The First Tee Player Card: Green fees at a big discount

By Mike Gildea
Special to The Beacon
It’s the hottest selling golf item in Brunswick County: It’s The First Tee player card.
The 2013 edition of the player card has been on sale for 12 weeks and thousands already have been sold.  
“We’re fast hitting our limit with not many left to sell,” said Rebecca Albin, executive director of The First Tee of Brunswick County. “Since we started selling them in December, they’ve been flying off of the shelf.”
According to Albin, this is the best year yet for this fundraising program.
“Every year I’m amazed at how popular the player card is,” she said. “The Brunswick County’s golfing community is so incredibly generous in buying the card, which helps us raise the funds necessary to underwrite our programs.”
With the player card, 29 county courses are available for one-time play for just $25 at each course, which includes your golf cart. The card is only available to county residents with a valid Brunswick County driver’s license and is good through Dec. 31, 2013. It costs $100 and a 48-hour advance booking is required. When calling for a tee time, golfers must identify themselves as player card holders.
Included among the courses are such spectacular venues as the Thistle, Leopard’s Chase at Ocean Ridge, Cape Fear National in Leland and Bald Head Island. And all of the proceeds from card sales are really donations to The First Tee of Brunswick County (TFTBC) for their myriad of character development and golf programs for kids.
Other player card venues are Brick Landing, Brierwood, Brunswick Plantation, Carolina National, Carolina Shores, Crow Creek, Farmstead/Meadowlands, The Lakes, Lockwood Folly, Magnolia Greens, Oak Island, Ocean Ridge (Lion’s Paw, Panther’s Run, Tiger’s Eye), Oyster Bay, The Pearl East/West, Rivers Edge, Sandpiper Bay, Sea Trail (Byrd, Jones, Maples courses) and St. James (Founders Club, Players Club).
Bald Head will not honor the card between Labor Day and Memorial Day and the four Ocean Ridge Courses are blacked out in April and October.
Great golf for a good price for a great cause—the TFTBC player card. Sign up now by visiting www.thefirstteebrunswickcounty.org or call 754-5288 for more information.