Dream public courses

Half Moon Bay golf: Ocean Course or Old Course?

I have not played either course yet. For my first friend-group outing, I would choose the Ocean Course, and the research gives me enough evidence to feel good about that decision.

Published July 14, 2026 · 8 min read

By Steve Lukatsky

Half Moon Bay Golf Links presents a very effective problem: two public courses share the same coastal destination, and both finish beside the Pacific. If I am organizing one outing with friends, which one gets the tee time?

My answer is the Ocean Course. I am choosing it before I have played either one, so this is not a review disguised as certainty. It is a researched decision based on what I want from the day: open coastal scenery, wind as part of the experience, a course we can walk, and the feeling that we made the trip specifically to play golf beside the ocean.

The Old Course is not the consolation prize. For a different group, it may be the better golf course. The choice depends on what you want to remember.

The quick comparison

Why the Ocean Course wins my first visit

The official Ocean Course description identifies it as an Arthur Hills links-style design that opened in 1997. The routing uses the exposed coastal setting rather than sheltering from it, and the finishing holes bring the round toward the Ritz-Carlton and the Pacific.

That is what I am making the drive for. If the wind is up, I want to watch everyone's sensible golf plan become a low-flight survival exercise. If the marine layer arrives, that is part of the story. I do not need perfect postcard weather as long as conditions remain safe and playable.

The walking option matters too. I like the rhythm of walking with friends, and I want enough time between shots to look around and discuss whichever one of us has most recently offended the ocean. Carts are available, but unlike the Old Course, the Ocean Course does not currently require one.

What the Old Course offers instead

The Old Course opened in 1973 and was designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane. It is an American parkland layout with doglegs, water, mature trees, and fairways that reward positioning more than simply hitting the ball a long way.

Its closing stretch is the argument that keeps the choice interesting. The course calls holes 17 and 18 “Palmer Corner,” and the final par four finishes against the Pacific with the Ritz-Carlton behind the green. If you want a more sheltered, strategic round that saves its biggest coastal scene for the end, the Old Course has a strong case.

There is one practical distinction that could decide the day before anyone studies a scorecard: carts are required on the Old Course. That is useful for a group that wants to ride and less appealing for one that came to walk.

Scenery or course design is the wrong fight

I do not think the choice needs a universal winner. The Ocean Course is the more obvious recommendation for a first-time visitor chasing coastal atmosphere. The Old Course can appeal more to someone who loves parkland strategy, wants trees to shape decisions, or has been thinking about that final hole.

My research backs my initial instinct, but it does not prove that the Ocean Course is objectively better. It proves that the Ocean Course better matches the outing I want to organize.

• For the broadest ocean experience: Ocean Course.
• For parkland strategy and the signature finish: Old Course.
• For a group that wants to walk: Ocean Course.
• For a group that prefers riding: either works, but the Old Course makes the decision for you.
• For a calm-weather guarantee: neither. This is the coast. Check the forecast and bring layers.

How I would organize the outing

I would keep this simple: one round, enough friends to make it feel like an occasion, and no attempt to cram another course into the day. I would book far enough ahead to give the group a real date, check aeration and maintenance notices, and watch the forecast without treating it as a binding contract.

Dynamic pricing means the exact green fee depends on the day and time, so I would compare nearby slots instead of publishing a number that ages immediately. I would also make sure everyone knows which course we chose. “Half Moon Bay at 10” sounds organized until half the group is standing at the wrong first tee.

For clothes, I would plan for wind and temperature changes even when inland weather looks warm. A light layer that can come off is more useful than discovering on the third tee that optimism is not insulation.

Then get the chowder

I do not need to turn this into a full food itinerary. Half Moon Bay is a coastal town, and clam chowder is the straightforward post-round answer.

Sam's Chowder House is the clear, heavily reviewed place to mention. Its current official menu centers on fresh seafood and includes New England clam chowder, and major restaurant platforms contain thousands of diner reviews. It also has the ocean setting required to prevent the day from ending too abruptly.

I have not eaten there, so I am not declaring its chowder the winner of an imaginary tournament. I am saying this is the established, popular stop I would use for the group plan. Menu items, hours, and reservations can change; check before leaving the course.

My final call

For the first outing, I am booking the Ocean Course. I want the wind, the exposed view, the walk, and the chance to spend four hours feeling as though the course and coast are part of the same place.

Then, if everyone leaves talking about the day rather than the score, the Old Course has already made its case for outing number two.

Sources

• Half Moon Bay Golf Links: Ocean Course
• Half Moon Bay Golf Links: Old Course and cart policy
• Half Moon Bay Golf Links: booking and current course information
• Sam's Chowder House: current menus and location