Part of the Lower Cape Fear region in Brunswick County, Southeast North Carolina, it is one of the few 18 holes golf courses built on a barrier island.

A pro shop/pub/snack bar along with a full practice facility to include a sand trap, both putting and pitching greens, and a driving range is also available to the public.

Tournaments are held year round with the most popular ones being a mixed scramble event on Super Bowl Sunday, the Superintendent’s Revenge in late winter where the course is set up with no concern for the rules of golf and pin positions are unbelievably difficult, the Southport-Oak Island Classic captain's choice event sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce in the spring which includes a "Putt for Green" competition, the annual Battle of the Beaches where all the neighboring communities compete against each other in a team event, the Club Championship in late August which also includes a senior and super-senior competition, and the weekend Member-Guest tournament in October.The Linksters [4] men's group dates back to 1986 and holds monthly tournaments on Saturdays where individuals and two or four man teams compete in best ball, scramble or total score events.

There is also a match play elimination tournament held during the spring/summer and a mixed couples putting contest on a Sunday afternoon in September followed by a banquet.

Its counterpart, the Oak Island Women’s Golf Association (OIWGA) [5] is an equally active group that conducts year-round weekday (Wednesday) and weekend (Saturday) morning competitions.