The Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links has been on my “bucket list” of Northern California courses that I wanted to play and I caught it on a perfect, mid-60’s and calm, winter day. I played the Old Course last fall so I got a taste of golf at the resort, but the Ocean’s $185 green fee kept me away for all these years. I am trying to branch out a bit to some of the higher-end courses when I can, so a weekend deal on Golfnow for $79 made this the perfect time to check out the Ocean Course.
The Ocean Course is ranked as one of the top public courses in California by the golf magazines each year, so I have been anxious to try it out! I played here on New Years Day from the black tees at 72.9/131/6914. The Old Course is a completely different animal, but still decent in its own right.
There is no range here, however the wide-open 1st hole, should give someone a chance to avoid a big number to begin. The course is billed as a “links” course but I never really know what to expect when a course advertises that, as the term is thrown around very loosely in the United States.
I’ve never traveled overseas to Scotland, Ireland, etc to experience true links golf so the “truest” experience that I have with links golf are the courses at Bandon Dunes. From what I’ve read, a true links golf course tends to be near the coast with dunes, mounding, and very few trees. The ball can be played along the firm ground to keep it under the normally stiff breeze. I thought that the Ocean Course turned out to be a good links course in those respects.
The course features wide fairways throughout the round but they weren’t always the easiest to hold. The firm conditions, combined with the many slopes, could cause the ball to roll into a fairway bunker or closely mown chipping area around the green. There is some fescue separating some of the holes. The receptive greens are large and sloping. I played it on a day without much wind so I had as many different shot options as I wanted.
The course starts out with a 394 yard par-4 before allowing for chance to score, if someone can be accurate. The 2nd is a short par-4 and the 3rd is a short par-3, before a 526 yard par-5. Then, the course starts to get a little tougher. The back nine has the signature holes.
The course setup is a little unusual as the front is a par-35 that plays 3164 yards while the back is a par-37, nearly 600 yards longer. Overall the course is a par-72 with five par-3’s, eight par-4’s, and five par-5’s. The back nine builds suspense for the final three holes, which get close to the ocean.
The 16th is a par-4 that plays downhill before things turn and move towards the clubhouse, along the ocean! The 17th is a 184 yard par-3 where I could hear the waves crashing on my tee shot and while putting. The 18th a closing par- 5 with more ocean views.
The Ocean Course is special because of its location, but I am not sure it would be worth $185. However, different people have different price points. If you can find a deal for $100 or less, then I’d highly recommend a round here!
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):
