Stepping up to the tee, you glance over your shoulder. Leaning against the cart are three of your best friends, waiting to see what you'll do next. Will you drive it up the middle? Will you flub it? After that performance on the last hole, you really need to pull a rabbit out of your bag. But that's what makes golf such an addiction. Every tee is a new chance to get it right. A chance to win the admiration - or sympathy - of your own private gallery.

With one fluid motion, you pull back and make contact. You can almost hear the eyebrows rising behind you as everyone recognizes that unmistakable ping of a dead-center hit on the sweet spot. Behind you, the briefest moment of silence is followed by a chorus of "nice shot." You smile. Not because that was a drive even Tiger would envy, but because you know it's the shot you'll all be talking about for weeks to come.

Welcome to Brunswick Islands, more affectionately known as North Carolina's Golf Coast. With more than 30 courses next to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, few places sport a more appropriate nickname.

No matter what your skill level, Brunswick has a course to fit your play - from challenging designs by legends like Arnold Palmer, Rees Jones and Dan Maples, to courses featuring wider fairways and less-protected greens. Mix it up. Play a tough course in the morning, followed by an easier round where you can just...

Stepping up to the tee, you glance over your shoulder. Leaning against the cart are three of your best friends, waiting to see what you'll do next. Will you drive it up the middle? Will you flub it? After that performance on the last hole, you really need to pull a rabbit out of your bag. But that's what makes golf such an addiction. Every tee is a new chance to get it right. A chance to win the admiration - or sympathy - of your own private gallery.

With one fluid motion, you pull back and make contact. You can almost hear the eyebrows rising behind you as everyone recognizes that unmistakable ping of a dead-center hit on the sweet spot. Behind you, the briefest moment of silence is followed by a chorus of "nice shot." You smile. Not because that was a drive even Tiger would envy, but because you know it's the shot you'll all be talking about for weeks to come.

Welcome to Brunswick Islands, more affectionately known as North Carolina's Golf Coast. With more than 30 courses next to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, few places sport a more appropriate nickname.

No matter what your skill level, Brunswick has a course to fit your play - from challenging designs by legends like Arnold Palmer, Rees Jones and Dan Maples, to courses featuring wider fairways and less-protected greens. Mix it up. Play a tough course in the morning, followed by an easier round where you can just enjoy being out. Out of the office. Out of the daily grind. Out in the fresh air.

One thing you'll always find here is a tee time and, more often than not, open play both behind and in front of you. Want a classic design with the traditional mid-range hazard and a few subtle but daunting bunkers around the pin? We have that. Want something a little funky, where sand traps the size of the Sahara run from tee to green? We have that, too. And when it comes to water hazards, well, there is this thing we call the Atlantic Ocean. Water is a natural part of the environment here, and course designers have taken full advantage. You'll find hazards ranging from rivers and marsh to water so wide you'll need a shot of adrenaline to carry it.

But relax. When your round is done, the area's five distinct islands offer plenty more in the way of entertainment. Hop around Oak Island, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach and Bald Head Island - as well at the inland towns of Southport, Shallotte and Calabash - to enjoy warm hospitality, charming shops, great restaurants and breathtaking scenery. Welcome to North Carolina's Brunswick Islands. You're going to love it here.