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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Food & Beverage
Bar, Grill, RestaurantReviews
Reviewer Photos
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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
Shaping up!!
Greens are much better than they have been in the past!!

Thank you for the very nice Four Star review of Panther's Run. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Yes, the greens have shaped up nicely and are getting even better daily. We hope you will visit us again and see our continued progress.

Thank you for the awesome Five Star review of Panther's Run! We truly appreciate it. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thank again!

Thank you for the awesome Five Star review of Panther's Run! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Nice course
Nicest course of the four animal courses on this location

Thank you fro the very nice Four Star review of Panther's Run. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback and we look forward to seeing you again in the future!
Put in some effort
Mow the fairways. Get some grass on the tee boxes. Probably off my list to return

We deeply apologize for the conditions you encountered on your visit. We had nearly 10 inches of rain over three days prior to your play date so we were not able to get the big mowers out without damaging the turf. We desperately needed the rain, as we had been in a drought of historic proportions prior to that. But things are looking much better already and we expect Panther's Run and all of The Big Cats courses to be in excellent condition for the remainder of 2024 and beyond. We hope you will visit us again and see our continued progress.
Test of skill
Not the first time playing this course, and most definitely won't be the last. The whole Ocean Rdige Plantation establishment is fantastic. Gorgeous courses, super nice staff and fantastic lay outs.

Thank you for the awesome Five Star review of Panther's Run! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Course looked like it needed some water. Fairways were drown and had patches.
BUNKERS
Great layout and great fairways, felt like I was constantly coming out of a bunker. The greens move slowly.
July 5 Golf AM
1st time playing this course. Enjoyed to round. Course was in very good condition. Early tee time to beat the heat. Starter and Rangers were very helpful. Daughter played her first full 18 hole round!! We all liked the golf course. Panthers Run will be in my rotation as a course to play on a regular basis.

Thank you for the wonderful Five Star review of Panther's Run! We truly appreciate your patronage. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again.
Challenging
I'm a 12 handicap, and I will tell you this course will test you. Absolutely beautiful water scenery, beautiful fairways, and fast greens. I will.play here anytime the opportunity presents its self.
The fairways were in great shape, but the greens were just OK
Run to the Panther
This is an all-around fun course. It’s one of four at the same facility. It was busy - but very well organized and we teed off on time after being paired up with a great couple. The course has enough twists, turns, bunkers and water to keep it interesting. I wish the fairways weren’t as hilly - but that’s just me. The greens were not in very good shape - some dirt patches, weed patches and ant hills probably cost me a few strokes. Carts lacked GPS. Fairways had plenty of brown - but the grass had plenty of cushion and was easy to hit from. Full pro shop and friendly staff.
Panthers Run Review
The course was in very poor condition. Fairways had more brown than green. Tee boxes were poor and the greens were not green. Avoid this course. I lived at Ocean Ridge for 10years but the course has deteriorated significantly. I would never play this course again, not even for free. Don’t waste your time.

Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Panther's Run. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We are definitely in need of some rain, as we have only had a trace amount in the past 50 days. This has caused the course to go off-color in areas, as we have had to use our available water supply to keep the 72 greens at Ocean Ridge watered properly. The hearty bermuda grass in the fairways and on tee boxes will bounce back very quickly once we get some rain. Fortunately, the weather forecast is calling for a great chance over the next several days, which will make an immediate difference. the greens on Panther's Run were given their annual early summer aerification recently and topdressed with sand to help smooth them back out. This process causes them to be far less green looking than during typical conditions. We apologize again for the conditions you described, but they are only temporary. All of the Big Cats course were in very good shape for our spring season and will be again shortly, after healing up from the scheduled aerification and with some much needed rainfall! We hope you will visit us again and see our continued improvement.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Panther's Run. We really appreciate your patronage and feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again.
Bill