Here You'll Find
Go If Courses
To Suit Every Taste
BY DOUG RUTTER
There's no denying that, with
21 championship courses
open this fall and several
more in the works, Brunswick
County is quickly becoming a golf
mecca in the Southeast.
The golf industry is thriving, par
ticularly in the South Brunswick
Islands area, where 16 of the coun
ty's courses are located.
Despite the high number of
courses, each one offers a unique
challenge and has a distinct person
ality of its own.
Brunswick County's courses also
offer some of the most picturesque
views in golf. Lakes, rivers, marsh
es or the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway or ocean are visible on
almost every course.
The high quality of our local
courses is no accident. Some of the
top golf architects in the United
States have designed them, includ
ing P.B. Dye, Rees Jones, Willard
Byrd and Dan Maples.
Most of the area courses are
open daily to the public, and sever
al host professional and amateur
tournaments throughout the year.
More than half of the courses have
popped up in the past 10 years.
Here is a list of local courses and
some pertinent facts and thoughts
from the Beacon golf staff:
Bald Head Island
Golfers looking for a beautiful
course off the beaten path need
look no farther than Bald Head
Island Golf Club. The remote is
land off Cape Fear is accessible via
a 20-minute ferry ride from
Southport.
Salt marshes, tidal creeks and
more than 8(M) acres of maritime
forests provide the backdrop for the
island's George Cobb-designed golf
course. The par- 72 measures 7,04()
yards and navigates 15 freshwater
lagoons, challenging players on
every hole.
Brick Landing
Plantation
With three holes skirting the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway,
Brick Landing Plantation offers
some of the most breathtaking
views you'll find in Brunswick
County.
The course features one of the
Course
An Impressive Lineup
Bald Head Island
Brick Land i n<
Brierwood
Par
72
72
72
Brunswick Plantation 72
Carolina Shores
Fox Squirrel
Lion's Paw
Lockwood Links
Marsh Harbour
Oak Island
Ocean Harbour
Ocean Isle
St. James Plantation
(The Gauntlet)
72
72
72
72
71
72
72
72
Olde Fort 72
Oyster Bay 70~
The Pearl: East 72
West 72
Sandpiper Bay 71
Sea Trail: Maples 72
Jones 72
Byrd 72
72
Yardage
7040
*3943
6700
6800
6757
6762
7003
6801
6690
6608
7004
6637
6200
6695
6895
7011
6503
6751
6761
6750
7068
Location
Marina/Southport
Ocean Isle Beach
Shallotte
Hickmans Crossroads
Calabash
Boiling Spring Lakes
Sunset Beach
Lockwood Folly
Calabash
Yaupon Beach
Sunset Beach
Ocean Isle Beach
Hwy. 1 33, Winnabow
Sunset Beach
Old Georgetown Road
Old Georgetown Road
Old Georgetown Road
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach
Southport
most memorable par threes in the
region. The short 17th hole requires
a tee shot to a small green over
looking the waterway. Balls hit too
firmly from the elevated tee often
end up with the fish.
Accuracy is a premium at The
Brick, located south of Shallotte
and east o! Ocean Isle Beach on
N.C. 179.
The course folds naturally into
the terrain and features bulkhead
greens, pot ponds, marshland and
more than 60 sand hunkers.
Experience counts tor a lot on this
course, so you may want to play it
more than once.
Brierwood
Brierwood Golf Club located on
N.C. 179 on the outskirts of
Shallotte is the oldest course in the
South Brunswick Islands, but it re
mains a favorite among locals.
Brierwood 's reasonable rates and
well-conditioned fairways and
greens make it a popular choice
among area golf associations,
tourists and senior golfers alike.
Despite its age, Brierwood de
mands a variety of shots and can
still offer one of the most enjoyable
rounds of golf in the county.
Brunswick Plantation
Brunswick Plantation & Golf
Links is the new kid on the block.
Although the front nine was opened
last summer, this is the course's
first full year of operation.
The Willard Byrd layout features
bunkers that flank the sloping land
ing areas on par fours and fives,
putting an emphasis on placement
rather than distance.
The green are large and undulat
ing, which places a premium on ap
proach shots and putting. An island
green at the 15th hole highlights
Brunswick's back nine.
Brunswick Plantation is located
on U.S. 17 about three miles north
of the South Carolina state line.
Carolina Shores
If you come to the beach, you
have to expect to get some sand be
tween your toes. Caroiina Shores
Golf & Country Club won't let you
down.
The Calabash course features an
intimidating 96 sand traps. Com
bined with fresh water lakes, Caro
lina Shores is a challenging but fun
layout at 6,757 yards.
South Carolina architect Tom
Jackson designed the par-72 course,
which boasts lush fairways carved
from tall pines. A large residential
community surrounds the course.
Fox Squirrel
Located in the heart of Boiling
Spring Lakes, Fox Squirrel Country
Club combines water, mounded
fairways, sand traps and receptive
greens.
Aggressive golfers will find sev
eral holes that reward well-placed
drives with opportunities for birdies
and eagles. The Bermuda grass
fairways are carved around huge
freshwater lakes and towering long
leaf pines.
This 6, 272-yard layout got its
name from its inhabitants ? the
large, furry fox squirrels that often
dart across fairways into the trees.
The Gauntlet
Golfers interested in a coastal
course with a different look may
want to check out The Gauntlet at
St. James Plantation.
The 7, 068-yard layout differs
from most coastal courses but still
offers views of salt marshes, thick
woodlands and the inland waterway
and ocean.
The Gauntlet, located three miles
from Southport on N.C. 211, is an
unmistakable creation of renowned
architect P.B. Dye and features his
typical blend of imagination and
fiendishness.
Golfers can expect undulating
fairways and greens, startling ele
(Continucd On Following Page)
Custom
Golf Clubs
BY "BOB
Regripping ? Reshafting
Repairing
" Experienced " GOLF BALLS
(919) 579-0944
Buy & Sell
New & Used
THE FIRST GOLF COURSE IN
THE SOUTH BRUNSWICK ISLANDS
BRIER WOOD
:GrOLFrCLUi?
A Golf Course Community
18 HOLE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
Welcome to..
BRIERWOOD
...with our new full-service clubhouse. BRIERWOOD
A place where we cater to old friends as well as new
visitors, where locals and seniors are always welcome.
A place to "hit the green" instead of a place to "spend
the green."
Call for starting time 24 hrs/day 919-754-4660
Real Estate Information 919-754-7076
Hwy. 179 at Shallotte City Limit