Skip to content
Experience Bald Head
The Bald Head Island Club clubhouse behind a manicured lawn and palms

Private access

The clubs

Two private clubs hold much of the island's golf, pools, and dining. Here is what each one is, and the honest answer to whether you can get in.

Both clubs are private and member-owned, but both were built around the island's rental economy: if the home you rent carries the right membership, you can usually buy access for your stay. The rules differ by club, and the detail matters, so each page lays out exactly who can get in and how early to arrange it.

The Bald Head Island Club clubhouse, a white building with a cupola and wraparound porch, behind a manicured lawn and palmsPrivate access

Bald Head Island Club

The island's private club: an eighteen-hole golf course through the maritime forest, an aquatic center, tennis and pickleball, fitness, and dining. Renters of member homes can buy in for their stay.

  • Golf
  • Aquatic center
  • Tennis & pickleball
  • Fitness
  • Dining
How to get in
Aerial view of the Shoals Club: two pools and lounge decks beside the clubhouse, with a boardwalk over the dune to the ocean beyondPrivate access

Shoals Club

A private oceanfront club at the south end, overlooking Frying Pan Shoals: two saltwater pools, three dining venues, a fitness room, and direct beach access. Guests get in through a rental with a full membership.

  • Two saltwater pools
  • Dining
  • Fitness room
  • Direct beach access
How to get in

Golf runs through the Bald Head Island Club. If the course is the reason you're asking, start with how to play the course.