Top 100 You Can Play Up Close: Hammock Beach Resort
Hammock Beach Resort (Ocean)
Palm Coast, Florida
7,201 yards, par 72
Green fee: $159-$189
386-447-4611
hammockbeach.com
Worthwhile, accessible golf on the ocean in Florida? Not as easy to find as you'd think. The best option is the Hammock Beach Resort, where you will see, feel and hear the Atlantic, especially on each nine's closing hole.
Located in Northeast Florida, about an hour from both Jacksonville and Orlando, the Ocean course at Hammock Beach ranks No. 78 on Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play.
The Jack Nicklaus design hosted a Champions Tour event in 2007 and '08, and the seniors loved it, both for the friendly layout and the short walk from the nearby hotel, which features three restaurants and an ultra-luxe cigar bar.
Wind can place a high premium on accurate driving, while sharply sloping greens demand deft chipping skills. A pair of oceanside greens—the 185-yard 8th and 174-yard 17th—highlight a fine quartet of par 3s.
(Photo: Hammock Beach Resort)
