Wilmington Golf Courses & Tee Times

Who runs public golf in Wilmington

The City of Wilmington runs Wilmington Municipal through Parks and Recreation. Residents of New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties pay the local rate, which is $10 less per round than the non-local rate on the city's current table. City residents can also buy 15-round discount cards, $375 walking or $510 riding, good for a year. At Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Community Services runs Paradise Point, two George Cobb 18s. It is open to the public, but anyone without base access needs a sponsor with a military or DoD ID. Most other courses nearby are daily-fee or semi-private clubs that sell public tee times.

Public courses worth knowing in Wilmington

• Wilmington Municipal Golf Course: Donald Ross, 1926. It turned 100 in 2026, has had its greens rebuilt (2014) and new irrigation (2025), and the head pro says it plays more rounds than any other course in the state.
• Paradise Point Golf Course - Gold: The par-72 half of Camp Lejeune's 36 holes by George Cobb, a former Marine. Civilians need a sponsor to get on base.
• Paradise Point Golf Course - Scarlet: The par-70 18 at Paradise Point. Book by phone or in person, 7 days ahead.
• Castle Bay Country Club: A links-style 18 in Hampstead with no trees, just tall bunkers, water, waste areas and wind.
• Olde Point Country Club: Jerry Turner design in Hampstead, built in 1974 and open to the public since 1975. Semi-private, so members get the early tee times.
• Ironclad Golf & Beer Garden: An 18 in Hampstead with a 30,000-square-foot beer garden, food and pickleball on site.

Booking tee times in Wilmington: the local rules

At the Muni, tee times open one week ahead and you have to log in to the city's online system to book. The city changed its tee-time policy in 2024 to spread the good times around. It is busy, so book as soon as your date opens. Paradise Point takes tee times by phone or in person, also 7 days out.

Why tee times in Wilmington are hard to get

In Wilmington, the busiest months are spring and fall. In summer, everyone wants to finish before the heat, so early tee times go first.

Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.

When tee time cancellations happen

A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.

How to get a tee time in Wilmington

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. Widen the map. If your first choice is full, check the next town over. Hampstead has 2 courses on Yoink and Camp Lejeune has 2.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked