Course Review: The Currituck Club

It may have been a long time arriving, but once North Carolina’s Outer Banks finally joined the big leagues of golf destinations on the East Coast, there have been no thoughts of laying up at any point since. But if there is just one name – well make that two – that is synonymous with golf’s true arrival along this strip of ocean-front real estate it has to be the Currituck Club. The other is Jones. Rees Jones.

Together, Jones (son of classic golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr.) and his mid 1990s Currituck creation formed the big-block engine that continues to drive golfers to this seaside sanctuary. Sure there were others before it, but once in the batter’s box, the Currituck Club became the cleanup hitter for rest of the lineup. In fact, it was recently named as one of the Top 9 Best Public Golf Courses in North Carolina by TravelAwaits.com (a list that includes several Donald Ross designs from Pinehurst and around the state).

Jones, known as the “Open Doctor” due to his time sprucing up U.S. Open venues across the nation, took natural surroundings and crafted a fantastic golf challenge, creating a wonderfully undisturbed course that will astound even the most discerning golfer. Situated along the last bastion of undeveloped land on the Outer Banks proper, Currituck has developed into a magnet along Route 12, the only main road north from the Wright Memorial Bridge to Corolla. The 600-acre sliver of land, once owned by the Currituck Shooting Club, has turned into something special. It is truly a prime example of a modern golf course blending within natural surroundings.

“It’s a great piece of property and a great layout,” says Currituck Club General Manager Richard Beetle.

Of course with Jones’ blessing – calling the land he was gifted as “one of the best pieces of golfer course property on the East Coast” – the Currituck Club has evolved into somewhat of a traditional Scottish links-style playground (although it may be a bit more wooded than the originals from overseas). Very few courses developed near the Atlantic Ocean can claim natural elevation changes. But the back nine here offers massive undulations along the fairways and elevation changes that reach 80 feet above sea level. Thanks to natural rolling dunes, several holes offer a challenge rarely heard of along typically flat, barrier islands. In addition, the Currituck Club possesses six of the more spectacular sound-view holes on the Outer Banks, including its signature hole par-3 No. 15 that plays over inlet marsh to a well-protected green.

Despite having long established itself as the flagship course (with its location, design and designer pedigree) for the OBX destination, the Currituck Club is not content to rest on its laurels.

“Over the last several years our golf course staff has resodded nearly all of the tee boxes and put out more than eight acres of new sod which is equivalent to about eight football fields,” adds Beetle. “The staff has also resodded the fringes around most of the greens. These efforts are designed to make improvements to the overall condition of the fairways and add to the playability around the green complexes for golfers to enjoy.”

 

Course Review by golf writer Bill Kamenjar

Course Review: The Carolina Club

Tourism has always been king on the once barren, now booming strip of land known as OBX. For the golf tourist, perhaps the most welcoming layout of all is the Russell Breeden/Keith Hall designed course known as The Carolina Club. In fact, the venue has no choice but to be welcoming as it is the first course you will pass when entering the region as you drive into town.

There is something to be said to being first. Though Carolina Club is actually one of the last entrants into the OBX golf market, its prime location makes it an easy choice for those coming into or on their way out from the popular beach resort.

Also the longest course (stretching beyond 7,000 yards) in the area and the sister design to The Pointe, The Carolina Club banks its reputation on having been crafted with the use of all the tools of modern golf course design. Over this 18-hole wonder is an island green, a hole-long bunker and plenty of water to provide players with all kinds of challenges. A creative mix of three par 3s and three par 5s characterize the front nine with the sixth and seventh holes forming a unique coupling. The par-5 sixth is the longest hole on the course and features marshland stretching across the fairway while the seventh hole (the course’s shorty) showcases the area’s premiere island green.

