Planning a golf trip to the Outer Banks presents you with more than just stunning beaches - it offers a unique collection of beautiful coastal golf courses, each with its own character and challenge. This guide breaks down the premier courses in and around the OBX, giving you an inside look at their layouts and, as your coach for the day, a simple strategy for approaching them so you can play your best.
Nestled in Corolla on the northern end of the Outer Banks, The Currituck Club is a Rees Jones design that masterfully weaves through coastal maritime forests, expansive wetlands, and soundside dunes. This is a big-time golf experience. The course is part of a large, upscale community, and you feel that sense of grandeur from the moment you arrive. The conditioning is typically immaculate, but be ready for a true test, as Jones is known for building courses that challenge every part of your game. The wind, coming off the Currituck Sound, is a constant companion and a major factor in how the course plays each day.
There are many memorable holes here, but the par-3 15th stands out. It’s not exceptionally long, but it demands a pure iron shot - anything less will find trouble. The hole runs right along the Currituck Sound, offering stunning views and maximum exposure to the wind.
From the tee, you'll see a green that looks like an island, surrounded by sand and natural waste areas. Water isn't the primary defense, but the psychological effect of the vast sound to your left is powerful. The true test is the wind, which almost always funnels across the hole, pushing shots toward the sandy abyss on the right or out of bounds on the left. The green itself is narrow from front to back, placing a premium on distance control.
If you're looking for an authentic, windswept, Scottish-style links experience, Nags Head Golf Links is your destination. Located centrally in Nags Head, this Bob Moore design uses the natural terrain of the Roanoke Sound to create a course that feels like it’s been there for centuries. The fairways are firm and fast, framed by dunes, rugged scrub brush, and native grasses. You’ll be hitting shots with Jockey’s Ridge State Park - the East Coast’s largest sand dune - as a startling backdrop. More than any other course on the island, Nags Head embraces the wind and the ground game.
The closing hole at Nags Head Golf Links is one of the most famous - and tough - in the Outer Banks. It's a par-5 that doglegs hard to the right around a massive body of sound water. The wind here is typically roaring from left-to-right, pushing every shot toward the water.
From the tee, the temptation is to cut off as much of the dogleg as possible. The longer the carry, the shorter your next shot, but every yard you bite off brings the water more into play. Once you successfully find the fairway, your layup shot is equally perilous, with water still bordering the entire right side of the landing area. The green is narrow and tucked away, guarded by bunkers and punishing rough.
While technically just across the Wright Memorial Bridge in Powell’s Point, Kilmarlic is an essential part of any OBX golf trip. A Tom Steele design, this course has hosted numerous championships and is consistently ranked among North Carolina’s best. It wanders through a beautiful maritime forest, giving it more of a Carolina parkland feel than a coastal links track. Towering pines, ancient oaks draped in Spanish moss, and natural wetlands feel a world away from the windswept dunes. The course rewards thoughtful play and precise shot-making.
Kilmarlic offers a great mix of holes, but the par-4 5th is a standout test of both nerve and strategy. It's a slight dogleg left with a wetland area that cuts across the fairway about 270 yards from the back tees. This forces a decision: do you lay up short of the trouble, or do you take on a long carry with the driver to a narrow spit of fairway?
Even if you find the fairway off the tee, the approach is demanding. It’s over water to a shallow but wide green. Pin placement is everything here. A front pin is accessible, but a back pin requires a perfect carry over water with little room to miss.
Just down the road from Kilmarlic in Powell's Point, The Pointe is known as one of the most player-friendly and consistently well-conditioned courses in the area. It’s the kind of place you feel instantly comfortable. The corridors are generally wider than at its neighbors, but don't mistake that for being easy. Well-placed bunkers and subtle water hazards keep you honest. What really makes The Pointe stand out is its putting greens, which are famously pure and fast, making it a joy to putt on.
The 14th is a great example of a thinking-golfer’s par-5. It is reachable in two for long hitters, but danger lurks everywhere. Water runs down the entire left side, and a large bunker guards the right side of the landing area off the tee. A great drive sets you up with a decision: go for the green in two over another pond, or lay up to a comfortable wedge distance. The green is two-tiered, making it tough to get close if you’re on the wrong level.
Located in Kitty Hawk, Sea Scape has a rugged, throwback charm. This Art Wall design is one of the older courses in the OBX and offers a truly unique topography for a seaside location. It’s a roller-coaster ride with dramatic elevation changes and hilly fairways that you rarely find near sea level. On windy days, the gusts whip off the nearby Atlantic Ocean, making club selection a guessing game. You will almost never have a flat lie here, so adapting your setup to the ball being above or below your feet is paramount.
Since sidehill lies are the main challenge here, remember this simple thought: for a right-handed golfer, a ball above your feet will tend to hook left, so aim a little right of your target. A ball below your feet will tend to slice right, so aim a little left. Your job is not to fight the natural slope but to play for it.
The Outer Banks provides a fantastic and diverse golf getaway, blending windswept, seaside links with beautiful parkland layouts tucked into maritime forests. Whether you want a stern championship test or a relaxed round with friends, you can find a course that perfectly fits your game.
As you plan your trip, consider how an instant, on-demand golf expert in your pocket can remove the guesswork from these unfamiliar courses. With Caddie AI, I wanted to provide you with the same advice a professional caddie would. When you're staring at a strange lie in the rough, you can send a picture and get a clear strategy. When you're standing on the tee unsure of the play, you can get a simple game plan. My goal is to equip you with the knowledge to make smart, confident decisions on every shot, so you can focus on enjoying this incredible golf destination.
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