The Ocean Course at Hammock Beach (w/photos)

[Matt Bosela]

I had the pleasure of staying at the Ginn Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Florida for four nights a couple weeks back.

The resort has two courses currently under its umbrella in Tom Watson's Conservatory Course and the much heralded Ocean Course (formerly known as Ocean Hammock), a Jack Nicklaus design.  A third is on the way courtesy of Fred Couples.

I figured I'd first write about the excellent Ocean Course, a place that has been the recipient of praise from many on this site and definitely lived up to the great expectations I had for it.

All yardages are from the back tees.

1st Hole: 380 Yards - Par 4
Routine opener, with a downhill tee shot needing to skirt the bunker on the right side of the fairway to best set up an approach to an elevated green that slopes sharply from back to front.

Tee Shot


Approach from Left Rough


2nd Hole: 540 Yards - Par 5
Pretty tough driving hole here from a visual standpoint but there is more room than you think on the left in the landing area.  The second shot is either a layup short of a waste area that leaves a 100 yard third or the bolder play toward the green, which would require a shot over a bunker that guards the middle of the green.

Tee Shot


Approach Shot


3rd Hole: 414 Yards - Par 4
This was the first hole that really got my attention.  It's a solid dogleg right that demands a shot onto the right side of the fairway for the best angle into a well-protected green, with bunkers and grass depressions both looking to grab errant approaches.  Visually stunning hole.

Tee Shot


Approach Shot


From Behind the Green


4th Hole: 192 Yards - Par 3
Pretty tough par three from the tips but much more benign from the other decks.  The green site is very shallow but wide and protected in front by a nasty bunker.  There is some nice undulation on this green and some great pin positions.



5th Hole: 434 Yards - Par 4
One of my least favourite holes on the course.  Nothing really original about it I guess.  It becomes a battle of how much you want to cut off the dogleg in order to shorten your approach but the thought of getting wet means a lot of balls leak to the right.  You learn pretty quickly that the play off the tee here is just to the meat of the fairway.

Tee Shot


Approach Shot


6th Hole: 526 Yards - Par 5
This hole just seems so out of place compared to everything else here.  This course is about options and there aren't really any here, especially on the approach, which calls for a shot to an island green.  It's a wide open drive that allows the big hitters to give it a go in two but any wind will make hitting the green almost an impossibility.  And it's always windy here!  There are multiple tiers in the green so it's vital you find the right one to avoid three putt possibilities.

Tee Shot


Approach Shot


7th Hole: 458 Yards - Par 4
Solid par four that demands a long, accurate drive in order to give the player a chance to hit the green in regulation.  There are a couple of bunkers short left that coupled with some swales give the impression that the green is closer than it really is on the approach. 

Tee Shot


8th Hole: 185 Yards - Par 3
Just a fantastic one-shotter.  The ocean breezes really make things difficult here with club selection.  You just can't miss right, as the green falls off severely, leaving a very uphill pitch or bunker shot. 

Tee Shot


Green


9th Hole: 468 Yards - Par 4
What a golf hole this is, especially into the wind!  The Atlantic sits to your right as you tee off, with the ideal ball flight going over the right fairway bunker.  However, on most days, a shot hit toward the left fairway bunker will suffice but that will leave you with a 200 yard second shot up to the green which is perched on top of the hill and protected by two very deep bunkers on both sides.  On a downwind day, I went driver/easy 5 iron and the next day, into the wind, went perfect driver/perfect 3 wood and was still short.  This is a beautiful beast if I've ever seen one.

I'll have to frame this sucker eventually!


Approach

[Matt Bosela]

10th Hole: 522 Yards - Par 5
The great holes continue with this shortish par five that plays downhill off the tee.  There is a lot of room here so you can just rip away off the tee.  Really neat greensite here, perched back up on top of a hillside with a cavernous front bunker on the right and a severely undulating green with multiple great pin locations.  This is a second shot hole and it's a doozy.  All three days I had short iron SECOND shots into this green and didn't birdie it once. 

Tee Shot


Approach Shot


11th Hole: 384 Yards - Par 4
Another beauty that presents options off the tee.  You can elect to hit driver left of a centerline fairway bunker and shorten the approach to a shallow greensite but that brings the water into play.  Or you can play the safer shot to the right of the fairway bunker, which leaves a much longer shot into the green but will help you avoid the big number.

