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Play golf year roundWe said it in 1983, and we’re saying it now: “The popularity of golf is still surging here. New courses are popping up every year, while existing ones continue to improve their facilities….” The first edition of Wilmington Today talked about “some 27 golf courses in southeastern North Carolina.” Now, the area boasts nearly twice that number. Year-Round ActivityThanks to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream and Atlantic Ocean, North Carolina’s Cape Fear Coast offers golf enthusiasts lots of great weather. We see sunshine most days, with year-round temperatures averaging between 52 and 74 degrees. Courses remain open so you can even play in January or February when temps average in the mid-50s. Couple opportunity with more than 50 terrific public and semiprivate courses, plus a delectable selection of private ones, and you’ve got Golf Heaven, right here in the Greater Wilmington area. Feel like a challenge? Head for one of the top-tier courses designed by world-renowned pros. Maybe you’re more in the mood for a relaxed round, driving your cart along winding paths through a picturesque plantation. Or how about navigating the sand dunes and skirting water hazards just for the fun of it? Greens fees around these parts vary according to the season, location, exclusivity, course difficulty and desirability. For 18 holes, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20 to more than $100, plus cart fee; average is $30-$40. Packages are often a good deal and they’re relatively easy to find, as are senior discounts and special group rates. Regardless of your level of skill, you can find a course to your liking, in your price range, within a reasonable driving distance. The courses we’ve detailed here welcome visitors and the normal rules apply: proper attire (no jeans, cutoffs, or T-shirts) is required and metal or ceramic spikes are not allowed. Some of our favorite public or semiprivate courses are characterized below and we’ve given you yardages from the longest, the white and the shortest tees, as well as details on slope and rating. Enjoy! CASTLE BAY COUNTRY CLUBIn Pender County, you’ll find a true Scottish style links course, at Castle Bay Country Club, located two miles west of Highway 17 at 2516 Hoover Road. The course is an easy 20-minute drive from either Wrightsville Beach or Topsail Beach. Castle Bay’s 18-hole, par 72 course features five tee boxes, well placed bunkers, tricky water and other hazards that make club selection particularly important, acres of ever-changing, beautiful wetlands (unless you’re in them) and wonderfully true greens that many think are the best in the area. Castle Bay has a fully stocked pro shop, a PGA professional on staff who gives private and group lessons, a full bar, snack bar and dining room with a patio overlooking the course. Players can practice their skills on the driving range, putting green, sand trap and chipping areas.
CASTLE BAY COUNTRY CLUB BEAU RIVAGE GOLF & RESORTTwo very different courses in Wilmington offer different challenges. Beau Rivage Golf and Resort, located on Carolina Beach Road, is a par 72, 18-hole course with four tee boxes. Charlie Walker, the new owner and general manager of the course, has already made improvements, with more to come.
BEAU RIVAGE GOLF & RESORT ECHO FARMS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUBThe 18 hole championship course at Echo Farms was designed by Gene Hamm and opened in 1974. A major redesign of the course by British architect Ian Scott Taylor in 1998 gave the course a more Scottish links feel. Greens were recently renovated and now feature Tiff-Eagle Bermuda grass. Echo Farms is adjacent to the Cape Fear River and takes full advantage of the natural features of coastal terrain.
The course offers four sets of tees and features a driving range with both grass and artificial tees. A quaint grill and golf shop is located in a renovated bottling barn, a reminder that the facility was built on what had previously been a dairy farm. ECHO FARMS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB WILMINGTON GOLF COURSEHow many cities do you know that run a Donald Ross Design golf course? Wilmington does, through the City of Wilmington Public Services & Facilities. The Wilmington Golf Course was designed by Ross in 1925 and opened in 1926. Two particular features - small, domed greens and strategically placed and well-sculpted bunkers throughout the 18 holes - will be familiar to anyone who has played other Ross courses. There are three tee boxes at the course known locally as the Muni, with par 71 for men and 72 for women. Special rates are available to city of Wilmington residents, but if you live even a tenth of a mile outside the city limits, “you might as well be from Alaska,” as one of the attendants states. WILMINGTON GOLF COURSE Brunswick CountyIn Caswell Beach on Oak Island you’ll find the 18-hole, par 72, George Cobb-designed Oak Island Golf Club course. The ocean course has four tee boxes and the strength of the sea breezes (aka wind) can make any round an adventure. Although on most days the prevailing wind is with you on the majority of the holes, the 18th hole usually plays into the wind, which creates its own challenge at the end of the round. The 53 bunkers and the water in play on nine of 18 holes will test the skills of most any golfer. Oak Island Golf Club has a fully stocked pro shop, a popular bar and one of the best restaurants on the island. Two pros are available for lessons and there is a driving range and practice area. Oak Island Golf Club was voted one of the top 100 courses in 2007 by the North Carolina Golf Panel.
OAK ISLAND GOLF CLUB MAGNOLIA GREENS GOLF PLANTATIONMagnolia Greens Golf Plantation earned a 4 1/2 star rating from Golf Digest, the only area-course with this designation. The course, located just five miles south of Wilmington in Leland, hosted PGA Tour qualifiers in 1998 and 1999. Tom Jackson designed the 27 holes at Magnolia Greens and his signature two-tiered greens and amorphous bunkers are found throughout. One and two bedroom golf villas overlooking the course are available here too. There are five tee boxes on each of the nines and 72 is par for any 18. As you would expect, Magnolia Greens is wonderfully maintained with true greens and manicured fairways and bunkers. Magnolia Greens has an on-site golf school, a pro shop, bar, deli and large practice facility. Meeting rooms and accommodations also are available.
MAGNOLIA GREENS GOLF PLANTATION |