The back nine also boasts several well-designed holes including the 10th and 13th delivering good examples of modern golf design. The closing stretch of pars 4-3-5 is also thrilling with the 17th serving as The Carolina Club’s arguable signature hole (some would remain steadfast with the island green seventh) with its stadium-like setting. The Carolina Club is a winner of the “Locals’ Choice” award for great golf on the Outer Banks. Meticulously manicured, this meaty par-72 championship golf course may well be the highlight of your stay on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Course review by golf writer Bill Kamenjar

Course Review: The Pointe Golf Club

As one of the more forgiving golf courses in the OBX arsenal, The Pointe located in Grandy is a favorite among the locals. From the time players have eaten a home-style breakfast in the grill, warmed up on the newly redesigned practice range, teed off on the 528-yard, par-5 No. 1 to their final putt is holed out on another par 5 at No. 18, the experience at the Pointe is a round to remember.

Routed by big-name designer Russell Breeden back in the mid 1990s, The Pointe opened to strong reviews due to its heritage as a former turf farm. With experimental turf installed during its formulation (the course was the first in the country with lush A1 bentgrass) and having since become well rooted, the course stakes its reputation on excellent playing conditions. The Pointe is a somewhat short (6,343 yards), fairly open design featuring some of the best putting greens in the area. Shots into the greens are also fun watch as plush fairways ensure ideal lies upon impact. Nestled along the Currituck Sound, the design is a unique blend of traditional and links style design built for speed of play. With the wind once again being the great equalizer, The Pointe provides a never ending challenge and is located just minutes from the beach on the west of the bridge.

Since the Outer Banks frequently attracts once-a-year players, The Pointe also serves the visiting golfer well in that his or her game can be a little off the mark yet still survive and even thrive. Several parallel fairways provide greater visual comfort for higher handicaps, though good players will also enjoy the stroll across the picturesque rural landscape.

Review by golf writer Bill Kamenjar

A Hunger for Golf … and From It

I used to think wild horses couldn’t drag me away from the golf course. Or the sight and sounds of the ocean. Though that’s never been the case with the burning hunger a round of golf can produce.

But things have changed. As a devoted visitor to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, it didn’t take long for me to learn that the descendants of Spanish Mustangs survived 16th century shipwrecks. They swam ashore and have roamed the white sandy beaches ever since. An adventure horse tour across these creatures’ natural dune and seaside habitats, consequently, has had a way of occasionally enticing me away from the sea of green fairways along the Northern banks.

Then, of course, there’s the beach. There’s nothing quite as soothing as digging one’s toes (sans the wedge) into the soft sand while the pounding surf slows – at the very spot where every wave’s long journey across the Atlantic Ocean comes to an end and the sea retreats into itself.

The one great temptation, however, that has always acted as a magnetic pull away from the fairway has been the primal craving for some grub. And after a round of golf on a course like the Currituck Club, there’s no place more special than the place where “North Carolina’s barbeque culture meets fresh coastal seafood.”

When I (along with my playing partners) decide to serve up a four-course golfing delight in Northern OBX, it begins at one of these clubs: Currituck, Kilmarlic, The Carolina Club or The Pointe. But one thing I have noticed through all of my times of swiping my way across these delightful designs is the tremendous appetite that any one – or all in the same trip – seem to create.

  • Outer Banks Golf and OBX Currituck BBQ
  • Outer Banks Golf and Pass the Salt Cafe
  • Currituck OBX Corn bread

Reasons to Dig In

Golf, it has been said, is a whole different bag of shag balls. And because of that it has its own unique way of developing a scandalous hunger – especially that played along the coast. Maybe it’s the fresh salt air. Or the time spent lining up putts. Or hacking out of waste bunkers. There’s just something about the four hours spent with good companions playing a game that we all love. While a hot dog and a pack of orange-colored peanut butter crackers (a snack, incidentally, that is a North Carolina invention: Lance Cracker in Charlotte!) at the turn can usually contain those hunger pangs for a while, it’s not until you have packed up your sticks, stuffed them in the trunk and headed for your favorite après golf destination that some real savory pleasures unfold.

When my group pulls out the stops and heads for OBX, we like to experience a variety of options over the course of several days and rounds. No matter what the score, we rarely have to travel very far to score the perfect meal.

To begin with, there are plenty of dining options when golfing along coastal Corolla or mainland Currituck, or both. Seafood, of course, is a virtual no brainer on most barrier island menus. At places like The Oceanfront Grille in Corolla, local catch can be had, complete with fantastic views of the Atlantic surf. For more customary palates, steaks, chicken and other non-seafood items are prepared daily.

