be incredible in almost any condition. I thought the concrete tees were roomy and flat, much to my liking, and several holes had two boxes. I recall a couple of oddball tees on the front nine that were on a pedestal and dug into a hill, but they too were very usable. Only subtle changes in elevation, used to good effect. The tee signs were very good, as were the directional guiding arrows between holes that wound across and around the roads in the beautiful park. The course layout is well marked, but the map is nice and printing it may be helpful. Water in play, but nothing too intimidating. Baskets were in good shape, and most holes had two placements. One pin for hole 10 was on a 3 foot pedestal. Many benches were available throughout the course. So many attributes of this course are the virtues of every great course: Scenic, interesting, well carved fairways of varied length and requiring directional throws both ways,as well as doglegs and straight line shots. Some shorter birdie opportunities with interesting looks, and longer holes with wooded but fair routes and reachable landing zones. Perfect blend of difficulty and entertaining, fun holes.

My main gripe would have to be a small amount of mud, that was really minimal considering the rainy weather preceding my trip to the region. Fairway on the fourth hole is nuts. Wish I could have fared better there. The danger signs along the weird ravine trail parallel to the train tracks on the back nine really through me off, although I was able to save a bogey. Taking a 5 on the par 3 number 18 really bummed me out. I drove it pin high, but 75 feet left of the basket, which forced me to slowly and painfully work through a stand of trees blocking my second shot.

Truly a top notch course at Castle Haynes Park, and the local golfers involved should be commended for keeping this terrific specimen super clean. This is the best new course for me this year, and an instant favorite. Unique in most ways, but if I had to draw a comparison, I would choose The Sinks in Chattanooga, TN (without the sinkholes), or maybe Shaver Recreation Center in Seneca, SC.

Where to start....This course is very solid. it is well beat in and a solid design that is well worth your time to play.

Teepads and signage are great! Garbage cans and benches on every hole

Love the par 4's and the risk reward involved in this course. Maybe you decide to bite off more than you should or you throw one errant shot well you are more than likely in jail with few to no options.

There are few.

Erosion looks like it might be an issue.

Crowded. It is the only course in the area and is 5 min from UNCW which means you will usually find someone on every hole and possibly groups of 5+ taking there time. Great for the sport but still kinda sucks

I love Castle Hayne. It is definalty one of the best courses that I have played so far and probably in a tight battle with Cedar hill to be the best outside of charlotte for me. I would recomend this course to anyone who is remotely close to this course. It is easily the best in the Southeastern part of the state.

Go see if you can handle Castle Payne

- The course is about 5 minutes off the interstate (and prior to any congestion if you're coming down from 95) can't get much more convenient.
- The tee signs are outstanding. On the Par 4s and 5s they show the landing zones to set up your next shot.
- The hole variation is great. It is a longer course for being mostly wooded. The few short holes are not straight ace-runs - there are mando areas that make it a challenging approach. I haven't played a ton of courses - but, this is one of the few that I believe have legitimate Par 5s.
- The wooded fairways are pretty open, and the approaches are defined, with some "purposefully" placed trees to challenge you. The pine needle mulch is sweet.
-The course meanders through the park. You don't feel cramped, and you don't have to walk for ages between holes.

- To be fair, I haven't played the other Wilmington courses, but I suspect that this is head's and shoulder's above them - so it draws A LOT of traffic. I was playing a speed round and played through 4 groups - they were cool, so it was cool, but on a weekend it may be totally stacked.
Just to be picky
- Looks like it could be a little wet with rain (I had great conditions). That being said - with the sandy soil I would think it drains pretty quick, and they have the boardwalks placed in the lower areas, or where runoff crosses.
- There is a walk from 9-10, don't remember if the tee sign for 9 calls out the walk across the parking lot, but it wasn't intuitive for a first time through the course.

- I have driven by several times, but haven't played. The course was awesome - so glad I stopped, and any future trips will (hopefully) include this course.
- The locals all seemed knowledgeable and friendly. Like I said, I played through 4 groups - all were totally cool with inviting me to play through, some nice chit-chat, etc.
- I had an outstanding round - the course is wooded enough that I guess if you have one of those "tree" days, it could really push your scores. I love how the signs call out the lay-up spots, showing how to throw. If you are an advanced player and have a decent day - you have a shot at par.