Tee Shot


Approach Shot from Fairway Bunker


12th Hole: 225 Yards - Par 3
A doozy of a par three that demands a right to left ball flight into a very long green that slopes hard around the bunker toward the back.  The ideal shot can come in low and runup toward the pin.  Don't go left!

Tee Shot


13th Hole: 433 Yards - Par 4
Pretty straight-forward long two-shotter.  The ideal tee ball is hit over the left fairway bunker to leave the open approach but most will just go for the fat of the fairway to the right.  However, your second will then have to navigate the front right bunker.  The area around the green is cut tight here and there are some neat options available for chip shots.

Tee Shot


Approach Shot


14th Hole: 551 Yards - Par 5
The last three shotter on the course but it's no picnic.  There is a centerline bunker here that allows you a couple of choices: go the safe route to the left but the hole turns into a guaranteed three shotter or go right and flirt with the water but give yourself the chance of reaching the green in two.  The green has a huge swale in it and is very difficult to navigate if you go long with your approach.

Tee Shot


Approach Shot


15th Hole: 450 Yards - Par 4
This is the start of the so-called 'Bear Claw', the four hole finishing stretch at the Ocean Course.  What a GREAT golf hole this is!  It's a pretty wide open drive but still, the bunkers right and in the center of the fairway cause you to grip the club a little tight on this long, uphill par four.  If you successfully hit the short grass, you have a chance to reach the severely elevated greensite that looks like it's sitting on top of the ocean all by its lonesome.  Whatever you do, don't misclub and come up short, as the ball will roll right back down the hill and leave a treacherous pitch shot.  Tremendous golf hole and easily my favourite on the entire course.

Tee Shot


Approach from Centerline Bunker


This is what my playing partner had to look forward to when he came up short


16th Hole: 399 Yards - Par 4
This hole plays a bit too much like the 5th for my liking, with both requiring the player to make a decision as far as cutting off the corner of the dogleg.  However, the whipping winds off the ocean right behind you make club selection a bit more important here, giving you the chance to hit anything from driver to long iron.  The green is deep but very narrow so a precise approach is absolutely necessary.  Missing right is dead, as the green falls off into a huge chipping depression cut to fairway length.

Me looking unkempt on a windy day on the back deck


Tee Shot


17th Hole: 174 Yards - Par 3
Another beautiful hole that plays toward the ocean but somehow feels different from the 8th.  This one seemed to play SHORTER than it's yardage all week, partially due to the fact the green slopes sharply from front to back on the second half of the surface, which leads to a huge dropoff and another shortly cut chipping area.  Long is dead, short is dead, right is dead...hit the green or say goodbye to your par chances.

Tee Shot


18th Hole: 466 Yards - Par 4
A very tough finisher, especially if its into the wind.  The tee shot is downhill, with a draw off the right fairway bunker leaving an uphill approach that also demands a right to left ball flight.  The uphill nature of the approach limits the ability to run the ball in but at least you have a shot at making an up and in from there.  The green is about 40 yards deep and has multiple tiers.

Approach Shot


From Behind the Green


This golf course is much different from most Nicklaus courses I've played in that there are many different ways to play the hole from the tees, the fairways and near the greens.  You can play it low, play it high, play a fade or a draw, bump in shots or flop them in. 

It doesn't hurt that the course is gorgeous to look at and plays very firm and fast.  Very pleasantly surprised by the course and the teeth it has in the wind.  It's just plain fun to play! 

[Michael Dugger]

awesome photo shoot!!!  thanks!!

[Dan Chapman]

Matt,

Great photos, thanks for posting.  I've been to Hammock twice now and really enjoyed the experience.  While the Conservatory was fun, I too really loved the Ocean Course.  A great stretch of finishing holes and a beautiful course.  When I played it in March of 07, the course was much greener than it appears in your photos; probably because the senior event was the following week.  It may have been the windiest round of golf I've ever played.  Thankfully I hit the ball as good as I ever have or it could've been ugly.

[David Whitmer]

Thanks Matt; those are great pictures. The golf course looks like alot of fun, and I can imagine a tough go if the course is firm and fast. The fifteenth does look like a neat hole...the approach uphill is unique for a Florida course on the ocean.

