Bald Head Island Club — Restaurant in Bald Head Island

The majority of visitors are here for vacation, usually in one of the privately-owned vacation rentals. Many are here for the beaches; Bald Head Island boasts 14 miles of beaches, which I’ll bet is pretty much the circumference of the island! Then there’s Bald Head Lighthouse, the oldest one still standing in North Carolina. You may recognize it from the movie Weekend at Bernie’s. A visit to the Smith Island (the island’s original name) Museum will fill you in on the history of the island, dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Some, like me, are here for the golf course at the Bald Head Island Club; guest membership is included in some rentals. Word of warning: If you are renting a home and plan on playing golf, be sure that a guest golf membership is included. It’s the only way that you will get on the course short of begging a lonely member!

The golf course is an incredible work of art and to me is one of George Cobb’s best works; a pretty bold statement considering he is the designer of the Par 3 Course at Augusta National as well as several other prominent properties. The golf course at Bald Head Island Club opened in 1974 and underwent a major renovation under the direction of Tim Cate in 2010. Cate made the course a lot more natural-looking and more of a challenge by transforming almost 35 acres of rough into new sandy areas with native grasses. He also converted the greens to Miniverde Bermudagrass complete with a new irrigation system.

Bald Head Island is one of the most beautiful courses I have played in the state, and that’s saying a lot! The course winds its way through a maritime forest and out onto a dune ridge that offers spectacular views of the ocean on the final few holes.

One of my most memorable holes is Number 7, a par 5 that plays 480 yards from the White Tees. As you stand on the tee you can see a flag in the distance as Robin Williams once said, “To give you hope!” Between you and that flag is a lot of sand and water. The green is significantly elevated with a deep massive bunker directly in front. Although I hit a good drive and the green was within striking distance, I opted for the safer path and left it short of the bunker and hit a solid wedge shot up on the green, leaving a good – yet unsuccessful – putt for birdie.

Number 14 is a 365-yard par 4, dogleg right that looks a lot tougher from the tee box than it really is. In reality, it’s one of the widest fairways on the course and once you find it off the tee, you’ll have a good look at the green. The green is slightly uphill and is protected on either side by bunkers, so be sure to take enough club and hit it straight.

The par 3 16th hole is considered by many to be Bald Head Island Club’s signature hole. From the back tees, you’re at one of the highest elevation points of the golf course – if not the island – with a wonderful panoramic view of the golf course and the sea. There’s water in front of the green as well as up the entire right side, so be sure to take the right club and hit it crisp!

At 404 yards from the White Tees, Number 18 is the longest par 4 on the course and a challenging finishing hole. The fairway is flanked on either side by lagoons and even though the landing area is wide, the prevailing winds can wreak havoc on an otherwise good drive. Many players will be hitting a long iron on metal into the green which is surrounded by sand and natural areas. The green slopes significantly to the right, so you may only see the front part of the green. Par is a great way to finish.

As you can imagine, both the island and the Club are well-sought venues for weddings and special events. Whether you’re looking to put together an elegant, sophisticated event, complete with a four-course catered dinner or a fun, romantic party with a twist, Bald Head Island Club’s experienced culinary team will put together a customized menu, and their dedicated staff will ensure that you and your guests have a memorable event.

All in all, Bald Head Island and Bald Head Island Club are worthy of consideration for your...

There’s definitely good and bad about purchasing a guest membership, but overall it was worth it to us mainly to have other restaurant options. The app worked well to reserve the pool, and if you plan a few days in advance, you should get the time slot you want. We didn’t use the pool as much as we thought because it was lovely beach weather. We also used the app to reserve the pickle ball courts; these should be reserved with more advance notice if you don’t want the hottest part of the day! Courts were very nice. Plan ahead for dinner if you want to eat at the Grille. I wasn’t able to get us a reservation there. However we did come early to the Terrace on a Tuesday. The ambiance was great. We loved: lobster roll, fries, fried trout, pear burrata salad, shrimp app, calamari and crème brûlée. Blah: chicken sandwich and ribs. Our waiter was good. Another evening we enjoyed the Palms. Enjoyed: fish and chips, vegetable pot pie, beer cheese fondue Blah: French dip sandwich, butter chicken Our waitress was very sweet. Restaurants were very high priced but it was nice to have the options. Also the ambiance was quite nice in both. Be sure to read the guest member guide; you are NOT allowed on the property at all on Saturday (maybe Sunday). We also enjoyed using the small but adequate workout room...

Played with a group of great friends on 3/28-29/25. The total experience of the ferry ride, wonderful views, friendly staff, top shelf practice facility, and challenging golf course made this a memorable experience. Greens fee is a little pricey but worth it to me for the “total” experience. They allow single players to walk and play and are very strict on a 4 hour round. The single member who caught our foursome was very kind and did not wish to play through as the groups ahead were backed up. Bald Head Island Club would have earned 5 stars from me except that the shuttle service failed to show up to carry our group back to the marina causing us to miss the ferry that we had pre registered for. All and all , about a two hour delay. Time is valuable and fortunately no one in our group had a pressing matter or timeline to attend to. When we tried to call the shuttle service to enquirer about our concern about getting to the ferry on time, we went to voicemail. In my opinion, if the course is going to be strict on a four hour round, and be concerned about time, it would be in their best interests business wise to ensure the shuttle is on time to get the golfers to the ferry. I recommend Bald Head Island Golf Club for a...