The Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links opened in 1973, designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane. It was only Palmer's second course-design project, built roughly 30 miles south of San Francisco on the San Mateo County coast. The 7,001-yard, par-72 layout is considered an early signal of what would become a 200-plus-course design portfolio for Palmer's firm.

On the course

The routing is American parkland in character rather than links. Holes one through sixteen wind through a residential neighborhood of cypress trees and tree-lined fairways, with several dog-legs, multiple water hazards, and bunkering that rewards placement over raw distance. The course stays inland and largely hides the ocean from view until the closing stretch, a sequence the club calls "Palmer Corner" at the turn between holes 17 and 18. The par-3 17th, at 167 yards, plays directly west toward the Pacific and is typically into the prevailing breeze. The 405-yard par-4 18th runs south along a clifftop with the Ritz-Carlton framing the green and a ravine crossing the fairway about 130 yards short, making club selection off the tee a strategic decision rather than an automatic driver.

Who it suits

The course has hosted multiple U.S. Open local and sectional qualifiers and shares its property with the adjacent Ritz-Carlton resort and the separate Arthur Hills-designed Ocean Course, which opened in 1997. Five sets of tees stretch the Old Course from roughly 5,300 to just over 7,000 yards, with a rating of 74.4 from the tips. It suits players who value shot-shaping and precision off the tee on the inland holes and who come specifically for the dramatic two-hole oceanfront finish. Walk-up tempo can be slowed by resort guests, and Half Moon Bay's coastal microclimate runs noticeably cooler and foggier than inland Bay Area courses, so layers are advisable year-round.

Architect: Arnold Palmer / Francis Duane · Opened: 1973