Hammock Beach Resort: A Unique Golf Experience in the Sunshine State
One of Florida’s Most Spectacular Golf Resorts
By: Jack Ross
Standing on the 8th tee of the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort, you face an intimidating, uphill shot to a green sloping back to front guarded by sinister-looking pot bunkers on the left and the right. The wind is in your face, and you can sense (but can’t see) the Atlantic Ocean beyond the green. Hit and hope. But this challenging par-3 hole is just the warmup.
Hammock Beach Resort: A Game Changer
As you walk off the green, you are treated to a stunning ocean vista – but now face the daunting par-4 ninth hole, which runs south to north along the ocean and plays 468 yards from the tips. (Don’t play the tips.) Hitting your uphill approach shot into a stiff wind (the likely case), you will struggle to reach the green in two. Take your bogey if you can manage it. And grab a well-deserved beer at the turn.
Before I visited Hammock Beach, I thought of Florida courses generically as flat, with lots of water, and similar designs — generally indistinguishable. Great winter getaways but not memorable layouts. Hammock Beach was a game changer.
The Courses: Ocean and Conservatory
This marquee resort in Palm Coast (Daytona/St. Augustine area) offers two spectacular but quite different courses: the Jack Nicklaus Ocean Course on the grounds of the resort, and Tom Watson’s Conservatory about 15 minutes away. On our three-day package, we played the Ocean course twice and the Conservatory once. I came away with a totally different concept of Florida golf, and plan to return to this diverse and inviting resort.
It is ironic that although Florida has over 1,000 miles of coastline, real estate development patterns make ocean-front holes relatively rare in the Sunshine State. The Ocean Course boasts several, notably the 9th and 18th holes — demanding par-4s that skirt the Atlantic in different directions.
The Ocean Course
The signature par-3 17th hole offers a remarkable ocean panorama, although you’ll probably be preoccupied with the challenging tee shot to an elevated green surrounded by pot bunkers and water on one side. When the Ocean Course opened in 2000, Nicklaus boasted that he had created a layout as good any anything you’ll find on the East Coast.
The Conservatory
Tom Watson’s Conservatory is a wonderful balance to the Ocean Course: a links-style layout that is considered one of the longest (7,750 yards from the tips) and most difficult courses in the state but which is quite playable from the Level II (5,227 yards) and Level III (5,792 yards) tees. It is topographically diverse, with large mounds, waterfalls, and brooks.
A Full-Service Resort
Hammock Beach is a full-service resort offering a variety of lodging options, including spacious 1-3 bedroom condominiums in the central tower, which is just a 7-minute walk to the Ocean Course pro shop. You have a choice of several outstanding restaurants (we loved the Italian chop house), or you can grab a burger at the sports bar. It is an exceptionally hospitable community. All of the staff went “above and beyond“ to make our experience top notch. If you play both courses, they will transport your clubs for one to another.
Florida has countless golf options, but few destinations that rival the Hammock Beach Resort. It is a relatively unknown gem, and a unique experience. I had my share of pars. But I’m still proud of my bogey on the 9th hole of the Ocean Course with the wind whipping off the ocean. It is truly a “bear” of a hole.
Go to www.hammockbeach.com.
