Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center
About
The Willard Byrd course at Sea Trail Plantation is one of three courses on the property, which covers 2,000 acres of creeks and wooded lots. It's in Sunset Beach, N.C., once named the top coastal destination in the U.S. by Money magazine, and in 2003, Golf Week named Sea Trail in America's best residential courses of distinction.
All three courses, by Dan Maples, Rees Jones and Willard Byrd got 4-star ratings from Golf Digest. The Byrd course is built around several, man-made lakes, from 14-20 acres and features nicely undulating greens and Byrd's trademark decorative sand and waste bunkers, constrictive treelines and greenside bunkers.
The Byrd course opened in the fall of 1990 to good reviews. No. 18 finishes between two ponds at the clubhouse. The course covers 6,750 from the blue tees with a slope rating of 128 slope. Watch for No. 2, a 174-yard par-3 over water, and No. 3, a long par-5, a dogleg right with water on the left.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 72 | 6658 yards | 72.6 | 129 |
| White | 72 | 6143 yards | 70.8 | 125 |
| Gold | 72 | 5452 yards | 67.6 | 117 |
| Gold (W) | 72 | 5452 yards | 73.5 | 133 |
| Red | 72 | 4520 yards | 63.0 | 106 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 4520 yards | 67.5 | 114 |
| Teal (W) | 72 | 3553 yards | 61.7 | 101 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue M: 72.5/134 | 389 | 172 | 482 | 412 | 412 | 394 | 165 | 394 | 531 | 3351 | 398 | 369 | 188 | 525 | 393 | 382 | 203 | 383 | 462 | 3303 | 6654 |
| White M: 70.4/129 | 348 | 162 | 453 | 384 | 399 | 359 | 136 | 366 | 490 | 3097 | 383 | 343 | 154 | 494 | 356 | 363 | 162 | 359 | 422 | 3036 | 6133 |
| Gold M: 67.5/116 W: 72.8/132 | 310 | 137 | 427 | 323 | 373 | 320 | 119 | 330 | 457 | 2796 | 359 | 273 | 116 | 456 | 343 | 333 | 128 | 309 | 405 | 2722 | 5518 |
| Red M: 63.0/107 W: 67.4/112 | 248 | 112 | 312 | 299 | 324 | 217 | 105 | 289 | 373 | 2279 | 310 | 218 | 100 | 383 | 248 | 269 | 112 | 261 | 343 | 2244 | 4523 |
| Teal M: 59.9/100 W: 62.0/99 | 211 | 107 | 262 | 223 | 228 | 177 | 100 | 232 | 267 | 1807 | 231 | 202 | 92 | 271 | 203 | 244 | 105 | 204 | 236 | 1788 | 3595 |
| Handicap | 9 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 16 | |||
| Par | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 9 | 17 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 6 |
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Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by CoachGrayski on 12/28/2025
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Photo submitted by CoachGrayski on 12/28/2025
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Maples greens several like this Photo submitted by KennyRuggs on 11/16/2024
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Par 3 #12 Photo submitted by u314160791017 on 08/13/2023
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Photo submitted by u314164034732 on 05/30/2023
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Photo submitted by u314163966299 on 05/18/2023
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Photo submitted by u314163966299 on 05/18/2023
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Photo submitted by u252826083 on 08/13/2022
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Photo submitted by dave00001 on 06/07/2022
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Photo submitted by DrBurb on 04/13/2021
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Photo submitted by sixeagles on 03/12/2019
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Photo submitted by sixeagles on 03/12/2019
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Photo submitted by sixeagles on 03/12/2019
Beautiful course and very woman friendly
Course held up very well after hurricane Florence. Great shape!
Course has come back well from hard winter
The reviews which talked about the condition of the greens earlier in 2018 would make one wonder if it would be worth playing. But, reading trip reviews on other sites said Byrd was in the best shape of the Sea Trail courses.
This was my 4th pre-World Am course to play. Conditions were good. Absolutely no complaints. Staff was friendly and helpful.
The course has come back well from the really bad winter.
Good Price but Just Average Golf
We played on a special deal the course was running ($25 for lunch, two drinks, and golf), so for that deal, the value was there. But the course itself was very forgettable (or rather nothing stood out as very memorable). The layout is just average, with doglegs and lot of pine trees that make you drive accurately. Conditions were slightly subpar (most fairways and rough were very dry and the greens were inconsistent but mostly slow). I say I wouldn't recommend because there are many better options within a ten minute drive, but if you're just looking to play without breaking the bank, Sea Trail's not a bad option. Just don't come expecting top-notch conditions.
OVERALL: 5.8/10
Great value!
Price included breakfast, lunch, and two beers. Fairways were a bit wet, 4 holes were cart path only. Fairways are pristine and the greens are very hard. Staff was very nice and helpful.
Disappointed :(
After booking this course from New Jersey, they informed me just at the starting line about how horrible the greens were without any type of reimbursement. No breakfast, no lunch, no heads up on the greens prior to and bathrooms were locked. The greens were so horrible that the ball would just bobble and stop. Only 1 green was patched and that looked like it was put together with spit and glue. 18th green was complete DIRT! We played another course the day before and greens were outstanding. After our round, we inquired about the damaged greens and they blamed it on the weather/frost however the greens in NJ are immaculate and we have much more frost. They didn't even offer any compensation or a free drink.....sadly, we will never play this course again. Don't waste your time.
Lovely course delivers great experience
Played the Byrd over the weekend and had a great time with my group of friends. The course has come to life, with beautiful fairways and quality greens that made this layout both challenging and fun to play.
We are all locals and took advantage of the special they run for those golfers in the area.
