Great new tee signs, good large tee pads, plenty of benches on every hole and good baskets.
Epic NC wooded course in a great beach town location. Plenty of length on this one with 5 Par 4s and 2 Par 5s. Great mix of left and right holes, with only a few going straight.
There is not a lot of elevation in this park, but the designers made use of the changes provided by a creek that runs through the course. No huge up or downhill shots, but enough elevation to make you think about your distance and rollaway possibilities.
Three new holes were added in the last couple of years that blend in with the existing holes perfectly. Two of them use the elevation available and they are breaking in very nicely.
The middle part of the park has RRs, a ball field and shelters, everything you need if you are here for an all day tournament. The backside even has tennis, soccer and football fields, so this is a popular park. The course is laid out very well in areas that don't conflict with those other uses, except having to cross the park roads a few times.

This is the third time I've played the Castle, the second in the current layout. One thing I don't understand is the flow of the front nine holes, this is where the 3 new holes were added. Currently, after playing #2, you walk back along the fairway/road to #3 tee, which is right across the road from #2 tee. (One of the reasons I play is for the exercise, so no big deal for me.) It seems to me, the flow on the front 9 should go, 1-2-5-6-7-8-9-4-3. This way, it would shorten the walk after #2, there would be no crisscrossing around #8 tee and #3 would still end you up by the parking lot, for the walk to #10.
Really no other ""Cons"" for this course, real fun to play.

I enjoy playing this course each chance I have on a beach trip to Wilmington. Its definitely a challenging course that has had some of NC's best players test their skills. I enjoy the challenge. I may have missed on one trip here, because I was bagging other courses. Now that I have played everything in easy driving distance, I'll be playing here on every trip!
A few holes that I have looked forward to playing since my first time here:
#8 - a 700' Par 5 with an uphill left turning tee shot, then a right turning second shot that you have to keep on the ridge, then an ample sized green to approach to.
#11 - Par 4 that starts in the woods, you have to hit a gap on the right to an open fairway, then back into the woods and it turns left to the green.
#17 - a dual fairway Par 4, good amount of space on either fairway, then straight back to the green. If you get stuck in the middle, its not too punishing where you can't get to the green.
There are a couple of short ace runs here also, #9-short Anny with a tight corner and #16-short hole with various lines that could pay off.
I did see the the course stewards are currently laying out shorter tees on several holes, if the current layout is Blue level, these appear to be Whites. Good idea for those that don't throw as far. I will still play the current tees, to see how I compare each time.
While this is a wooded course, with only a few holes with open fairways, nearly all the fairways are fair. Not too tight so you feel like you are playing Plinko, but if you do get off the fairway, the roughs can be tough to recover from. One of the best and toughest courses that I have played and one of the best in NC.
The Castle hosts several tournaments every year, it is definitely the must-play near the SE North Carolina coast.

Large tee pads
Challenging
Bathrooms
Great layout
Clean
Safe
Beautiful landscaping
Playground
Lots of parking

Baskets are good but could use an upgrade
Tee pads are needed for alternate tee locations but have heard that this is in the works
Lots of roots
After a heavy rain course is very muddy and creeks flood

Bathrooms
Large concrete Tpads
Shaded due to canopy
Challenging
Baskets not always visible from T
Garbage cans
Clean
Safe neighborhood
Parking
Good distance signs
Only a few water hazards
Playground
Shelters

Fairly flat due to it being coastal
Not playable after heavy rain
Difficult to find Hole 10 (next to the playground parking)

Castle Hayne has gone through some major changes in the past year. There are now 3 new holes on the course to replace 3 that were paved for a new park access. Excited to see that there are some short T locations being marked out for permanent positions in the future. Castle Hayne can be really tough and the short locations will be a nice addition for players of all ability levels. Bring your bug spray in the warm months. The park is very clean and in a safe part of town. Fairly flat and one creek runs through the course as a hazard. Well established and nice park.