HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- Arnold Palmer was just beginning his course-design career when he and Francis Duane teamed up to build the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links in 1973. The 7,001-yard course, located 30 miles south of San Francisco, was only his second project. Its strong routing and spectacular finish was a harbinger of what was to come from the King as an architect.
Palmer's design firm has built more than 200 courses around the world. Only a handful are as good as Half Moon Bay. A neighborhood of colorful homes surrounds the Old Course most of the day before the grand finale -- two finishing holes with views of the Pacific Ocean.
The round starts casually, building momentum at the risk-reward, par-5 fifth hole. The stout, par-4 eighth hole falls downhill to a green that slopes away. The scenic, par-4 ninth stares directly at the entrance to the famed Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.
On the back nine, ponds on the par-3 13th and the par-5 15th creep dangerously close the greens. Once golfers survive the canyon of the tough par-4 16th hole, they turn left toward the coast. The views from the 167-yard 17th hole provide a teaser to what's in store at no. 18. The 405-yard finishing hole follows the beachfront cliffs in mesmerizing fashion.
The Ritz, in all its glory, adds more visual thunder. A bagpiper hired by the hotel serenades golfers who finish at dusk Wednesdays through Sundays.
Several Golf Advisor reviews awarded the Old Course five stars. User u000004951011 wrote: "Playing number 18 may be the best golf experience I've had. The other 16 holes are great too."
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 18th
The ocean-view rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay overlook the 18th hole on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links.
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Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 3rd
The 225-yard third hole is a stout par 3 on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 5th
The pond to the right of the fifth green on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links makes going for the 499-yard par 5 in two a risky proposition.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 6th
The par-4 sixth hole on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links swings left off of a fairway bunker.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 8th
The eighth hole on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links tumbles downhill after the tee shot.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 9th
The par-4 ninth hole on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links heads toward the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 10th
The par-5 10th hole on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links doglegs left and climbs uphill to a bunkered green.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
The Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links - 12th
Mounds constrict the entry point to the 12th green on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 13th
With a pond left and wetland right, the 13th hole on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links is a dangerous par 3.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 14th
Few players hit the 14th green in regulation while playing the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 16th
Trees left and a hazard right and in front: There's plenty of trouble on the par-4 16th hole of the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - 17th
The par-3 17th hole on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links introduces the views of the Pacific.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - no. 18
The par-4 18th hole is why everybody plays the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
(based on 1 reviews)