Oaks at A.C. Read Golf Club

A.C. Read Golf Club's Oaks course is a municipal facility in Pensacola, designed by Bill Amick and former U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate. The course serves the northwest Florida Panhandle community as part of the city's public golf offerings, providing accessible play in a region known for its military presence and coastal tourism. Amick and Pate collaborated on several Florida designs during the 1980s and 1990s, typically working with the state's characteristic sandy soils and pine-oak landscapes.

The Oaks routing reflects the gentle topography common to Florida's Gulf Coast region, where elevation changes are modest and water management becomes a central design consideration. The course likely incorporates native vegetation including longleaf pines and live oaks, with strategic use of water hazards and bunkering to define playing corridors and create shot values on relatively flat terrain. The sandy subsoil typical of the Pensacola area generally provides good drainage and firm conditions when maintained properly.

As a municipal course, A.C. Read serves a broad range of golfers from military personnel stationed at nearby Naval Air Station Pensacola to local residents and visitors. The facility operates within the practical constraints of public golf, balancing playability for everyday golfers with enough challenge to engage more accomplished players. The Oaks represents the kind of community golf resource that anchors public access to the game in mid-sized American cities.