The City of Wilmington contracted with Donald Ross while he was active in the region in 1925, and the municipal course opened for public play in 1926 on a sand-based, 180-acre tract. Contemporary accounts and later documentation emphasize that Ross used bunkering as the course’s dominant strategic hazard at Wilmington, set into naturally rumpled ground a few miles from the ocean.
Through mid-century, the course evolved in typical municipal fashion. The greens, originally sand, were converted to grass by 1953, after Ross’s death—an important contextual note for evaluating how the putting surfaces changed over time.
Two major municipal restoration phases shaped the course now in play. First, in 1998 the City—assisted by the Donald Ross Society—undertook a full restoration of the course’s 72 bunkers. Clyde Johnston Designs was engaged, Southeastern Golf handled construction, and Tom Devane (working with Ron Prichard) provided on-site supervision. The work returned the bunker forms and depths to their historic configurations after decades of attrition.
Second, in 2013–14 the City hired architect John Fought to design and oversee a greens-and-drainage restoration using Ross materials preserved at the Tufts Archives—sketches and notes for seventeen of the greens—together with on-site study. Fought’s plan restored green sizes to the original fill pads (raising average size from roughly 2,540 sq. ft. to approximately 5,700 sq. ft.), rebuilt surrounds, refreshed bunkers to match Ross’s intended sizes and shapes, and upgraded paths and tees. The course reopened in autumn 2014.
Fought returned in 2017 to design a three-hole short course for First Tee – Greater Wilmington on adjacent city land, with multiple tee options, a short practice range, and a practice green; this facility supports youth programming and is distinct from the main 18.
Unique Design Characteristics
Wilmington’s most fully expressed Ross traits are visible in specific holes documented before and after the 1998 bunker restoration and the 2014 greens work.
On the tenth, a diagonal array of approach bunkers bisects the preferred line into a green sited beyond a fairway ridge—classic angle creation through hazard placement. The ninth features a string of bunkers guarding the outside of a dogleg, while the twelfth counters with bunkers protecting the inside corner, a pairing that telegraphs Ross’s alternating directional asks. The seventh retains a blind fairway bunker about 230 yards from the tee that shapes the ideal landing, and the compact eighth is wrapped by bunkers, including a four-foot-deep hazard running the length of the right side that squeezes positional iron play.
Green sites regained their scale and contour variety in 2014. The restoration re-established crowned and fall-away surfaces where historic plans indicated, sharpening recovery decisions around fronts and shoulders. The fourth—locally nicknamed the “Volcano”—illustrates Ross’s willingness at Wilmington to perch a one-shot target on a pushed-up pad that rejects imprecise tee shots. The third, a longer two-shotter that drops to a low fairway before climbing to a green now tied back into its original pad, remains one of the course’s most memorable elevation-change tests. Together these holes serve as the clearest surviving expressions of Ross’s original Wilmington work, validated by period sketches and later photographic documentation of their hazard arrays.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s portfolio, Wilmington is significant as an early public commission on coastal North Carolina sand—conceived at the same time Ross was working at nearby Cape Fear Country Club—demonstrating how he translated private-club strategies to civic golf.
The pre-2014 record shows how municipal wear narrowed greens and softened hazards; the successive 1998 and 2014 projects are frequently cited in trade coverage as case studies in phased municipal restoration guided by archival material. Wilmington also illustrates a modern municipal model by pairing a historically grounded 18 with a purpose-built youth short course whose opening coincided with the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship in greater Wilmington, bringing additional visibility to the city’s public golf. While Wilmington is not a national-ranking staple, it is recognized regionally (e.g., Top100GolfCourses profile) for accessible Ross strategy at modest green fees.
Current Condition / Integrity
The routing remains recognizably Ross, and the bunker scheme—completely restored in 1998—retains its strategic placements and typical depths after subsequent touch-ups. The greens and surrounds were expanded and recaptured to match Ross’s original pads in 2014, using Tufts Archives sketches. The playing textures (bermuda fairways/greens) create the firm, fast conditions that contemporary reviewers and the city promote. On the amenities side, the First Tee short course and practice elements operate alongside the 18, but the short-course practice range is for First Tee programs rather than a general public range. The city and Friends of Muni have continued incremental work—targeted drainage, path repairs, and selective bunker renovations on holes 2, 3, and 12—without altering the core Ross strategy.
From an integrity standpoint, Wilmington presents a high-fidelity municipal Ross: hazard patterns, diagonal asks, and elevated/tilted targets survive and—since 2014—operate at intended scales. Elements that are harder to certify (e.g., whether a particular interior contour precisely matches 1926 shaping) remain subject to archival verification; however, the availability of 17 green sketches suggests unusually strong documentary alignment for a muni of this era.
Sources & Notes
City of Wilmington, “Wilmington Municipal Golf Course” (official course page; includes policies, contacts, tournament postings, address, and scorecard link).
Golf Course Architecture, “Fought begins renovation plans for Wilmington Municipal course” (Nov. 27, 2013): scope and use of Tufts Archives sketches for 17 greens; note on sand-to-grass conversion by 1953.
Golf Course Architecture, “Wilmington Municipal GC set for October reopening” (Sept. 18, 2014): contractor (Duininck Golf), reopening timing, and greens restoration recap.
GolfClubAtlas, Ran Morrissett, “Wilmington (2003)” (profile revised 2024): detailed hole-by-hole architectural observations; documents the 1998 bunker restoration (Clyde Johnston Designs, Southeastern Golf; on-site supervision by Tom Devane working with Ron Prichard; DRS support).
Top100GolfCourses.com, “Wilmington Municipal” (profile): synopsis of 2014 restoration scope (greens enlargement, bunker rebuild, surrounds, tees/paths) and 2017 First Tee short-course addition.
GolfPass/Si.com course review (Dec. 12, 2017): confirms opening year (1926), par (71), yardage (6,784), and rating/slope (72.4/128).
SI
Golf Course Architecture (Apr. 27, 2017), “New three-hole short course to open at Wilmington Municipal GC” (design by John Fought; short range/practice green for First Tee).
First Tee – Greater Wilmington “Parent Corner / Our Facility” (clarifies The Loop/short course logistics; not a public driving range).
City of Wilmington tournament postings (example: 2025 Men’s City Amateur application) evidencing ongoing municipal championships.
Friends of Muni, “Projects” (post-2015 course work, including bunker renovations on holes 2, 3, 12; drainage and path projects).