Course Review: Panther's Run the friendly feline among Ocean Ridge's 'Big Cats'

Jan. 25--SUNSET BEACH, N.C. -- Each "Big Cats" course at Ocean Ridge Plantation has its level of ferociousness, and Panther's Run Golf Links is perhaps the tamest of the four.

A length of 7,089 yards and large, undulating greens that can be severe provide difficulty, but the par-72 course is otherwise docile and forgiving.

"It's a good layout overall, though it's not that tough of a course," said Sony Nguyen of Myrtle Beach, a 12 handicap and mechanical engineer for Systems Technology Inc. who took part in a review of the course in early January. "You can't really get in too much trouble."

Joining me and Sony in the review were Scotty Nguyen of Myrtle Beach, a nail salon owner and 10 handicap, and Henry Kim of Myrtle Beach, who carries a 22 handicap and also owns a nail salon.

The course opened in 1994-95 as the first solo design by former Willard Byrd employee Tim Cate, who also designed Tiger's Eye and Leopard's Chase at Ocean Ridge, and lacks some of Cate's characteristic dramatic elements, including large boulders.

Instead, rolling terrain, mounding, some elevation change, and consistent but fairly minimal use of creeks, ponds, waste bunkers and sand traps give golfers something to consider on every hole.

"The course is solid but not spectacular," Scotty said.

The formidable back tee yardage contributes to a course rating of 73.5 and slope of 141. The course difficulty softens considerably from the blue tees forward, and each player should be able to find a comfortable yardage with five tee boxes. The white tee is the middle tee of the five and measures 6,267 yards.

The course has generous landing areas, and missing the fairway carried little penalty with dormant Bermudagrass rough this winter. The challenge can be increased by rough in the warmer months. "You can spray the ball around here without getting in too much trouble," Scotty said.

Many holes are tree-lined, with a combination of thick and thin vegetation, and the upscale housing development that intertwines with Panther's Run doesn't impede too much on play. "The way the course is set into the neighborhood is great, and the houses are beautiful," Scotty said.

MiniVerde Bermuda was installed on the greens in 2010. They were colored with pigment rather than overseeded this winter, were nearly unblemished and putted very nicely.

"The fairways and greens are in great condition," Scotty said. Bunkers were kept at a consistent level with high quality sand.

Greens have few flat areas and a few are tiered, leading to challenging pin placements. "The greens were difficult for all 18 holes," Henry said. "They were tricky and hard to read."

Scotty enjoyed the challenge of the greens considering the relative ease of the course from tee to green. "They're tough and you have to be really putting well to make putts," he said.

Likes

An annual food drive special in December and January features a $34 rate within 48 hours with three cans of food for donation to the Brunswick Family Assistance Agency.

The course sprinkler heads are very well marked, yardage books are detailed and pin sheets specify a front, middle or back location.

The practice area is extensive with a long-game bunker, short-game area with a bunker and chipping green, and two practice putting greens, and you are permitted to hit off grass in the winter.

You can utilize two clubhouses while playing Panther's Run, and both are large and luxurious. "The facilities are nice," Henry said. "The clubhouses are big and look classy."

Scotty found the clubhouses and course to be well-maintained and clean, aided by trash cans at many tee boxes.

The group appreciated the upscale housing around the course. "The houses are beautiful and the neighborhood is very nice," Henry said. "It looks very quiet and relaxing for the residents."

Dislikes

Panther's Run doesn't offer many risk-reward scenarios, and their void left Scotty wanting more challenge in the par-5s.

Scotty also found all the urinals in the on-course bathrooms to be high. "The toilets are high and that is discrimination against short people," joked the former horse racing jockey.

Staff friendliness was sporadic, as some inside and outside staff was very friendly and helpful, and a couple others could have been more cordial.

Par-3s

Par-3s measure between 177 and 215 yards, and are between 143 and 171 from the white tees. "I like the yardages of the par-3s," Henry said. "They weren't too long or too short and the greens make them difficult."

The 177-yard third hole has a pond to the right of a deep green that angles into the water and slopes to the front and right. Water runs from the front right to the back of the green. The 215-yard sixth has a pair of narrow wetland areas to carry before a two-tiered green that is much higher on the left, where bunkers protect its front and back.

The green on the 192-yard 11th slopes to the front off a mild back right mound and is fronted by a spacious waste bunker. The 204-yard 17th features a downhill tee shot to a mildly rolling green protected by water left and right, with the water on the left more in play.

