Why Wilmington Golf?
Kept hearing whispers online about great, low-key golf spots near Wilmington. Not the fancy resorts everyone knows. Figured it was time to go see for myself, you know? Packed the clubs and drove down early Thursday.
Digging Up The Dirt
First step? Scoured local golf forums – real messy ones. Found like four names popping up again and again. Wrote ’em down:
- Some place called ‘Beau Rivage’
- This ‘Cape Fear National’ track
- A tiny 9-holer named ‘Oasis’
- And ‘Lockwood Folly’ out towards the coast
Called ’em all. Price? Location? Real people answering? That mattered. Lockwood sounded pricey over the phone, nearly skipped it.
Hitting The Grass
Thursday afternoon: Headed straight to Beau Rivage. Place looked basic driving up, honestly. Old-school clubhouse. But wow, the greens were slick. Fast. Tough pin positions tucked away. Friendly old guy running the pro shop gave killer tips on where to aim. Lost a sleeve of balls, but loved it.
Friday morning: Tried Oasis. Tiny. Quirky. Paid $42 bucks, got a cart. Felt like playing someone’s big backyard, but in a good way? Hole 4 had this weird fairway puddle, just laughed it off. Cart girl made killer sandwiches – gotta remember that.
Saturday disaster: Cape Fear National. Ugh. Looked fantastic on their website. Paid premium. Crowded. Slow play all day. Marshals zipping around like angry hornets. Beautiful course? Sure. Fun? Not really. Just felt stressed.
Sunday redemption: Almost didn’t go to Lockwood Folly. Glad I did. Got an early tee time. Yeah, paid more, but the layout was wild. Coastal holes were stunners. Wind kicked up something fierce on the back nine. Challenging, quiet, views for days. That was the hidden gem feeling right there.
The Real Deal
Wilmington’s got layers, man. Forget just the big names everyone shouts about.
- Beau Rivage surprised me. Solid, traditional golf without breaking the bank.
- Oasis is pure fun if you want short, cheap, and zero pressure.
- Cape Fear National? Maybe for showing off to buddies, but too stiff for my taste.
- Lockwood Folly costs more, sure, but delivers that special coastal golf punch.
Truth is, you gotta look past the hype sometimes. Found my new regular spot at Beau Rivage. Might even brave the wind again at Lockwood.