[Billsteele]

Matt-Terrific pictures. I had the opportunity to play the Ocean Course back in January on a morning that would be deemed ideal in Bandon (50's, overcast,  periodic mist) but miserable in Palm Coast. As a result, I virtually had the course to myself.  To me, your analysis is spot on. The course really got my attention on the par 4 #3: a very good hole with a tough but fair tee shot and an interesting greensite. I also agree with your assessment of #15: a fabulous par four where I found out, quite unintentionally, that an approach aimed over the bunker located short and left of the green will catch the slope to the left of the putting surface and funnel toward the flag. The par threes were sort of a mixed bag for me: I really liked #8 and #17, but found #4 and #12 to be almost formulaic Florida golf holes (you could literally find similar holes on dozens of courses). I also did not care for the repetition of the par fours with water down the left side (I count at least three that fit that description). My recollection is that the par fives were okay but nothing memorable. I did like #18 which requires two good shots to have a chance at par or better. I notice on the day you played you caught a break with a front pin position. On my windy Saturday morning, #18 played directly into the wind with a pin position on the very back left. A driver and 3 wood left me just off the front edge with a 35-40 yard pitch. It is too bad that the economics dictate that the course have housing lining the holes (even though it is not that intrusive). Overall, I enjoyed my morning there and would easily put it in the upper echelon of Florida publics that I have played.

It sounds as if you played the Conservatory Course as well. What did you think? I did not care for it. The bunkering was a bit over the top (90% of the bunkers looked alike to me...almost cookie cutter in fashion and not used to great effect) and I did not think a single hole really stood out. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

[Matt Bosela]

Dan:

The course was pretty browned-out when we played due to the fact we played a couple weeks after the Ginn Championship Champions Tour event.  One of the staffers said the greens were 'just coming back' when I asked him about the conditions prior to our first round.  I had no problem whatsoever with the relative lack of 'green' - the course played beautifully and the greens were fast and true.  Needless to say, the day with the 50MPH winds was extremely difficult under those turf conditions, with our balls running into places I didn't know existed

Bill:

We did play three rounds at the Ocean so I saw a front pin, a middle left and a back left.  Funny enough, the day I hit the back left shelf was the day the pictures were taken, leaving me with a 100 foot putt down two ridges.  Fun stuff.  You're right about the housing on the course but I too felt it was pretty tame compared to other places.

We really took it to Bobby Ginn and played 135 holes during our four days on an unlimited golf package so I played the Conservatory four times during my stay.  I have a feeling I liked it a bit more than you did.  It is without a doubt one of the more 'manufactured' courses I've played but we still had a lot of fun playing there.  I will be making a post specific to the Conservatory, with photographs, sometime in the next few days and I'll elaborate more at that time.

[Matt_Ward]

Matt:

Great photos.

A few comments on my several rounds at Ocean Hammock ...

The 1st and 10th holes are the two weakest at the course -- they are merely warm-up holes to the start of each respective nine.

I also think you were a bit harsh on the par-5 6th. Superb gamble hole that makes you think very carefully -- especially on the approach.

The par-4 16th is a superb cape-hole. I've played it when it's downwind -- wind coming off the ocean - and it plays even tougher than the wind plays the other way.

Team Nicklaus did a a fantastic job and for anyone venturing on I-95 through the area it certainly pays to make a stop in Palm Coast and play this gem.

[Andy Troeger]

Matt,
Thanks for the posting the photos. I played both courses at the resort back in December (and actually started a thread on one particular hole at the Conservatory that's in the archives). The Ocean in my mind is definitely the superior of the two courses which I think is pretty well in line with what most folks think...so much for originality right?

The Ocean Course is well done. Its difficult while generally still playable for most golfers. Personally I don't care that much for the sixth; unless you are Matt Ward long there's not much reward for the amount risk required there. If you can really bomb it down there then that would make the hole more fun. Of the Nicklaus courses I've seen it falls somewhere in the middle, behind Castle Pines, Sycamore Hills, and Desert Highlands but ahead of Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain, Superstition Mountain and Broadmoor Mountain (hmm...appears to be a trend there).