brierwood articles
19671 of 20 · Community & course
October 10, 1967: A Doctor Buys a Forest
The deed that started it all: a Shallotte physician purchases working pine land from two lumber companies with a golf course in mind.
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1967–19692 of 20 · Golf course
Two Doctors Draw a Golf Course
No outside architect was hired. Dr. Ben Ward and his friend Dr. John Madison laid out the course themselves, and Brierwood Golf Club, Inc. was formed to build it.
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19693 of 20 · Community
The Covenants That Still Govern Brierwood
Filed on January 26, 1969, the Restrictive Covenants set the rules for Brierwood property. They are why Brierwood has never needed a homeowners association.
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19694 of 20 · Community & course
Queen's Grant Circle Came First
The first lots ever mapped in Brierwood were on Queen's Grant Circle, and they were labeled Section 2. Their sale paid for the first nine holes.
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1969–19705 of 20 · Golf course
The First Nine Holes Open
By the end of 1969 Brierwood had nine playable holes. They would later become the back nine of one of the oldest 18-hole courses on the Grand Strand.
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19726 of 20 · Community
Section 1: Brierwood Road, from the Entrance to the Clubhouse
On June 15, 1972 the lots along the community's main road were finally mapped, more than three years after Queen's Grant.
Read the article →- 1973–1975
7 of 20 · Community & course
Nine Maps and a Second Nine
On October 15, 1973 nine maps were recorded for the rest of Brierwood, and construction of the final nine holes began. They were finished around 1975 and became the front nine.
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1970s–today8 of 20 · Golf course
The Clubhouse at 27 Brierwood Road
A three-story, roughly 10,000-square-foot clubhouse anchored the course for decades. It has been a pro shop, a dining room, a gallery and, since 2017, a question mark.
Read the article →- 1980s
9 of 20 · Community
The Shreve Years: Brierwood Becomes a Neighborhood
In the 1980s Dr. Ward partnered with Larry Shreve to develop the real estate around the course, and home construction in Brierwood took off.
Read the article → - 1986
10 of 20 · Community
1986: The Ladies Club Is Founded
Brierwood's longest-running resident organization dates from 1986. It still meets on the third Monday of every month.
Read the article → - 1990s–2000s
11 of 20 · Golf course
Brierwood by the Numbers: A Course Profile
Par 72, 6,643 yards from the blue tees, a slope of 132. What the scorecard said about Brierwood in its mature years.
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200812 of 20 · Community & course
Remembering Dr. Ben Ward
The physician who founded Brierwood died in 2008 at the age of 80, after more than fifty years of caring for the Shallotte area.
Read the article →- 2014
13 of 20 · Golf course
July 17, 2014: The Ward Family Sells
After 47 years, Brierwood Golf Club left the Ward family. An Arizona investor and a local broker bought the course, clubhouse and lots for about $1.25 million.
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2014–201714 of 20 · Golf course
Three Seasons Under New Ownership
The new owners improved the greens and renovated the clubhouse, but the rounds did not come. By 2017 the course was for sale again.
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15 of 20 · Community & course
June 1, 2017: The Last Round
Brierwood Golf Course closed on June 1, 2017, in its fiftieth year. The fairways went quiet, but the neighborhood around them did not.
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16 of 20 · Community
September 15, 2017: The Brierwood Association Forms
With the course gone, residents created a voluntary association to keep neighbors informed and to organize beautification, safety patrols and community activities.
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17 of 20 · Community
October 24, 2017: Fifty Years of Brierwood
At a community meeting organized by the new Association, the Town of Shallotte presented a proclamation honoring the 50th anniversary of Brierwood's beginnings.
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2018–202418 of 20 · Community
A Neighborhood Around a Quiet Course
More than 370 homes, about 50 vacant lots, large wooded parcels and a location close to the beaches. How Brierwood lived without its golf course.
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19 of 20 · Golf course
2025: The Special Use Permit
In December 2024 the owner applied to reopen nine holes, the clubhouse and a restaurant. After a rescheduled hearing, the Board of Aldermen approved the permit unanimously on March 4, 2025.
Read the article → - 2025–present
20 of 20 · Community & course
Brierwood Today and Tomorrow
An annexation petition for the clubhouse parcel, a permit clock that started in March 2025, and a community heading toward its 60th anniversary in 2027.
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Dates and figures in these articles come from the community’s recorded maps and deeds (see the history page), Town of Shallotte meeting records, and published news coverage. Each article lists its sources. If you have corrections, photographs or memories to add, please contact the Association.