The staff was very pleasant and accommodating, from the folks at the pro shop to the guys at the bag drop. We also took advantage of the bar/lounge area inside the main pro shop after our round.
Looking forward to playing here again in the near future.
Under rated
I had a great time here. The greens are currently in really bad shape but once they come back it’s a can’t miss course.
Tough winter
The layout of the course is good, however with the cold winter the greens were in bad shape. With warmer weather they should come back.
Deceivingly Terrible.
The management of the golf course told us that we were golfing. To our surprise after driving hours to start our golf getaway and play this course we found that we were actually rolling golf balls on a parking lot into a cup. The greens were in horrendous shape, and the staff at this resort did not give us any indication that things were as bad as they were. There were modified greens on the course for several holes. From my vantage point, it looked to me that they should've modified the greens on every single whole.
The impression was made even worse when later in the week we played several other courses less than 10 miles away that were in pristine condition, with a seemingly endless amount of grounds crew staff working tirelessly to make our experience perfect. This course frankly did not care as I counted approximately 3 people working on improving the course, which was in the worst shape I've ever seen a golf course.
If you want to play golf do not play here. Especially if you are travelling a distance to get to the Golf Capital of the World, Myrtle Beach Area. Do yourself a favor and play any other course.
Worst Course Conditions Ever!
Came down on a golf trip and the course is in TERRIBLE condition. Not only did they not warn us that the course was in such bad shape but while checking in they were telling people who were calling in that there were only 2 or 3 bad greens. Sucks that they are totally dishonest about the state of the course. As part of our package we were to get free breakfast and lunch, they moved us to play other courses because the Jones and Byrd courses were so bad. We had to pay out of pocket for the meals we should have gotten for free. Whether you are booking a trip here or just looking for a decent track while on vacation stay away
Byrd
Fairways are great. Greens will be fine in a month or so Every course in the area is suffering. Don’t blame the courses, it’s Mother Nature. Challenging from the tips. Look forward to playing again this summer when the greens are back.
Nice Course - Terrible Greens
The Clubhouse is great. The bag drop went well and the pace of play was acceptable - as were the fairways. The greens however were the worst I've seen. They appeared to be made of crumpled wet cardboard. There was very little grass evident and the spottiness of the grass made putting even more unpredictable. Something has to be done to correct these conditions before I would ever play this course again.
Greens are Gone, Gone and Way Gone
Played April 13. The greens are gone. Where they are not rolled mud, they are spotted with patches of grass. Your golf ball literally bounces and is violently thrashed side to side when you putt. Depending on where the flag is positioned, you need to declare most of the greens an automatic two-putt. They had one temp. green where they should have had at least five for certain and the majority of the remaining greens were in poor shape. No idea if these greens are coming back any time soon, but if you pay more than $29 for a round here with the greens in this poor of a condition, you've been robbed!
Thank you for your review pertaining to your stay with us at Sea Trail. We value our guests' thoughts and feedback, which gives us an opportunity to address your concerns with the goal of delivering a first-class experience.
In reference to playing conditions on the Byrd course, numerous golf properties in the Carolinas have faced challenges due to the unseasonably cold temperatures that have plagued our region since the start of the year. It has been labeled it as a “winter kill” in North and South Carolina and we continue to work hard in getting our courses in pristine condition. Our head groundskeeper and his talented crew members are working hard to keep all three of our premier courses in top shape. With better weather now in the area, we are optimistic our playing conditions will improve as the season progresses.
We appreciate your comments and look forward to having you back playing our courses in the near future.
terrible greens
Have played this course before, and always enjoy it .apparently the winter had a great effect on many of the greens, but it does not appear that anything is working as to date. Other signs of deteriorating maintenance are evident as well. Stay away until better reviews.
Thank you for your review pertaining to your stay with us at Sea Trail. We value our guests' thoughts and feedback, which gives us an opportunity to address your concerns with the goal of delivering a first-class experience.
In reference to playing conditions on the Byrd course, numerous golf properties in the Carolinas have faced challenges due to the unseasonably cold temperatures that have plagued our region since the start of the year. It has been labeled it as a “winter kill” in North and South Carolina and we continue to work hard in getting our courses in pristine condition. Our head groundskeeper and his talented crew members are working hard to keep all three of our premier courses in top shape. With better weather now in the area, we are optimistic our playing conditions will improve as the season progresses.
We appreciate your comments and look forward to having you back playing our courses in the near future.
Terrible Green Conditions
The course was nice and a good layout, but the greens were in terrible condition. Weeds, fungus and overall bumpy conditions spoiled a good round. One green was in good shape. On the other 17, putts were literally bouncing across the green. They blamed it on a bad winter, but other courses in the area did not have this problem.
Terrible
They should be ashamed to charge a green fee for this course.
Greens/Fairways suffering from winter
Overall, a great course, but like so many in the area, the severe winter has left damaged greens that are taking time to come back.
Very good layout but greens a little iffy
It was a very good course. Very busy start at 9am, the rangers had us all tee off at 1 and 10 for all 3 courses. Challenging with bunkers placed in just right places to catch bad shots. The greens need a little more tender loving care, little plants growth here and there and some bare and brown spots. We had fun playing the course.
Great staff and course
Booked this course through GolfNow and had a buffet style breakfast, lunch and 2 beers included in the $70 booking. The staff all the way around were fabulous and the course was in excellent shape. Would definitely recommend and I will be back for sure. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much for your feedback and positive comments.
We hope to see you again soon at Sea Trail!
Thanks for the comments. I wish I had seen this before I tried to play this course with my buddies. I had a similarly awful experience.
You couldn't pay me to play at this establishment again.