After a quick round at Ocean Palm we headed south to check out Oceans Golf Club, which is in Daytona Beach Shores. Like Ocean Palm, Oceans is a short course. However, that is where the similarities stop. In its current condition, Ocean Palm is forgettable. On the other hand, Oceans turned out to be an excellent short course. I liked a number of things about it.

First, the conditions were very nice. The cost was $17 to walk (no carts that I saw) and most areas of turf were lush. The tee boxes had plenty of grass and it looked like the tees get moved around frequently, so that all the divots don’t collect in one area. Most greens were smooth and rolled at a medium pace. There were some bare/thin areas in shaded spots, but nothing to complain about.

Second, Oceans was a nice walk. The course is routed through some tall condos and just across the street from the Atlantic Ocean – think a nice coastal breeze during the round. Even though the condos are close to the course, they never really bothered me because of where the greens and tees are located. Plus, there is plenty of nice landscaping to create separation. Lots of palm trees and flowering bushes line the holes. The presentation here reminded me of a course you’d find somewhere in South Florida.

Finally, I enjoyed the layout. Oceans is a 13-hole par-3 course with all short holes. The blue tees only play 1,170 yards and nine of the holes are 100 yards or less. The shortest hole is only 40 yards and I actually putted the ball onto the green from the tee. Fun! The other four holes are in the 115 to 125 yard range, so you probably won’t need the whole bag around here. I hit my gap wedge on many holes and could have got away with carrying only three or four clubs.

The course’s main defensive are the small, turtleback greens. Unless you are an excellent short iron player, I wouldn’t expect to hit many greens since they are small targets. There are even a few greens that make it tough to keep a chip shot on the surface.

I realize a pitch-and-putt style course isn’t everyone’s thing, and I respect that. However, if you enjoy these types of courses then I’d call Oceans a hidden gem. If you are in the area and looking for a place to play quickly, work on your short game or bring the family then I’d highly recommend playing here.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):