Hammock Beach (Ocean) - Florida - USA

Hammock Beach Ocean course may be my favorite Nicklaus course. The first hole is a welcoming par, favor left of center to take the right fairway bunkers out of play. The elevated tee is protected on the front left with a bunker. The 2nd is a reachable par five but it does have water down most of the left side. The right fairway bunkers are strategically placed to diminish the probability of getting home in two. This undulating green is well protected and if you do not have a green light lie, consider laying up as being left or right of this green creates challenges. The third bends a wee bit right, I would advise aiming at the right side of the left fairway bunker. If you can clear the right fairway bunker you take the bunker mine front left out of play. The 4th is a mid-length Florida par three with compass bunkers surrounding the green. The 5th is a dogleg left around a water hazard. It is surprisingly the number 3 handicap hole, but it was my first birdie. You can definitely cut the corner, but it does become a question of how hungry are you? The 6th also goes left, unfortunately, the tee box aims into the right mangroves and I wasn’t smart enough to know it. It is reachable in two, water all the way down the left side and the green is just about an island floating in the hazard. Good risk reward that I failed. The 7th is a long par four that leans right. There is a water hazard down the left side and it has one of the smallest landing areas off the tee. The 8th is a par three that is perpendicular to the ocean. Thus, there is usually a breeze in your face, the green is elevated with a pot bunker left and three right. The 9th is a beast, the longest par four, paralleling the ocean and heading south to north. It is the number one handicap hole to an elevated green with sandwiching bunkers. Pars are earned.

The back starts with a reachable par five, unless you smother hook it into the left fairway bunker. The green is elevated with four bunkers in front. The 11th is a fun hole, short dogleg left with water down the left side. There is a fairway bunker in the middle of the fairway that is about 130 yards out. Right is safe, the brave and foolish go left. Not sure if I was brave or foolish, but I did snag another birdie. The 12th is the longest par three with water left. I bailed out and it did not end well. The 13th is a straight, tight and demanding par four. If you can fly the left fairway bunker, do it. Otherwise, coming in from the right side will force you to carry a right front bunker. The 14th is the longest par five, yet at 545 yards, the big dogs can still get home. Water all the way down the right and it is much shorter coming in from the right. If you can carry the right fairway bunker you will still have 225 yards into a just about all carry green. Play it as a three shotter. The long par 4 15th runs back out to the ocean. Fairway bunkers right, an elevated green into an ocean wind. I don’t feel so bad about double bogeying in hindsight. The 16th felt like groundhog day as it is dogleg left eerily similar to 11, 11 yards shorter but with no middle fairway bunker. A super birdie hole. The 17th is the shortest par three, but has the same look and feel as the 8th. The 18th is the 9th except it is running north to south.

I really liked this course. (of course, I did play well) My expectations were low, as typically I do not play Nicklaus courses well as they tend to lean right. This had the most left turns of any of his courses that I have played. The holes had an element of déjà vu. It certainly is not a value course, but I really enjoyed it.

Beautiful Nicklaus design. Play early in the morning before the winds pick up! A great test of golf.

Another full disclosure moment for me: I am simply not a fan of Jack Nicklaus-designed courses. While I found Hammock Beach's Ocean course to be a solid resort course, I came away thinking that other architects would have resulted in a significantly better course. Just my $0.02...

Creating a fun and challenging resort course is never an easy assignment. The diverse nature of those likely to play can prove a tough hurdle to overcome for many architects. Make the course too easy and those with serious game will head elsewhere. On the flip side -- make it too hard and those with higher handicaps will likely play one time and say adios for good.

The Nicklaus effort with the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach aligns itself in a solid manner -- being able to provide an elasticity that carries the day on all fronts.

The layout features point blank views of the Atlantic Ocean and there's no questions the scenery elements are among the best in all of Florida.

The routing is also able to weave its way around the predictable inclusion of housing -- but in this case the housing is kept far enough away from the actual corridors of play.

There's little in terms of fairway shaping or ground movement -- Florida simply cannot produce anything remotely close to providing for the bounce of the ball given the spongy turf. But the pacing of the holes and the variety of shots needed to score successfully are blended well.

The round commences with a mild start -- good enough to get the golf muscles untracked for what lies ahead. Like so many other Florida courses water is clearly a part of the design but the Nicklaus team has attempted to provide as much width as possible. There's also a clear risk/reward avenue for players on nearly every hole. You can take on as much as your golf game is capable in providing.

The outward side concludes with two strong holes at the par-3 8th and the long par-4 9th which runs south-to-north along the coastline. The prevailing wind is generally with players and the desire to play down the more advantageous right side is tempting but be sure to heed caution for any miss on that side will pay a heavy price on one's ego and scorecard.

The inward side -- with the exception of the lackluster par-5 10th -- is the better of the two nines. More change of pace situations with a much more comprehensive routing is in store that never lacks for variety. The well-designed effort at the mid-length par-4 11th is a wonderful example in forcing players to think carefully before pulling the trigger. There's water to be avoided but also a few pesky bunkers located in the right place. One of the strong suits at the Ocean Course is the demands placed from all of the par-3 holes. Nicklaus has never been one to create blasé such holes and you find that with the grouping here.

The concluding four holes -- labeled "The Bear's Claw" -- is a good mixture. The long par-4 15th plays back to the ocean. The dogleg left cape-like hole at the 16th is quite good. How much does one dare to take on the corner of the hole with the tee shot? The par-3 17th is also a visual treat to a well-crafted green.

The final hole plays in a similar manner to the 9th -- however - this time you play parallel to the ocean on a north-to-south basis. Each of the putting greens for the quartet of holes is angled to accept only the best of approaches.

Truth be told, Florida golf can only do certain things given the lack of topography and the usual continual involvements of water hazards and the need to fit housing into the mixture. My five golf ball rating is reflective of how the Ocean Course fits in with other courses I've played in the Sunshine State. The Nicklaus effort makes it a point to provide enough visual stimuli that clearly goes beyond what is generally found at other courses in Florida.

Fortunately, Nicklaus did not get carried away as he has done at other courses in the State in applying design features in a clearly heavy handed and artificial manner. Amazingly, the Ocean Course does not get the kind of attention that others do in Florida and likely that's because of its location. For those who are near the Daytona area I'd certainly recommend it.

M. James Ward