The Oak Marsh course winds through
six miles of sand dunes, live oaks
and a coastal maritime hammock.
ocean and the green,” Hauer added. “As
you come up the hill and circle around the
green, the view is just spectacular.”
And while the 15th hole is the third
hardest on the course, with Nos. 18 and 9
leading the way in difficulty, respective-
ly, wind is always a factor on the Ocean
Course, which features nearly one mile
of frontage ocean golf.
“The wind gets going pretty good some-
times,” said Hauer. “You won’t experience
anything like this in Florida except for
here and when it’s high tide and the waves
are rolling in, it’s definitely very cool.”
With water on 14 of its 18 holes, the
Ocean Course also features “The Bear
Claw,” Nicklaus’s signature holes on 15,
16, 17 and 18, that were designed to show-
case the most picturesque views of the
beach and ocean.
The Ocean Course reopened in Novem-
ber 2017, following a 13-month resto-
ration resulting from severe damage by
Hurricane Matthew in the fall of 2016.
The restoration, which replanted the
entire course with more salt-tolerant
Platinum Paspalum turf, was necessary
after high winds and storm surge dumped
the Atlantic Ocean over the dune line and
soaked “The Bear Claw” with damaging
salt water.
“We improved on what we had before the
hurricane and now we mow the majority of
the golf course at fairway heights,” Hauer
added. “It’s a big, pristine setting with no
rough throughout the course, so you have a
great lie, no matter where you hit the ball.”
But even with the post-storm improve-
ments, Hauer says the Ocean Course is
a property worth experiencing for all
serious east-coast golfers. It is on Golf
Digest’s 2018 “Best Golf Resorts In Flori-
da” list and has been a top golf destination
for years, for good reason, he noted.
“We have something no one else has, and
that’s a half dozen holes right on the ocean
with really spectacular views,” he added.
“Golfers have been very, very impressed by
what we have here at the Ocean Course.”
For more information about courses,
golf travel packages and golf activities in
North Florida, visit Florida-Golf.org.
view and from the tee, you are looking
over the water and marsh grasses toward
the fairway,” said Block.
Bordering the narrow 17th fairway are
gaping bunkers to the right and the mean-
dering marsh to the left. The awaiting
green is tucked back into the marsh and
requires a precision approach shot.
“I love that hole because it captures
all the senses and is beautiful to the eye,”
Block added. “Plus, the wind is always
blowing and you are playing into the
wind, so you really have to pay attention.”
Head south on I-95 to Hammock Beach
Resort (866-841-0287) in Palm Coast to
experience both of its two coastal cham-
pionship courses.
While The Conservatory Course designed
by Tom Watson has been ranked among the
longest and most difficult courses in Flori-
da, it’s the Ocean Course, designed by Jack
Nicklaus, that features stunning holes along
the shores of the Atlantic.
“We have six holes right on the Atlan-
tic Ocean and every one of them is very
unique, but my favorite hole would be No.
15,” said Brad Hauer, general manager of
Hammock Beach Resort and the former
director of golf. “It’s on the coastline and
offers quite a view.”
Hauer describes the 15th hole as one
of the more difficult par-4s on the golf
course. It is slightly more elevated than
the other holes and plays directly toward
the ocean from the tee.
“The green sits on the shore of the
ocean and the cart path sits between the
The Conservatory Course (left) at Hammock Beach Resort (right), is ranked among the most difficult to play in Florida.
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