"I liked all the par-3s the most," Sony said. "There's not much trouble on them."

Par-4s

The shortest par-4 is 384 yards and though seven are more than 400 yards, the longest is 434. Par-4s measure between 341 and 396 from the white tee. "The par-4s are fair enough for amateurs like us to play," Scotty added. "You can't really get in too much trouble on them."

The 404-yard first hole has a pretty wide fairway and large green, though there are thick native grass bushes on the left and bunkers on the right off the tee. "I like the first hole because it's a fairly easy hole and it gives you a chance to get your game going," Scotty said.

The 427-yard third hole turns slightly right with bunkers left off the tee and a waste bunker and trees right. The 431-yard fourth is sharp dogleg left with a large pond to carry on the second shot, and the tee shot must travel about 280 yards from the back tee to clear a large tree on the inside of the bend. The green is protected front left and front right by bunkers and is fairly flat but falls off back left.

The 396-yard seventh curls right with a fairway bunker left and two-tiered green that is higher on the left. The 401-yard 10th has a wide fairway and creek crossing 50 yards in front of a rolling green that generally slopes to the front.

The 434-yard 14th turns left and the fairway transitions to rough 100 yards from a wide green that slopes to the front, and the 412-yard 15th has water to carry on the approach though there is bailout room to the left.

The 425-yard 18th has a downhill tee shot with a lone right-side fairway bunker 260 yards from the back tee. The fairway continues downhill to a pond 100 yards from the green, which rises from the pond and slopes to the front and left with a front right bunker. "It's a beautiful finishing hole," Scotty said.

Par-5s

Par-5s measure from 525 to 571 yards, and are between 482 and 518 from the white tees, with three less than 500. "The par-5s are nicely laid out and fun to play," Sony said.

The 525-yard fifth hole has a pair of long waste bunkers containing small trees down the right side, a small tree on the left side of the fairway that can affect second or third shots, and a deep green that has a mild swale toward the back and otherwise slopes to the front.

The 571-yard ninth is a dogleg right off the tee with a fairway bunker left, bunker deep down the right side of the fairway and right greenside bunker. The green is rolling and mildly crowned.

The 554-yard 13th has a creek crossing the fairway 310 yards from the back tee, trees fronting water down the right side and a narrow green that slopes sharply to the front and mildly to the back from a back-middle ridge.

The 548-yard 16th turns slightly left around a pair of large waste bunkers with water pinching the fairway from the left side, 120 yards from the green and continuing around its left side. A long bunker is front left of a green that slopes to the front.

"If you like easy par-5s then this is your course," Scotty said. "They are scoring holes."

Favorite holes

The entire group was partial to the 425-yard 18th hole, which measured 410 yards from the blue tee, 380 from the white, 315 from the gold and 287 from the red. "It has a beautiful view from tee to green," Sony said. "It's the prettiest hole on the course. You have the mounding on the left and water in front of the green. As soon as you get to the 18th tee it looks exciting."

Scotty also enjoyed the par-5 fifth hole, which measured 504 from the blue tee, and 384-yard par-4 12th, which measured 369 from the blue and had a tee shot over or to the side of mounding to the right, a pair of left-side fairway bunkers and a bunker to the front right of a green that sloped sharply to the front. "I liked the layout of the holes and the beautiful views they provide, especially the 18th and its great view from the top of the hill down," Scotty said. "It's a beautiful finishing hole."

Sony also liked all of the par-3s, and Henry also liked the par-3 11th, which played 143 yards from the white tee. "It was attractive with the waste bunker in the front," Henry said.

Least favorite holes

Henry's least favorite hole was the par-3 sixth, which measured 171 yards from the white tee and featured a harsh two-tiered green that repelled putts from both Sony and Henry. "The green is too severe," Henry said. "The ball will come back at you if you don't get it to the top of the hill."

Sony found the 389-yard par-4 eighth hole, a sharp dogleg right with bunkers on either side of the fairway at the bend as well as the back of the bend, to be wet throughout. The hole, which measured 311 from the gold tee, was one of three restricted to cart paths the day we played because of wet weather in recent days. "It was wet all the way from the tee box to the green and you didn't get much roll," Sony said.

Scotty could not identify a least favorite hole.

Contact ALAN BLONDIN at 626-0284 or on Twitter @alanblondin, or read his blog Green Reading at myrtlebeachonline.com

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