If you love wide open layouts, you'll love Surry. If you dislike walks between baskets and tees, or are navigationally challenged, you are REALLY going to love this place.
- A generally simple layout. 15 of 18 holes are what everyone would consider 'open' layouts. Now, some of these layouts hug the edge of wooded areas, so that the right side of fairways are heavily wooded. But generally, the consensus is this is an open field course.
- A lot of mid-range tee shots. Only three holes longer than 400 feet. Nothing on the front 9 longer than three hundred feet. 11 of 18 holes are in the 200-299-foot range.
- This might be the easiest navigable course I have ever played (out of 520+ and counting). The next hole's tee is within steps of the prior hole's basket on every single hole, with the obvious exception of #1's tee and 18's basket. Although, that would be fitting. I'm not talking in close proximity as in easy to spot. I mean 'you may be in circle 1 and on the next hole's tee pad' close.
- As such, this is a good course for casual or beginning players. Plenty of pars and chances for 'good' shots for anyone who can throw 150-200 feet and somewhat straight.
- The three wooded holes are a breath of fresh air. None are great, in fact #15 can be a major safety risk, but they are something different.
- Great open spaces for field work. And with so many baskets all in the open, chances for safari holes if you'd rather be playing 800-foot layouts.
- I will give credit that some of the 'open' holes find do use obstacles as best they can. Several holes have sharp dogleg rights playing around the edge of the tree line. #4, 8, & 16 are the best of these. #8 & 11 play over park service roads. #12 & 16's basket are up against the tree lines. #17 plays over a basketball court and #18 tees off next to a baseball field fence. More about those last two later.

When 15 holes are considered 'open' layouts, you have a major flaw that can't be overcome. Even if you throw further left to avoid the tree lines, you're still putting for birdie. When your round starts with 3 wide open holes in the first 5 (as in zero obstacles between you and the basket), your excitement begins to wane.
- The whole basket-to-next tee-too close conundrum. I'm not sure what this logic was. Unless they are assuming the course will never be crowded and they wanted to create as much length as possible. Put it this way, if I played here while the course was crowded, it would be a stressful round. You'd have to worry about not hitting the group in front of you and you'd have to worry about not being hit while standing on the tee.
- The last two holes aren't good. Even by this simplistic design, they stand out like a sore thumb. Throwing over a basketball court on #17? Having a fence right in front of the tee on #18. It's like they ran out of space and decided to find anything they could at the end. I don't like the safety hazard, or the obvious having to skip holes because they'll likely be unplayable at times. Throw in the fact that #15's basket is right next to a picnic shelter and this course turns into a 15-hole layout on busy weekends.
- The course is in the middle of nowhere. I drove through a lot of middle of nowhere to get to Surry County for work. When I was done in the middle of nowhere, I had to drive even further to get here.

Surry County's course is definitely different than most courses I've played. Considering they clearly didn't cut down a single tree and were given four large fields for the majority of the course, the design is satisfactory.
- The park is in excellent shape. I played on a random Thursday morning in late April. The parking lot was full because of an event in the community center. There's an undeniable small-town charm to this place.
- Now the obvious: there are a lot of untouched woods in the back of the park. Could most of the front nine been eliminated and more wooded holes been added? There's a lot of room beyond #13 & 14 that some more wooded layouts could have been added.
- These are large, bright tee pads. Even on the aerial view on Google map, you can easily spot 15 tees. Only the three in the woods are hidden.
- I wouldn't ever seek this course out again in its current layout. In its current setting, you can't ask for more. Quality baskets. Quality tees. Tees are well marked with hole info. Well maintained grounds. But there is a low ceiling to this layout.
- You're close to the ferry to cross over the James River to get to Williamsburg. If you're on your way to New Quarter Park, sure stop for 45 minutes. Otherwise, I don't see this course getting a lot of out-of-town traffic.