Peacock Gap: How a mediocre golf course shows promise
Inspired by Club TFE, let's see how this local course could be better
One thing Club TFE did recently was feature a course that writer Garrett Morrison played near his hometown in Portland and talk about how it COULD be good, even special. It made me think about courses I’ve played that might be a bit meh … but hold some promise.
I’ve probably played more rounds at Peacock Gap than any other, and the last time I did I couldn’t believe how … uninspiring it was. Knowledge is power, but a little can go the wrong way. I just felt completely disinterested early on, and stared at holes trying to figure out how they could be better.
First, some background. The course was built back in 1960 and designed by William F. Bell, the man behind many great golf courses including Torrey Pines. That Torrey connection should give you some hints, however, as the critique of that championship golf course is that so many of the holes feel similar to each other.
Peacock Gap has a similar problem. The course is almost impossibly flat, with some mild elevation on the par-3 uphill third hole, and downhill holes on the short par-4 7th and par-3 10th. That’s it. The rest is basically dead flat, which does make it a very easy walk, but of course relies on the routing and setup to provide some intrigue.
Instead, Peacock has either holes that are essentially straight or a dog-leg to the left. It took this exercise for me to realize that the par-4 9th is the ONLY hole that doglegs to the right, and that’s unavoidable with that routing as there was nowhere else to go. (Some could argue that the par-5 4th hole bends to the right but it’s really subtle, so much that if you drive up the middle of the hole you’d barely notice the bend.)
On the positive side, there are several short par-4’s and two par-3’s that require hitting over water (the 6th remains my nemesis, I’ve left so many balls in that pond it’s silly), and a few real testers.
To be sure, when you have a short, flattish course you need to create some drama on the greens. You can see above on that par-3 that depending on where the pin is, that green is super tricky. The same is true other holes like the 13th as well as the very solid finishing 18th hole.
Two holes stand out to show what the entire course COULD be, but mostly misses. One is the short par-4 15th hole - a short, straight hole, with water on the right and OB on the left. The drive isn’t super interesting, but the second shot is fascinating — because in the middle of the fairway is a huge mound you can often be on or directly behind. It doesn’t really change your swing, but it’s a mental hazard. It’s super weird, nothing like it occurs anywhere else on the course. Why? And then, the green is shaped like a boomerang, with a bunker in the center. Depending on where the pin is, your approach can take on that hazard or avoid it altogether. It’s different every time.
The 11th hole is also fascinating because it doesn’t rely on land movement but maximizes the space. Like many other holes, it’s a left dogleg, but if you try and better your angle to the green by driving up the right side, you bring a creek and trees into play. Going left, there’s a bunker right at the spot the hole bends. If you lay up, your shot is of course a longer one into the green. And that green? It’s guarded by bunkers on the right and left. Going long is tough - there’s OB not too far off. But, you can miss short and right. The green itself uses those bunkers to create mounds that can really help you get onto the putting surface. There are places to miss, and there are no-fly zones. It’s a hard challenge but one that is possible to tackle.
Too many holes at this course don’t provide this level of thinking - it’s more, hit driver, then fly a shorter iron onto a big, relatively flat green.
There are bones here to make Peacock Gap special. There’s absolutely no incentive for the owners to do this - the tee sheets are packed and now, it’s one of only two 18-hole public courses in the county. That’s a sad reality.