The hardest golf courses in Palm Coast, Florida
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Palm Coast, Florida, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 5 courses have complete, verified tee data.
The Conservatory
Hammock Beach Resort
Palm Coast, FL, USASlope rating 145, 76.0 course rating, Gold tees, 7,300 yds
PublicTom Watson
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.0Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
The par 3s shine here especially the island par 3 on the front but the course is filled with engaging par 4s and testing par 5s. The 5 18th is a great risk reward finisher and the entire course feels like it was built for match play.
Written by
@Tom Doakito
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Pristine
Ocean
Hammock Beach Resort
Palm Coast, FL, USASlope rating 144, 75.5 course rating, White tees, 7,777 yds
PublicJack Nicklaus
- 3.0Conditions
- 4.2Layout
- 3.0Value
- 5.0Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
The ocean course is a Jack designed track that boasts the most ocean side holes in Florida. The finishing stretch of 16,17,18 are phenomenal and the closing stretch of the front 9 are also stellar. The wind on the ocean side courses plays a huge factor…
Written by
@Tom Doakito
- Views
- Driving range
- Must play
Royal St. Augustine Golf and Country Club
Saint Augustine, FL, USASlope rating 137, 71.9 course rating, Gold tees, 6,529 yds
Public
- 1.0Conditions
- 2.0Layout
- 2.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 2.7Facilities
- Dog track
St. Johns County Golf Club
Elkton, FL, USASlope rating 125, 71.6 course rating, Gold tees, 6,692 yds
PublicRobert Walker
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 2.3Scenery
- 2.2Facilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Pristine
St. Augustine Shores Golf Club
St. Augustine, FL, USASlope rating 112, 67.5 course rating, Blue tees, 5,367 yds
PublicJohn Denton
- 4.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Palm Coast, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Conservatory at Hammock Beach Resort is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Palm Coast, Florida at Slope 145 (76.0 course rating · Gold tees · 7,300 yds). 5 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Palm Coast, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Palm Coast, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:40 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
