June 2026 – Just played The Peninsula as part of a three-day member guest with my buddy Bill. I talk about member guest formats in my Hamilton Farms review. There I talk about the two-day where you play three nines the one day. Here they add a day so you have the first day eighteen, second day the same and nine plus the playoff on the third day. It was nice in that you weren’t as beat up after the first day (especially in the heat we played in) but three days is a huge commitment. This is especially true if you play a practice round. As it was, we didn’t play an additional practice round but we played Cripple Creek (across the Indian River bay but a 35 minute-drive) on Sunday and were pretty golfed and boozed out by then.
So, let’s unpack a few things here:
- The OCMD/Delaware beaches area as a golf destination.
- Things that annoy me: Liberals and “peaceful” protesting.
- A course review.
OCMD/Delaware beaches: First a lesson on Delaware for those unfamiliar. Delaware consists of three counties – New Castle, Kent and Sussex. It used to be upper Delaware (or suburban Philly) and lower, slower Delaware (which is rural Alabama). The beach area has exploded though so now each county has its own personality. In map form…
So let’s discuss the area. In Sussex County you have the innards (lower and slower) and the beaches. Of the beach towns, you have Lewes which is where you catch the ferry to NJ. You have Rehoboth , where you just catch the fairies – it’s a thriving gay beach town, get it? Lighten up, I’ll talk about the perpetually offended later. And Dewey and Bethany – where families go that don’t want the gay vibe in Rehoboth or the crazy crap going on in Ocean City, MD (OCMD). We spent a few consecutive years in the late 90’s/early 2000’s coming down here with our (at the time) young families. Until now, I have not been down since then so my recommendations may be a little dated and foggy.
For this trip, on the first night we grabbed outdoor eats at the Paradise Grill. To get here, you need to weave through a mobile home/manufactured housing community. PG is kind of like the cheese at the end of a rat maze. The crowd was definitely a mix of resort people and the swamp people (what the snobbier than me people called the locals). PG generally has a few bands playing. Mind you, you don’t go for the food, but (for me at least) the vibe was a lot of fun. It’s too long a trip from the beaches but if you come in to play Peninsula or very nearby Baywood Greens, then add a stop here.
We then stopped at a combination crab shack/lounge. Woah boy – what a combo! Here’s a quick video…
The Crab Barn featured the two K’s of lower slower Delaware – Karaoke and Keno. From the outside…
I did not photoshop in the American flag/cross on the Jeep’s spare cover nor the pick-up truck, I swear. Other than that we ate at Baywood Greens, the club and Yellowfin’s Bar & Grill which is right around the corner and again, not worth the trip in unless you are at the Peninsula and want to try something different than the club grub.
So beyond that – restaurant-wise – I can’t recommend much. I’m 99% positive we used to go annually to the Crab House Seafood Buffet on 1 up near Rehoboth. It was pretty family friendly if it was indeed where we went (again I’m just about positive it was). We didn’t do a lot of upscale stuff back then – we were must less discerning (and poorer) than we are now. There are supposedly some pretty good places up in Rehoboth from what I hear.
To the golf. The OCMD area is a pretty popular golf destination for the masses who live in the DC, Baltimore, Philly and Pittsburgh areas. It’s a much shorter drive than Myrtle or Pinehurst and there are indeed some good public courses. Looking at the Delaware side of the border, I talked earlier about Baywood Greens and I played there back in like ’05 or ’06. It’s a really pretty course from what I remember and is actually ranked higher by Golf Digest for Delaware courses than The Peninsula (#3 versus #4 of only five courses ranked n the state). We played Bear Trap Dunes same year as Baywood and it is a good degree less good than Baywood but features three nines and is closer to the beach towns than Baywood. I never played Bayside Resort but it had been pretty consistently higher ranked than Baywood but has since dropped off. I never played Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club which is way inland nor played the Rookery which is smack dab on Route 1 and looks rather blah.
If you’re looking to get on the privates, I’ll talk in a second about The Peninsula but it is a really solid residential track that is worth a modicum of effort to get on. I really liked the back nine at Cripple Creek – another private track I mentioned above – but I wouldn’t go out of my way to play it over Bayside or Baywood. I hear Rehoboth Beach CC is at a similar tier as Cripple Creek but never played.