Over on the mainland, there’s the Pass the Salt Café, with its alternative, down-home-cooked menu to enjoy. As for the traditional barbeque side of the hunger chart, you roll up on it quickly at Currituck BBQ. Situated on Rte. 158 almost halfway between the border of Virginia and North Carolina and Outer Banks, this timely location has become a favorite stopover for many locals and beach goers since 2006. Using only fresh ingredients, Currituck BBQ specializes in hickory-smoked, slow-cooked Pork BBQ, Beef Brisket, Pork Ribs and BBQ Chicken. With a variety of great sauces and sides, a drop in here is a must on every golf adventure into or out of the Outer Banks.

There are, naturally, other barbeque variations to be had in northern OBX including Corolla Village BBQ and B.J.’s Carolina Café. For the stay-and-play lovers, both the Point Golf Club’s Greenside Bar & Grill and the Carolina Club’s Tuckers Sports Bar & Grille offer scrumptious barbeque of varying ingredients and presentation. On Thursday nights during the season, in addition, sweet barbeque aromas have been noticed wafting from the courtyard of the stay-and-play Golf Cottages at Kilmarlic Golf Club.

But barbeque and creatures from the sea aren’t the only treasures to be found along the northern Outer Banks. And, of course, a few southerly excursions to places along the beach like Kitty Hawk and even into Nags Head (home of the Nags Head Golf Links) are also in play. In my next blog post I will feature a complete rundown of some of my and my golf buddies’ favorite places to refuel the body after a day of traversing OBX’s choice fairways and greens.

Morning and Afternoon Dining Delights

First Off the Tee

For those planning an early day on the links at the Currituck Club, you may want to start your day by “ducking” into Duck Donuts. Founded in 2006 in Duck and expanded across the country, the shop was the first to provide customizable, made-to-order doughnuts to the folks along OBX. With several shops now located up and down strip, your foursome is never far away from a doughy delight. If, however, you and your group are more inclined for a breakfast with eggs, your choice of meats, maybe some hash browns, try Corolla’s First Light Breakfast and Burgers before heading out for your opening salvos.

Golfers going the distance on a multiple-course golf trip and looking for another more traditional breakfast hangout, at least one visit must be made to Stack’em High Pancakes and So Forth. The iconic establishment opened its first location in Kill Devil Hills in 1981 and then a second followed in Kitty Hawk in 1985.

For linksters in a rush, Bob’s Grill in Kill Devil Hills has been getting players to their tee times since the 1990s with its slogan “Eat and Get the Hell Out.” Specializing in plate-sized pancakes and fresh-made hash browns for breakfast and seafood burritos and Angus beef burgers for later players, Bob’s will get you moving.

Afternoon Delights

Those the run with afternoon tee times, a great place to get into the swing of things is at John’s Drive In, established in 1977 in Kitty Hawk by a family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The opening was the start of an Outer Banks tradition known as the “Dolphin” as the owners serve fresh tuna and dolphin and accented with homemade tartar sauce and freshly made cocktail sauce, among other tasty treats.

One of the truly iconic names to be found anywhere along OBX is Sam and Omie’s, a Nag’s Head mainstay since 1937. The restaurant, which offers a meaty menu including omelets, hamburgers, club sandwiches, prime rib and seafood, provides a “barefoot and beachy” atmosphere, all started by a couple of fishermen (and likely would-be golfers had there been a course or two in OBX back then).

Running late and really pressed for time? Two notable “grab and go” options in the region are a pit stop at Dairy Queen (yes, the Queen) near the site of the Wright Brothers’ Memorial in Kill Devil Hills and various locations of Brew Thru – the Outer Banks’ original beverage and snack, stay-in-your-car phenomenon that began back in the 1970s and remains a staple today.

For chicken wing lovers on the fly to the next round, Corolla has that covered at Ike’s Bites’n More. The sauces and dry rubs there are simply delish.

My next blog post will feature after round dining choices, as well as after dinner ideas.

After Golf Eats and Sweets

True Apres Golf

The main course, off the course of course, is the one you hope to consume sometime during the dinner hour. For golfers, the dinner hour can be a fluctuating block of time in the evening – most likely the one closest to the moment the last putt has been holed. “Hats off, lets go eat.” It is during these times that the most delectable tastes OBX has to offer really come out to play.

