Sandpiper Bay

With a reputation for outstanding playing conditions, a high degree of playability for golfers of all skill levels and outstanding value, Sandpiper Bay Golf & Country Club has become a favorite of locals and regular visiting golfers. Architect Dan Maples crafted 27 picturesque holes among wetlands in Sunset Beach, N.C.  The MiniVerde Bermuda greens are consistently quick and smooth – course conditioning has always been a high priority. 

Though the course enjoys a reputation for playability, it tests low handicappers from the back tees of the three nine-hole layouts, especially the 6,849-yard Piper/Bay combination which carries a 72.7 rating and a 131 slope. Piper/Sand plays to about 6,600 yards from the tips with Bay/Sand coming in around 6,500. The back tees require a few difficult tee shots, including a nearly 250-yard carry over shrubbery to a narrow landing area at the par-4 eighth on Bay. But course difficulty drops significantly from the two shortest of the four sets of tees. Water is present on 19 of the 27 holes. 

Favorite holes at Sandpiper Bay include the 206-yard, par-3 third hole on Bay, which requires a carry over water to an elevated green; the long 562-yard opening par-5 on Sand; and the par-3 eighth at Piper. In general, Bay, which opened 13 years after the other two nines in 2000, has the longest, most open holes; Piper has challenging, contoured greens as well as a symmetrical design with three par-3s, three par-4s and three par-5s; Sand, which also includes three par-3s, plays to par-35.