While the golf course at Echo Farms is set to close this fall, other golf courses in the Wilmington area are on the market.

Masonboro Country Club, at 535 The Cape Blvd. in southern New Hanover County, is for sale, including the golf course, club house, cart barn, maintenance buildings, practice areas and driving range, according to the N.C. Commercial Multiple Listing Service.

Listing agent Jim Rolquin, a commercial real estate broker with Coastal Properties, said up to 214 homes could be built on part of the property, which in total consists of more than 150 acres and is zoned R-15 residential. The list price for the whole offering is $3.8 million, according to the NCCMLS.

New Hanover County property tax records say Southern Destiny LLC is the current owner. Efforts to reach someone with Southern Destiny LLC for more details were not immediately successful Thursday. The golf course is currently open.

The golf course at Echo Farms Golf & Country Club is set to close this fall and is expected to be redeveloped into a new residential community called The Woodlands at Echo Farms. 

New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield had worked with New Hanover County staff members on investigating whether the county could operate the Echo Farms golf course, if purchasing it became an option. But the county would not have been able to legally sell memberships, and without memberships, operating the course would have cost the county $700,000 to $800,000 a year, he said.

"So those numbers did not make sense," and it wouldn't have been a good fiscal move for the county to try to make, Barfield said.

He said that while "it's sad to see a course leave," at the end of the day, a property owner has to make a business decision. The owners of the Echo Farms golf course have said the course has been struggling.

Oleander Golf Center, a driving range at 5026 Oleander Drive in Wilmington, permanently closed during the summer.

"On behalf of the entire OGC staff, we would like to thank you all for your time and friendship over the last decade. Oleander Golf Center is officially closed for business. In the coming weeks/months the [MacRae] family will formulate plans for the future development of the land," a July post on the OGC Facebook page says.

The Oleander Company Inc., a MacRae family company, owns the property, according to New Hanover County tax records.

Brierwood Golf Club in Shallotte closed this summer for financial reasons, according to news reports.

In the Pender County community of Hampstead, the Belvedere Country Club and golf course are for sale as a country club and golf course investment. Listing agent Hamilton Hicks Jr. of Intracoastal Realty said the Broadbridge family decided to sell the enterprise after operator and owner Jeff Broadbridge died in May 2016.

Hicks said some golf courses are finding it a challenge to survive as younger potential players choose other recreational options.

"What’s happening in society now, the millennials etc., they don’t have an interest in playing golf because it takes four hours to play 18 holes, so they’re going to tennis, racketball, swimming, other things," he said.

But despite the fact that golf has been losing players in recent years, Barfield said he believes the area's courses remain a draw.

"I know that it’s an attraction for the people that live here and for the visitors that come here," he said. "To me it’s one of those tools in our toolbox as we are a tourist destination for many. You do have the beaches, you do have the historic downtown, but there are other activities people want to get into as well."