Pros:
Ahh... Castle Hayne. Just north of Wilmington, NC, it is a short drive from the beaches and waters that tourists flock to year, after year, after year. That's how I feel about Castle Hayne too.
Castle Hayne isn't flashy. It doesn't have amazing views, mountains to climb, ponds to cross, but what it has is solid golf. That is what makes me keep on coming back.
Most holes have the main amenities that most love. The large concrete tees, check. Descriptive, full color tee signs, check. Functional baskets, check. These three important features automatically make this course better than some.
The holes themselves are well designed as well. There are the holes that you should two, the multi-shot par 3s and 4s, the long, tight shots. They bend right, left, or both on the same hole! These holes all wind through the woods of Eastern North Carolina, with the fairways covered in Pine Needles and sand, hinting at the nearby ocean.
The park itself is very nice, with a nice playground, as well as other amenities for others to enjoy. It felt like a safe environment, and overall, everything was very well kept.
Navigation was somewhat easy, the paths are beat in, and their are some navigational signs, and once you play once, playing again would be almost automatic.
Cons:
There are two main components keeping me from giving this course a four, with a few other small things that would bump it down to the 3.5. It is still one of the best 3.5-4 courses I have played nonetheless.
First, is something they couldn't help. The design of the course was absolutely great. I loved the holes that I played, but there is no elevation. You are playing at sea level, and will never go above or below it. I always want to throw those downhill shots so you can watch the disc glide forever, but you can't here. I knew that going in both times I played, but it's something I want in a course.
Second, was the amount of standing water on the course. There were a couple of holes where I was up to my ankles in puddled water. The water wasn't always avoidable, often covering a 20x10 area of the fairway, or just next to the basket. The water was quite hard to miss, and I left the course wet on a sunny day.
Navigation to some holes, especially the temp holes and the ones that made you cross the road, were hard to get to. I skipped the temp hole that is hole 5 because of this. Make sure you check the tee sign, but it isn't always the next hole you see.
There was never a wow factor in my eyes. A lot of that is the lack of elevation, water carries, and other specific factors considered "wow-y" Castle Hayne is just really solid golf, just not spectacular golf.
Other Thoughts:
Castle Hayne is a course that has seen a lot of different players over the years, and I am pretty sure it pleased almost every one of them. It is aging, but aging well. I want people to continue playing here or many years to come!