Tim Cate

Bald Head Island, NC

The Bald Head Island Club course is a George Cobb design that opened in 1974 on Bald Head Island, a car-free barrier island reached by passenger ferry from Southport. The par 72 layout runs through maritime forest, around freshwater lagoons and along a dune ridge with ocean views. Tim Cate led a renovation that replaced turf with natural areas and opened up views, and the club says a new project with architect Andrew Green is planned. The island is the northernmost place where sabal palms grow naturally, and hundreds line the course. It is a private club, but guests renting homes that carry a Full or Lifestyle membership can play.

Last verified 2026-09-29

Leland, NC

Cape Fear National sits within the Brunswick Forest community in Leland, North Carolina, a few miles south of Wilmington. Golf course architect Tim Cate designed the layout, which opened in 2009, routing it through undulating land with bridges over wetlands, waterfalls, and long bunkers that run the length of several holes. The course measures more than 7,200 yards from the back tees at a par of 72. It is currently open to the public and to Brunswick Forest residents, though the community has indicated a long-term intention to eventually convert the club to private membership.

Sunset Beach, NC

Thistle Golf Club is a public facility in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, near the South Carolina border along the Grand Strand golf corridor. Its clubhouse is built in a Scottish style meant to evoke a club that grew gradually over more than a century, and the grounds include a nature preserve with wetlands and wildflower areas. The club offers 27 holes across three nines, Cameron, MacKay, and Stewart, each designed by architect Tim Cate and rated separately at par 35 or 36. The combination allows golfers to mix and match nines for an 18-hole round with varied character across the property. Thistle operates as a public course open to all players, with a pro shop, pub, and event spaces used for outings and gatherings. Tee times can be booked online, and hours shift seasonally between summer and winter schedules.

Leland, NC

Cape Fear National Golf Course is an 18-hole layout within the Brunswick Forest community in Leland, North Carolina, a few miles south of downtown Wilmington. It was designed by architect Tim Cate, who used extensive earthwork, bridges, waterfalls, and rock walls to blend the course into its wetland and marsh surroundings. The course stretches beyond 7,200 yards from the back tees and features cypress marsh views, drive-through waste bunkers, and beach-style bunkers along several holes, including a set of prominent length-of-hole bunkers on the front and back nines. Cape Fear National operates with membership options for Brunswick Forest residents and nearby communities, alongside a clubhouse restaurant and event lawn used for outings and gatherings.

Ocean Isle Beach, NC

Tiger's Eye is one of four courses at Ocean Ridge Plantation in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, carved from a pine and hardwood forest near the South Carolina border. It was designed by architect Tim Cate and opened for play in 2000. The course has notable elevation change for the region, along with waste areas, native grasses and water features including marshland sections, and its greens were rebuilt with TifEagle Bermudagrass in 2017. It plays to a par of 72 across 18 holes, measuring 7,014 yards from the championship tees. Tiger's Eye operates as an upscale daily fee course open to the public, with tee times booked through Ocean Ridge Plantation or its Big Cats golf group.

Sunset Beach, NC

Leopard's Chase is one of four courses at Ocean Ridge Plantation in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, close to the South Brunswick Islands coast near Myrtle Beach. The course was designed by Tim Cate and opened in 2007 on more than 220 acres of coastal terrain that includes native grasses and wetlands. Water comes into play on most of the eighteen holes, and Cate used waste bunkers and coquina boulders to frame fairways and greens. The par 72 layout plays to 7,155 yards from the back tees with five sets of tees for different skill levels, including forced carries and elevation changes. The course is open to public play and offers rental clubs and tee time reservations through the Big Cats Golf group. Recent renovations converted the greens to TifEagle Bermudagrass.

Sunset Beach, NC

The Byrd Course at Sea Trail Golf Resort in Sunset Beach was designed by Willard Byrd and opened in 1990. It now plays par 72 at 6,649 yards. The course closed in May 2024 for a five-month renovation led by Tim Cate, which brought new TifEagle greens, rebuilt Better Billy Bunkers, new waste bunkers, drainage work, tree clearing, new cart paths and replaced bridges. The layout mixes tree-lined holes with more open stretches beside small lakes, so accuracy off the tee matters on the wooded holes. It shares the Jones Byrd Clubhouse with the Jones Course and is open to the public and resort guests.

Last verified 2026-09-29