Salamander Hotels & Resorts announces Florida course restoration

Salamander Hotels & Resorts has unveiled restoration plans for The Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla.

The Ocean Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design, has six Atlantic Ocean-hugging holes and thrilling closing stretch named “The Bear Claw.” The extensive restoration work, which is being undertaken in conjunction with Nicklaus Design, includes regrassing all fairways, greens and rough with the salt-tolerant Platinum Paspalum as well as reconstructing each tee box, bunker and green complex. The course is scheduled to reopen in October 2017, while Hammock Beach’s other championship layout, the Conservatory Course, continues to accommodate guest and member play.  
 
The Ocean Course has been closed since October when high winds and storm surge from Hurricane Matthew caused damage across the majority of its holes. The resort’s owners and management team have taken a long-term view regarding conditioning and have opted to conduct a complete course restoration.  

“After numerous expert analyses and recommendations, we determined that a full restoration was best to ensure that The Ocean Course will reopen as one of the finest resort courses in America,” said Terry Bechtold, Hammock Beach Resort’s managing director. “Upon completion, we will be able to offer one of the finest grass surfaces on which a golfer can play.”