Pros:
Owen's Park at Bull Creek (I don't know if the locals in Franklin County call it "Owen's Park," "Bull Creek," or the full name), is a rarity in the Carolinas: a wide open bomber course where the wind is a bigger factor than trees.
+ If you have a big arm and/or enjoy bombing drives from the tees, you will love OP @ BC. There are some scattered guardian trees here and there, and some fairways are lined by trees (but not on both sides of fairways), the trees are not a big factor on this course. Precision accuracy is not always required. The wind and rolling hill greens are the bigger challenge.
+ Unobstructed putts on wide open, rolling hills are the most difficult -- at least for me! OP has that in spades. Multiple holes have very fast greens to challenge your putting mettle, not to mention breezes fo rattle any weekend warrior.
+ Really all skill levels can be challenged and enjoy this course with Red/Rec, White/Intermediate, and Blue/Advanced tees. The three layouts seem very appropriate for each of those skill levels.
+ Easy navigation with Next Tee arrows on every basket, well-marked tees, tee signs for the Blue and White tees, and red, white, and blue paint clearly marking each tee.
+ No issues with tics or mosquitoes when I played. That's definitely not a given in a rural Eastern NC park in July.
+ This is a great public course for Franklin County, the first and only 18-hole public course that I'm aware of. And in my opinion, this course exceeds the other options (a public 9-hole course, River Bend, and some private 18-hole tracks), despite being a little one-dimensional, yet humbling for noodle arm players like me.
Cons:
Owen's Park at Bull Creek is a pretty piece of property, and obviously a former ball golf course at one point. It's well-maintained, while the grass was pretty high when I played, detracting from the aesthetics and enjoyment of the round.
- Obstacles and shot-shaping opportunities are few and far between. It's mostly just wide open, grip and rip.
- While there is a smattering of par 4's, there's really not a whole lot of variety here.
Other Thoughts:
This is a great public course for the area. It's probably not worth the drive for people in Wake County, except for folks in the northeastern corner of the county. But it's a clean, well-maintained park and you get to throw discs, so stop complaining! Also, there's a stocked fishing pond on-site at the park if you want to mix hobbies or you're bringing along family members who would rather cast than throw.