Fage 34- Supplement to The Brunswick Bee
A Q
BY EARL KEFFNER
Who would drive more than 400
miles?round trip?in one day just to
play a round of golf?
The answer:
Just about any goif addict who has
played at least one round on each of
southern Brunswick's most spectacular
courses?Marsh Harbour,
Oyster Bay and Sea Trail Golf Links.
I do it a couple times each year and
my only regret is that I cannot find
the time to do it more often. To me. a
dream golf vacation would be a week
in the Calabash, Sunset Beach,
Ocean Isle Beach area playing a different
course every day.
wen, today you would nave to visit
a couple courses twice if you included
Ocean Isle Beach Golf Course and
Carolina Shores, as you well should,
on your golfing schedule.
When I lived on Holden Beach and
covered golf for The Beacon, I played
Marsh Harbour every opportunity I
had. I've never found a golf course
with a more testing, frustrating,
scenically beautiful, demanding, irritating,
spectacular and satisfying
hole than Marsh Harbour's No. 17, a
magnificent Par 5.
Then when owners Larry and Judy
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opened their new Oyster Bay
Golf Links. I found another unforgettable
hole. Make that two unforgettable
holes.
The first is No. 13. a Par 4. with a
green completely surrounded by
woods, marsh water and the largest
trap I've ever seen. That green is
held in place by a giant sea wall.
The second is No. 17. a Par 3 island
green with its shores lined by white
oyster shells. You haven't seen it?
You may have seen its more famous
clone on television?No. 17 at the
Tournament Players Course in
Florida.
The TPC's No. 17 is more famous;
Oyster Bay's is more beautiful. For
purposes of play, the holes are identical
twins.
Recently, I returned from my pre
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sent home in southern Mecklenburg
County to Shallotte where I had some
business with Dennis Crocker at
NCNB.
Dennis is a very good friend.
Unitl wc get on the golf course.
As I expected, when my business
was completed. Dennis and I headed
for the golf course.
He picked Sea Trail. There we met
Ed Gore, one of the owners.
There was another player in our
foursome, but he asked that I not tell
about his score. If 1 can't tell you
what Dean shot, I won't tell you his
full name.
Had I been able to play that well, I
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Beacon to brag about my score.
Dean could't figure out why we
were playing from the gold tees, the
very back, championship tees.
"I'm not going to have Earl go
back to the big city and say he played
the shortest course down here," Dennis
explained.
I didn't, but as those of you who
know Dennis can attest, I did play
with the shortest good golfer in
Brunswick County.
Let me tell you something about
Sea Trail Golf Links. From the gold
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e course that golfers have only b<
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tecs, Sea Trail measures 6,700 yards
and has a U.S. Golf Association
rating of 73.5.
From the blue tees, usually usee
only by the best amateurs, the course
is (5 371) yards ionn and has a ?!.!
rating.
The white tees generally are
favored by tourists. From those tees,
the course is 6,075 yards long and has
a 70.5 course rating.
Indies, Sea Trail doesn't ignore
you. The course measures 5,26(
yards from the ladies tees and has a
70.6 rating from those tees.
Par for the course is 72, regardless
of which tees you use.
Now I'm not going to tell you what 1
shot. I did play in the 90's. So did Ec
and he played better than I did. I alsc
promised I wouldn't say what Dear
shot, so I won't.
But I made no wild promises tc
Dennis.
Throughout lunch 1 heard how hu
golf game had turned sour.
He had a par on the first hole we
played. I didn't. He had a par on the
second hole; I had a birdie.
"We're going to have a goot
match." I thought to myself.
Foolish thought.
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ar? Maples, designer of Oyste
licured bent grass greens, be
into 18 holes of challenging
th pro shop and year-round di
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EACH, N.C. 28459?919-579
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; Dennis hail six successive pars on
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I ped. He had double bogies on both
eight and nine. Only Dean parred
i iliem.
No. 9 is the most difficult hole on
; the course and No. 8 is the No. 3 han,
dicap hole.
; No need to trouble you readers with
a hole-by-holc report. But you need
: some advice about playing Sea Trail.
) Here are some tips:
i 1) Don't play from the gold tees
unless you are a very good, low;
handicap golfer and can hit the ball a
long ways.
[ 2) Don't look upon the Par 3 holes
i as a chance to get easy pars unless
i von nlav from the white tees.
' i ?' ~ "
i There are not short-iron shots to
these Par 3 greens from the gold tees.
> No. 3 is 185 yards long; No. 5 is only
180 yards long. Then they get longer.
; No. 11 is 195 yards and No. 17 is 210
yards.
; My favorite hole on Sea Trail has to
: be No. 14."
It is. in truth, an optical illusion. It
1 looks impossible; it isn't impassible.
It's difficult.
(See A DREAM, Page 36)
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1*116 THE BRUNSWICK HfACON
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