Brunswick Islands Golf
One Of The World’s Longest Holes Awaits At Farmstead Golf Links
So you’ve invested in that latest and greatest, state-of-the-art driver to add a few more crucial yards to your game. Well, there’s a hole in North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands where you’ll get your money’s worth because you may need to hit the big dog twice, maybe even three times since you have to cover 767 yards. Either that, or figure out some other way to grind out a par, which by the way, is six.
The finishing hole at Farmstead Golf Links, situated near the seafood capital of Calabash, is a legitimate monster that currently ranks as the fourth longest in the world. This brute straddles the state line of South Carolina and North Carolina, so you tee off in the former and finish in the latter, generally with a sigh of relief and a look back down the fairway to see if you can actually see the tee box. That backward glance also takes in the water, trees and foreboding bunker that guard the dogleg, and give cutting the corner a very high risk/reward factor. A smaller bunker fronts the wickedly undulating green, which is not exponentially as large as one would like considering the formidable length of the hole. Oh yeah, anything left and long of the green just may trundle down the slope into a watery grave, possibly to the amusement of those enjoying a beverage on the veranda of the stately clubhouse. If it’s any consolation, your initial tee shot has a very generous area in which to land, with only a trio of smallish bunkers to concern you.
But lest you think this mammoth test is simply fearsome, take comfort in the fact that Golf Digest selected Farmstead’s 18th for its “Top 18 Most Fun Holes in America,” placing it in the company of the famous island green at TPC Sawgrass. Architecture Editor Ron Whitten called Farmstead’s closer one of his ‘home run” holes. Not to mention that Farmstead possesses 17 other darn good holes to challenge and amuse you as you move toward the big finish. Designed by Willard Byrd with recent enhancements by David Johnson, the course stretches to 7,242 yards with five sets of tees, and meanders through a lovely natural setting with enough water to keep your attention and a snazzy collection of par 3s. As a result, Farmstead remains a perennial favorite of players heading to the Brunswick Islands, known as North Carolina’s “Golf Coast,” and allows you to pose the unusual question, “Did you go for 18 in three?”
By Gary Carter
added: May 17, 2011
updated: September 13, 2011
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