Thistle Golf Club

1815 Olde Thistle Club Rd,

Sunset Beach, North Carolina NC 28468

  • Office

    +1 (800) 571 6710 (toll free)
  • Pro shop

    +1 (910) 575 8700
  • Fax

    +1 (910) 575 8701

About the course

  • The Course:

    27 holes. Links-style. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland.

  • Designer:

    Tim Cate
Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
6997
6041
4612
Par
72
72
72
SSS or slope
74.9
69.8
67.2

At the same location:

Above distances are for the Cameron-McKay combination. At 3,351 yards from the back-tees, the par-35 Stewart-nine is a fraction shorter than the other two nines.

Location

Latitude:

33.903614

Longitude:

-78.545026

How to get there:

2 miles E of Calabash

Travelling north from Myrtle Beach on US Hwy 17 : just before the South Carolina / North Carolina border, you will meet the junction of Hwy 17 and route 179 (Beach Drive SW to Calabash). Take the 179 to Calabash. After approx 3 miles, at traffic lights in Calabash, continue straight over into Old Georgetown Road SW (still on the 179). After 1 mile turn left into Thistle Golf Club gatehouse.

Thistle Golf Club

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.

Est. 1999

Thistle Golf Club: Every once in a while, a golf course designer is blessed with a great tract of land, appropriate funding and the license to create something rather special. Such was the case with Tim Cate and Thistle Golf Club.

With its roots in Scottish links golf, this is a 27-hole layout, comprising the Cameron, Stewart and MacKay nines, that will challenge and enthral in equal measure. Most of the course is deliberately kept in a natural and open environment, where the layout emulates several characteristics of links golf in Scotland. The fairways have that open expansive feel, much needed when the wind blows, and are liberally lined with rolling "dunes".

Although the sea and a beach don't flank any of the holes, there are many small lakes and sandy waste areas that do - occasionally the water lapping onto the sand. Also true to links traditions, the greens are large and undulating with many subtle (and not so subtle) slopes and borrows. Occasionally, as at the wonderful par-3 9th (Stewart-nine), small, mischievous pot bunkers stare back at you from in front of the green.

The MacKay-nine takes a short detour into a more wooded environment, before emerging into the open again to bring you to the tournament finishing hole, the fabulous risk-reward par-5 9th. This is arguably one of Tim Cate's best layouts, and one that all links enthusiasts will relish.
List of courses: Myrtle Beach

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes, peak rate in high season: c.$153 (all days). Golf cart included.
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2018].

Other information

Walking permitted.

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

The original Thistle Golf Club was located in what is today Claremont Park, just a mile or two north of the centre of Edinburgh. Leith was the original port area of Scotland's capital city, while the Golf Club, established in 1815, was one of the world's first.

Although the original Thistle Golf Club no longer exists today, many of its original documents and artefacts are on display at its name-sake here in North Carolina. In addition to a unique collection of golf memorabilia, the clubhouse also boasts an original Scottish pub (imported from Scotland), complete with over 100 of Scotland's finest single malt whiskies.

Where2Stay

  • Sea Trail Golf Resort & Conference Center4-star

    211 Clubhouse Road, Sunset Beach, NC 28468

    +1 (910) 287 1100

    Visit website
    Accommodation is typically in well-appointed villas and condominiums located alongside the Dan Maples course, one of three championship golf courses at Sea Trail. A large Conference Centre facility, restaurants and the full array of resort amenities are also on site.
    • Golf at this hotel:

      Sea Trail (Rees Jones, Dan Maples and Willard Byrd courses).

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Thistle; Pearl Golf Links (East and West courses); Oyster Bay; Ocean Ridge Plantation (Tiger's Eye, Lion's Paw, Panther's Run and Leopard's Chase courses); Brunswick Plantation; Crow Creek.

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      River's Edge

  • The Winds Oceanfront Inn & Suites

    310 E First St, Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469

    +1 (910) 579 6275

    Visit website
    At The Winds Inn & Suites you can stay oceanfront, close to some of the most popular golf courses on The Grand Strand.
    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      No

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Thistle; Pearl Golf Links (East and West courses); Oyster Bay; Sea Trail (Jones, Byrd and Willard courses); Ocean Ridge Plantation (Tiger's Eye, Lion's Paw, Panther's Run and Leopard's Chase courses); Brunswick Plantation; Crow Creek; River's Edge.

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

WINSTONgolf - Links course

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)