Two of the most widely recognized names ever concocted along the Outer Banks are Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar in Kill Devil Hills and Dirty Dicks Crab House now in Nags Head.

There’s something to be said about being first and Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar claims the distinction of being the first one of its kind to open on the Outer Banks. Known for its catchy name and logo, it also legendary for its fresh, delicious seafood and casual and friendly atmosphere. Complete with an ocean view from its lounge, the establishment that refutes its own name has been dubbed one of the nation’s greatest oyster bars thanks in large part to its coastal vibe and seafood delights.

With a risqué slogan like “I Got My Crabs at Dirty Dicks,” it’s only natural that the aforementioned restaurant has become a favorite of golfers from all over. Founded as an answer to famed crab houses up north in Virginia and Maryland, Dirty Dick’s new Nags Head location is allowing visiting golfers more space to spread out their all-you-can-eat crabs and crab legs and go to town. So for great, fresh seafood, head for the place with the funny name and flair for excitement.

Other great food stop names along the coast in OBX are The Black Pelican, Hurricane Mo’s Beachside Bar & Grill, The Bonzer Shack, Tortuga’s Lie, Art’s Place Bar & Grille, Mako’s Beach Grille & Bar and La Fogata.

The Black Pelican in Kitty Hawk is one of the first year-round restaurants on the Outer Banks and offers a spectacular ocean view. The building it sits in originally served as a historic life-saving station built in the late 1800s. Fresh seafood, steaks, vegetarian dishes, sandwiches and wood oven pizzas are some of the items offered on its menu.

Hurricane Mo’s Beachside Bar & Grill, also located in Kitty Hawk, features Local seafood, steaks, pasta, sandwiches and more. Like so many other establishments around town, it is also a popular spot for those in search of daily lunch specials.

The Bonzer Shack in Kill Devil Hills, meanwhile, claims to the most laid-back beach grill on the Outer Banks and that can be most welcome after an especially tough day on the course. Here you can drown your misery with a splash of water as it is themed after the surfer crowd. The Shack features bistro quality coastal comfort food including a range of clever appetizers including the locally famous ‘Hippy Dip’ and wings roasted in house daily.

Tortuga’s Lie, nestled among the dunes in Nags Head, is another well-balanced eatery featuring everything from seafood treasures to burgers and more. Art’s Place in Kitty Hawk, meanwhile, claims to have the best burger in town and who am I to disagree, especially when the sign says “Local’s Welcome, Tourists Tolerated … sometimes.” Helping to round out a legendary group is Mako’s. Another Kill Devil Hills classic with a catchy name, this place is where you can find a little bit of everything.

Of course OBX is not all about just seafood, burgers and barbeque. La Fogata in Kitty Hawk is our place to hit when looking for authentic Mexican food.

After, After Golf

Like any beach town worth its salt (pardon the pun), OBX also has its share of sweet-tooth connections for post-meal enjoyment. Up north near Corolla, there’s Ned’s Ice Cream and Corolla Scoops & Sweets to dig your teeth into. One place in particular that we have stumbled upon during our time playing Nags Head Golf Links is Booty Treats Ice Cream & Shave Ice located to the south. This uniquely crafted “parlor” offers authentic Hawaiian Shave Ice, old-fashioned malts, milkshakes and sundaes (though none of us, even the low handicappers in our group, have dared tried Booty’s “Junk In the Trunk Sundae” as of yet).

In all, the Outer Banks of North Carolina is as quality a golf /food destination that there is to be found anywhere. So if you are interested in a true tee-to-green then feed adventure, there’s no better place to head to than to this seaside sanctuary that is always a shag bag full of fun and fuel.

Going the Xtra Mile

“OB” is never considered a desirable golf destination among golfers. But tag an X on the end of it and out of bounds quickly turns into a more favorable and much more treasured journey’s end.

That’s because “OBX” in the world of golf stands for the Outer Banks of North Carolina – a name that it has been seemingly taken over in recent years, having been borrowed (actually stolen) from the locals’ preferred terminology. OBX has thus become as much an attitude as it is a geographic location.

