Hammock Creek Golf Club (Palm City, FL)

Hammock Creek was designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1996 and was the headquarters of the now defunct Golden Bear Tour. It blends in beautifully with the surrounding environs and possesses a solid routing mostly devoid of housing. It is kept in impeccable condition and has very quick greens. 

My opinion of Jack’s architecture has improved after playing Glenmoor and Barrington, both 1990s courses here in northeast Ohio, and Hammock Creek fits into that category too. The fairways are wide and possess solid driving lines. Most of the trouble is found at the greens which are well bunkered. The course has water but it’s not in your face and can be easily avoided by the weaker or high handicap player. These features make Hammock Creek a very popular track, and several of the guys vouched for it. The fact it was overwhelmingly praised by all the South Florida Ryder Cup participates is testimony to that. 

(The 380/365 yard par four fifth moves slightly right off the tee with several bunkers guarding that line…

…if one can get the proper angle and shorter club than the front bunkers are less intimidating. If you’ve bailed left off the tee then a longer shot is needed to cover the sand.) 

(The 181/165 yard par three sixth has an angled green who’s front half is hidden behind the bunker. The left half is visible from the tee but it plays much longer.)

The par threes surprised me the most. Only one had water in play. The other three allowed a more conservative shot. With danger taken out of the one shotters, Hammock Creek set up for a fun day of golf. Even the par fives lacked the water fronting the green scenario. Truthfully, I never would have thought that this was a Nicklaus course. It was way more fun and playable than anything I’ve seen of his. 

(The 577/551 yard par five ninth has a wide fairway for both the drive and second shot. The water on the left should not come into play. The slightly elevated green is well bunkered short and on the sides.) 

(This is a typical view from several of the tee boxes. I love the width of the fairway but also the player-friendly approach of the water basically being out of play.) 

(The 151/141 yard par three fourteenth is the only one defended by water. The green extends behind the sand and to the right. Today’s pin on the front left is the most accessible and is the proper place for the tee shot. No need to take on anything over the trap.) 

(The 555/533 yard par five seventeenth doglegs right to a green defended by a Sahara bunker complete with palm trees in the middle. The pin is visible in this pic but gets noticeably smaller the further right it goes.) 

Hammock Creek is the furthest north we’ve played golf during Ryder Cup week in the seven years I’ve been coming to South Florida. It was received so well that I’m sure it’ll get another go around in the future. Our best rounds were posted from here by several different players. It is a solid course and worthy of seeking out if one is in the Stewart/Port St Lucie area. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

(The 447/427 yard par four eighteenth wiggles right off the tee where a small tree guards the tiger line…
…this tree influences many shots not hit far enough or too much to the right. The hole is into the wind and plays longer than even the listed yardage …
…the green is sloped back to front with a larger bunker guarding the left side. Short is the proper miss with a reasonable chance to save par. A four is a good score.) 

[We played the blue tees (the par threes were from the whites) with Keith and I giving eight strokes to Abe and Steve. I have never lost a match playing with Keith but I knew this would be a tough one. Together we had three birdies. Keith really stuck it to them on the sixteenth when his six footer smashed the hole for a halve and we were able to close it out with a par on seventeen winning 2&1.]

Lely Resort Mustang Course (Naples, FL)

My first blog of the new year begins in the beautiful city of Naples Florida. The Lely Resort has three courses to choose from and the Mustang is credited as a Lee Trevino design. Every course at the resort is kept in pristine condition. The price to play reflects this but thankfully it was free for me since I was a guest of my cousin who is a member here. The Mustang is considered the easiest of the three. It’s wide fairways and abundant playing areas allows players to find their ball and advance it forward. 

(The 150/128 yard par three eighth has an angled green who’s central bunker must be carried to attack most pin positions. A wide expanse of fairway short lets weaker players make the carry and still have a chance for par.) 

I liked the Mustang’s overall look. It wasn’t overly mounded and flowed well from tee to green. Some of the water hazards leaked into the landing areas so one had to be aware. This meant playing some of the doglegs honestly with no ability to cut the corners. Longer hitters can take the risk and gain a huge advantage if they’re successful. Most of the green complexes are elevated but they have openings to run the ball on. 

(The 142/131 yard par three fifth is a lovely shot over the wetlands. It’s all carry with bunkers guarding the front.) 

Architecturally, centerline bunkers are used on a few holes, specifically 3 and 18, and force the golfer to make a decision on how to attack. Many of the holes move one way or the other and even the straight ones positioned the bunkers so one has to tact their way around the trouble. 

(The 141/126 yard par three sixteenth has a lima shaped green that curves behind the water, rocks, and sand.) 

Lely’s Mustang course is the classic definition of what resort golf should be… fun, playable, and scoreable. I really enjoyed the course and it’s pristine condition made for an even better day. It has all the ingredients that makes a snowbird’s game solid. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play).

(The yardages I listed were from the green and white tees. The black tees will ratchet up the challenge less one thinks it’s too easy.) 

[we played from the green tees which at 6627 yards is a tad more than I like to play. Usually I’m hitting a lot of fairway metal and hybrid approach shots at this distance. I had a chance to break 80 but I bogeyed three of the last four holes. I always have a hard time getting used to the golf when I arrive in Florida. It’s a different game than what we have back home.]