Wednesday, August 31, 2011

North Carolina’s Outer Banks Open for Golfers and Visitors

Kilmarlic Golf Club
(OUTER BANKS, N.C.) — Despite absorbing a direct hit from Hurricane Irene, North Carolina’s Outer Banks are preparing for a busy Labor Day travel weekend and fall season with the exception of Hatteras Island, where there are no golf courses.

Most all of the region’s golf courses are open for play, including all 18 holes at Kilmarlic Golf Club, The Currituck Club, The Pointe Golf Club, The Carolina Club and The Sound Golf Links.

Nags Head Golf Links, located adjacent to the Roanoke Sound and the area’s southern-most golf course, is the lone exception and expected to reopen in a few weeks.

“The Outer Banks and its people are very resilient,” said life-long resident Bryan Sullivan of Kilmarlic Golf Club and the Outer Banks Golf Association. “We are open for golf this weekend and this Fall. The region experienced sound-side flooding, but the courses are now playable.”

The latest visitor information and travel updates can be accessed at www.OuterBanks.org and www.VisitCurrituck.com. Golf package information is available at www.PlayOBXGolf.com or 800-916-6244.

Best known as host site of the North Carolina Open in 2004 and 2009, Kilmarlic Golf Club is nestled among 605 acres of maritime forest and sprawling wetlands. Award-winning golf course architect Tom Steele’s classic design creates stimulating challenges with its outstanding layout and conditioning, as it meanders through canopies of giant oak, pine and dogwood that exemplify the natural beauty of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and illustrate Kilmarlic’s unique partnership between golf and nature — not to mention a remarkable 15 acres of coastal ponds and lakes creating scenic natural hazards.

Designed by world-renowned architect Rees Jones, The Currituck Club is a breathtaking layout that stretches across nearly 7,000 yards of diverse coastal terrain, including towering sand dunes, wetlands, maritime forests and soundside shoreline. Golf Magazine awarded the course a coveted spot on its list of “Top 10 You Can Play,” and Golf Digest ranked Currituck Club as one of the Top 25 courses in North Carolina.

The Pointe Golf Club is recognized as one of the area’s most player-friendly and best conditioned golf courses, making it a “must play” on any Outer Banks vacation. Home to the area’s finest public practice facility, it features a full driving range and short game area that includes a practice putting green, chipping greens and practice bunker.

Meanwhile, the “locals’ choice” for great golf on the Outer Banks is The Carolina Club, which features superb bent grass greens and a picturesque par-3 island green. Five sets of tees and strong ocean breezes allow you to match your game to the challenge, ensuring that all skill levels will have an enjoyable time.
The Sound Golf Links at nearby Albemarle Plantation in Hertford is another highly-acclaimed design by legendary golf course architect Dan Maples. The course meanders through low country marshland and forests of towering pines and moss-draped cypress, creating a spectacular backdrop of breathtaking scenery as the final three holes overlook the Albemarle Sound.

Nags Head Golf Links, designed by Bob Moore, is another true, Scottish, links-style course nestled into the natural, windswept environment of the Outer Banks. Sand dunes, wild sea grasses and rugged coastline create holes that Golf Digest labeled as “among the most beautiful in the eastern United States.” The ever-changing coastal winds provide a different challenge each round.

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