Tiger's Eye Golf Links at Ocean Ridge Plantation, Sunset Beach, North Carolina- The Crown Jewel of the Plantation's Four Golf Courses

Tiger's Eye Golf Links is one of four courses at the Ocean Ridge Plantation, but it's considered the "crown jewel'' of the resort and the course that golfers typically come to see and play. Golf Digest ranked the course among the Top 100 Courses in America 2007-2008.

The layout is said to be one of the best in the North Strand, and runs through coastal property and virgin pine forest. The course also contains elevation changes of up to 65 feet, which is considered a lot for the area. Some reviewers have described the course as a stunning combination of North Carolina's Sandhills, native grasses, natural waste areas, pine and oak trees, wildflowers, as well as water from marshlands and even waterfalls.

The Tim Cate's layout pieces together a traditionally designed links course, with giant coquina boulders and wall-to-wall concrete paths. There's also an abundance of flowers on the course, which has been called the "Caledonia of the north,'' and people are said to stop by just to look at all the blooms or to listen to the waterfall at the 18th hole.

The 18-hole, par-72 course opened in 2000, and plays to 7,014 yards from the longest "Saber Tooth'' tees, with a USGA rating of 73.5 and a slope rating of 144 on Bermuda grass with rye overseen fairways and Bent grass greens. The greens are where much of the difficulty can be found on this course, as the putting surfaces have virtually no flat spots and can be ridiculously undulating at times.

Water comes into play on 13 of the holes, and hazards have been placed primarily on the right side of both fairways and greens, which can make for a long day for golfers with a right-hand fade or slice. Fairway landing areas tend to be huge, but at times the layout employs some visual deception that can force golfers to plan their shots like moves on a chessboard. The par-4s on this course have been described as "manageable,'' but it's the par-3s that have been called "knee knockers.''

Hole No. 2 is a prime example. The hole only plays to 190 yards from the longest tees, 150 from the Whites, but it's perhaps the most difficult one-shotter on the course. It's all carry over a long water hazard to a slightly elevated green guarded by two large bunkers at the front left.

Hole No. 11 is another par-3 that calls for some steely nerves. The hole only plays to 165 yards from the longest tees, but tee shots must find an island green that ends with a large sand bunker at its tip. What makes this hole even more daunting is when the coastal breeze is playing toward the tee box, which can make the hole play two clubs longer than normal.

Hole No. 17 is the last of the par-3s, but can be just as intimidating. The hole plays to 208 yards from the back tees and 165 yards from the Whites, and is shaped roughly like an elongated figure-8, with water hazards pinching in from both sides. To further complicate matters, the green is guarded by two large bunkers on the right front, which is the bailout area from the water to the left.

The resort also features practice facilities, including The Golf Academy at Ocean Ridge. And there's also a full-service golf shop.