Natural, rustic, and serene are some of the first words off my tongue when describing the northern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Fitting perfectly with its surroundings is the
Currituck Club, an ideally located and wonderfully designed and maintained golf resort. It's tucked away nicely, yet easily accessible for visitors to the northern beaches, such as Duck, Corolla, and the adventurous vacationers staying beyond where the roads end.
The Outer Banks, which proved on a recent trip to be a fantastic destination for a houseful of families (12 adults and eight kids under 6), offers so many activities that you might be tempted to leave the golf clubs at home. But if you've got an understanding wife and a travel pal willing to ask for a day pass, golf is definitely rewarding.
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With several options off the island and down near the bridge, Outer Banks golfers are likely to let geography guide their decision. For us, Currituck Club was situated less than 10 minutes from our rented house in Corolla.
The entrance to Currituck Club is in a shopping center anchored by a grocery store, but is better known as home to Duck Donuts, which is reason enough to visit the Outer Banks. There's a lot of Internet hype surrounding these donuts but I'm here to add on. They are phenomenal. Freshly made, iced and topped while you watch. I think I ate seven of them that week. It would have been more, but with a wife who can't eat gluten, it wasn't fair to keep showing up with lemon icing and coconut on the edge of my mouth.
But this is a golf review, not a the diary of a carb addict.
The day we arranged to play, we woke up to light rain that got heavier and heavier on the short ride to the course. We were due to be the third group off but they let us know it would be at least two hours until the storm would clear. It wasn't looking good but we were up early and figured we would try to stick it out and play nine holes. As it turned out, once we got on the course, with no one in front of us (most others took a raincheck but we knew that wasn't an option in our schedule) we cruised around and got in all 18 and made it back as the house was getting ready for the lunchtime beach trek.
Currituck Club is a fine example of resort golf. We found pristine conditions despite the torrential morning rain. Our twosome was made up of a 2 handicap and someone who doesn't know how to sign up for a handicap. But the course proved very playable for us both. Nothing tricky, but obvious strategy points the right way off many tees. Wide fairways kept us moving along, but for the better player it's clear from the tee how best to play each hole. For the player who is out a few times a year, there are few forced carries (if any), the length isn't overwhelming and the conditions (especially the greens) are far better than anything found at the local muni back home. It's vacation and this is a special round of golf and Currituck Club delivers. Prices are in line with resort golf ($100-$140 at peak season) and Currituck Club sends the golfer away with a memorable experience.
The highlight of the round comes on the holes along the water. Don't think Pebble Beach, this isn't ocean side golf. But what you do get are beautiful natural seascapes, a wonderfully peaceful setting and golf creating a rustic-yet-luxurious experience.
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Where to eat: Most rentals come with full kitchens and outdoor grills. If your group has some wannabe chefs, they'll love the fresh fish markets that open each morning. On our trip, shrimp, scallops, and whatever fresh fish were available proved to be big hits. There are two primary grocery stores, although the Harris Teeter was our preference (plus it's next to Duck Donuts). We found that locals all had a different "best" fish market, and we had success at all three we tried.
For eating out, try a visit to Duck, where you'll find
Cravings, a gourmet level menu that just happens to have a drive thru. Breakfast features some of the most interesting menu items, including a pork heavy creation sent from heaven and stuffs bacon, smoked sausage and pulled pork on top of eggs on a perfectly soft bun. Lunch and dinner are seafood heavy and delicious. Cravings is also perfectly kid friendly.
Try this: I was skeptical, thinking it was a tourist trap, but our wild horse tour was a real highlight of the trip. North of the northern most parts of the Outer Banks are several dozen homes without the benefit of roads. Known as 4x4 beach, these homes are for the real adventurous or those who really want to escape. The horse tours (there many in the area with different times and availability) take you through this area, a few hours spent house gazing and seeing the world-famous wild horses. Don't expect packs of stallions galloping down the beach, but seeing them going about their business was cool and a worthwhile activity.
The verdict: The northern end of the Outer Banks provides a wonderful setting for a peaceful beach vacation. As someone who lives just a few miles from the Jersey Shore, I was asking why I needed to drive 10 hours for the beach. But in Corolla, we found a laid-back vacation spot without a barrage of commercialism in our faces. It's got an understated, casual vibe, but features a classy, upscale foundation.
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In this way, Currituck Club fits perfectly with its environs and perfectly complements any trip to the northern end of the Outer Banks. It is a must-play if you can get it onto your itinerary.
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