On the MD side of the state line, you have a bunch of solid public tracks with the best being Lighthouse Sound. Played this back in 2000 so do not remember much other than it was a favorite. We played Rum Pointe the year it opened and it wasn’t ready but heard good things about it since. The one course we played pretty much every year was Eagle’s Landing – we all really liked it and it was (and I think still is) pretty reasonably priced. We played River Run a few times as well and liked but didn’t love it. Others that we played were meh -OC Golf & Yacht Club and OC Golf Club. I think these are now the same club with one being the Newport Bay course and the other being the Seaside course. These (and Rum Pointe) are pretty far down south from OCMD – especially if you’re staying in DE so not sure I would make the trek. There are some other publics in the area but are all a solid notch below Lighthouse and Eagles Landing (from what I’ve heard). Nary a course from the OCMD area is ranked in the top in Maryland by Golf Digest though Lighthouse was ranked as high as ninth in state a few years back.
All in all, if you’re from the Mid-Atlantic cities I discussed above, OCMD is probably a trip you’ve already taken but if not, by all means, it’s a short drive and if you go in shoulder season, it shouldn’t be a bitch to get to.
Things that annoy me: Liberals and “peaceful” protesting: Okay so I have just been watching a bunch of videos of conservatives (bystanders and reporters/YouTubers) being verbally and even physically assaulted by the “tolerant” left protesters. What annoys the shit out of me is if one of these conservatives dared strike some numbnut blowing a whistle in his ear or punched out an AWFUL (Affluent White Feminist Ugly Liberal) screaming in his face, it would be a full-on media attack on how the MAGA crowd is violent and Fascist. Puh-lease! I put the rest of my thoughts into a blind link above so if you don’t want the rant you can go right to the Peninsula review.
To the course.
We played five nines – the front twice and the back three times. Only once did we play the course as intended, 10-18 on our first match of the second day. So, I did not ever play the course sequencing exactly as Nicklaus had intended. That usually hurts my ranking somewhat but I think playing each nine at least twice, I got a sense of it.
I’ve been trying to include clubhouse photos and giving a little bit on how the clubhouse fits the club as part of my ranking but I only got the crappy interior photo below.
Main clubhouse dining room as shown, is the hang. There is no men’s grill (as you’d expect at a residential resort course). There was a bar set up outside for the event and a tent with drinks and nibbles on nine but for the most part there is a drink window at the back of the clubhouse for drinks at the turn. Right off the bar, there is a game room with pool table, shuffleboard and Galaga video game. There may have been more but the room was primarily being used for the various buffets during the event. As you see, decent-sized bar and a few TVs to watch sports – we were watching the Knicks/Spurs game four herein. I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you the drink of the club (and in general of the Delaware beach scene): The Orange Crush. Great drink and I had aplenty during my time here. It is very freshly squeezed orange juice plus vodka, Triple Sec and Sprite over ice. It can be made with fresh grapefruit or pineapple juice as well. Definitely the “go to” drink of the Delaware beach scene and The Peninsula.
Hole 1 (Par four/377 yards/#6 hcp): All measurements are from the Tournament tees which is what I would likely play and measures right around 6,000 yards. From there, it rates/slopes to a 68.7/132 so it’s tough for bogey golfers because of an accumulation of hazards. However, I am not proud to say that for the member/guest and in our flight of high handicappers, they had us play the Hybrids which cuts 300 yards off the tourney tees and six points from the slope. And I still sucked. Anyway, if you didn’t get to see any of the course on the drive in and just came right out to one, you would think that you’re in for a round of omnipresent condos hugging the golf course and a big yawner of a course. The visuals get much better after one though there are houses on pretty much every hole.
Hole 2 (Par five/470 yards/#12 hcp): Trouble along the left of this short-ish par five. Some traps out to the right to make you think twice about bringing the water into play.
Hole 3 (Par four/285 yards/#18 hcp): Easiest hole on the course. No water to contend with and there is room right for a fade. Even for the distance-limited golfer, this is driver – wedge or less.