Prior to the arrival of a half dozen or so quality courses within 40 minutes of the Wright Brothers Memorial, golf on the historical Outer Banks meant adjusting the bunny ears on one’s beach rental’s television set. Watching the PGA Tour on TV was about all you could do. Having since developed modern layouts that have produced its own high-flying reputation as one of North Carolina’s premiere golf destinations, OBX now provides a variety of tastes as delectable as the seafood delicacies you can find along this amazing strip of land sitting between the sound and the sea.

A great place to begin your Outer Banks golf vacation is at The Currituck Club up north in Corolla, a big-league, Rees Jones design that opened in the summer of 1996. While early sportsmen bagged waterfowl at such grand places as the Currituck Shooting Club, today golfing guests shoot for birdies at this outstanding facility along with several others near the pounding surf or just minutes away across the Wright Memorial Bridge on the mainland.

One of the best things Jones did at The Currituck Club was to set it up so that golfers would face a different challenge every day due to the fact that the wind changes daily. Of course, the same might be said for Nags Head Golf Links located on the extreme southern end of the island. As one of the area’s early leaders, opening in 1988, Nags Head was designed by Bob Moore and has since been surrounded by a planned development known as the Village at Nags Head. Much like The Currituck Club, Nags Head features several sensational water view holes as it plays along the Roanoke Sound.

Although short by modern standards, this southern delight can play as nasty as any in the state when the winds are whipping and the white caps start forming along the adjacent sounds. In addition, deep rough and tight fairways consistently put a premium on accuracy even on days when the winds are more forgiving.

Described as a “shot-maker’s course with a Scottish flavor,” Nags Head’s beauty is nearly rivaled by no less than three other golf courses located on the Currituck Outer Banks mainland on the west side of the bridge.

The Carolina Club, located in Grandy, opened in 1998 and immediately spreads its wings across the countryside. A fairly open course designed by esteemed architect Russell Breeden, the 7,000-plus-yard layout, no surprisingly, relies on coastal winds to help create constantly new challenges. Similarly, The Pointe Golf Club, also a Breeden design, is a fairly open design featuring some of the best putting greens in the area. Nestled along the Currituck Sound, The Pointe is a unique blend of traditional and links style design. With the wind once again being the great equalizer, The Pointe provides a never-ending challenge that is located closest to the beach just north of the bridge.

Rounding out this memorable inland trio is the Kilmarlic Golf Club, which opened in 2002. Consistently rated one of the top courses in the state, Kilmarlic sits among 605 acres of maritime forest and sprawling wetlands. Architect Tom Steele’s classic design creates stimulating challenges with its outstanding layout and conditioning. Play your way through canopies of giant oak, pine and dogwood that exemplify the natural beauty of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and you will start to understand Kilmarlic’s unique partnership between golf and nature.

There is a reason why the Wright brothers came to the Outer Banks to test their flying machine: the winds. And for that reason – in combination with some amazing layouts – successful golf along OBX can produce as lofty a sensation as there is to be found anywhere along the Eastern seaboard.

Wide Open Spaces

Outer Banks Ranked Among Top Spots for Social Spacing In 2020

Forbes.com recently ranked the Outer Banks as No. 1 among The 20 Top Places Americans Are Dreaming About Right Now, and Cape Hatteras was just ranked a Top Ten Beach In The U.S. by Dr. Beach.

The Outer Banks checks off a lot of boxes for golfers planning their next getaway. It has been doing social spacing before it was even a thing. With golf having taken the societal lead across the nation in the reopening of outdoor, recreational activities, it’s only natural that OBX has emerged from confinement high on everyone’s lists. That’s because it boasts a wide array of professionally managed vacation rental homes and golf cottages and the region’s golf variety, well, it’s second to none.

Case in point: golfers can escape cabin fever and play one of three courses on the mainland, each offering its own set of “wide-open” challenges. The Pointe Golf ClubThe Pointe Golf Club in Powells Point plays across an open space that was once a turf farm so special attention is always given to its perfect greens. Kilmarlic Golf Club just up the road is tucked away in a maritime forest so that nearly every shot is in peril as the ball travels across sprawling wetlands and ponds with a few memorable views of the adjacent Albemarle Sound. Rounding out the trio is the Carolina Club in Grandy, where an island green (on its signature hole) puts a premium on club selection as one plays amongst the breezes the region is famous for.

Then, of course, there are the coastal courses including The Currituck Club and Nags Head Golf Links. The “never the same two days in a row” winds on these two offerings can be especially challenging.

The Currituck Club, a sprawling 600-acre golf-resort property up in Corolla, gives true meaning to “social spacing.” Its upscale ambiance between the Atlantic Ocean and the Currituck Sound is also appropriate for both the OBX gentry and visitors alike. To the south, one of OBX’s most iconic open spaces welcomes golfers to a wind-swept, sound-side experience at Nags Head Golf Links. This “don’t mess with Mother Nature” creation boasts four holes along the Roanoke Sound featuring as true a Scottish links design as there is without a plane flight.

Once considered the newest and best-kept secret of the golfing world, the Outer Banks vacation spot – with its award-winning achievements – may have just officially joined the ranks of the top activities vacationers dream about when they see one of those OBX stickers in the back of a car window – wind surfing along the sounds, hang gliding off the dunes, fishing in the ocean and bike riding around town for a start.

While hammock may be the word of the day in OBX, there’s no relaxing on this destination’s laurels.

So if life’s responsibilities have had you saddled behind a desk inside your house, you may want to take a break, pack up your clubs and head for the Outer Banks. Because it was there that a high-flying achievement like man’s first flight (thanks Wright Brothers) took place due to its wonderfully wide-open and windy nature. Golf has subsequently taken notice, and its development has helped the destination earn the distinction of being the nation’s top spot dreamed about – especially when taking into consideration social spacing.

From the Tour to the Shore

“One guy wanted to name his cottage on his own, to have it named after (two-time U.S. Open Champion) Curtis Strange. I said Curtis never won The Masters (he finished second in 1985) and besides, you probably don’t want to name it the ‘Strange Cottage.’” Kilmarlic Director of Golf Bryan Sullivan

The life of a golf pro working hard along the coast of North Carolina can be a rich and fulfilling one. One, in particular, has got an 18-hole golf playground designed by Tom Steele at his disposal; a family waterpark within walking distance; a growing number of on-site golf cottages (named after former Masters Champions) for golf and/or beach goers; a health-and-racquet club with an Olympic-sized pool; a sound-side beach in the backyard and much more.

A man responsible for so many amenities needs time to ponder a bit when asked what his life was like before settling in amongst 605 acres of sprawling maritime forest and wetlands in the Northern Outer Banks.

You see, the welcoming face that greets you from out behind the check-in desk at Kilmarlic Golf Club’s golf shop just might be director of golf Bryan Sullivan, a long-time Outer Banks resident who has been the visionary of the facility since its very beginning in 2002. Before that, however, he was a competitive player … a very good competitive player. In fact, he spent a healthy amount of time on the Canadian Tour and competed in nearly a dozen tournaments on the PGA Tour. Prior to that he played college golf at the University of North Carolina and was an All-American teammate of World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III, who he says “was always so much longer, I just got used to it” when playing alongside him.

Although much of his run on the PGA Tour has blurred with time, he distinctly remembers a few moments from teeing it up there starting with his very first hole in his very first event. It was at the former Anheuser-Busch Championship held at Kingsmill Resort just up the road in Williamsburg, Virginia.

“I remember I birdied the first hole right out of the gate,” he relates. “I started on the back nine on No. 10 and I thought, ‘hey, this is pretty easy.’ I quickly found out the truth of the matter. I had a 20-footer for birdie on my second hole and left the putt short. People in the gallery were yelling ‘you’ve got to get it to the hole.’ I thought, ‘hey give me a break here, this is only my second hole ever and I’m one under!’”

Sullivan’s proudest accomplishment is winning the prestigious North-South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1983 following major champions Hal Sutton and Corey Pavin. But perhaps his most thrilling moment in the sun came during another PGA Tour event since it took place in front a huge crowd, which maybe clouded his judgment, as it turned out, for the good.

