Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest
Leland, Brunswick County, North Carolina · Wilmington Metro golf market
- Access
- non equity
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- Tim Cate
Thinking About Living in Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest?
Get connected with a local real-estate specialist who understands Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest and the surrounding Wilmington Metro golf market.
Cape Fear National is an 18-hole Tim Cate design that opened in 2009 within Brunswick Forest, a large master-planned community in Leland, NC. It operated for over a decade as a semi-private, primarily public-access course before Heritage Golf Group -- a multi-state private-club operator -- purchased it in March 2022 for $12 million and converted it into a fully private club. Today it requires a one-time membership fee and annual dues, a real change from the amenity-golf pattern common elsewhere on the coast.
Golf & Course
Designed by Tim Cate and opened in 2009, the course is routed through coastal wetlands and natural terrain within Brunswick Forest. Before the 2022 sale it operated as a premium daily-fee public course, with a limited number of resident annual passes available to Brunswick Forest property owners as a cost-effective, no-initiation-fee golf option. Heritage Golf Group's acquisition ended that structure and moved the club to a standard private-club membership model.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Since the 2022 conversion, buying a home in Brunswick Forest does not include or require Cape Fear National membership. Prospective members -- whether or not they live in Brunswick Forest -- apply separately and pay a one-time initiation fee plus annual dues; the club's own site lists Full Golf, Social, Family and Single membership categories. Most current members are reported to be Brunswick Forest property owners, but this reflects who chooses to join rather than a residency requirement or bundled benefit.
Location & Surrounding Area
Cape Fear National sits within Brunswick Forest, a very large master-planned community in Leland whose own marketing emphasizes a broad wellness/amenity proposition (trails, pools, fitness center, town center) alongside golf.
Costs & Fees
Figures below are labeled Current only when the source itself frames them as presently accurate. Everything else is labeled Historical — a source checked today does not make an old fee a current one.
Golf membership initiation
Historical — as of 2026$17,500
Reported initiation fee range $10,001-$25,000 from a third-party membership-cost aggregator (privateIQ.golf), not an official published rate sheet -- the club's own site confirms a one-time fee applies but does not publish the amount. Value shown is the midpoint of the reported range.
Initiation (range low)
Historical — as of 2026$10,001
Third-party aggregator estimate, not an official club rate sheet.
Initiation (range high)
Historical — as of 2026$25,000
Third-party aggregator estimate, not an official club rate sheet.
Annual dues
Historical — as of 2026$7,500
Reported annual dues range $5,001-$10,000 from a third-party membership-cost aggregator, not an official rate sheet. Value shown is the midpoint of the reported range.
Interested in Homes in Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Wilmington Metro market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Official, current initiation fee and annual dues -- the figures in this record come from a third-party membership-cost aggregator, not a published club rate sheet.
- Whether a membership waitlist currently exists.
- Whether the club's structure is formally equity or non-equity -- inferred as non-equity from Heritage Golf Group's corporate multi-club ownership model, but not explicitly confirmed by the club.
Notable
- Sold to Heritage Golf Group in March 2022 for $12 million, converting from semi-private/public-access to a fully private club.
Considering a Move to Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest?
Whether you're comparing Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest with another Wilmington Metro golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.