St. James Plantation in Southport, NC

[Greg Holland]

Anyone know anything about the 4 courses there?  PB Dye built one (formerly The Gauntlet); Hale Irwin did one (18 holes plus 9 more holes by Tim Cates), Tim Cates did one and Michael Nicklaus is building one.  

How are they?  Are they completely private, only open to residents, or what?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  

Also, anyone know how close the community is to the beach?

Thanks.

[Joe Hancock]

Greg,

Interesting to see someone post about this facility.

It just so happens my cousin, Rick Vigland, is the super at the Members Course there. I will prod him to come on board here to fill in the blanks for us.

As far as location, it is on the outskirts of Southport, located at the mouth of the Cape fear River. Oak Island, perhaps a ten minute drive at most, would be the nearest beaches.

I had the privelege of living in the area for about 4 years, but long before St. james existed.

Joe

[Scott_Burroughs]

I've played the original course, the former Gauntlet, twice.  It's so-so.  Ball-busting from the tips.  Similar to another P.B. course in the Grand Strand area, Moorland at Legends.  Best holes are the stretch on the front of a long par 3 followed by a drivable par 4 (#6-7, I think).  17 and 18 are on the waterway and are Skeeter Central.  15 is a long par 4 with a raised, platform green that falls off from the sharp edge of the green in all directions.

[Joe Hancock]

Greg,

I just got off the phone with Rick. Here's some additional info:

St. James Plantation is a gated community. All courses combined host approx. 1600 members, in some category or another.

The upcoming Nicklaus Course will be private. All the others are semi-private.

The Members Course has bermuda/ overseeded greens, with all other courses having bentgrass greens...as well, the Nicklaus Course will be bentgrass greens.

It's a high end, high maintenance facility. Cart and green fees range from approx. $70-$90 for outside play, $45-ish for locals. I would consult the St. James website to check out rates though.

Joe

[Greg Holland]

Thanks very much.  

Tim Cates built Tiger's Eye, which has received good reviews.  He also built Lion's Paw and The Thistle I believe, but I haven't heard anything about his course at St. james -- The Players Course.

[Scott_Burroughs]

It's a high end, high maintenance facility.

I'm not sure what your definition of high-end is, maybe compared to west Michigan, but I wouldn't call the development high end.  Or at least it didn't used to be.  10 years ago when my mom and stepdad started looking where to retire to, they looked here because it was affordable for their modest means.  Homes starting in the low 100's IIRC.  They chose elsewhere, since St. James was too far from anything.  Now they do have some homes that are larger and more upscale.

I think their original modestness helped them become successful, since you didn't need to be an executive to afford it, unlike most new golf communities, or at least the ones advertised in magazines.

[Joe Hancock]

Scott,

I was hoping someone would question that phrase. Rick made that comment to me, so I questioned him....apparently he gave me a non-memorable answer about what "high-end" meant.

Joe