Concrete tee pads
Accurate signage
Well maintained, not much trash, good number of trash cans
Good mix of lefts and rights, tight and open fairways
Most holes are pretty long, good for power players
Tough course, but pretty fair pars
Alternate basket locations switched out every few weeks
Nice locals
Monthly doubles by local club
Baskets in great condition
Front 9 and back 9 end at the parking lot

Can be crowded at times, especially when larger groups play (though course limit is 5 players to a group) and on the weekends
Tough course for players without much range

Overall I love this course and it is by far my most played course.
Difficult course even for experienced players, but doable and rewarding pars
Wish it was closer in to town, but I can only imagine how much more crowded it would be.
A little more elevation change would be great, but you can't ask for much being near the coast.

Everything!! It's a beautiful course with great locals, and we have boz what more could you ask for? but maybe a hanging basket or 2 that would be sweet!! dreaming.. lol

Newbies on the front 9 and hole 8 will have you swimming if you don't watch it buddy.

I finally got my Ace!! on hole 18 with a boss 175g Woot!! woot!!

This park has all the amenities. The course itself has great signs showing different baskets and lines on each sign. Trash recepticals throughout the course. Benches if you need to sit and take a break. For more experienced players several very challenging holes.

As beginners we found many of the holes crazy hard. Very busy park. College kids drunk playing disc golf was a little of a downer. Very hard to find where to go after hole 9. Some holes where super long turning a par5 into 9 shots for my girl.

I don't mind college kids or drinking. Don't even mind drinking and golfing but when your too drunk to throw a Frisbee your too drunk to be in the par. (man I miss being that age ha ha) This course is off the hook but is defiantly suited for a more advanced player.

Almost perfectly cared for course in a nice park. Huge concrete tee pads. Great signs showing multiple basket positions, lengths and lines. Bathrooms near tee 1 and 9. Benches are abundant if you need them.

This course plays as a very nice technical course. Almost every hole is in the woods. You get to see some open grass on 1, 9 and 18, but that is about it. The rest is simply beautifully designed wooded holes.

Holes are technical, but not brutal. There are tight lines throughout the course, but not many places where you look up and curse under your breath. Just lots of well designed lines. The are short and long left and rights. There are long wooded holes. But best of all, there are long wooded holes that require multiple fairway shots. Make a clean tee shot to a fairway landing area, and then make another in order to have a shot at a birdie putt. There are 6 par 4's and 2 par 5's on this par 64 course in the long positions, and 5 par 4's in the shorts for a 63 par. Just great length in a wooded course. And it is all fair and lots of fun.

Not a bad hole on the course. No useless filler holes here.

Some nice basket positions. On many holes the basket is either on a gentle slope or wedged near some trees. If you nail an ace here you earned it.

Posts with footage to basket on some of the holes. Nice touch on par 4 and 5 holes.

None. There was nothing about this course that could be complained about.

If you want something to bitch about, there is almost no elevation or water. But the course is so good you won't care.

Instantly in my favorite list. I love a fair course that offers numerous par 4 and 5 holes. This course doesn't brutalize you physically, but it does force you to play smart golf, and hit your fairways. Get off the fairway, and there is some thick, nasty stuff. The woods can pin you in if you aren't careful.

Lots of good holes to choose from, but I really enjoyed the multiple twists and turns of 4, 8 and 11. All three were long, fun and challenging.

#12 was flat out an SOB for a righty. A tee shot that goes roughly 175-200' before taking a right turn. Then a tight tunnel another 250-300' to the basket. Trees on the right and a ditch on the left. I shot a 5 and felt really good about it.

In its current state this course may never be considered a '5' since it lacks significant elevation or water carries. It doesn't have any of those holes that show up in marketing material. But every hole is designed very well, and there isn't a bad shot on the course. In addition, some of the longer holes could flat out crush you if you get sloppy with your execution or miss a fairway. Do you try to stretch your drive an extra 50' for that great shot, or stay on the fairway? Play this course, and you'll be asking yourself this question all day.

Just a great course. Long, technical and fair. If you head to Eastern NC make sure this one is on the top of your list. It is truly one of the best.

This course is so well cared for it's amazing there are no filler holes this is a must see. There is a nice map to download on this site that will help.

9 to 10 is a tuff find without looking at the map or asking someone 10 to 11 is the same.

Very busy there were people teeing off the whole day while I was there.

love the lay out of the course
love the lack of underbrush
love the tee boxes
love the elevated target on 10
well marked trails
not a lot of crossover

moderate walk from 9 to 10
gets hot easy
some holes pose a real challenge if you get into trouble, but thats not necessarily a con
very lefty

the highest rating ive given of a course ive played so far. had an ace run on one and nine on my first time playing. nothing like the courses ive played in ohio. i loved it. the layout is a great challenge for rightys, and you need a strong forehand/anhyzer to make your scores low.

