Like kings of the jungle, Ocean Ridge Golf Inc.’s “Big Cat” golf courses are majestic, beautiful, wild, and challenging.

For more than a decade, Ocean Ridge Golf Inc. has prided itself on offering championship-level golf within the serene beauty of Sunset Beach, N.C.

Ocean Ridge boasts three “Big Cat” courses – Lion’s Paw, Panther’s Run and Tiger’s Eye – with a fourth, Leopard’s Chase, pouncing on the scene in late 2006.

Lion’s Paw is an open, hilly 18-hole course that treats golfers to spectacular views of a beautiful creek valley and wetlands. It features a lion’s share of wild, untamed beauty with bent-grass greens, undulating fairways, and towering hardwoods. With many elevation changes, oyster-shell-lined lakes, and creeks flowing across fairways, every hole at Lion’s Paw is picturesque and challenging. It has been described as designer Willard C. Byrd’s finest work.

Panther’s Run, an 18-hole course carved out of rolling, wooded land with rambling brooks and ponds, is designed to “test golfers’ skills, but not break their game,” Ocean Ridge Golf Director Philippe Bureau said.

The 13th hole, a monster par four, is a great example of the challenges nature brings to this course. A lake threads across in front of the tees, then runs up the right side of the fairway crossing in front of the green. This tests golfers’ abilities to stay out of or hit over the water.
This course differs from other courses in several ways. First, it features wide, open fairways with little mounding. Many courses today define fairways with mounding. Designer Tim Cate instead lined Panther Run’s with grassy, depressed areas or water.

In addition, Panther’s Run offers large, multiple tee areas, giving golfers of all skill levels a fair shot at making par. Women are offered two sets of tees, a choice not often available at other courses.

Tiger’s Eye, Ocean Ridge’s crown jewel, is an upscale, daily-fee 18-hole golf course carved from virgin pine forest. Tiger’s Eye exemplifies Cate’s unique philosophy, which focuses on accentuating the land’s natural features.

This course is distinguished by dramatic 60-foot elevation changes and a stunning combination of natural waste areas, native grasses and wild flowers, two waterfalls, coquina boulders, and coastal marshland. Tiger’s eye is a thinking-person’s course, requiring precise shot making and a reliable short game.

For example, the front nine features five holes that require golfers to carry water and three holes where waste areas are routed around oak trees and come into play off the tee. The back nine feature the most dramatic elevation changes, five more holes where water must be carried, a par 3 island green and a five-foot waterfall beside the 18th tee complex, Bureau said.

Leopard’s Chase is Ocean Ridge’s next Big Cat course. Construction on the Cate-designed course is on schedule, with completion slated for 2006. “Tim plans on making this course a step above Tiger’s Eye . . . It’s going to be a challenging layout.” Bureau said.

All three courses have been recognized by numerous golf publications. Tiger’s Eye Golf Links has been named one of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, 2003-2004,” by Golf Digest magazine. North Carolina magazine named it the “Most Scenic Golf Course” in coastal North Carolina, and the third most scenic course in the entire state.

Golf Digest gave Tiger’s Eye 4 1/2 stars in its “Places to Play 2002-2003.” Four stars mean the course is “outstanding, plan your next vacation around it” and five stars mean “golf at its absolute best; pay any price to play it once in your life.”

Golf For Women magazine named Ocean Ridge home to three of America’s “Top 100 Fairways.”

Ocean Ridge also boasts high-quality shopping, service and dining. The Ocean Ridge Golf Shoppe was named one of America’s 100 Best Golf Shops for four consecutive years by Golf Shop Operations Magazine and Tiger’s Eye Golf Links’ store has been named to Golf World Business’ prestigious “America’s 100 Best Golf Shops” list. In addition, the Golf Shoppe offers a special “Kid’s Corner” featuring clothing for young golfers.

“My primary goal is making sure that each member and guest has a memorable golfing experience,” Bureau said. “Customer service is our top priority at Ocean Ridge.”

Ocean Ridge’s Golf Academy is another valuable service. The academy covers the important basics, and also offers take-home video analysis, biomechanical analysis, and follow-up correspondence.

The two clubhouses that overlook the golf courses offer a variety of dining options, whether you’re looking for quick refreshments or upscale dining.

Find out if you can tame the Big Cats. For Ocean Ridge Golf Inc. details call (910) 287-1717 or visit www.big-cats.com.