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Review
“This is a good excuse for fun golf and a romantic weekend at a five-star, Ritz-Carlton, less than one hour from San Francisco. The Ocean Course is one of two at the resort and more suited to a recreational golfer. The Ocean Course, designed by Arthur Hills, opened in 1997, and has always been a personal favorite because of its three spectacular closing holes above the crashing Pacific. My one quibble had been the longish, ye rough that grabbed errant drives and snagged recovery attempts. Seemed a shame on a course with such rolling terrain and hard-‘n-fast links-style potential. In any round, a good golfer faces more than enough drama. Beginners will find plenty of room to spray errant shots from five sets of tees. The course features several stout, into-the-wind tests. They include the 398-481, par-5, 5th. We had several long hitters in our group, but with the breeze that day, none of us reached the green. The front nine opens with two memorable holes. The 316--394 yard, par-4, 1st rollicks right, down a hill, leaving an appealing approach to a green that appears propped above the Pacific Ocean. Between the uneven terrain, green grass, and blue water, it reminded me, a bit, of Bandon Dunes in Oregon. So do other holes such as the 147-332 yard, 2nd. From the teeing ground, this is a visually daunting, but simple short par-4. Your tee shot requires a forced carry, downhill, to an upwardly slanting fairway pinched by bunkers on either side approaching the green. Hit a fairway metal, hybrid, or long iron, and you won’t need more than a wedge or short iron into the green. Overall, the front nine offers enough challenges to keep a player interested, but as we hinted earlier, the back nine creates more lasting memories, especially with those last three holes. They play to the north, into the wind, parallel to the ocean. The par-4, 281-391 yard, 16th requires a solid tee shot, downhill between pot bunkers right and left, followed by a forced carry across a deep creek, to a wide, 25-yard deep green. The 74-184 yard 17th can be a simple par-3, assuming you reach the green, but if you hit your shot short and left or just plain left, don’t even bother to look for your ball. Try not to delay play as you photograph this hole. The 397-533 yard, par-5, 18th, requires a forced carry up a cliff to an elevated fairway. A large bunker protects the inside left elbow, followed by five more on that side, all the way through the green. It’s a good hole, but not a great one. Because of the wind, most players will not be able to reach in two shots, eliminating the thrills of a last-hole charge or challenge. When finished, visit the Ritz-Carlton and enjoy a libation on the back veranda, overlooking the venerable 18th of The Old Course, which we will review at a later time. The Ocean Course has received numerous awards. Golf Digest named it as a Top Ten Best Upscale New Course, but that was quite a while ago. I am one of those Golf Digest panelists, and for now, at least, the course does not qualify for voting in any of our categories, including Top Ten in State. Depending on how the course executes these new design features, that status could certainly improve. Meantime, The Ocean Course may be a perfect resort experience when one considers the views, the hotel, and the ambiance."
Read More2023
Review
“Beautiful setting - looks like a Scottish links course over rolling dunes. Not as challenging as the Old course at HMB but can get interesting if the wind is blowing. The middle of the front 9 has a stretch of ho-hum holes playing along adjacent fairways but the back 9 has many strong holes, particularly the final stretch of 16-18 which play along cliffs overlooking the beach. Unfortunately it doesn't drain as well as a true links; conditions are generally more favorable in the summer. Greens used to be firm, fast, and smooth but have been disappointing in recent years."
Read More2022
Review
“Much better than the Old Course. However, still over-priced for what is a nice, enjoyable, and entirely OK course."
Read More2018
Review
“Course that should have been much better with the property it had available."
Read More2018
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