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
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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
Needs Maintenance
Poorly cut, greens not great, just needs some TLC. I do understand the Covid 19 is causing financial hardship on courses in the area.
Average or Less...
Greens were spotty. Entire course was extremely wet. Fairways bare in lots of areas and grass hasn't been mowed. Course maintenance under way while playing and operators didn't even stop work even when we were on the tee box. With all the other courses in Myrtle Beach, probably won't play there again.
Decent play for a resort course
Good layout, fair conditions. Number nine hole was pretty bad, though. Greens rolled good, but a little slow. Decent value. Worth going back.
Good course
Staff was courteous and professional. Course was not busy. We teed off a few minutes early at 7:45 and never had another group around us. Course overall was in good condition. There were some poor spots on a few greens. We enjoyed the day.
Happy They are on Golf Now
with 5 courses as part of the Ocean Ridge Plantation it's great they are now on Golf Now which is our primary tool for booking.
Panthers Run was a very nice course, worth the money. The rough is hard so try to keep in the fairway. Greens in excellent shape. A few holes had tough setups. #9 needs a wider landing spot in the fairway. #7 very nice visual.
Great Layout
When we played in October, 4 of the greens were a little beat up but the guy in the pro shop warned us about them before we teed off. I believe they were trying a different type of grass on the greens. The layout was tough but fair just like any course you just have to play the right tee's I would absolutely play this course again.
Great course and layout but greens need work
Its a very enjoyable course. Bunkers well maintained and tee box to fairways in good shape. However, the greens were scaly and too fast. Staff very friendly and helpful. I would be back but would prefer to see the greens in better shape.
Great Value for the money
It should be on everyones must play list. Great layout, conditions and overall playability. Very friendly staff. My only complaint is you have to walk 200 yards to the Driving range.
Disappointed
I had played Panthers Run a few years ago in the winter and loved it. Course was in really good shape and the layout was really nice and very fun. I played here last Friday and payed $30 for an afternoon replay after playing Lions Paw in the morning. Everything about Ocean Ridge Plantation presents itself as a high end establishment. For the most part this course is not and I was disappointed. The layout was still great. Unfortunately the conditions, especially on the front were not good. The tees and fairways had several bad spots in them. Other spots had really big weeds. It's obvious the course isn't getting enough water and they hadn't sprayed any weed killer this year. Several burnout spots on the course. The rough was cut with an uneven mower deck and looked bad. There was a stretch of holes around #7 where the entire right side should have been marked GUR Bc it was not playable. I will say that the conditions improved some on the back side and the greens were in good shape especially compared to the rest of the course. However a couple of times I had to sweep clippings from other mowers off the tees and greens and several clippings had been blown into the traps. There are too many other courses in the area to play in my opinion. Based on course conditions I would not pay more than $30 and while I can't comment on Leopards Chase or Tigers Eye, Panthers Run does not live up to the image they are projecting.
Panther sure was running
Played Panther's Run (and Leopard's Chase) today. Pace first nine was terribly slow. We were a twosome and went off behind a foursome. We were on first tee at same time and waited EVERY shot for front nine. Foursome group was playing two man scramble format. I even called pro shop from 5th tee to request a marshall. A par five. No one else on hole. We got to tee before foursome finished teeing off and were not offered to play through. Pro shop said course was really busy today--and as long as they were keeping 15min/hole pace (4-1/2hr pace) they were still on pace. Luckily group stopped for break at turn and we passed-- played back nine in 1:15 and never saw another group until 17th hole. Course needs to do better job monitoring pace of play
They should be embarrassed
PLAYED 4/8/2017. Saw another review for yesterday, I can confirm that indeed that was a FAIR and HONEST. FRONT nine in much worse conditions then BACK. NO MAINTENANCE, doesn't look like they water or weed/feed. SCRUBBY TEES, FAIRWAYS are a mess, GREENS have some serious issues with competing grass. It rained Wednesday, this is Saturday and yet BUNKERS, fairway and green, had not been raked, NO EXCUSES! To bad, design wise this is a pretty good layout, should be a lot of fun to play, BUT alas it is very poorly maintained...EMBARRASSING. There are way to many other finely manicured courses to play, then this MESS.
Stay Home and Play with Yourself
Played Panther's Run, unfortunately, as the last round of a golf trip. Every course we played was in great shape until we arrived at Panther's Run. The tee boxes were mostly brown and full of divots; the fairways were patchy and where there was actually grass it was very long; the rough was a combination of hard pan and tree roots; and the greens were only green because they had been painted. Nice greens can often be a saving grace for a course, but at Panther's Run you can expect your ball to be knocked offline by weeds. We had to play 2-putt max. The layout is actually pretty good, but don't let that fool you into thinking you should play here. The course was an unmitigated disaster that left us feeling like $70 had been stolen from us.
Very nice course
Nice layout. Fairways were in good shape., Some greens were thin, but most were good. Staff was friendly, and my wife and I enjoyed playing here. We will be back
Great place to play!
Panthers Run is a great course with plenty of challenges but also plenty of opportunities for birdies. Excellent condition!
Bait and Switch
The starter told me the group I was to play with started early. I was 30 minutes early for my tee time. Starter said he could put me in with a group at some point later, or play by myself. I played alone between two foursomes. It was a nice layout but the condition of the greens was sub par.
Big Cats Growl and Bite
Weather in NC & SC Coastal Plains can be questionable in November, but the week prior to Thanksgiving this year (2014) was better than expected. Playing Panther's Run at ten in the morning began with us in sweaters (jumpers) until the seventh hole but soon after, shirt sleeves became all that was needed for the afternoon sunshine.
Upon arrival the staff, cart guys, starter and Pros in the shop were most helpful and made us feel as though we too were members.
The course was in fine shape although the fairways had been recently over seeded with winter rye we were allowed to ride the fairways after ten am. The greens are 'mini verde' and to say they were fast is an understatement. They were running about 14 on the Stimp meter the day we played.
Panthers Run is one of five courses in the Ocean Ridge Plantation group of "Big Cats". I suggest you take them all on whenever you visit the North Carolina/South Carolina coastal area, aka the Myrtle Beach Golf Destinations.
Remember, cats can bite!
Panther Ran Us Down
I first played this course in its opening season, what a jewel it has become! due to the many years that have passed I cannot compare 'then and now', I can however, tell you of my joy at once again playing the Panther.
As with all the "Big Cats" in the Ocean Ridge Plantation, the course is as pristine as it can be in late November on the coast of North Carolina.
After a three hour drive from home we arrived about an hour ahead of our tee time. Jack in the Pro Shop was expecting us and offered us the option to tee off earlier than our scheduled time. The day was brisk yet by the seventh hole we were in shirt sleeves (long sleeves) and loving the greens. Fast? Do you like looking down at a Miniverdi and seeing your reflection? I have never three putted so many times (7 greens)in one round.
Playing the White Tee set the slope is 128 and plays to 70.8 rating, but is a beautiful layout through the lower woodlands of coastal plains.
The tees, fairways and greens were as fine as any course and better than a great many this time of year. The Bermuda fairways were, of course, dormant but had recently been over seeded and most likely are green with the rye by the time of this writing. The Greens Staff are spot on in their maintenance.
The clubhouse staff were accommodating in every way making us feel as though we were members.
On your next visit to the Myrtle Beach area take time to seek out and play the Big Cats at Ocean Ridge Plantation. I am sure you will be as enchanted as I, just be prepared to out run the Panther.
Thank you very much for the kind review. The new TifEagle greens on Panther's Run are in incredible condition now and we expect this to be the case for many years to come. We hope to see you again soon.