Mostly a tight woods course with many different lines to the pin. Placement is more important than distance on a number of holes. It's much like Castle Hayne in this regard. It made me think of a slightly shorter version of Castle Hayne. There are fewer water-filled drainage ditches than Castle Hayne. And while staying on the fairway at Castle Hayne is important, on Surf City it's paramount. You won't find many throwing lines out of the rough.

The tee pads worked well, and while a few of them had an uneven surface, they all worked well enough. Signage is very good. We never got lost. Most tees are close to the previous basket. Follow the best path from the basket or just look around.

The course makes good use of what is there: large trees, fields, a series of old silos. Hole 2 has a great basket position on a low branch of a tree, with vertical shoots serving as obstacles. #2 also has a devious tree in the middle of the fairway near the tee which forces challenging lines to the green. A short but tough hole. (Watch out for the old fencing wire low to the ground, just past the path from #1, on the left side of the fairway. A friend took a tumble down the slope when he tripped on it. That really should be removed. If I had a set of stout wire cutters, it would be gone.)

Check out the photos to see how this course lays out. It's a useful tour before you play it the first time.

Some fairways are tighter than others, and many require you to hit a gap 100-150 feet from the tee. But I'd say every hole is fair. There is a way through; you just have to be accurate.

I'd like to see some thinning of the rough, especially around landing zones, so that an almost great drive is not followed by a mandatory pitch out. Make the next upshot tough but possible. A much more demanding request would be to thin the rough ten feet along every fairway. I played Castle Hayne years ago and it went from fairway to jungle in 6 inches. Now the rough is much more tamed. Not easy, but often playable.

A portable toilet would be a nice addition. It's a popular course and men and women were playing. It's not easy to find a secluded spot to answer the call of nature.

I can't think of any other issues.

Looking for 18 holes? Play it twice! It's even better the second time around.

We played in November, with perfect weather. I can imagine bug spray is a good idea during the summer.

This is an excellent 9 hole course. If you're in the area, give it a go.