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Panther's Run at Ocean Ridge Plantation
Rating Snapshot
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 |
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Reviews
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
Not Bad Overall
We played today despite rain all day. The overall course condition appeared pretty rough over all. Many of the fairways were burnt and the greens were also rough. The cart path also had a lot of rough patches. At one time this course was a premiere “‘must play” in the area. I’m not sure if that is the case in the current condition (due to Covid?). You will not find a friendlier staff though and I hope they return to full glory soon!
Thank you very much for the nice review! We truly appreciate it. It has definitely been a challenging year all around for us and other golf courses, but the last two months have been particularly difficult as we have been in drought conditions and have had to ration our very limited water supply and also go very lightly on chemical applications that can harm the weakened golf course grass. Fortunately, the recent break in the drought has led to quickly improving overall conditions and we are thrilled to see the courses all looking much better already. We hope you will return again in the future and see our continued progress.
Weeds Weeds Weeds
Like the title says. Weeds. All over the place. Worst part was on the greens. Impossible to read the greens with the weeds all over. Cart paths look like a bombing range. Course needs some serious money put into it for it to be in even decent shape. I won’t be back.
Thank you for taking the time to review your recent visit to Panther's Run. We apologize we fell short of meeting your expectations. Due to extremely dry conditions over the past two months, we have had to be very careful with herbicides and other applications to make sure we do not harm the weakened golf course grass along with any invasive plants. The great news for us is that we have finally received some rain and things are looking much better already. this is allowing us to more aggressively treat any invasive grasses and weeds as well and overall course conditions will be improving daily as we move forward (Assuming we get a reasonable amount of rain!) Thanks again and we hope you will come visit us again in the future and see our progress.
Goat Track
Really rough conditions at Panther's Run today. Grass on the greens was the longest I think I've ever seen, there were weed patches growing on most of them. I know it hasn't rained in a while, but pretty much all the fairways were dry as a bone and sandy. Beautiful course, and great layout, I can see how it could be an excellent course, but unfortunately the conditions were just not good today.
We sincerely apologize we were unable to meet your expectations on your recent visit. You are correct, it has been an extremely hot and dry period for us over the past 2 months. In fact, we did not have one drop of rain on our courses in over 8 weeks and this made maintenance extremely difficult. We have addressed the issues you mentioned, but we have to be very careful in such extreme conditions to make sure you do not kill the weakened golf course grass along with the weeds. The really good news is that we have FINALLY received some significant rainfall and things are greening up quickly all over. We are now able to more aggressively treat any invasive plants and restore the course to a more preferred overall condition. We again apologize you did not catch us at our best, but we hope you will return again in the future and see our progress. Thanks.
Thank you fro the nice Four Star Review! We really appreciate it and we are also glad you enjoyed your recent visit. Please come see us again at any of the four Big Cats courses!
Poor Course for Money
Course in poor condition. Fairways sparse with weeds. Cart paths broken and in disrepair. The greens had severe damage, bumpy with weeds growing in multiple spots. The front desk staff offered only excuses.
Stopped after 3 holes and went to another course , lost money.
Don’t waste your time.
Thank you for taking the time to review your recent round at Panther's Run. We deeply apologize we were unable to meet your expectations on this visit. The extreme drought conditions of the past couple of months have adversely affected many of the courses in the area and Panther's Run is no exception. The dry warm conditions this spring have caused the winter rye grass in the fairways and on the tee boxes to check out much earlier than usual, before the bermuda has broken dormancy, which has led to the brown, firm conditions you noted. This will improve quickly when the bermuda comes completely out of dormancy soon (Sooner, if we can get some rain!) We have applied as much selective herbicide as possible under the current drought conditions, as too much could potentially kill the weakened bermuda. We will continue to address this and other issues as we move through the next few days, but we fully expect much better conditions very soon. It sounds like you did bring this matter to the attention of our pro shop staff, which is definitely the right thing to do, as they are always instructed to work with any guests who may have any issues or concerns, to make sure they are satisfied with their overall experience. In your case, an offer to play one of the other Big Cats courses instead, or a rain check to come play another round anytime in the future would have been in order. If these options were not offered to you, I would ask that you reach back out to me personally at blong@oceanridge.com and I will make sure we do whatever we can to make amends for your unsatisfactory experience. Again, we deeply apologize and look forward to hearing from you.
Disappointed
Love the layout very fun course but it was almost like I was hitting every shot off a mat on the driving range. Never left one divot on a green and weeds all over the green. Made barely a divot if any on wedge shots. Ground was so hard I used a broken tee to tee off because I couldn’t even move it down an inch. I was disappointed
Panther’s Run Review
Condition of the course was average: cart paths were in poor condition; some greens had some very poor spots as did some tee boxes; and some greens were very firm. Pace of play was good. Fairways were generally in good condition. Hopefully, the course owners will invest the money to remedy the problems noted above.
Thank you for the Four Star Review. At the time you played Panther's Run, the course was undergoing the yearly transition from winter rye grass in the fairways and on the tees, back to bermuda, which is dormant in the cooler weather season. Due to the unusually warm and dry spring, this transition is occurring much earlier than we would typically expect, but fortunately, with the recent rain, the bermuda will be breaking dormancy and the course will be greening up quickly again. We apologize you did not catch us at our very best, but we hope you will come again and see our continued progress and improvement. Thanks again!
Panthers Run first tine
Great layout. Excellent value for the price. Very friendly staff and snack bar. Course winds throughout very nice homes with no parallel holes. Very nice pro shop and merchandise selection.
Thank you very much for the nice Five Star Review! We agree, Panther's Run is a great layout and we hope you will come visit us again soon, or play one of the other three Big Cats courses in the future! Thanks again!
Thank you very much for the Four Star review! We agree things are looking great at The Big Cats courses and we hope you will come visit us again soon.
Awesome Course!!!
Great course and wonderful staff. Course was in great shape and fun to play even for an average golfer. Definitely recommend it!
Thank you very much for the Five Star Review! We are so glad to hear you enjoyed your recent round at Panther's Run and we hope you will check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Improving conditions
My apprehension about recent nightmare reviews were largely abated as the day was a pleasant experience including interaction with the staff and excepting for some awful golf being played !!
As Michiganders we were starting over for the year. I like the look of the southern courses at this time of year, green fairways and brown rough are visually pleasing and helps ball searches. The layout was straightforward and held your interest throughout.
We had a couple of holes too wet for the cart but the fairways were good. Greens looked weird but rolled quite well wIth not too much speed variation. Tees were sometimes a bit patchy and occasionally not flat, for which there is no excuse. Almost totally lacking were yardage indicators Would it kill ya to give a golfer without the latest cheat device a hint ? Occasionally there was paint on a cart path which we largely avoided for fear of damaged clubs and loosened teeth.
Thank you for taking the time to review your recent round at Panther's Run. The constant rain over the winter has made maintenance of most courses in our area very challenging over the past few months, but we have done our best under the circumstances. We added the paint to the cart paths because the concrete 100, 150, and 200 yard markers have sunk down in the extreme wet conditions and seem to stay covered in dirt and mud lately. Anyway, we appreciate the feedback and I will have our crew try to make the markers more visible. Thanks again for playing and we hope to see you again soon.
Thank you for the Four star review and the recommendation!
Thank you very much fro reviewing your recent round at Panther's Run. We greatly appreciate the recommendation!
Thank you for the Four star review!!
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Thank you for the great Five Star Review!! We really appreciate it!