Page 10 - The Golf Guide, Summer 2017

Golf Destination

Half Moon Bay ~ Pure Heaven

Wes Bolyard

I am fully aware that the course farther south on the Pacific Coast Highway gets all
the accolades, but once you have played the two courses at The Ritz-Carlton, Half
Moon Bay, you will realize that other exciting golf waits to be played in Northern
California. The classic style of Old Course and the rugged beauty of Ocean Course
enhance the picturesque setting of this iconic hotel positioned atop a cliff with the
Pacific Ocean washing against the shore below.

Half Moon Bay, the only San
Francisco Bay area luxury
ocean front resort, is located
just 23 miles from San Francisco
International Airport and is a
great place to start if you want
to visit other areas on the west
coast. You can reach San Francisco
in 45 minutes, Monterey in an

Ocean Course

hour and fifty minutes by heading
down the beautiful coastal drive, and
Napa in an hour and forty minutes
to experience wine. In the spring
of 2001, the hotel opened under the
management of The Ritz-Carlton
and is a separate entity from the two
golf courses. They offer 261 rooms
and suites, along with 54 cottages
separate from the hotel. A variety of Ocean Hole 6

choices for dining include Navio for fine dining; The Conservatory that presents
fresh, organic, community grown ingredients; the Cork Wine Bar; and The Ocean
Terrace. Their 16,000 square-foot spa includes a full-service salon, 15 treatment
rooms, a co-ed Roman mineral bath with fireplace, sauna, and steam room. They
also furnish an impressive setting for meetings, conferences, and retreats. With
the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, who could resist having their wedding and
reception held at this spectacular venue? A myriad of other activities will keep
you entertained, such as biking on the Coastal Trail, tide pools at the beach, a large
indoor swimming pool, four lighted bocce ball courts, s’mores and conversations at
the fire pits, and of course, golf.

Golf General Manager and PGA Master Professional Bill Troyanoski explained
“The property is quite large, and initially, the land was developed as part of a
master plan for golf, housing, and eventually a hotel.” Old Course, a parkland style
course, opened in 1973 with fairways that meander through the development and
a sundry of styles of houses with beautiful landscaping. The par 4 signature hole,

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