Panther's Run at Ocean Ridge Plantation
About
The 18-hole Panther's Run at Ocean Ridge Plantation in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina is a public golf course that opened in 1994. Designed by Tim Cate, Panther's Run at Ocean Ridge Plantation measures 7089 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 140 and a 73.7 USGA rating. The course features 4 sets of tees for different skill levels. The greens are bent and the fairways are bermuda.
Panther's Run was born to be a different kind of challenge than Lion's Paw. Golf course designer Tim Cate has unleashed this cat to prowl along the edge of a natural preserve and continually tests your ability to stay out of, or hit over, the surrounding marsh land. Wide fairways that twist and turn with a variety of elevations, plus scenic water features blend perfectly.
The front nine picks its way through hardwood forest while the back nine is more open. The course is laid out along the edge of a natural preserve and tests golfers' ability to negotiate the surrounding marsh land and water. The fairways twist and turn and show a variety of elevations, as much as 60 feet in fact.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 7089 yards | 73.7 | 140 |
| Blue | 72 | 6706 yards | 71.2 | 131 |
| White | 72 | 6267 yards | 70.0 | 122 |
| Gold (W) | 72 | 5546 yards | 72.4 | 132 |
| Gold | 72 | 5546 yards | 67.7 | 112 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 5023 yards | 69.8 | 116 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 73.2/144 | 399 | 167 | 413 | 422 | 511 | 202 | 389 | 378 | 563 | 3444 | 397 | 193 | 380 | 546 | 430 | 405 | 548 | 201 | 421 | 3521 | 6965 |
| Blue M: 71.5/134 | 377 | 154 | 400 | 387 | 490 | 187 | 383 | 368 | 541 | 3287 | 374 | 172 | 366 | 509 | 423 | 393 | 509 | 179 | 407 | 3332 | 6619 |
| White M: 69.8/126 W: 75.7/137 | 358 | 141 | 359 | 371 | 470 | 165 | 358 | 339 | 518 | 3079 | 358 | 151 | 337 | 490 | 396 | 351 | 489 | 161 | 382 | 3115 | 6194 |
| Gold M: 67.7/110 W: 72.1/130 | 336 | 119 | 312 | 346 | 444 | 134 | 334 | 303 | 461 | 2789 | 292 | 138 | 306 | 455 | 372 | 306 | 449 | 129 | 317 | 2764 | 5553 |
| Red M: 65.4/102 W: 70.1/115 | 245 | 95 | 299 | 319 | 424 | 93 | 306 | 270 | 435 | 2486 | 263 | 125 | 271 | 424 | 327 | 291 | 417 | 115 | 289 | 2522 | 5008 |
| Handicap | 9 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 2 | |||
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 13 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 2 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
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Bar, Grill, RestaurantReviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by woodstock2000 on 03/13/2026
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Photo submitted by tLfm3BSqG49RZqA4D8TV on 04/08/2025
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Photo submitted by tLfm3BSqG49RZqA4D8TV on 04/08/2025
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Photo submitted by tLfm3BSqG49RZqA4D8TV on 04/08/2025
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Photo submitted by jorden17 on 06/25/2024
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Photo submitted by jorden17 on 06/25/2024
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Photo submitted by jorden17 on 06/25/2024
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Photo submitted by jorden17 on 06/25/2024
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Photo submitted by jorden17 on 06/25/2024
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Photo submitted by parruda15 on 03/05/2022
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Photo submitted by parruda15 on 03/05/2022
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Fairway?? Photo submitted by u314162065496 on 08/15/2021
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Photo submitted by Jeff2299199 on 10/18/2020
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Photo submitted by Jeff2299199 on 10/18/2020
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Photo submitted by Jeff2299199 on 10/18/2020
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Photo submitted by Jeff2299199 on 10/18/2020
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Photo submitted by Jeff2299199 on 10/18/2020
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One of the par fives on the front Photo submitted by Rthrower on 09/07/2020
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Photo submitted by USSI5674 on 10/02/2016
Beware ☹️
The condition of this course was poor. The only green on this course was the greens and they were in fair condition at best. I cannot recommend this course.
Burnt to a Crisp
The course was depraved of water. We got going at 8:00 and saw one sprinkler on the whole time. Greens were poor and grass was burnt out everywhere. Overall extremely poor experience. Not worth $20 to play on let alone $90.,
Needs Water?
Good layout, had fun. Great staff. Played from the whites. Fairways were barren with sparse grass. Greens have been sanded and punched recently and the greens were bumpy and slow. Otherwise it's a nice course but you might wait until fall to play it.
Dry conditions, but watered greens. Worth it around $60
The Big Cats courses are located in one of the nicest planned home areas I've ever seen. The layout, houses, and course preparation is really quite nice. However, if there isnt much rain, it will dry out quickly. We arrived during a low rain time. Greens were watered but a bit inconsistent on cut and play from practice green to even hole by hole. Some a bit spotty as well. Fairways and tees aren't irrigated, so they were very dry and turning brown. Still very playable. Ground consistency was good despite being dry. This course will not let you take driver out frequently if you hit longer, so the bag challenge was fun. Staff was really nice. I'd play again (hopefully more lush).
No rain = dirt track
Unfortunately this whole area has not had much rain. Fairways were brown and lots of spotty grass. Greens were green and true. Tee boxes were very hard and cracked dirt. Hard press to put a tee in. This is usually a nice layout/ conditions but I would not recommend playing until much more rain and water into the area.
