Note: Course Reviews are in no particular order, but mainly reflect the courses I am playing with my 11-year old son and resident junior golfer.
Newman Golf Course sits just north of Laura Bradley Park, and is framed by North Sterling Avenue on the west, West Nebraska Avenue on the south, and I-74 on the east. It has been home to the Peoria Men’s City Tournament (among others) for as long as I can recall.
My half-pint golfing buddy and I have played Newman many times over the last few years, and we returned this weekend.
The land containing Newman was donated by Lydia Bradley, but I could not discover the initial course construction completion date or the initial course name. Does anyone know this information?
I was able to learn that the course name was changed to Newman in 1937, for Milton G. Newman, who was Peoria Park District board President from 1917 to 1937, the year of his passing. Apparently, news of the course being named in his honor was delivered to Mr. Newman on his deathbed.
Newman Golf Course is roughly 6,900 yards from the tips and is par 72. There are four sets of tees from shortest to longest — red, gold, white, and blue. Playing from the red tees (5,000 yards) offers a much shorter course than from blue, and the tee placements accommodate a wide range of golfers, from beginner to advanced. Playing from the championship blue tees on several of the holes requires a 250+ yard drive that, depending upon the hole, moves from right to left (draw) or left to right (fade) in order to make it around large mature trees and stay within the fairway. Closer tees are progressively less demanding.
The front 9 can be summarized as fairly flat and straightforward, opening with a slight dogleg left par 4 and featuring several gentle doglegs right, or straight, through the remaining holes. The par 3 2nd hole features the course’s only forced carry over water. Large, mature trees line most of the front 9 fairways, often blocking access to the green after an errant drive. The front 9 closes with an essentially straight par 5 that is guarded by a large, mature tree at the front left of the green, requiring well-placed 2nd and 3rd shots.
The back 9 is situated on rolling terrain with draws and gullies throughout, in addition to the presence of large, mature trees, and are more interesting to the eye from the tee, compared to the front 9. The back 9 is likely to offer most golfers a variety of different lies — downhill, uphill, and sidehill. We particularly like the stretch from 13 through 15, featuring a par 4 with a crowned fairway; a shortish par 4 with the sharpest dogleg left on the course, requiring a tee shot of the correct line and distance; and a longer par 3 either over a wooded gully (blue and white tees), or a manicured ravine (gold and red tees). The finishing holes — 16, 17, and 18 — are par 5, par 5, and par 4, with the final hole requiring a tee shot that stays on the left side of a left-to-right sloping fairway in order to avoid being blocked to the green by a large, mature tree that guards the right front of the green.
There are no longer any fairway bunkers on the course, but many of the greens are protected on various sides by bunkers. The bunkers are generally shallow, and currently in pretty good shape. Greens vary in size and shape, but all are single level and present gentle breaks, making them relatively easy to read. All the green surfaces are currently in good shape.
Tee boxes and fairways are in excellent shape, thanks to a spring with plenty of rain and cooler temps conducive to turf growth, while at the same time naturally limiting golfer traffic.
The clubhouse offers the usual accessories (balls, tees, gloves, apparel, etc.), along with beverages and snacks. Staff are always friendly. Both golf carts and pull carts are available for rental, as well.
My junior golfer is getting close to taming the course from the red tees, but it will take several more years before he (might) work his way up to the championship blue tees. Along the way, I’m sure we’ll be able to enjoy Newman many, many more times.