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About Golf In Palm Coast, FL
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Palm Coast, Florida (Return to Previous Page)
One thing is for sure: you don't need a palm reader to help you determine if Palm Coast, Florida is a good pick for a good time. Located just twenty-five miles south of America's oldest city (St. Augustine), Palm Coast is actually one of the state's newest cities (incorporated only in 1999). But while the City may be new, the area's reputation for providing visitors with lots of sun and tons of fun is not. An average daily temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit? Twenty-six miles of Atlantic coastline? Fantastic fishing? Sensational shopping? Superb seafood? Jogging trails? Salt and freshwater canals and a beautiful Intracoastal canal? Goodness, what more do you need to know about? Oh, right: golf.
Well, gaze into the crystal ball here and ... see that? That, friends, is the beautiful Ginn Hammock Beach Resort, one of the nicest facilities on the entire east coast and home to four very fine golf courses. The first course to be built at Hammock Beach - Palm Harbor - is also the first course you should pick to play when you're planning your package. The reason is because this 1973 Bill Amick design is not particularly long or flooded with water hazards. It will give you a chance to get your feet wet, so to speak, but not all of your golf balls - you just might need them later.
A lot longer and much more challenging is the Pine Lakes course at Hammock Beach, a 1982 design by Arnold Palmer and his long-time collaborator Ed Seay. For good reason, the Pine Lakes layout is ranked among the top 50 courses in Florida. It's big (7,074 yards from the tips), tough (there are water hazards on 10 holes) and intimidating, but still playable if you pick the right tees for you and your foursome. The same could be said for Matanzas Woods, another Palmer/Seay layout at Hammock Beach, this one built in 1986. The course is named for a Spanish fort that was constructed along the coastline between 1740 and 1742 and the moniker is appropriate for this challenging tract. In Spanish, Matanzas means "massacre." But just like at Pine Lakes, Metanzas Woods is manageable if you don't try to take it on at its full 6,894-yard length. Choose the right tees, keep it in play, and you'll have a chance to end your round with a smile on your face at the signature hole at Matanzas Woods: the par-5 18th. The finishing hole here - with its small, island green - is not only one of the most photographed in all of Florida but one of its best. It's an exciting end to an always enjoyable day at Matanzas Woods.
A word to the wise, however. Both Pine Lakes and Metanzas Woods are semi-private clubs, so it's very possible that morning tee times will be blocked out for the members. The afternoons should be open, though, so call ahead and secure your slot. Also, due to the influx of visitors that come here during the week of The Players Championship up the road in Jacksonville in March, these two courses might be booked solid for those seven days. Pick a package for Palm Coast the week before or the week after, and you won't have trouble obtaining tee times.
Did somebody say "trouble"? Welcome to the Jack Nicklaus-designed Hammock Beach - Ocean Course course here at the resort. Opened in 2000, Hammock Beach - Ocean Course immediately began to receive rave reviews from guests and major publications alike. Links Magazine called it a "modern classic." Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine quickly placed it on their lists of "Best New Courses" available to the public. And no wonder. Set along the dunes land that borders the Atlantic, this gorgeous, wind-swept golf course features more play on the ocean than any other layout on Florida's east coast. Beautiful? You bet. Calling it the "Pebble Beach of the east" is not an exaggeration. But if you know Nicklaus, you know that Hammock Beach - Ocean Course is no bear cub of a course. Factor in the normal breezy conditions and it's a lock that this 7,201-yard layout would be a large pain for even the best players on the planet. For that reason alone, leave the back tees alone and pick a set of markers that are much more manageable. Believe it: you are going to need all of your strength for the final four holes at Hammock Beach - Ocean Course. To regular players here, this sturdy closing stretch is known as "The Bear Claw." Does that sound grrrrreat or what? Winter, summer, spring or fall, Palm Coast, Florida is a pretty terrific pick for any golf package. And you don't need tarot cards to tell you so.
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