Panther’s Run at Ocean Ridge Plantation: The Big Cat Built for Every Golfer
Ocean Ridge Plantation is home to 72 holes of “Big Cats” golf, about 30 minutes north of Myrtle Beach. The flashier cats get most of the headlines, but Panther’s Run might be the one your whole group enjoys most.
Primary Features
Designed by Tim Cate, Panther’s Run winds through a massive, pristine nature preserve of rolling, wooded terrain. Brooks and ponds come into play all day, and the TifEagle Bermudagrass greens installed in 2018 roll true.
The tips stretch to a stout 7,089 yards, but the course was built with everyone in mind:
- Large, multiple tee areas that give every skill level a fair shot at par
- Generous landing areas off the tee
- Two sets of women’s tees, a rarity on most courses
Panther’s Run has earned 3½ stars in Golf Digest’s “Places to Play” and made Golf Digest’s “Top 50 in Myrtle Beach” list.
What Sets It Apart in Myrtle Beach
The Myrtle Beach area has dozens of courses, and plenty of them lean on water, waste bunkers or big names. Panther’s Run leans on nature. It plays like a walk through the North Carolina woods, with a championship test from the back and a friendly, confidence-building setup from the forward tees. That combination is hard to find.
How It Differs from the Other Big Cats
Each “Big Cat” has its own personality:
- Tiger’s Eye is the brainy cat, with sandhills-style elevation, coquina-boulder bulkheads and fast, undulating greens. It’s known among the four as “a thinking person’s course.”
- Leopard’s Chase is the showstopper, built around water features and an 18th green guarded by a man-made waterfall.
- Lion’s Paw is the original, a Willard Byrd design that’s open and hilly, with wetland views from every hole.
- Panther’s Run is the woodland cat: tree-lined, peaceful and the most welcoming of the four.
It also has a family tie to Lion’s Paw. Cate spent seven years working with Byrd’s team, including on Lion’s Paw, before he designed Panther’s Run. The two courses share a clubhouse that was named one of “America’s 100 Best Golf Shops.”
