Ginn (Ocean) Hammock GL
Palm Coast, FL (about 90 minutes south of Jacksonville)
Golf Digest, 10/06
T&L Golf, 2007, 11/04 & Nov/Dec 2003
YARDAGE/SLOPE: 7,201/147. '06 GREENS FEES: $235. ARCHITECT: Jack Nicklaus, 2000.
'07 T&L Golf Deal: Ginn Hammock Beach Resort, Palm Coast
The Deal
Stay & Play: choice of accommodations; one round at either Jack Nicklaus's Ocean course (formerly named Ocean Hammock) or Tom Watson's expansive, bunker-laden Conservatory course
Price*
From $189 per golfer, through December 31, 2007
The Golf
The Ocean course's four closing holes, known as the Bear Claw, are as challenging as their views are beguiling. Watson's new Conservatory course, which lies inland from the Atlantic, may be one of the toughest in the state.
Watson's Conservatory Course
Golf Digest Review, 10/06:
Long Weekend Florida’s Palm Coast is sleepy, but its golf will wake you up
Ocean Hammock #9
By Peter Finch
Visitors to the Palm Coast region of Florida won’t find much “there” there, to borrow Gertrude Stein’s famous phrase. But happily, what this area lacks in night life and cultural diversions, it makes up for in sunny days, memorable golf and a relaxing vacation. The area, which is 30 minutes south of St. Augustine on the east coast, features Ocean Hammock Golf Club ($235 with cart, www.oceanhammock.com), a linksy, wind-swept Jack Nicklaus design that starts and ends along the Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 2000 and rated 80th among Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, Ocean Hammock is where Michelle Wie, then 13, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Publinx Championship in 2003. Unless you’ve got her game, keep in mind that this is one difficult course, with a rating of 77.0 from the 7,201-yard championship tees. Because there’s not a lot to do at night, you might as well play more golf.
Near Ocean Hammock is a foursome of strong courses, all charging $75 a round (www.hamptongolfclub.com). The best is Grand Haven Golf Club, a private Nicklaus course. Three public courses carry the Grand Club banner: Cypress, Matanzas and Pine.
Visit here: Historic St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, was founded in 1565. It has a vibrant downtown, with good restaurants and many antiques and crafts stores. Stop by the Oldest House Museum Complex, which includes an art gallery, an ornamental garden and a Spanish Colonial dwelling that dates to the early 1700s.
Eat here: For casual dining, one dependable favorite among locals is JT’s Seafood Shack on North Oceanshore Blvd. (386-446-4337). Try the fish tacos. If you’re looking for something a little finer, head 10 minutes south to Flagler Beach, where Blue at the Topaz (386-439-4322) combines an eclectic menu with ocean views from its patio.
Stay here: Ocean Hammock Resort (800-654-6538) has a variety of price points, from two-bedroom villas on the Intracoastal Waterway ($179 a night in September) to three-bedroom oceanview condos ($495). Its owners have razed the old Harborside Inn and are rebuilding it as the Palm Coast Resort, scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.
Travel advisory: The closest major airport to the Palm Coast is Jacksonville International (JAX), a little less than 90 minutes away. But when booking a trip, don’t rule out Orlando International Airport (MCO). Though the drive is about 15 minutes longer, you will find more and better-priced flights there. Plus, as you might have heard, Orlando has some theme parks.
T&L Golf Review, 11/04: The best set of oceanside holes in the region belongs to a new course south of St. Augustine called Ocean Hammock Golf Club. It's a Jack Nicklaus design, but in contrast to other seaside courses he's done, where he got just a few pinched acres of beachfront property to work with, at Ocean Hammock Nicklaus had space for two long par fours parallel to the beach and a couple of good par threes that play out to the water. The rest of the course is solid.
T&L Golf Review, Nov/Dec 2003: Think Nicklaus, the first oceanfront course in FL since 1929, a British Indies getaway, and a track like Royal Troon with better weather, and you've got Ocean Hammock GC&L (800-654-6538, $185-$205, Palm Coast). A fabulous parcel of sandy hammocks within sight and sound of the pounding surf. Using the earth from 10 manmade lakes to sculpt a prototype shoreline links, Nicklaus created a brilliant strategic test through scrub-covered dunes, oaks, and pines. Green shapes, bunker depths, and hole orientations were used to create a varied canvas that tests shot making to the max. The par-4 9th with rolling dunes framing the right side, is the real deal.
