Peacock Gap Golf Club opened in 1960 near the shore of San Pablo Bay in San Rafael, designed by William F. Bell, the architect of Torrey Pines. In its early decades the club drew a run of celebrity play, hosting the likes of Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, Lucille Ball and U.S. Open champion Billy Casper. The modern course dates to a $4.8 million renovation by architect Forrest Richardson, completed in 2006, that rebuilt six holes outright, restyled the bunkering after Bell's father's classic work and buried a network of concrete drainage sumps to pump water off fairways that sit at or below sea level.

On the course

The renovation left a flat, water-laced par 71 of 6,261 yards, rated 69.8 with a slope of 120. Lagoons and canals thread through the routing, so scoring depends on accuracy and angle rather than distance, and the rebuilt greens carry more contour than the modest yardage suggests. Afternoon breezes off San Pablo Bay add the final variable on the exposed holes.

Who it suits

Day to day, Peacock Gap is one of the most walkable 18-hole courses in Marin, dead flat from first tee to last green. The drainage engineering pays off in winter, when the pumped fairways stay playable, and reviewers describe a fair, well-kept course that suits mid-handicap regulars more than length-hungry low players. Sixteen acres of former turf now grow as native habitat, giving the property a softer, more natural frame than it had before the redesign.

The practice grounds include what the club bills as Marin County's only all-grass driving range, along with practice greens, a chipping and bunker area and a full pro shop, with lessons from PGA and LPGA professionals and the RangeCafe restaurant in the event-ready clubhouse. Choose Peacock Gap for a flat, strategic bayside round you can walk, especially in the wet months when its below-sea-level engineering becomes a genuine advantage.

Architect: William F. Bell · Opened: 1960