“I remember one time at Harbour Town on the 18th hole I hit it left of the green and into the thick stuff and marsh of Calibogue Sound,” he adds. “I remember my caddie telling me to go get the ball and take a drop. I said ‘no way,’ grabbed a wedge and went in there to hit it. I swung as hard as I could, popped it out and holed the darned thing. Everyone went crazy. That was probably my most exciting moment I can remember playing on (the PGA) Tour.”

These days, Sullivan’s biggest pressure consists of ensuring a growing complex of golf cottages inland of OBX continues to be a success. Named after former winners of The Masters tournament including those of the Palmer, Nicklaus, Snead and Hogan Cottages, the first-class accommodations surround their own putting green and feature a chipping/putting course alongside. Their additions have helped increase visitor options looking for accommodations on the mainland.

“It was a big investment,” he says. “But I always felt fairly confident we could get the golf rentals, the big question was the summertime family rentals. As it turns out, those rentals have been a big hit and a big surprise. As I like to tell guests, you can have your toes in the ocean in 10 minutes from here. After the first six cottages were completed and we saw the reaction to them, we knew we had it.”

After his latest home run, Sullivan must feel like he is constantly holing out of Hilton Head’s Calibogue Sound in front of a cheering gallery on a warm spring day.

OBX Courses Ranked Among NC’s Best

Three OBX Golf Courses Ranked Top 35 in Prestigious Rankings

The most authoritative statewide source of golf course rankings in a state that arguably has some of the nation’s best courses has spoken for the 25th year … and the Outer Banks again sports a collection of top-shelf golf experiences in 2020.

According to the esteemed North Carolina Golf Panel, three courses moved up among the Top 50 You Can Play in North Carolina, featuring No. 16 Currituck Club, No. 23 Kilmarlic Golf Club and No. 33 Nags Head Golf Links. In addition, Nags Head provided the No. 2 Best Bang for the Buck offering across the Coastal Region.

Golf around North Carolina’s storied Outer Banks represents an outstanding selection of enjoyable and affordable yet quality golf courses — along with spacious accommodations and a plethora of off-course activities that have transformed the Outer Banks into an outdoor sportsman’s paradise.

From true barrier island links courses to modern parkland marvels located inland, the region is chock full of variety. The challenges at The Pointe Golf Club, The Carolina Club, Nags Head, Kilmarlic and Currituck Club are as spectacular as the coastal views they possess. There may be no better location for a true golf vacation than the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Afternoon drives take on a whole new meaning along the coast just minutes north of Rees Jones’s 18-hole gem known as The Currituck Club, up 10 spots to No. 56 in North Carolina’s Top 100. The Corolla keeper is the grandest design along the coast “sculpted on the type of land where golf began” among 600 acres of dunes, wetlands, maritime forests and sound seascapes.

Every time golfers tackle historic Nags Head, also included in North Carolina’s Top 100, they find themselves facing a different challenge. Crafted by Bob Moore, Nags Head plays hard along the inner waterway on the southern end of the Outer Banks, where capricious breezes off sound-side waters create a unique golfing experience each and every day. With its coastal winds, rugged shoreline, island holes, seaside vistas, and tees and greens are separated by rolling dunes and wild sea grass, Nags Head bears far more than a passing resemblance to the famed Scottish golf links.

Home to various golf cottages located near its entrance, Kilmarlic is a popular Tom Steele design nestled along the marshland of the Albemarle Sound. North Carolina’s No. 78 course in the Top 100 is a wonderful mainland design amidst 605 beautiful acres of maritime forest providing a pure OBX layout with water and wetlands virtually in play at all times.

Located just across the Wright Memorial Bridge, The Pointe is the first in a sequence of championship golf courses — layouts close to the sounds and ocean but more parkland in settings. The course is also said to be the first in the country to have the A-1 bent grass — a dense, disease-resistant strain — installed across its corridors. Meanwhile, The Carolina Club’s positioning as the first design heading into town from the north and last one on the way out makes it the ideal play on either side of your OBX golf getaway.

For the complete list of the Top 100 Courses for 2020, Top 50 Courses You Can Play and other rankings, visit NCGolfPanel.com.