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4.1
375 Reviews (375)
5 Stars
146
4 Stars
154
3 Stars
47
2 Stars
14
1 Stars
14
Conditions
3.9
Value
4.3
Layout
4.5
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
3.9
Amenities
3.9
88.8%
Recommend this course
333 out of 375 reviews
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5 Stars
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4 Stars
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3 Stars
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2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
Recommend this course
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0
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0
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Recommend this course
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About

Holes 9
Type Public
Par 36
Length 3444 yards
Slope 140
Rating 36.7

The three different nines at Carolina National Golf Club are named after the birds that inhabit the acres of beautiful low country that the course sits on. Fred Coupes designed the 27-hole layout, taking care to preserve the beautiful natural landscape and wildlife provided by its location on the shores of the Lockwood Folly River. His work earned the golf course designation as an Audubon Sanctuary. The nines: Ibis, Egret, and Heron; all have different challenges. However, they all have challenging greens that boast some of the best conditions in the area. The Ibis is the most player-friendly of the nines. Carolina National Golf Club's 27-hole layout is played as three different 18-hole combinations. The Ibis offers some opportunities to recover your score since it is not quite as long as either the Egret or Heron.

Course Details

Year Built 2000
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Champion Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
GPS No
Caddies No
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Proper golf attire is required. No denim.

Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2019 #20)
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$120 in tee time credits
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Reviews

4.1
375 Reviews (375)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great course and friendly staff!

Went with 4, course conditions are great. Greens are fabulous and has tee boxes for all types of handicaps. Will be back next year while on vacation in Holden Beach. Only draw back was rental clubs were lacking and at $30.00 a round to rent this value and price weren't good. Bring your own clubs and enjoy a great round.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Great course and excellent value

Beautiful well maintained course. Fairways are plush, greens hold approach shots and roll smooth. The young lady that works in the pro shop was friendly and helpful. Everyone was friendly. Great course for the price.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Too slow on a hot summer day

I expect to wait a little more on a weekend day, but for a Monday morning to be waiting on every hole was a bit ridiculous. There were signs everywhere saying it should take 4.5 hours to play the course. Well, we left at that point with 3 holes to go. The staff was nice. The course was a fun one. Just wish they had spaced out the players better or had a Marshall to speed things up. It wasn't their fault it was a heat index into the mid 90's, but it made the back nine in combination with the slow pace more than I wanted to play.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Great value!

Played here today and thought that this course didn't deserve some of the negative reviews that I had read prior to playing it. I thought everything about it was at least good. From the bag drop guys to the starter to the course. It's not a top tier golf course but it's for sure worth the money! Layout was very nice. That signature par 3 on Ibis was impressive. Overall, if I came back to the area, I would definitely play it again.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played

Ibis and Egret

The course was great but the sand traps were in bad shape. All traps need additional sand. Not even raked.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather

Great courses all the way around, perfect first stop out for our weekend trip.

We take a group of 12 up to the North Myrtle beach area each year, and this year Carolina National was our first course out. We were met with a pleasant good morning at the bag drop and from the time we arrived, rangers were nice, helpful and informative. The pace for our 3 groups was perfect all day long and all of the courses were in great shape with a consistent roll on all greens. No cart person the day we played, however, coolers and cleaners were on the carts, ice readily available at the turn, no complaints at all.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 24
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Put the Driver Away

Great course, lots of choices off the tee box and don't necessarily have to go with driver all the time. Great to use a variety of clubs off the tee box. As there are 27 holes pace of play usually good. Bring a yardage book as score card does not show where the hazards are and without course experience, you need the info.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course

The greens were smooth. Rolling at around a 12.

Fairways were lush. The views were amazing.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

waste of time

This course has to many blind shots. The courses, that we played, egret and heron we completely different in speeds of the greens and conditions of the fairways. one was in decent shape and the other very poor. I was told the good shape course was the members course. Most of the staff was very rude.

They need to purchase more carts, stood around for 45 minutes waiting for a cart. And then when we returned after our round, I left a pair of very pricey sunglasses in the cart, returned 2 minutes later, the cart was cleaned and nobody recalls seeing the sunglasses, they all seemed to be covering for each other. Freddie, I am disappointed in this place. expected a lot more from a place with your name on it.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Too many blind shots

Great greens which rolled true. Many holes , even with GPS left me standing on tee wondering every the heck to line up ,50/50 chance of going thru a fairway ,into a hazard or well out of position. I suspect more playable with subsequent rounds .. Left with a tricked up ,not just difficult layout Wasn't helpful also yo be paired with two drunks on their second18 who were rude ,loud non golfers

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 40
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Bill from Akron

I played behind a foursome for 17 holes. They hit a couple balls off the tee and one guy walked along the woods looking for balls. They refuse to let me play through. After 9 holes I fired a few warning shots in the fairway hoping to motivate them; to no avail. Nice course poor course management no rangers locals were Aholes. It was a beautiful day, I will play the course again, hopefully with better results.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Freddie's course is fantastic!

I played all 27 holes with some buddies from Raleigh. The course was excellent tee to green. It was still a little wet, and one of the few courses open due to a massive storm of the century that blasted the Carolinas. October is my favorite month to play golf, and I will return to Carolina National whenever possible. They say it is "just minutes north" of Myrtle Beach. It was definitely worth the drive.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
1.0
First Time Playing
Fair weather
Used cart

Don't waste your money!!!

Course conditions were terrible, I played the heron and Ibis 9's. There was no rough, the fairways were poor and the greens were terrible. The 1st hole on the Ibis 9 had a temporary green!!!

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/27/2015

Pay no attention to this review - completely different golf course now - tough winter and spring caused problems, completely resolved now and great playing conditions

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great Course

My wife and I played the Ibis and Egret nines. we enjoyed both. The starter was well organized and we were able to lay as a twosome. The scenery was enjoyable and we actually saw an Ibis. By far the best of the curses we played in the area.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0

The course was in great condition the roll on the greens are pure.

The course was a great challenge greens were rolling true and the layout was well done. Especially the par three over the marsh a great hole to play. All holes are very good but there are at least 6 holes that are visually great. I recommend this course and enjoy every hole.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
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Golf Packages

Talamore Golf Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $137 (USD)
SOUTHERN PINES, NC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Talamore Golf Resort and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Mid Pines Golf Course, Mid South Course, Tobacco Road Golf Course, and The New Course.

Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club Stay & Play Package

FROM $167 (USD)
SOUTHERN PINES, NC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Mid Pines Golf Course, Pine Needles Golf Course, Tobacco Road Golf Course, and The New Course.

Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club Stay & Play Package

FROM $167 (USD)
SOUTHERN PINES, NC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Mid Pines Golf Course, Pine Needles Golf Course, Tobacco Road Golf Course, and The New Course.

Francis Marion Hotel Stay & Play

FROM $187 (USD)
CHARLESTON, SC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Francis Marion Hotel and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of RiverTowne Golf Course, Charleston National Golf Course, Wild Dunes – Harbor Course, Wild Dunes – Links Course, and Stono Ferry Golf Course.

Wild Dunes Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $197 (USD)
CHARLESTON, SC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Wild Dunes Resort and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Wild Dunes – Harbor Course, Wild Dunes – Links Course, RiverTowne Golf Course, and Charleston National Golf Course.
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