- A true test of all skill levels.
- Par in the mid 60's
- Great mix of holes - all the way from a simple 200 footer to a double dogleg 800 footer
- Great tee signs and tee pads
- Ball golf layout where 9 and 18 finish at the parking lot.
- Great, safe public park
- Very fair course

- One layout really - no junior / shorter tees
- Takes a while to play - no quick rounds here.
- A bit lefty / sidearm friendly.
- A few tweener holes where you don't have a lot of score seperation
- No elevation, which is due to being near the beach
- Course is kinda dirty - it's a sandy part of the state and you can easily get very dirty playing the course
- The course has a few holes that will flood after lots of rain

So many times in disc golf, a course with a par in the mid 60's favor's throwing far. Not even close to the case with this one. Placement is the key here and there are many par 4's where you throw a midrange to a turn and then throw another midrange to the turn. I think this is a VERY women / senior friendly course because it really is about the ability to throw 250 feet to a spot rather than ripping a drive across an open area. If you love tough courses but don't have a big arm, this will be your favorite course.

An absolute must play. And close to the beach. Makes for a great weekend trip.

This is the first course I play and the layout was great. The front 9 is easier then the back. As my skill gets better I enjoy playing the back 9 as much as the front 9. The local clubs keep this course in tip top shape.

If it rains a lot the course does not drain well.

A great place to learn the game and meet new friends.

I like tight wooded courses, being from Charlotte and all. I liked this course for its brutality, reminds me of home. Little if no elevation change means lots of well planned cutting to shape fairways, and greens. Some might say a little too excessive at times; a tee with a forked tree six feet in front of you, for example. Bring a buzz or other trusty midrange and test your turnover shots, and a driver comes in handy for skip shots, and a couple open holes.

I visit family in Wilmington and considering this is the only park around, it is gonna get some play. It is out in the sticks a little bit, and knowing those woods, I would bring a bucket bug spray in the summer. Besides the fact that the park is relatively flat, I can not say anything bad about it. It was a busy day there, with a doubles tournament, but my wife and I played through three or four groups. So, don't expect a run through on a gorgeos day like this one.

After seeing the cool wooden signs with the hole layout,(complete with little nails for important clusters of trees in the fairway), I realized the importance, and effect good signage is to a course. I say three and a half discs, three for the course itself, and a half for the super cool signs. This course is worthy of being in the top ranked N.C. courses, even though it is short in length.

where can you start on course like this, very clean quiet park hid from everything. will test your turning skills in every direction. distances can be mean on us "short armed" folks. love this place.

drinking water out of anything here, sinks included is impossible, after a round here in the summer you will drink everything you have on you trek through front 9. stores are about 10 minutes away, just long egnough to cool you down.
bring cooler.

if you have a 10 over day here your first time you did good. playing it for two years now and only shot even twice.
welcome to castle pain

Very easy to navigate. Nicely groomed. challenging, but easy enough to enjoy it.

Very tight fairway's, sometimes you have a pretty good wait. easy to loose a disc on some holes

Over all the best course ive played yet

This course was all that I had hoped it was. It was fun to play, but tough and challenging at the same time.

Don't let the open looking fairways or how easy the course looks fool you. Each shot is a test of your skills and placement is key here. Get too aggressive (like I tried at first) and you will be punished. Place the disc right and you are golden.

There are benches at each tee, in case you need a little breather between holes, as well as trash cans at each tee. The course is well maintained and very little trash is found here. The leagues that help maintain the course do a great job.

You get to enjoy a beautiful park and work on your game at the same time. I had so much fun I didn't realize we were on the last hole until everyone started to shake hands and say how much fun they had. What more can you ask for?

If I didn't have a guide, I would have had a hard time finding where hole #10 started. A sign at hole #9 would help the confusion. Also, hole #18 ended in such a way that you may get confused as to where you parked your car. Again, a sign might help.

The pros definitely out way the cons at this course. Go to see a true championship course, but take back some good memories.

course is in a nicely kept park, there was practicaaly no trash to speak of on the course. trashcans and benches were on every hole. nice tee pads, every hole offered a specefic shot to be executed. the par 4 holes were pretty legitimate holes.

if this course had more elevation it would have gotten i higher rating. it was pretty flat. the chainstar baskets were not to my liking. i had more dead center spit outs at castle hayne than any course i can remeber. also from a distance the baskets were hard too spot

i would say this course is rated so high due to the fact that there isnt really anything else around. it averages a 4.5 but i can think of at least 3 courses here in charlotte that offer way more challenge that dont rank as high. i wasnt dissapointed at all, but i expected more from what i had read. also would like to point out that alot of love and care has gone into this course, one of the cleanest and well kept courses ive been to

-Designed by Harold Duvall to be a championship caliber course.
-benches & signs on every hole
-I've played 50+ courses and CHP has some of the best transitions of any of them, flows perfectly.
-fairways are very defined and fair to teeshots.
-local club keeps entire course well groomed in preparation for April sanctioned event.

