Sea Trail Golf Resort is a Resort, 54 hole golf facility located in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. The facility has three 18 hole courses each designed by a different golf course architect. The three courses are, The Maples Golf Course, The Jones Golf Course, and The Byrd GolfCourse.
The three distinctly different signature courses, designed by Rees Jones, Dan Maples, and Willard Byrd can be enjoyed by players of all levels. The Maples Golf Course opened in 1985. The Jones and Byrd Golf Course opened in 1990.
Rees Jones Golf Course ______________________________________
The Jones Course is a straightforward layout featuring generous mounded fairways bordered by scenic lakes and towering trees. The course has wide fairways. Water comes into play on 11 holes of the Par 72 championship course. In addition to water hazards, there are a number of pot bunkers as well as large expanse bunkers making for a delightfully challenging game of golf. This course measures 6,761 yards from the blue tees; 6,334 yards from the white tees; 5,716 from the gold tees; and 4,912 yards from the red tees.
Willard Byrd Golf Course ______________________________________
The Willard Byrd Course requires a distinctively different approach thanks to a constricting tree line, challenging green side bunkering, and lakes ranging from 14-20 acres. Strategically placed tee shots are essential for successful play on Byrd's undulating greens. A picturesque and scenic 18th hole between two beautiful ponds finishes the course at the Jones-Byrd Clubhouse. The course measures 6,740 yards from the blue tees; 6,251 yards from the white tees; 5,561 yards from the gold tees; and 4,621 yards from the red tees.
Dan Maples Golf Course _____________________________________
The Maples Course is framed by twisted ancient oaks and tall Carolina pines. The medium-length, accuracy-demanding course features five holes that wind along the scenic Calabash Creek. This par 72 course has numerous waste bunkers, one of which extends the full length of a fairway. The course measures 6,797 yards from the blue tees; 6,330 yards from the white tees; 6,035 yards from the gold tees; and 5,110 yards from the red tees.
$36 (cart included), played on Saturday, July 2014 at 8am
The Jones Course at Sea Trail is one of three courses and the better of the three. They just completed an overhaul of bunkers and other areas. This course is the premier of the 3 and it was in very good condition. It does have some very interesting holes like #10 which is a dogleg to the right with water all along the right side. Greens were good but slow as in the summer they don't cut them very short with the heat.
I would recommend this course to any level of golfer.
Guest (cart included), played on Saturday, October 2012 at 8am
Played here 10-20-12 as part of a group. We also played the Byrd course here at Sea Trail Resort, and IMHO, Jones is a MUCH better layout. We were to also play the Maples course, but it is reportedly in such poor condition that it was open only to residents, lest some of us tourists bad-mouth it in reviews (wait! did I just do that?).
Anyway, the Jones layout is quite nice, and visuals are much better than Byrd. However, Sea Trail is quite close to some very top-notch courses, including Sandpiper Bay, the Big Cats, Oyster Bay, and the Pearl, so it's very much the poor relative in this family.
Having said that, if you're gonna play one course at Sea Trail, I recommend the Jones course: much more entertaining than the Byrd and what I heard of the Maples, although also a bit more of a challenge. The basic design is pretty straightforward, with no tricked up stuff, no railroad ties, very few blind shots, moderate rough, etc. I did think the OB was pretty close to the fairways on several holes on the back nine, as the houses get pretty close in some spots. Otherwise, no design complaints. Greens are large, most are gently contoured, and all putted medium fast and true. Fairway bunkers were firm, but greenside bunkers were mostly devoid of sand, for no discernible reason. And, on both this and the Byrd course, the green aprons were sopping wet, making it impossible to run a ball up the front. Don't know why they do that, as it makes getting at the front pin locations exceedingly difficult, almost always results in going above the hole which then requires a downhill putt. Other than that, a good golfing experience.
The staff was uniformly excellent, clearly motivated to keep the customers happy (and in a mood to come back!). I recommend!
Latest Golf Course Reviews
$26 (cart included), played on Monday, July 2015 at 8:42 AM
The course plays tough and long from the white tees. The tee boxes and fairways were in great shape. The greens were extremely slow and bumpy it appeared as though they had not been cut recently. The course is an excellent value for the price paid. I would play again without hesitation. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Worth a visit.