Hammock Beach sits on the barrier island at Palm Coast, roughly halfway between St Augustine and Daytona Beach. Its Ocean Course is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design with six holes set directly on the Atlantic, which the resort says is more than any other course in Florida. The closing four, which Nicklaus himself nicknamed the Bear Claw, run back along the dunes to finish beside the ocean. It is not sold on the discount tee-time sites, and golf listings describe it as reserved for resort guests, members and their guests. Plan the stay first and the golf follows.
Hammock Beach Golf Resort (Ocean Course) green fees and tee times.
The resort does not set out its access rules online, but golf listings describe the Ocean Course as played by resort guests, club members and members’ guests, and its tee times do not appear on the discount booking websites. So the practical route is a room booking at the resort, then a call to the Ocean Course pro shop on 386.447.4611 to set tee times. The resort’s most popular offer, the Just Golf package, gives up to 25% off accommodation and one round per person per night on either course, with the cart included, plus a free arrival round on the Conservatory Course after midday or an Ocean Course upgrade for $125. A second package pairs a $100 golf credit with a $100 spa credit on a two-night minimum stay. No standalone green fee is published, so prices are on request: the pro shop quotes rates when you book. Groups get a dedicated golf service coordinator.
The round, in perspective.
The Ocean Course opened in 2000. Hurricane Matthew battered it in 2016, and rather than patch it up, the owners brought Nicklaus Design back for a restoration that reopened the course on 2 November 2017. Every tee and green complex was rebuilt, the bunkers were refilled with white sand, new mounding was added to protect the holes, and fairways, greens and rough were regrassed with salt-tolerant Platinum Paspalum, which came through Hurricane Irma in September 2017 before the reopening. The front nine winds among lakes and wetlands, with a peninsula green at the par-five 6th, then turns to the sea at the 8th, a par three played towards the Atlantic, and the 9th, which finishes below the Hammock House veranda. After the inland 10th to 14th, the Bear Claw begins: the uphill 15th to a green on the dunes, the 16th around a lake, the short 17th aimed at the ocean, and a 466-yard 18th to an elevated green.
Know before you go.
Who can play
Resort guests, members and members’ guests (per golf listings)
Tee times
Ocean Course pro shop, 386.447.4611
Carts
Cart fee included in Just Golf package rounds
Turf
Platinum Paspalum; not overseeded in winter
Pro shop hours
7am–5pm daily
Make the trip work.
Most visitors build a three- or four-night stay and split rounds between the Ocean Course and Tom Watson’s Conservatory Course, a few minutes inland, which has an island-green par-three 8th as its signature hole and takes its name from a British-style glass-domed clubhouse. Hammock House, whose veranda overlooks the 9th green, is open from 7am to 7pm. Because the turf is not overseeded, the course plays the same paspalum surface all winter rather than switching to ryegrass.
Daytona Beach International (DAB) is the closest airport, about 35 miles south by road. Jacksonville International (JAX), with far more nonstop flights, is roughly 85 miles north, an hour and a half on I-95. Orlando (MCO) is about 90 minutes away. The resort is at 200 Ocean Crest Drive, Palm Coast, east of the Intracoastal Waterway off State Road A1A. You will want a hire car.
Everything is on site. Rooms run from one-bedroom suites to two-, three- and four-bedroom condominiums across the Ocean Tower, the Main Tower, the Lodge and the villas. The resort also lets vacation rentals at Yacht Harbor Village, Cinnamon Beach and private homes. Dining runs from Atlantic Grille and Delfinos Italian Chophouse to Loggerheads Sports Pub and Stix Authentic Sushi, with Beach Brew for coffee. Beyond the golf there is the beach, pools, a full-service spa, racquet sports and pickleball.
Make a trip of it.
The Conservatory is the obvious second round, and Hammock Dunes Club next door is private. St Augustine is about 40 minutes north, and World Golf Village’s King & Bear and Slammer & Squire, which take public tee times, are around 45 minutes away by I-95, and TPC Sawgrass is about an hour away. Off the course, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, a short drive up A1A, has formal gardens and a coquina-rock shoreline, and Daytona Beach is under an hour south.
Find your season.
Late autumn to spring is the main golf season; July and August bring sticky heat and thunderheads most afternoons, and named storms are possible from June to November. Published 2027 closures are aerification from 21 to 25 June and 16 to 20 August, plus maintenance on 19 and 20 July. The PGA TOUR Champions Constellation Furyk & Friends was held here in 2026.
Can non-guests play the Hammock Beach Ocean Course?
Generally not. Golf listings describe tee times as reserved for resort guests, club members and their guests, and the course is not sold on discount tee-time sites. Booking even one night at the resort is the usual way in; the pro shop then books your tee time.
How much does it cost to play the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach?
The resort does not publish a standalone green fee. Golf is priced through stay-and-play packages: the Just Golf offer includes one round per person per night with cart, and guests on that package can upgrade the arrival round to the Ocean Course for $125.
What is the Bear Claw at Hammock Beach?
It is Jack Nicklaus’s own nickname for holes 15 to 18 of the Ocean Course. The stretch includes an uphill par four to a dune-top green, a dogleg around a lake, a short par three hit towards the ocean, and a 466-yard par-four finish.
Which airport is closest to Hammock Beach?
Daytona Beach International (DAB), about 35 miles away. Jacksonville (JAX) is around 85 miles north and often has better fares and nonstop routes, so many golfers fly there and drive down I-95.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