-busy course especially on weekends.
-some low areas hold water but club is on it.
-dog crap, dog walkers, college kid 9-somes.

Castle Hayne tests every shot in your bag and emphasizes placement and course management. It's addictive and the Azalea Tournament fills every year.

Pros
-This is Professional course that is the pride and joy of Wilmington Residents.
-Well maintained, landscaped and manicured, as well as very clean.
-Bathrooms at the start, which you will pass again between 9 and 10, and plenty of garbage cans
-There is a practice basket.
-Some holes have multiple pin placements
-This course defines the phrase "It's all about the second shot"
-Concrete Tees, The tee signs were well done with maps and yardage. There are also benches at the tee's.
- All the holes require strategic approaches, and accurate disc placements.
-The course is nicely divided to play 9 holes on the front or back. This is convenient if you are looking for a short quick round. This also allows for a pit stop at the car, bathroom, breather, etc...
-The fairways tight and they are well defined, but they are not too tight. This allows you to work the fairway with either a tight S-Shot, or a flex shot. But don't get too cocky, there are trees on this course that will try to derail your confidence! A bad shot or an errant throw will have you trying to tomahawk out of the woods.
-This course requires accuracy over power. Castle Hayne has a variety of doglegs, bends, and turns that will require a perfectly placed drive. In fact, a drive that is too long can make your next shot a play out of the woods.
-Professionals, Advanced, Recreational and Casual players should all find this course challenging and fun.
-Beginners could struggle to keep up here, especially if it's busy. If you are beginner, make sure you adhere to the protocol of letting others "play through". Of course the people here are nice enough, that they might offer you some beginner tips.
-8 is a 700ft monster that snakes through the woods. Be mindful of the creek off to the side, I was told that it is deep, and it can flood.
For What it's worth
-There is a playground, so if you have kids maybe the other parent will be kind enough to watch the youngins while you take in a round
-Other activities here as well: Baseball, Tennis, Soccer, etc

Cons
DISCLAIMER: I don't believe these actually detract from the course, but I feel they are worth the mention
-No course map. Perhaps a bigger map, that I could snap a picture of with my phone. Of course, this Castle Hayne is busy enough, finding someone to either hook up with, or at least point you in the right direction shouldn't be hard. (Sidenote: After playing here once, navigation shouldn't be a problem)
-Possibly putting a sign or directions to 10 would help, it is rather hidden. Again... Once you played it, you should remember where it's at for the next time. In the meantime, Go to the Links/Files tab and print off the map.
-Course gets real busy. I was really surprised to see that many players out on a weekday afternoon. This isn't a bad thing! This simply means, they need to install another course like Castle Hayne!

This course will let you know how accurate you are with your throws. If you are used to playing in an open course, then this course might require some getting used to. You won't need any big drives here, because it's all about the accuracy. As I said earlier, this course gives meaning to the phrase "It's all about the second shot!" Once you have finished this course, you will feel like you have had an accomplishment, because it will force you to dial back, and consider your shots. Having said that, this course had a fantastic "fun factor" for me! I really enjoyed playing with strategy, and accuracy! I drove an hour and a half to get here, and I felt it was worth the drive! This is a course you would want to drive out of your way for. I look forward to the day I can get back up here to play again.
Bring some Gatorade or water with you, because it can get hot. Also, I preferred my Merrell's hiking shoes, but I don't think that there is any special footwear required to play here. Also, I didn't see any restaurants nearby, so you might want to bring a snack or two. You can work up an appetite here. I will also repeat what Prerube said earlier. If using a navigator, the park is in Castle Hayne, NC, not Wilmington. I just did the intersection of Parmele and Old Ave.
Russ's Final Thought: I think the elevation opinion, depends on where you come from. I'm from Myrtle Beach, and the courses I've played along the coast, here in SC, are flat! (I.e. Trophy Lakes and The Sarge. Both fantastic courses, but they are flat. ...literally.) So, when I played here, I noticed that there was some slightly elevated terrain. But if you are from other areas, I can see where you would say it's flat.