Wilmington Municipal Golf Course

Wilmington Municipal Golf Course sits on 180 acres of sandy coastal terrain at 311 Donald Ross Drive, approximately three miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Wilmington, North Carolina. A public, city-owned 18-hole championship course, it plays 6,784 yards from the back tees to a par of 71 over Bermuda grass fairways. The course operates as a City of Wilmington enterprise fund, supported entirely by its own revenues with no tax dollars involved. The clubhouse — renovated in early 2022 by the nonprofit Friends of Muni organization — houses a pro shop stocked with original Donald Ross sketches and course maps displayed on the walls, along with a self-service snack area. Practice facilities include a putting green and a three-hole short course with a short driving range and practice green, built in 2017 to serve the First Tee of Greater Wilmington youth program. The course is managed by PGA professional David Donovan, who has overseen its transformation since 2007. Green fees remain among the most affordable in the region, and the course attracts roughly 66,000 rounds annually. With its firm, fast playing conditions, sandy soil base, exposed waste areas between fairways, and indigenous pine trees that frame holes without dictating strategy, the Muni offers a playing experience closer to links-style golf in the British Isles than to the manicured conditions typical of American courses.