Brunswick Islands golf: the North Carolina courses over the state line

Brunswick Islands golf means the courses just over the North Carolina line in Calabash, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Shallotte, about 43 to 63 minutes from the SkyWheel and 18 to 35 from North Myrtle Beach. The draw is the four Big Cats at Ocean Ridge, Sea Trail's three resort courses, Thistle and Rivers Edge, often at lower fall rates than the marquee South Carolina names.

Our 3D map ends near the state line, so most of these courses sit on a Brunswick Islands signpost rather than the board. This guide covers all of them, how long the drive takes from each kind of base, what they cost in fall 2026 and which ones have closed.

Quick facts

• Courses open to visitors: 17 in North Carolina, from Calabash to Supply (four on our board, 13 on the Brunswick Islands signpost).
• Big Cats: Tiger's Eye, Leopard's Chase, Lion's Paw and Panther's Run, all at Ocean Ridge Plantation.
• Sea Trail: Rees Jones, Dan Maples and Willard Byrd courses in Sunset Beach, with villas.
• Best reviewed: Thistle, 4.8 out of 5 from 793 GolfPass reviews.
• Closest base: North Myrtle Beach. The Hampton Inn at Harbourgate is 18 to 25 minutes from most of them.
• Time zone: Eastern Time, same as Myrtle Beach.
• Closed: Carolina Shores, Farmstead, Ocean Isle Beach Golf Course, Brierwood.

Brunswick Islands golf courses side by side

Drive times are router estimates from the SkyWheel and from the Hampton Inn North Myrtle Beach-Harbourgate, without traffic. Fees are GolfNow Hot Deals and similar prepaid online rates seen November 1, 2026 for play in the first week of November, cart included, and change by the day.

Booking fees on these deals ran $0.99 to $3.49. GolfNow Hot Deals are prepaid, groups under four may be paired, and they are refundable only if cancelled 24 or more hours ahead.

The Big Cats at Ocean Ridge

The four Big Cats are public courses at Ocean Ridge Plantation, owned and run as one operation, with tee times through bigcatsgolf.com, 800-233-1801, GolfNow and Myrtle Beach package operators.

• Leopard's Chase (Tim Cate, 2007) is the best reviewed of the four at 4.5 out of 5 from 620 GolfPass reviews, and the longest at 7,155 yards. GolfLink showed a $76.49 standard rate and a $67.12 prepaid deal for November 2, 2026. See the Leopard's Chase course guide.
• Tiger's Eye (Tim Cate, 2000) slopes 141 from the back, the stiffest of the four. Reviews in 2025-26 mention slow or shaggy greens on some days; it averages 4.1 out of 5 from 550 reviews. See the Tiger's Eye course guide.
• Panther's Run (Tim Cate, 1994) drew mostly good to very good condition reports from August to October 2026.
• Lion's Paw (Willard Byrd, 1990) shares a clubhouse with Panther's Run. Late September and October 2026 reviews flagged thin, hard bunkers and low ponds after a dry spell, but praised the greens.

The Big Cats Fall Special, read November 1, 2026, was $252 for one round on any three of the courses and $335 for all four, valid through November 15, 2026, booked by phone. A Big Cats 3-night, 3-round package was listed from $242 through December 31, 2026, seen only in a search snippet. Tiger's Eye also counts toward the Brunswick Golf Trail multi-round discount on myrtlebeachgolf.com once two rounds are booked.

Sea Trail Golf Resort

Sea Trail in Sunset Beach has three 18s, managed with East Coast Golf, all open to the public, with stay-and-play packages in the Sea Trail villas. Tee times go by phone at 910-287-1100, GolfNow and package operators.

• Willard Byrd (1990) got new TifEagle greens, bunkers and cart paths in a summer renovation and reopened October 19; sources disagree on whether that was 2024 or 2025. It rates 4.3 out of 5 from 465 GolfPass reviews, with 2026 reviews mostly positive on the greens.
• Dan Maples (1986) had its greens rebuilt with TifEagle in 2025, plus bunkers and cart paths. An August 2026 review said the Maples clubhouse was closed for renovation.
• Rees Jones (1990) was reported as next in line for renovation work in 2026, with details and dates unconfirmed. Its 2026 reviews are mixed on greens: dead spots and winter kill in spring, "superb" by late October.

