Peninsula Golf Course
Peninsula Golf Course first opened for play in 1947.
Peninsula Golf Course plays to 2,057 yards on the front loop and 2,119 yards if you play a second set of tees for the "back nine.
Peninsula Golf Course is located just minutes north of the mouth of the Great Columbia River which separates Oregon from Washington. The entrance to the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean has been dubbed the "Graveyard of the Pacific" due to its treacherous currents and tumultuous storms that have sunk many a ship.
Each hole at Peninsula Golf Course is named in tribute to 9 of the ships and also to the men, women, and children that have lost their llives on the waters of the Columbia-Pacific. When you play our course, you can feel the history of this area and appreciate the true force of nature.
1. Morning Star (year sank 1849): 313 yards
#1 is a difficult opening hole with a linksy undulating fairway and OB right and trees left. The safest play is to lay-up to the 190 yard mark with a short iron left into a blind green. Big hitters may take their chances with a driver and carry it over the hill 260 yards away. Beware; landing area is 25 yards wide at this point. Hole #1 may be the toughest par at Peninsula Golf Course.
2. U.S.S Shark (year sank 1846): 266 yards #2 is a beautiful short 4 par framed by evergreens and poplars. Smart play on this hole is a mid to long iron leaving a short approach to the green. Long hitters going for the green have a good chance of rolling left into the pond short of the green. This green is the most severe on the course with a steep right to left slope. Birdie opportunities abound if approach shot is left below the hole.
3. U.S.S. Peacock (Year sank 1841): 154 Yards
Hole #3 is a mid range 3 par with a blind tee shot. The green on this hole is the smallest on the course at 2500 square feet and is sloped from front to back. Make sure your tee shot gets to pin high or beyond as a chip from in front of the green takes a deft touch. A par there is a great score.
4. Windward (Year sank 1871): 162 Yards
#4 is a great par 3 through a chute of trees to a relatively flat green with subtle breaks. This hole usually plays ½ to 1 club longer due to the prevailing wind which quarters into the golfer from the right. Mature pines and a set of bunkers guard the sides and back of the green.
5. Mermaid (Year sank 1961): 252 Yards
Hole #5 is a classic risk / reward par 4. This hole has trouble down the right side and the severely right to left sloping green sits in a cove of trees and underbrush. In addition, a 150 year old spruce guards the right side at the 200 yard mark. The prudent play is a tee shot short left with a pitch back up the slope of the green. Like Hole #2, positioning the approach underneath the hole is imperative.
6. Desdemona (Year sank 1857): 141 Yards
#6 is a par 3 that can vary from 85 yards to 175 yards. A waterway crosses the fairway and runs parallel left to the green. Prevailing winds at Peninsula Golf Course help push the ball left so take this into consideration on the tee. A sentinel spruce juts over the right edge of the green and rhododendrons greet you from the back of the green.
7. Intrepid (Year sank 1954): 346 Yards
#7 is a bombers paradise! Be forewarned…A waterway crosses the fairway at the 230 year mark. Summer breezes tend to make this hole play longer than the yardage indicates. Two beach pines 20 yards apart frame the water crossing. A smart lay-up between these trees leaves an approach to a beautiful green with subtle breaks.
8. Sea Thrush (Year sank 1932): 248 Yards
#8 is another example of a classic risk and reward hole. It can be played as a short par 4 or an extremely difficult par 3. The landing area is very narrow beyond 200 yards. Laying up right-center leaves a relatively simple approach to a newly reconfigured green with trees to the left and right and a sneaky pond beyond the trees on the right.
9. Triumph (Year sank 1961): 347 Yards
The closing hole is a par 4 that can be play anywhere from 235 to 360 yards. From the forward tees, it is quite manageable. The back tees are a different story. Hard against the highway, the shot must be threaded between the out-of-bounds right and an old-growth forest to the left. The approach must be judged carefully into the links-style green that has been expanded and relocated slightly west to bring a grove of shore pines into play. Hole #9 is a great ending to a terrific round at Peninsula Golf Course.