The Carolina Club (Grandy, NC on 05/04/18)

Earlier this year a friend and I were talking about the Outer Banks and decided to do a quick beach/golf trip. Who doesn’t love a few days at the beach!?! It seems that quite a few people from work head this way each summer and always have a good time. We ended up booking a golf travel package and stayed in Kill Devils Hill. I left on Thursday after work and it took me a touch over four hours to get there from Charlottesville. It worked out well as I was late enough to avoid the Hamptons Roads commute traffic. Things can jam up pretty good around the bridge tunnels!

My friend and I were up early on Friday to check out our first course on a windy morning! I guess the wind is usual for this area since it is so close to the coast, but it wasn’t a ton of fun to play in, that’s for sure. Good for flying planes if you were the Wright brothers though! Thankfully, it was nice and sunny so I was able to get some good photos.

Our first round was at The Carolina Club, which is north of the main bridges onto the islands. We stayed on the beach and it took 30 minutes to get over to the course. Like any beach area, you might have to add some extra time during peak season! It was quiet when we arrived to check in, but a few groups pulled in just as we were walking into the clubhouse. The pro shop hooked us up by allowing us to go out in front of two foursomes! As a result, my friend and I had the course to ourselves and we rolled around in 3 hours and 15 minutes, which is always such a wonderful pace.

The Carolina Club is a Russell Breeden and Bob Moore design. This is my first experience with a Bob Moore course while Breeden is a name that you’ll see from time to time in Virginia and the Carolinas. He seems to design more practical courses that aren’t super memorable. Breeden tends to let your shots be the sole reason for a bad score. It sounds a bit cliche, but usually there aren’t any gimmicks to trick you up. In fact, there is only one Breeden course that I truly dislike. And I’d even put an asterisk by that one as the course I’m referring to (Packsaddle Ridge) is built on the side of a mountain.

After playing The Carolina Club I’d say it fits in with Breeden’s portfolio. I didn’t find anything very flashy about the design except for a pair of reachable par-5’s and a par-3 with an island green. Of course, the flatter terrain makes it more difficult for a course to stand out. Mounding and water are the main features to keep things interesting.

Without a doubt the signature hole at The Carolina Club is the par-3 7th. It maxes out at 166 yards and the green angles from front left to back right. It is one of those greens that because of the angle, the right club on wrong line could result in no birdie putt. And, you don’t want that here! The wind was from the right when I was played but I couldn’t tell if it was helping or hurting. There might be some guess work to keeping it dry!

Two other good holes close out their respective nines. The 9th is a 504 yard par-5 and the 18th is a 488 yard par-5. Both are reachable with good drives and have water on the left. I found both fairways (shocking!) and had just a mid iron into the greens, because of the strong wind. If you go for the greens then you’ll need to avoid water on the 9th and a sea of bunkers on the 18th. The 9th is a bit strange because the layup area is off to the left on a small strip of land, between two hazards. It is a bit goofy! In total, there are five par-5’s so you might find yourself with some birdie “4’s” on the scorecard. Sadly, I wasn’t so lucky.

I played the black tees which are 73.5/126/6952. At almost 7,000 yards The Carolina Club appears to be the longest course in the Outer Banks, at least from my research. The distance and all the slope on the greens are going to be the biggest challenges here. There is a 235 yard par-3, a 479 yard par-4, and a 606 yard par-5! The greens are more modern in their design and had some “volcano” pin locations. Many edges on the greens seemed to fall off and it wasn’t easy trying to navigate them since they were slick.

I’m not sure if it is the time of year, but I expected course conditions on this trip to be softer than they were. All the bermuda is still greening up, so I’m sure it not offering any resistance had something to do with that. Needless to say, the course was playing firm and fast! I got some roll on my drives and had to try to bounce some chip shots onto the greens. Everything was cut down so tight lies were the name of the game. There were some minor spots of what I think is winterkill, but it didn’t affect play. I was able to get a clean strike on a consistent basis. The greens were smooth and very fast. I’m pretty sure I would have liked the course more if the greens weren’t so dang fast!

Overall, I have mixed feelings about The Carolina Club. On one hand it is a course that could be found anywhere in America. Yet on the other hand, it has lots of space off the tee and you can get away with more sideways shots, compared to most Mid-Atlantic courses. It is a fine course, but it struck me as more of an upscale course for locals compared to a vacation destination course.

#1 (385 yard par 4):