Half Moon Bay Ocean Course

Don't forget your camera when playing Half Moon Bay

Warm up your putter ... and your camera. Forget the pictures-on-the-golf-course-are-for-tourists axiom. When you are standing on the 18th fairway of the Half Moon Bay Golf Links Ocean Course, you'll want to get the pristine grass, the cliffs, the ocean, the Ritz Carlton Hotel ... and maybe even yourself ... all in the same frame.

And hopefully, by the time you hit No. 18 - a magnificent par-5 that borders the ocean and stops right at the back porch of the hotel - you'll have a great score to mention when you show off your snapshots.

Half Moon Bay may be the most picturesque layout this side of Pebble Beach, and one every golfing fanatic should experience at least once.

The true links style course features almost no trees, but has some of the slickest greens you'll find anywhere. Combine the fast greens with 77 bunkers, a few hazards and subtle elevation changes, and you've got a true test that is long on accuracy, if not yardage.

Your day should start with a smile. No. 1 is a medium-length, dogleg-right par-4. It's also one of the few holes that takes you away from the ocean. Five bunkers guard the green, although there is room to miss left. In fact, most greens have room to err on one side or the other.

Once you get on the green, you'll see the teeth of this course. There are few tiers and shelves, but there are very few flat putts on the entire course.

Well-placed fairway bunkers also pose a challenge on many holes, including the second, a very short par-4 over a hazard off the tee. A short par-3 follows and then a very short par-5.

Hopefully you've got off to a fast start, because the rest of the course has teeth. The fifth hole is the longest par-4 and hardest hole, followed by another tough par-4 and a par-3 over the only lake on the course.

The eighth hole is another beauty, a dogleg-left par-5 with the tee shot around the only trees, and more fairway bunkers testing your second shot.

The par-37 back nine has three more par-5s, all of which are excellent.

But the signature part of the course is the finish by the ocean, beginning with a short par-4 with the approach across a hazard to the shallowest green on the course. A short par-3 follows at No. 17, with the cliff and ocean to the left and bunkers right.

The 18th is one of the most spectacular holes you'll find anywhere. The long par-5 crosses a hazard off the tee, doglegs left around the cliffs to a shallow green protected by five bunkers with the Ritz-Carlton in the background.

Relax in the fantastic clubhouse, or stay the night if you can afford it.

Price may be the only detail keeping you from playing Half Moon Bay with regularity. Green fees are $165 Monday-Thursday, although you can save $30 if you book less than 14 days in advance. Weekend rates are $180 and $155, respectively.

But if any course is worth such a rate, this is it. Conditions are immaculate and you are treated like royalty. The 16-17-18 finish could use up a roll of film (OK, plenty of memory on your digital camera) all by itself, but you'll remember several other holes for a long time to come as well.

Half Moon Bay is a brilliant mix of gorgeous terrain, with some hazards and lightning-fast greens. It also is a true links course, so don't expect to spin too many shots into the greens. Bump-and-run is the way to go, so spend time at the practice facility before you tee off.

Spend even more time on the practice greens, and resign yourself to the fact that some putts just won't break the way you think they will. Just take a deep breath and enjoy the beauty.

Also remember to bring an extra jacket. The wind can whip here, and even a summer day can be downright cold.

But the wind is no big deal. This course is, so don't forget to take pictures.

Half Moon Bay also has a second course - the Old Course - that features more of a park-like setting with tree-lined fairways. The Old Course also finishes by the ocean, and has similar pricing.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 west through San Francisco to Highway 101 south. Take Highway 92 west. Turn left on Highway 1, and turn right on Miramontes Point Road.