The Jones-Byrd clubhouse was redesigned with a Sunset Prime steakhouse. See the Sea Trail Rees Jones course guide.

Thistle, Calabash and Sunset Beach

Thistle is 27 holes in three nines (Cameron, MacKay and Stewart), designed by Tim Cate in 1999, and the best-reviewed course in the Brunswick Islands at 4.8 out of 5 from 793 GolfPass reviews. Pricing is dynamic: GolfNow examples for early November 2026 ran from $84.48 on a Tuesday afternoon to $155.48 on a Friday morning, fees included. Prime fall weekend mornings can top $150, and afternoons are about half that.

Meadowlands (Willard Byrd and David Johnson, 1997) is the steady value pick, 4.5 out of 5 from 765 reviews, with reviewers saying firm greens are hard to hold. Crow Creek (Rick Robbins, 2000) is long at 7,241 yards, but several September and October 2026 reviews reported patchy greens after aerification. Brunswick Plantation, now listed by GolfPass as Brunswick Golf Club, is a semi-private 27 that is open to the public, rated 4.4 from 1,021 reviews, with no dated fall 2026 rates posted.

The Pearl (Dan Maples, 1987) was once 36 holes and now plays as 27, with fall 2026 reviews calling it in great shape. Oyster Bay (Dan Maples, 1983) is a par 70, but 2026 reviews are mostly critical of tees, cart paths and dry fairways. Sandpiper Bay is 27 holes in Sand, Piper and Bay nines.

Rivers Edge, Brick Landing and Lockwood Folly

These three are furthest out.

• Rivers Edge in Shallotte is a 1999 Arnold Palmer course with a 149 slope from 6,909 yards, the hardest number in the Brunswick Islands. It rates 4.6 out of 5 from 239 reviews.
• The Links at Brick Landing is semi-private in a gated Ocean Isle Beach community, with new Sunday ultradwarf bermuda greens after a 2021 change of ownership. GolfLink showed a nine-hole rate of $34.49 for November 2, 2026.
• Lockwood Folly in Supply is a member-owned Willard Byrd course that sells public times. October 2026 reviews describe fast greens, recovery from the summer drought and cart paths being replaced. At 86 minutes from the SkyWheel, it is a day trip from central Myrtle Beach.

Closed courses in Brunswick County

• Carolina Shores Golf and Country Club closed without notice in November 2024. A housing plan for the property was reported approved in October 2026.
• Farmstead Golf Links in Calabash, known for its par-6 18th, is closed and houses are being built.
• Ocean Isle Beach Golf Course is closed.
• Brierwood in Shallotte closed on June 1, 2017. A permit to reopen nine holes, the clubhouse and restaurant was approved in March 2025, but no reopening date was found as of November 2026.

More in our guide to closed golf courses in Myrtle Beach.

Where to stay for Brunswick Islands golf

There are no North Carolina hotels on our map, so the practical base is the North Strand. The Hampton Inn North Myrtle Beach-Harbourgate is the closest stay we track: 18 minutes to Meadowlands and Crow Creek, 19 to Thistle and 25 to the Big Cats. From North Beach Plantation, the oceanfront condo resort, it is 31 to 38 minutes to most of them, and its golf desk cites the Big Cats among its package partners. From the Barefoot Resort golf villas it is 32 to 42 minutes.

A split trip works well: two or three Barefoot or Little River rounds, then two days over the line. Our North Myrtle Beach golf and Little River golf courses guides cover the South Carolina side, and where to stay in Myrtle Beach for golf compares bases.

How to fit the Brunswick Islands into a trip

• Value day: Lion's Paw and Panther's Run share a clubhouse, so a 36-hole day is easy.
• Splurge round: Thistle on an afternoon tee time, or Leopard's Chase.
• Hard test: Rivers Edge or Tiger's Eye.
• Big group: the Big Cats special or a package, so four courses come on one booking.
• Timing: the fees above are early November 2026 deals. See the best time to golf in Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach golf rates for how prices move by season.

Plan it on the map

Open the Myrtle Beach golf map and follow the Brunswick Islands signpost to see the North Carolina courses and the drive from your base. The $30 plan puts the long drives on the right days, so a trip over the line does not eat a morning tee time.