THE PENINSULA ON THE INDIAN RIVER BAY GOLF CLUB
🇺🇸 Millsboro, DE, USA
Designed by Jack Nicklaus
The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay Golf Club opened in 2006 as a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design in the coastal region of southern Delaware, roughly ten miles inland from Rehoboth Beach. The course occupies a relatively flat, wooded property characteristic of the Delmarva Peninsula, with routing that weaves through stands of pine and hardwood while incorporating wetlands and natural water features that connect to the nearby Indian River Bay watershed.
Nicklaus shaped the layout to emphasize strategic options from the tee and around the greens, with generous fairway corridors balanced by well-placed bunkers and waste areas. The design features multiple teeing grounds that allow the course to play from under 5,000 yards to more than 7,000 yards, accommodating a range of skill levels. Several holes incorporate elevation changes modest by coastal standards but notable for the region, created through earthwork that adds dimension to approach shots and green complexes.
The course serves as the centerpiece of a residential community and operates as a semi-private facility, welcoming both members and daily-fee play. The clubhouse overlooks the finishing holes and provides views across the property's more open stretches. The Peninsula fits within Delaware's growing golf market along the Route 1 corridor, where newer courses have joined longstanding layouts to serve the area's seasonal and year-round populations. The layout reflects Nicklaus's later design work, emphasizing playability and visual clarity while maintaining enough challenge to engage accomplished players.
Reviews
The peninsula provides most of what an expensive club needs to in order to have success. Top notch practice facilities, gorgeous functional clubhouse, and a great course layout. Jack can be very hit or miss with his designs but he did an excellent job with his routing here. The course fuses the key elements of the land with holes along the river, the marsh, and in the woods. The green sites are gorgeous and no 2 holes are the same. While this sounds like the perfect club so far there are some issues. The greens conditions were iffy at best on my last round there and while that’s usually on the members and not the staff it’s still inexcusable for a course as expensive as this one. The main issue plaguing the course is the firmness of the greens. While the club is touted as extremely penal and difficult most of the challenge comes down to holding a green. The greens are as firm as links courses I have played but they lack the size and options links greens provides. Don’t think you can hold a green from 185 on a links course? There is almost always an option to go low with a bump and run type shot. That option does not exist on this course. Nearly every green is heavily defended with bunkers in front and around forcing you to try and hit a high and soft shot on every approach. The question can you spin this shot enough ? Is asked on every single hole and goes against what I think makes a golf course fun and engaging. While one can simply “get better” there is a large population of elderly that are members and I just don’t know how this course is remotely playable for them. For those who enjoy target golf and have the ability to hit every soft high and soft… this is the place for you. For the more traditional players Iike myself this is still a fun, challenging, and mostly well kept club that is a good change of pace round. I would not recommend playing more once or twice a year. Baywood greens is minutes away and is a much more enjoyable time.
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FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
The Peninsula at The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay Golf Club has a Course Vaults score of 7.9 out of 10 based on 8 explicit golfer ratings.
The Peninsula was designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The Peninsula at The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay Golf Club is listed as private on Course Vaults; guest access is typically restricted.
Par at The Peninsula is 72.
The Peninsula plays 7,302 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at The Peninsula is 145.
