Layout - The course is designed well in terms of mixing up hole types and distances. You'll see some more open shots near the beginning and the more you get in to the course the more the trees become a factor.

The course runs up and down the edge of the lake and it is a factor on quite a few holes. Only two holes actually cross the water and they're both shorter water carries. The proximity to the water makes wind a huge factor here.

The wooded holes do a good job of making you shape shots and be accurate through gaps; while the more open holes sometimes give you a few trees to maneuver around while being conscious of the water.

There are also some OB lines running down some of the longer interior holes which makes drive placement a key.

There's not a huge amount of elevation change but the rolling hills out there are used very well in the way the greens are positioned.

Overall I'd say it's a well rounded course despite its limitations. It flows well and you never find yourself in question of where to go next.

Atmosphere - Very scenic park right on Lake Wilson. There's a few swampy bits right on the edge in the back part but for the most part it's a great place to play disc golf.

Equipment - The baskets were in good shape and there's a map with scorecards at the beginning of the course. There are signs letting you know where the tees are.

Layout - My biggest problem with the layout is that the front part of the course mainly consists of straight on shots with the lake on one side. Although there are more obstacles and tighter gaps towards the middle the fairways don't have a lot of shape.

Some of the holes are positioned very close to each other as well. I ended up on another fairway a few times which isn't hard to do.

#16 was questionable for me because it was unclear of which route was intended from the tee. It appears there should be a hyzer route over the water but there was a huge branch blocking it, the left route shoots you right towards another fairway.

#18 is just poor design in my book. You're asked to throw a water carry then take a 5 minute walk down around the water over to the green. Somebody could easily sit there and grab your disc.

There's a trail running through the course area as well which could be a problem at times considering there are a few blind shots near it.

Atmosphere - Just a few swampy bits right near the water on the back part, not really that bad in itself. Standing water is probably a problem here when it rains.

Equipment - The tee signs don't give you any information other than the hole #. The pads are just sand and gravel framed in to the ground. They're very uneven and not my favorite.

If more holes had shape to them this would be a better course. The land just had limitations but it's a beautiful park and a great place to spend a day. If it's windy you'll encounter a serious challenge out there.

A couple of pros:

The first is the actual hole layouts. I thought the holes were generally good with easy per 3's, tough par threes and a couple of par 4's. The wind and water definitely added to the difficulty of several of the easier holes

Navigation was easy with most of the tees easily spotted from the previous hole.

Also, the lake makes the course quite scenic

There are quite a few cons which drive my 2.5 rating.

- first is the tee pads. They seemed like a mix of san and gravel and several had some standing water after a rain overnight. They were framed in so it wouldn't be too difficult to make them concrete.
- next is the overall course layout. Many of the holes were very close to other holes. I suspect there is a lot of waiting when the course is more crowded.
- there were tee signs, but there were no distances on them so they did little more than act as directional guides.
- based on the walking path that wove through a number of the holes I suspect there is some contention with pedestrians during prime times.

Some individual hole comments:

15 - I think the design of the hole is to throw a hyzer out over the water and come back into the fairway. But the water was high and the risk/reward was definitely not worth it. So it forced an anny or turnover shot where you were throwing back towards another hole.

18 - an ok hole just throwing across the lake, but the walk from the tee to the basket was terrible. Not only did it take 5 minutes or so, but you had to cross over at least 4 or 5 other holes. It would be great if there was a bridge across the thin portion of the lake near the hole.

Despite all of the cons and the relatively few pros, I did enjoy my round there and will go back. It helped that I played in the morning when no one else was around. I think with some tees and a few navigational/layout improvements this could be a really good course.

Came back to update my review... New basket on #1. Good mix of water and open areas to crank one. First few are very aceable.

This course is not the best design. The first 4 holes are all less than or right at 300', in the middle of the pedestrian walkway, which can be a pain. Many fairways/walks to next tee cross each other, and can be hectic. Biggest problem is the quality of the baskets, at least 15 baskets only have one set of outer chains, and are old and rusted.

This course has started to grow on me a little...After the front 9, the course veers into a narrow wooded area that require precision shots. The walk from 18 tee to green is a pain, and with so much space it could be fixed easily. If it has rained recently, be prepared to bring boots because the course gets very muddy.

It has a nice variance of hole length. Great scorecards and map.
Very scenic - large homes on other side of lake and is surrounded by a cotton farm - kind of a mix of new south and old south.

This course is designed on a small strip of land, which contributes to crossing fairways, close fairways and holes. While the hole lengths were a positive, the layouts were not. There is just not much variety - pretty much straight on.
There are some drainage issues. We played a couple of days after precipitation, but there were still large pools of water on holes 7 through 11 and 16.
While signs are typically a Pro, these signs lack any real information that is pertinent to the hole/course (no distance, no obstacle layouts) - just didn't find them helpful at all. I normally wouldn't list that as a Con, but there was an investment in making quality signs.
The tee areas were difficult to determine, which could be due to the "newness" of the course. We found flags on the later holes, but it was inconsistent to determine the correct "tee pad" - sometimes ahead of the hole marker and sometimes aligned next to it.
There are goose droppings everywhere and, while this cannot be controlled, it's still not a positive.
The initial 4 holes are placed in a common walking area for other park goers, so when the park is busy, this can be a real issue. My friend and I, on a 40 degree December day, were the only ones playing on the course and still had to wait on a number of occasions for other park patrons due to the walking path being on the fairways.
I debated placing this in the Con section, but the lake, seemingly, becomes more of a nuisance than a part of the course design. 9 of 18 holes parallel the lake. Errant throws and slight tree hits have a very realistic chance of ricocheting into water. This course is fairly flat and the ground is covered in grass/pine needles, which results in long skips (not a con). While it can be used to your advantage, slight line misses (hitting trees) or slightly long missed throws (long skips) can easily result in discs hitting the lake. I have no problem with water holes (#5 and #18 are fine) and Buckhorn is very fair and one of my favorites - it's just that these 9 holes can result in water hits due more to chance than actual skill to avoid it (Note: I didn't put any in the water).

About a quarter-mile walk from the parking lot to the #1 tee area through the gate.
As I stated in the con, the water is in play - MUCH more then stated in this course description - on 11 of 18 holes (including the two water throw-overs).
I am not convinced that #18 is the stated 315 ft. Threw a Roc easily over to the hole #3 tee area. It's more like 215.
The pars listed on the course review are more accurate then those listed at the course.
If the a rating system had a 1/4 disc option, I would rate this a 2.75, with some additional improvement chances as the course matures.
From a Raleigh perspective, it's one to try if you are hitting Zebulon or passing through, but not a jewel - yet.