Course Reviews

Rated
by Nemmers on Nov 14, 2013 at 9:36pm

- Short. Perfect for a quick getaway from the office during a lunch break. Two can easily play a round in under 45 minutes. Wham, bam, thank-you-ma'am.

- Location. It's set pretty far back in Monkey Junction, but because of it's propinquity to College Road it makes for a nice in-between course on the travel from Castle Hayne to Joe Eakes if one were so inclined to play all three Wilmington courses over a weekend.

- Well marked. Navigating the course is easy.

- Lots of trash cans that are emptied regularly. And they are bright! If you're not sure where the next hole is, look for the closest glare from the NC sun. One on every tee box.

- Baskets are fairly forgiving. Tee boxes aren't bad too awful terrible, but you can read about that in the cons.

- Provides some nice elevation changes in spite of its proximity to the beach.

- Not too much traffic on the course. Since this course is generally considered the bronze-medal winner in Wilmington (there's only three courses), most people prefer to play Castle Hayne or Joe Eakes in Kure Beach. Plus, with the course being a short one the wait times for groups in front are pretty short.

- Park itself offers great amenities: new shelter (with clean restrooms and a grill), basketball/tennis courts, ultimate/soccer/kickball field, and playground for the kiddies. (No reservations required to use the shelter either. First come, first served.)
Cons: - VERY wooded. Only on a couple holes are you able to grip it 'n rip it. No matter how good you are, you WILL probably hit more trees than you're accustomed to or comfortable with when playing this course. Accept it and send frustration packing.

- All par threes. I know I said that was a pro, but it'd be nice to have a few holes to draw out the game. But hey, I was able to play 27 holes on my lunch break the other day, so if you value quantity over quality this is a good thing too. Beggars can't be choosers.

- No benches on tee boxes....but then, it's a short course.

- Tee boxes. They're plastic and can be really slippery when wet. Also, some are really uneven, especially #9. Careful on the run-up as erosion on that hole could easily cause you to slip off the back and sideline you with a sprained ankle.

- No topless Hooters girls frolicking along the #8 fairway.
Other Thoughts: All in all, Arrowhead is not a "bad" course by any means, but compared to The Castle and Joe Eakes it's junior varsity. The length is optimal for beginners and kids, but being so heavily wooded it could easily frustrate both. However, if you're looking for a quick round to sharpen your short game and technical skills, you could do a lot worse than Arrowhead. It's worth a look for anyone addicted to the game.

Rated
by nickusa on Jul 15, 2012 at 12:29pm

This course if fun and challenging, yet not draining. Lots of woodsy area, with a few open holes mixed in. NO signs (or maps) at all make it difficult to navigate the first time, but once you know, it's a dream. I assume there are no signs because it's still new. It seems improvements are in the works. They just put trash cans at a lot of holes so hopefully there will be less garbage around now. Nice playground for the family to play at while you throw, if they don't play.