Hole 4 (Par four/339 yards/#10 hcp): Another shortish par four that should be driver -wedge or eight/nine at worst. Water right and OB left so a pretty narrow driving corridor.
Hole 5 (Par three/157 yards/#8 hcp): The first of the stand-out par threes. The threes here were beautiful, tough, different and interesting. Here it’s a long iron or hybrid for the bogey golfer with a pretty easy carry but trouble all along the left. Both times I plunked it in.
Hole 6 (Par four/352 yards/#2 hcp): What you don’t see is the second pond beyond the trees to the right that runs right up to the green. We started our second match here and I know I bogeyed (with a stroke) to win the hole in a match we would ultimately tie.
Hole 7 (Par five/480 yards/#16 hcp): If you fade the ball, the tree on the left prevents you from taking a big sweeper. There is a little room right beyond the initial pond though. I have the approach shot below.
The approach on seven and one of the prettiest shots of the Indian River Bay you will get.
Hole 8 (Par four/307 yards/#8 hcp): From the tee box you have a clear shot of the Paradise Grill and the hole doglegs around a hazard. Missed taking a photo so this is from the club’s website.
Hole 9 (Par three/180 yards/#4 hcp): Another great par three. On the first day where there wasn’t much wind I played my 7 wood hybrid and ended up in the drink with a crappy shot. Day two where there was a pretty good breeze, I used my three wood and hit it perfectly but was still short though was able to get on and bogey to halve the hole in the only match we would win.
Hole 10 (Par five/490 yards/#13 hcp): Here’s my drive from day one. Meh but we would win the hole. From the last day, I would hit my best drive, a nice second and my approach just off on the left and away from the water. I would get on into gimme range for the par and win against par. There wasn’t enough players in our group so one round we just played against par and unfortunately lost 5-4 because I left my par putt short on the last hole to lose (I wasn’t getting a stroke).
Hole 11 (Par four/329 yards/#11 hcp): Not a particularly long hole. Even a ball that goes pretty hard right won’t go OB. See my approach shot from a pretty far right shot below.
Hole 12 (Par four/375 yards/#5 hcp): No water to speak of just a waste bunker running up the right. I would play my best hole here as I would just miss birdie and parred (net birdie) against par. Pretty tricky green on a course full of pretty tough greens.
Hole 13 (Par three/148yards/#9 hcp): A peninsula green that is really tough to get on. Water all three days but the second day I was dry off the tee but skulled my sand shot into the water and on the last day, from the drop area behind the green, bogeyed with a stroke against par for a push.
Hole 14 (Par four/414 yards/#1 hcp): Not sure why this is the number one handicap. There’s no water. Pretty wide open. I know against par, I put my second shot left about 60 yards from the green into a wooded/marshy area marked as a hazard but chipped a draw out that ended up pin high and would two putt for a push.
Fourteen from the approach shot.
Hole 15 (Par four/242 yards/#17 hcp): A really short par four that one of the guys we played with pretty much drove the green. There’s room right beyond the trees and I was there every time.
Hole 16 (Par three/171 yards/#15 hcp): Ended on this hole twice. Here was where I could’ve halved the hole against par but would leave my tying par putt short. Ugh! Missed the pic so this from the club website.
Hole 17 (Par four/365 yards/#3 hcp): Started here twice. First match hit a great drive. Great second shot that was a low runner heading toward the green but hit the CARTS > sign in the fairway and stopped cold where I would then shank a chip in a weekend full of shanked chips.
Hole 18 (Par five/513 yards/#7 hcp): This is a great finisher that becomes a cape hole on your long approach. The more aggressive the line, the closer your third shot is to the green. It’s also one of the holes that we played up a box which didn’t help us as day one I would drive the hazard. Day two, I played it right but not right enough and again in the hazard. And day three was perfectly hit over the trap to the right but left a long approach that – you guessed it – went into the hazard. Overall I liked the Peninsula. It was in great shape with some thought-provoking and beautiful holes. Houses on the course takes off some points but some of the bay views added some points back. In all just outside my top 200 but definitely a course I would suggest you play if you’re in the area and can get on.
Golf Scrapbook 