Virginia Beach & the Outer Banks Golf Courses & Tee Times in North Carolina

Who runs public golf in Virginia Beach & the Outer Banks

Virginia Beach owns its public courses but leases them to private operators. Virginia Beach Golf Management runs Red Wing Lake, a 1968 George Cobb course stretched to 7,124 yards, Kempsville Greens, an Ellis Maples layout from 1957, and Ocean View in Norfolk. The city also owns Virginia Beach National, the Pete Dye and Curtis Strange course that opened as a TPC in 1999 and was bought by the city for $4.5 million in 2006. In 2026 City Council approved a plan to add 659 homes and cut it from 18 holes to 12, so check what is open before you go. Norfolk closed its nine-hole Lamberts Point course at the end of 2022.

Public courses worth knowing in Virginia Beach & the Outer Banks

• Virginia Beach National Golf Club: Pete Dye and Curtis Strange design, opened in 1999 as a TPC and bought by the city in 2006. Par 72, 7,003 yards. A 2026 council vote approved cutting it to 12 holes with housing.
• Red Wing Lake Golf Course: George Cobb layout from 1968, renovated in 2005 and stretched to 7,124 yards. City owned, run by Virginia Beach Golf Management.
• Hell's Point Golf Club: Rees Jones design from 1982 that Golf Digest called one of the country's best new courses. Par 72, 6,766 yards, more than 60 bunkers.
• Sewell's Point Golf Course: Donald Ross design from 1927 on Naval Station Norfolk, par 71, and open to the public.
• Heron Ridge Golf Club: Fred Couples and Gene Bates design from 1999. 7,017 yards with water on 14 holes.
• Kilmarlic Golf Club: Tom Steele design on 605 acres of maritime forest in Powells Point. Hosted the North Carolina Open in 2004 and 2009.
• Nags Head Golf Links: Links-style course on the Roanoke Sound side of Nags Head, 6,126 yards, where the wind does most of the defending.
• The Currituck Club: Rees Jones design in Corolla, open since 1996, 6,885 yards through maritime forest and coastal flats.

Booking tee times in Virginia Beach & the Outer Banks: the local rules

The city courses are run by a private operator, so book through Virginia Beach Golf Management's public tee sheet, which has a separate member sheet. Sewells Point takes tee times through the Navy's online booking system. On the Outer Banks, summer is vacation season, so reserve before your trip; Kilmarlic stays open year round with off-season discounts, and the climate is mild enough to play in January.

Why tee times in Virginia Beach & the Outer Banks are hard to get

Spring and fall are peak season in Virginia Beach & the Outer Banks. In summer the heat pushes everyone toward early morning, so the first few hours of the day fill before anything else.

Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.

When tee time cancellations happen

Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.

How to get a tee time in Virginia Beach & the Outer Banks

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. Widen the map. If your first choice is full, check the next town over. Virginia Beach has 2 courses on Yoink and Ahoskie has 1.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked