Monday 24th; Cloudy and cool, 8 am tee 3 ball following several foursomes, just over 4 hour round. Everything is extremely well maintained. The greens were the most impressive with soft poa holding an... Continue »

Monday 24th; Cloudy and cool, 8 am tee 3 ball following several foursomes, just over 4 hour round. Everything is extremely well maintained. The greens were the most impressive with soft poa holding and rolling true and fast. Drinks cart started around 10 am, but lots of water stations. The Ocean Course is remote from the clubhouse so you do not pass any F&B during the round. Interesting layout with some holes on the back nine passing dangerously close to one another (lots of FORE calls), but nice vistas.
Good with a deal to 'tick the box' of HMB. Eclub offer Monday $85 all day all you can play. Nice clubhouse with grill, or go upmarket to the Ritz Carlton immediately next door.

Played the course on 7/23/09. Early afternoon, light foggy overcast, but no wind. Very scenic, not very long from the whites. Lots of ocean views along the cliff. Stay out of the hazard & long gra... Continue »

Played the course on 7/23/09. Early afternoon, light foggy overcast, but no wind. Very scenic, not very long from the whites. Lots of ocean views along the cliff. Stay out of the hazard & long grass. Greens were Stimp 11, very fast, in great shape. Great golfing conditions and a fairly empty course made for a 3-hour round.

Great conditions and natural views. Made great use of what mother nature provided

Great conditions and natural views. Made great use of what mother nature provided

Top notch & class act all the way thru from greeting at bag drop to final putt, I really felt like this was a special day. I even went to the 18th on the old course to get a view of what was to be se... Continue »

Top notch & class act all the way thru from greeting at bag drop to final putt, I really felt like this was a special day. I even went to the 18th on the old course to get a view of what was to be seen for next time out here. Visually, the Ocean course is stunning links layout with a great mix of shot and long par 3's & 4's. I really did use every club in my bag and had birdies to doubles to post. Course conditions were great and I would expect it to improve at the weather gets better. My favorite holes were the 16th and 17th.

This is an excellent course. Interesting layout, especially the first eight holes and the finishing stretch (16-17-18). In calm conditions, HMB is probably a fairly gentle test. But the prevailing ... Continue »

This is an excellent course. Interesting layout, especially the first eight holes and the finishing stretch (16-17-18). In calm conditions, HMB is probably a fairly gentle test. But the prevailing winds usually blow in strong (and cold) from the Pacific. The cross-wind finishing holes become especially problematic. My favorites: 2nd, a short-4 par with a claustrophobic tee shot over a barranca to green-sized fairway; 16th, a downhill dogleg right par 4, usually played into brisk left-to-right wind, green guarded by water hazard. Greens were still bumpy from recent aeration, but look to be coming back very healthy. Dense rough places huge premium on accuracy; only the strongest golfers can play from this stuff. Special word about the groundscrew; they were always mindful of approaching players, equipment was turned off as we played through. Most courses make no effort in this regard.

played the Ocean course in spring 2007. Conditions were firm and good.

Does not play like a true links course on most holes (cannot putt from off greens or do bump & runs).

Most holes are strai... Continue »

played the Ocean course in spring 2007. Conditions were firm and good.

Does not play like a true links course on most holes (cannot putt from off greens or do bump & runs).

Most holes are straight (not many doglegs creating angles into greens).

To me, felt a little cramped.

(Suggestion: rather than pay full rate, go to Pasatiempo and pay a little more for a better course. Or drive to Pebble and pay a lot more for a more memorable experience.)

The greens were punched less than a week ago, but the $50 e-mail rate made the deal worthwhile. We got very lucky with a warm, clear day and very little wind. I'm only sorry I didn't score a little be... Continue »

The greens were punched less than a week ago, but the $50 e-mail rate made the deal worthwhile. We got very lucky with a warm, clear day and very little wind. I'm only sorry I didn't score a little better with the wind down, but I couldn't seem to find a fairway and that's big trouble here. This rough is SICK. No less than four inches in most places. Not sure if that's typical or just the aftermath of the LPGA Samsung tournament from a few weeks back. Overall, though, no complaints. The service is top rate, the views are great and the course is a good links layout. Would like to play again when the greens have recovered, but that probably means dropping $160. Ouch..

This day, the wind forgot to show up, which shortened some of the holes into the wind. The greens were fast and flawless. The fairways were also fast but very narrow in places. Getting on was one thin... Continue »

This day, the wind forgot to show up, which shortened some of the holes into the wind. The greens were fast and flawless. The fairways were also fast but very narrow in places. Getting on was one thing. Keeping it there was another. Several blind shots from tees and fairways, but aids are there to help out. No trees to worry about.
They are letting the rough grow right now due to the upcoming LPGA tournament this October.
I have never seen such a well signed course. No excuse for getting lost or coming around a corner just as someone is teeing off.
Even if you have a bad round, the veiws and beauty should win you over. I can't wait to play it again.

I love this place. Sure, it gets ripped alot on internet forums and bashed alot by "purists", but I absolutely love playing here. The elements will dictate your round, and that's why everytime I play ... Continue »

I love this place. Sure, it gets ripped alot on internet forums and bashed alot by "purists", but I absolutely love playing here. The elements will dictate your round, and that's why everytime I play here it feels like a completly different golf course. The course itself is in fantastic condition. Everything is green, lush and inviting. E-club helps on the pocketbook, but frankly I don't even care. Here, you have to strike the ball purely to control your ball in the wind and manuever yourself around the course. Fantastic way to spend 4 1/2 hours. Obviously the hotel is an eyesore, but hey, when seals are frolicking off the rocks to the left of the 17th green, its all good.