Thank you for the nice Four Star review of Panther's Run. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. the current drought conditions have prioritized our irrigation and hopefully, when we get some rain, the other areas should green up nicely.
Thanks again!
Average to below
The greens are fantastic, the fairways were terrible, the tea boxes were terrible.
Thank you for taking the time to review Panther's Run. One of four Big Cat courses. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. With the current drought conditions, we are doing our best to manage our water supply effectively which entails prioritizing greens and keeping the other areas irrigated as efficiently as possible. Hopefully when it does rain, everything should green up nicely. Thanks again!
Not as nice as a cheaper course IE DIAMONDBACK GOLF COURSE
The grass on the greens was spotty. Fairways had small dirt patches. Layout was good but diamond back golf course which was a $30 hot deal had better grass on greens and fairways. Panthers run was a $45 hot deal so not as good a value compared to diamond back.
Thank you for taking the time to review Panther's Run. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. Due to the current drought, keeping everything nice and green is a challenge, but we are doing our best! Be sure to check out the other three Big Cat courses. Thanks again!
Nice Course
Tee boxes were still coming in with some lean patches of grass.
Fairways were nice with only a few lean areas.
Greens were in great shape and consistent.
Thank you for the nice Five Star review. We appreciate your patronage and feedback.
Currently, the "lean areas" are a problem due to the lack of rain in the area. We are doing our best and waiting for the rain! Be sure to visit the other three Big Cat courses. Thanks again!
Panthers ROAR
Good time at Panthers Run. The only negative was that I’m not sure on the distance on 18 from the white tees. I’m not a long hitter but drilled one down the middle and somehow it ended up in the front of the pond. A Bomb for me but seriously. Other than that, the course is fun and fair. Pretty good conditions all around. The attendants were super friendly. I will come back.
Roar! Thank you for the nice Four Star review of Panther's Run. We appreciate both your patronage and feedback. Our staff work hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cat courses. Thanks again!
conditions left much desired
The fairways on the front nine were mostly dirt. Tee boxes were grown up and had no grass to speak of. Greens were surprisingly nice. Staff was great, for the amount of money this place is making it should have better conditions
Thank you for taking the time to review Panther's Run. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. We do not have a public water irrigation system and must rely on the ponds, which are also low, due to the drought. We are hoping for rain this weekend, which will help. Thank you for the shout out to our staff. They are the best! We apologize we fell short of your expectations and hope you will give us another opportunity to meet, even exceed your expectations. Thank you again.
Good course for a less stressful round
Friendly layout for women and seniors. Fun course from the longer tees. Very tight firm fairways provided some extra roll and made it difficult on the poor swings. Breezy condition affected club and shot selection. The front nine greens were in great shape but a little slow. The back nine greens had some bare spots and some other grass in them that affected balls when they slowed down. I was a single, got paired with a couple from PA and had a good time. Finding were to go pick up a lunch order at the turn was an adventure.
Thank you for the nice four star review of Panther's Run. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. We are working hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. We hope you visit again soon, AND I hope you found your lunch order at Tamers! Thanks again!
Thank you for the awesome five star review of Panther's Run. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cat courses. thanks again!
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Panther's Run. We do appreciate your patronage and feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses.
Very dry
Played multiple course down in the area and this was the first course that was in bad condition. Greens had been punched with a light sand so the ball would bounce around. Fairways were hard and dried out. If you’re in the fairway you should be hitting off grass, not the case for this course. Play also was slow taking 5 hours snd 30 minutes.
Thank you for taking the time to review Panther's Run. We agree it has been very dry this spring, but it has rained recently, and the fairways are greening up nice! Be sure to check out our other three Big Cats courses. Thanks again.
Panthers Run
We’ve played Tigers Eye and Leopards Chase multiple times. Panthers Run was as in great a condition as any place I’ve played. The ocean ridge big cats courses are awesome. Haven’t played Lions Paw yet. 5 stars for panthers run. We all were very impressed and had a great time.
Thank you so much for the excellent five star review of Panther's Run. We truly appreciate your patronage and feedback. We hope you visit again soon. Thanks again!
Friendly well run facility
I don't review many courses, although I intend to do more in the future. That being said, I figured this would be a good place to start. The people who work at this facility are top-notch and very friendly! I messed up my tee time and booked the wrong day...haha. The guy in the pro shop fixed it immediately and had me at the tee off in no time. The course is fun, very playable, with lots of subtle dog-legs and water. The greens were in decent shape and ran relatively true. It's a bargain for the price I paid, and I intend to go back many times in the near future. The club has three other courses, and I can't wait to try them. I didn't play great today, which sometimes makes me a bit grumpy..haha..but this place put a smile on my face. There is nothing like good customer service and a well-run establishment! Do yourself a favor and visit this place; I am sure you will be treated just as well and will enjoy your round.
Thank you for the wonderful five star review of Panther's Run We truly appreciate you patronage and feedback. We agree Panther's is looking great right now, especially after the rain we have had. Thank you for also recognizing the Ocean Ridge staff. They do work hard to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. Thanks again!
Thank you for the Five Star review of Panther's Run. We appreciate both your patronage and feedback. We also appreciate your honesty, as we currently are in drought conditions here and are doing our best to prioritize our irrigating. We also appreciate the shoutout to the staff. They do an awesome job! Make sure you stop back again and be sure to visit our other three Big Cat courses. Thanks again!