Cougar Country

Pros:
- Very nice park arranged around a community center. There's plenty to do besides disc golf, so if you bring the kids they won't be bored.

- Tees are well-marked with benches at each hole. Pads are rubber but not too awful slick even when wet or sandy. New Discatcher Pro baskets. #8 is even extremely elevated, which adds another dimension of challenge.

- Friendly locals who encourage new players. The Brunswick County DG Club also host several events throughout the month. Really a great group of people.

- Great amenities in the community center right in the parking lot near hole #1. Restrooms, water fountains, and even a place where you can purchase extra plastic if you shank one in the woods and don't want to go home with a light bag. Not too big of a selection (Innova only) and the prices are a skosh higher than what you might pay online or at DG store, but having the option to buy extra discs is definitely a plus.

- Great use of land. There are clearly defined woodland fairways that provide enough of a lane to make several different shots possible, while still providing enough of a hazard to give you pause and make sure to make your shot count. The course offers short ace-runs and very well-guarded pins to test your accuracy, as well as long bombers where you can showcase your power (or lack thereof).

- The course pretty much mandates a wide variety of shots. Hyzers, anhyzers, flicks, thumbers, rollers….you might find yourself having to use every tool in your toolbox to tame this course.

- Although it's a 9-basket course, the alternate tees provided to make it a full 18 really do give the front a vastly different feel and perspective from the back. The front 9 are longer than the back and even though you're playing the same pins, the tee locations and distance variations make the two feel like you're playing entirely different holes.

Cons:
- No elevation changes. This is, however, coastal Carolina, so you can't really fault the course for that.

- Ticks! Even in January! Watch yourself.

- Outside the fairways the woods will eat your disc. The underbrush is so overgrown that you will be hard pressed to even be able to walk through it without a machete.

- All par threes. With the alternate pin locations it seems like they could have squeezed a few par fours into the mix. For example, #4 is about 75 feet longer on the front than in the back and with the wind whipping through that open field it can prove difficult for a newbie (or me) to get the disc all the way to the green.

- Navigating this course could prove bewildering for the first-time player throwing alone. Some pins are a little walk from the next tee, and without a guide you could find yourself lost very easily. #7 comes to mind here. The alternate tees are great and really do make the course feel different from front to back, but the locations to the alternate tees could be improved to make it less confusing.

- No topless Hooters girls frolicking along the #8 fairway.

Other Thoughts:
All in all, Cougar Country is a good, challenging course. The designers did their homework to make it tough enough for seasoned players, but easy enough for those new to the game. Add to that the amenities provided, the frequent events offered, and the friendly locals who are always up for a game and this course is a winner. It's a little drive from Wilmington and doesn't hold a candle to Castle Hayne, but if you're looking for a nice change from the city you could do a lot worse than Cougar Country. Definitely worth checking out.