Twenty-some years ago Rees Jones might have completed America’s last true oceanside links at Ocean Forest. It’s certainly one of the premier linksland settings in the country, far more authentic in its links characteristics than his Haig Point or Atlantic G.C., despite some holes in woodlands. Ocean Forest’s fairways laterally traverse several rumples of dunes, some 18 feet high, through a pine-covered delta formed where the Hampton River flows into the Atlantic. The routing skirts saltwater marsh, the river’s edge and finishes with a one-two punch on the seashore. This may be the most walkable course among all those nationally ranked, despite the fact that the 18th hole finishes a half mile from the clubhouse.
“It has been a special privilege to have been part of Ocean Forest from its beginning. I’m honored to have watched Rees Jones create the course in its spectacular setting, to play the first round with President George H. W. Bush, to watch him help open the 2001 Walker Cup, and today, to be a member of one of the finest clubs in the world.”
