Back
TOP PICK
Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center
Rating Snapshot
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 |
Hot
Deals at Sea Trail Golf Resort - The Willard Byrd Golf Course
No Hot Deals for this date.
1-2
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
-
Photo submitted by bnellis on 04/05/2026
-
Photo submitted by CoachGrayski on 12/28/2025
-
Photo submitted by CoachGrayski on 12/28/2025
-
Maples greens several like this Photo submitted by KennyRuggs on 11/16/2024
-
Par 3 #12 Photo submitted by u314160791017 on 08/13/2023
-
Photo submitted by u314164034732 on 05/30/2023
-
Photo submitted by u314163966299 on 05/18/2023
-
Photo submitted by u314163966299 on 05/18/2023
-
Photo submitted by u252826083 on 08/13/2022
-
Photo submitted by dave00001 on 06/07/2022
-
Photo submitted by DrBurb on 04/13/2021
-
Photo submitted by sixeagles on 03/12/2019
-
Photo submitted by sixeagles on 03/12/2019
-
Photo submitted by sixeagles on 03/12/2019
Terrible all the way around
No water coolers at all on the course. The tee boxes were not mowed and literally 2 inches long. Entire course grass was long. Greens were so small and slowwww. The cart path was so bumpy and in disrepair you are better off not using it at all. Inside staff were super friendly but outside not so much. Lastly no driving range or chipping area
Gourd layout
Good layout. The greens have been punched and lots of bare spots. I believe for the condition of course they should lower the price.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and for your feedback. We apologize if you found the condition of the greens to be unsatisfactory. We appreciate your input and will take it into consideration to improve our course.
Sea Trail Byrd - 7/5/23
Pace of play was exceptional; 3.5 hours for a threesome at 8 am on a nice day. Course layout was decent, not overly exciting but some fun short dogleg holes with risk-reward options. The greens were horrific. It appears they we aerated about 10 days prior to playing, but the had not been mowed in at least 3 days. Lots of dead patches and crabgrass growing in the greens, and the wet sandy soil paired with fairway length grass made the greens borderline unplayable.
Hi , thanks for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry your experience didn’t match your expectations. It was an uncommon instance and we’ll do better in the future.
Please feel free to reach out to us with any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. We would love to make things right if you give us another chance.
Course was OK
Course had aerated greens that we were not told about prior to booking Tee Time. Also arrived early to hit balls to be told range was closed.
We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us, u634858721. We are going to pass on your feedback to the team. Thanks for visiting Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center, and we hope to see you again in the future.
Cart paths in need of repair immediately
Very fair course. Greens were recently aerated… Bad timing on our time. Little water on the course but some. Traps are free of debris and well maintained. Cart paths are awful… if your irons and woods aren’t covered, they will rattle a lot! Tee time was 7:48am… snack bar doesn’t open until 10am. Made the turn at 9:30am… no snack bar then either.
“Cart lady” came by at 10:30am. Very friendly… for food: crackers, chips, and candy only - no sandwiches. Cash only - no card. It’s 2023… invest in taking a card.
Thank you so much for the great review. We are glad you had an incredible time, and we hope to see you again soon! Thanks for choosing Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center.
Very nice course
Greens were slow. Layout was awesome. Rough was high so you need to keep it in the fairway. Will play it again.
Hello, Jim3273714. Thank you for visiting us at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.
There is no water coolers on the course and water fountain at convenience centers ere inoperable
Hello, u314164188594. Thanks so much for your review. We're so glad you enjoyed your round at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center. That's what we like to hear! We hope to see you again soon!
We're glad you enjoyed your 5-star experience with us. Please comment or reach out to our team in the golf shop to let us know more about your round at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center!
Great time, until the last hole
Played with my son-in-law, and my son. We played very well, and the course was in good shape. Had a great time, until the last hole. Whomever the "starter" r whatever he was comes flying up on us as we are approaching the green asking us repeatedly if we "were done". Mind you, our pace of play was less than the recommended 4 1/2 hours, and we had no one behind us all day. His rude and aggressive behavior was uncalled for, and really put a bad spin on an otherwise great round of golf. No need for it, and totally unnecessary.
Hello, u314164115749. Thank you for visiting us at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.
Great Day on the Jones Course
Playing this course on vacation. I played as a single and got paired up with a member on the front and a snowbird on the back. These guys played the course multiple times and gave me great advice. The course in pretty good shape. There are some burned areas on some greens. Overall I would play here again. Thanks for a good time.
Hello, hlsmith32. Thank you for visiting us at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.
Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating! We're delighted you enjoyed your round. Please book another round with us soon, and thanks for choosing Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center!
Great for the money
Course was in great shape. Greens were true to read. Not a hard course but has some challenges to keep it interesting.
Thank you so much for the great review. We are glad you had an incredible time, and we hope to see you again soon! Thanks for choosing Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center.
It's Ok
I booked late on Friday night for a 748 tee time Saturday morning for $40. Greens were slow, bar was open but no breakfast. Course was in decent shape but I wouldn't want to pay more than what I did.
We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us, hollyfieldr. We are going to pass on your feedback to the team. Thanks for visiting Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center, and we hope to see you again in the future.
Decent Course
Played the course on a Saturday around lunch time. Pace of play was excellent. Customer service was excellent. Greens are very small and roll slow. Greens are in pretty good shape. Green side bunkers are about 10-15 feet from the start of the greens which was weird. The grass on the tee boxes needs to be mowed lower, it was super high. Cart paths are atrocious. Price is decent for the area.
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to review and leave your feedback on your recent round with us. It is always our utmost goal to provide our golfers with a fun and enjoyable time and we apologize if we missed the mark. Please feel free to reach out to our staff in the pro shop with any additional concerns. Thanks for choosing our course.
Hi, Jumpstarter. We would love to hear more about your 4-star experience on our course. Please tell us what we can do to earn that last star, and thanks for golfing at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center!
Hello, We appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review. We would love to know how we can earn those last two stars next time! Thanks for playing Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center.
Hi, u1015887. We would love to hear more about your 4-star experience on our course. Please tell us what we can do to earn that last star, and thanks for golfing at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center!
Hi, u314162136318. We would love to hear more about your positive experience on our course. Please contact us to share with us your favorite part of your experience. Thanks for golfing at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center!
Mixed bag
This was an unusual round to say the least. I had a walk off eagle on 18 after holing a sand wedge. Nearly jarred a 9-iron earlier and shot 76 so those were positives. I didn’t like all the homes lining most fairways. No. 3 was the worst. Greens rolled very nice but greens were very small, ostensibly to save money by mowing less. On most greens, there was 15-20 feet of separation between bunkers and the putting surface. Tee boxes were like rough as well, grass was very high. Cart paths do need TLC as other reviewers state. Also the back 9 bathroom facilities were locked. Not sure why.
Hi, u000007656288! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. We will make note and we hope to see you back at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center!
Hi, huyettd1. We would love to hear more about your 4-star experience on our course. Please tell us what we can do to earn that last star, and thanks for golfing at Byrd at Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center!
Talamore Golf Resort Stay & Play Package
Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club Stay & Play Package
Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club Stay & Play Package
Charleston Golf Experience Stay & Play Package
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We apologize for the inconvenience you experienced during your visit. We appreciate your review and will take your comments into consideration for future improvements.