Golf

More than 50 public and semi-private courses, plus a selection of private ones, make the Southeastern North Carolina area a golf haven.

Beau Rivage Golf and Resort

Golf aficionados who live in southeastern North Carolina enjoy a major advantage over players who live in many other parts of the country. We see sunshine most days, with annual temperatures averaging between 52 and 74 degrees. Courses remain open so you can play even in January or February, when daytime temperatures average in the mid-50s.

Greens fees vary according to the season, location, exclusivity, course difficulty and desirability, but always represent good value. For 18 holes, you can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to more than $100, plus cart fee; the average is $35 to $50.

Packages are often a good deal and they’re relatively easy to find, as are senior discounts and special group rates.

Feel like a challenge? Head for one of the top-tier courses designed by worldrenowned pros. Maybe you’re more in the mood for a relaxed round, driving your cart along winding paths through a picturesque plantation. How about navigating sand dunes and skirting water hazards just for the fun of it? All of these options are available at relatively modest fees.

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 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 all the tees, as well as details on slope and rating. Enjoy.

Beau Rivage Golf and Resort 649 Rivage Promenade Wilmington (910) 392-9021 (800) 628-7080

Beau Rivage Golf & Resort is an awardwinning Wilmington golf facility (voted Best Golf Course by StarNews ShorePicks 2018, Encore Magazine 2018) that has become a popular tee time destination for players from across the country. As the only course in Wilmington with onsite guest suites, Beau Rivage is known for its excellent stay and play packages as well as a fantastic course for daily public play. Beau Rivage provides an unmatched golf experience that also offers visitors overnight accommodations at a location convenient to the historic river district in downtown Wilmington as well as the beautiful surrounding beaches.

Beau Rivage Golf & Resort is where players can make their escape from the flat terrain of the region and enjoy a refreshingly unique round. Occupying the highest point in the low-lying coastal city gives Beau Rivage some unexpected elevation changes and a major dose of character. Winding its way through a housing development, wildlife preserves, and wetlands, the course has a startling variety of holes. So many things make Beau Rivage memorable, from the meticulous landscaping, sprawling clubhouse and full practice facilities, to the unconventional layout that has no look-alike holes, to the hawks, foxes and alligators that one might encounter. The course also drains very quickly, a blessing in an area that can receive a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time.

Amid wooded hills and aesthetically designed lakes, Beau Rivage’s 18-hole championship layout (rated 4 Stars by Golf Digest’s Best Places to Play) ranks among the finest on the coast. Carved out of long-needle pine forests, “The Beau” incorporates rolling dunes, undulating valleys, deep bunkers and plenty of water in-play from estuaries of the neighboring Cape Fear River. Attacking flags from the rough and pine straw can be a perilous undertaking. With countless tight doglegs and narrow, bending Bermudagrass fairways, the golf course will certainly test one’s accuracy off the tee. Best of all, Beau Rivage’s manicured tif-Eagle greens are renowned for consistent smoothness, speed, and true roll. With all the ups and downs, blind approach shots, ample natural hazards and slick putting surfaces, Beau Rivage offers even the avid player a challenging round. It knocks in at 6,527 yards with a 72.9 course rating and a 138 slope, accurate indicators of the golf course’s ability to yield low scores yet also bedevil players each time they come to play.

Beau Rivage Golf & Resort also offers two hard-surface tennis courts, an outdoor Olympic swimming pool with a 65-foot tiki. Tiki bar, signature “19th hole” Veranda Bar & Grill, a conference room, a business center and an elegant ballroom on the top floor of the clubhouse overlooking the course and grounds. Aside from golf and lodging, Beau Rivage provides an unforgettable coastal setting for destination weddings, big banquets, corporate meetings, and other special gatherings. The convenience of on-site suites, versatile banquet facilities and resort amenities just steps away create limitless ways to customize events at a quiet, secluded retreat between the Cape Fear and the Atlantic.

Head Professional: Greg Pitts Superintendent: Keith Noxon

Blue Tees: 6,527 yards, 72.9/138 White Tees: 6,064 yards, 70.5/135 Gold Tees: 5,583 yards, 68.3/128 Green Tees: 4,901 yards, 65.2/121 Red Tees: 4,517 yards, 68.2/118 