Nagging Desire in NC Outer Banks

Nags Head Golf Links was among the first well-known layouts along the North Carolina Outer Banks

(OUTER BANKS, N.C.) — First things first: Nags Head Golf Links will not offer your everyday, run-of-the-mill round of golf.

As one of the forefathers of golf in the fabled Outer Banks of North Carolina, Nags Head Golf Links provides a different playing experience on a daily basis. Uniquely and gorgeously situated along the Roanoke Sound, with its ninth and 18th holes finishing hard along the sound-side waters, Nags Head Golf Links is shaped by its constant coastal winds.  

Most days even the heartiest of competitor will be challenged. Bob Moore designed this seaside stunner in 1988 and Golf Digest almost immediately dubbed it “the longest 6,126 yards you’ll ever play.”

Nags Head Director of Golf Ben Bridgers contends that he can stand at the 150-yard pole on any given hole and hit a wedge, and on other days he can hit 3-iron and come up short. Indeed, 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 GL bears far more than a passing resemblance to the famed Scottish golf links.

Moore is a golf course architect with a reputation for not moving much dirt during the building process and at Nags Head he took full advantage of the natural setting. The proximity to the water’s edge and miles of open water to the northwest of the golf course property provide golfers with some of the best sunsets on the Outer Banks.

Moore clearly felt the wind during the construction process, which is why many of the tee shots are played into slightly elevated greens. Yet, despite the short length at Nags Head GL, it is the wind that makes all the difference and helps make holes like the par-5 18th among the most difficult finishing holes a golfer will ever tackle.

Nags Head GL is the centerpiece of the Village of Nags Head and the Village Beach Club, a nearly 30-year-old development that has sustained itself as well as any. There are 650 homes inside the village on the ocean and sound side, and another 250 homes on the golf course. Nags Head offers a more reasonable cost of living than some other parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and its strict architectural covenants intended to maintain the area’s historical look keeps the homes looking appropriately rustic.

“The golfing experience at Nags Head Golf Links is centered around family and friends reuniting on the golf course and creating new memories and reliving vacation memories from golf rounds past,” says Patrick Kelly, PGA Head Golf Professional at Nags Head GL. “Nags Head Golf Links’ role in the golf experience is providing consistent service and course conditions year after year. The clubhouse provides a large sound-side deck, perfect for a post round drink and snack watching a glorious Outer Banks sunset.”

Nags Head GL and its sister course, the Rees Jones-designed Currituck Golf Club in Corolla on the northernmost reaches of the Outer Banks, are two of the most unique in the portfolio of Club Corp, the largest private club management company in the country.

Learn more at www.PlayOBXGolf.com or 800-916-6244.

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