Elgin “Lucky” Lackey saw the potential for an entertainment venue at the corner of Third and Pacific Streets (Third Street is now Pier View Way) and in June 1954 he opened what would be a popular spot for over two decades, Pier Golf. In addition to a nine-hole miniature golf course, it included “shooting games” and pinball machines. Pier Golf also featured a snack bar with an open air dining area. Lackey would later add an archery range and ever popular bumper cars.
Elgin Lackey was a native of Guthrie, Oklahoma. He made his way to California in the 1940s and eventually Oceanside. In 1943 he and Mary E. Penn purchased Wilday’s Candy Shop at 111 North Hill Street (Coast Highway). The following year, Lackey married his business partner Mary, affectionately called Penny, in Las Vegas.
“Lucky” as he was called and known to most everyone, also had a used car dealership and an insurance business before opening Pier Golf. He also developed a housing development “Lucky Lots” consisting of 19 lots off of California Street in South Oceanside, and Lucky Street is named after him.
Lackey’s amusement center was an overnight success. It had the largest collection of pinball machines in Oceanside. At the time, pinball machines were regulated and banned altogether in San Diego and in unincorporated areas such as Vista. In the early days the machines were seen as a form of gambling, and dispensed cash. (In Oceanside, when allowed, any cash prizes were to be given over the counter.)
In the mid 1950’s, the only allowable “inducement” was an extra play for high scores. A few venues gave the high-scoring player a chance to pull a “lucky number” and prizes could be won for certain numbers. One eatery in downtown Oceanside paid winners with cigarettes … “one or more packs, depending on the score”. This was considered “slightly illegal” and caused “some law enforcement officers to frown on pinballs in general.”
At five cents a game, pinball vendors could earn about “$15 to $50 a week for a ‘good’ machine in a favorable location”. The Oceanside Blade Tribune reported that the seventy pinball machines located throughout the City could gross over $100,000 a year.
Pier Golf became such a popular attraction that Heavyweight Champion Boxer Floyd Patterson was a regular there while he was training in Oceanside in 1958. He attended so often he became an expert at the miniature golf course. One night he and his friends went to play skee-ball and accumulated over 300 points, according to sport reporter Irv Grossman. Patterson and his group went on to entertain themselves with the “Midget Autos” and “Dodgems” for which they were warned to “avoid head-on collisions”. As the adult men played, kids gathered to watch and Patterson soon engaged them in conversation, handshakes and finished his evening by signing autographs.
USC DIGITAL LIBRARY LOS ANGELES EXAMINER PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION, 1920-1961
As Lucky Lackey continued to add features to his venue, Pier Golf transitioned into Pacific Holidayland. Touted as the only “amusement park” between Balboa and San Diego, Lucky and his wife Penny (Mary) invested half a million dollars in 1963 to develop “a super family amusement center.” Along with a “badly needed face-lift” the venue expanded to include the entire city block from Pacific to Myers, Mission Avenue to Third streets. The local paper reported that, “Houses and lots were purchased; the structures moved to make way for new buildings. The first major step in the expansion program was a $150,000 building, on the southeast corner of the block to house an archery and rifle range, skee-ball, pool tables and Dodgem rides.” The second phase of the renovation and expansion project included a new ice cream parlor, with both indoor and outdoor seating, along with a soda fountain.
Certainly for over two decades Lucky Lackey’s Holidayland was the place to be. It was popular with kids and teenagers, Marines and families and is still etched into the memories of many Oceanside residents and visitors.
Lackey planned to continue his expansion of his entertainment venue along Pacific Street. But at the height of Pacific Holidayland’s immense success, Elgin Lackey died in February of 1966 in a hospital in Monrovia.
Mary Lackey continued ownership of Holidayland, which maintained its popularity. At its peak the center included 47 pinball machines, 4 pool tables, 3 air hockey tables, 18 skee-ball games, 2 shooting galleries, 5 kiddy rides, 2 automatic photo machines, 7 baseball throwing machines with cages and netting, a 13 car bumper car ride and the miniature golf course, among other features.
In 1972 Richard Ford of Chicago, came to Oceanside to ride a Ferris wheel at Pacific Holidayland (probably in an empty lot next to the park). He had held the record of 22 days on a Ferris wheel in San Francisco, but was afraid of losing it, so this next attempt was for 30 days. Ford was said to have an anonymous sponsor and was getting free meals during his stay in Oceanside. (It was noted that Ford only rode the Ferris wheel while the venue was open during regular operating hours.)
Pacific Holidayland offered a $50 in prize money to the person who guessed correctly how much weight Ford would lose while on his endeavor. He began on April 15, 1972 weighing 214 pounds and when he finished 30 days later he had lost 11 pounds. Ford’s feat made news across the country.
Despite the great publicity, Pacific Holidayland had seen better days. In 1976 the aging complex was owned by Charles and Sharon Moreland who were looking for a buyer to develop the property. The property went up for auction in 1979, the games and assets sold.
In July of 1983 Pacific Holidayland was torn down. All that was left was a vacant dirt lot and an empty spot in the hearts of children of all ages.
While Lucky Lackey’s Pacific Holidayland is gone, it lives on in the cherished memories of many.
Histories and Mysteries 
I remember Pacific Holidayland, I miss those better days !
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Kris, thanks for reading my blog. I love writing about Oceanside!
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I grew up in Oceanside & “the arcade” was a terrific place to spend time playing & learning all the games, cars, mini golf etc. It was a disappointment to see it go. Great memories tho.
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Thank you for your thorough and entertaining description of an icon in my past.
I spent many hours scraping up bottles to turn in for the nickels I could use to play my favorite pin ball machines. One in particular gave me that first “hard knock” for a replay, and I thought I’d won a championship. Pin ball machines fall by the wayside, like Puff in the song; yet imagine my surprise when I found the same machine a few years ago in the Pin Ball Museum in Las Vegas! I played again, and the memories of my childhood flooded back in a surge of happiness. (And I racked up replays like crazy!) The jingles and jangles of machines filled my mind, and I could even smell the popcorn and cotton candy in the background.
One of my fondest memories of Pier Golf and Pacific Holidayland was the “extras” that the owner would bring in. One was a gentleman named Mickey, who wrestled lions for the public. My mother developed a friendship with him, and although we did not get to go in the cage, we did get to pet those magnificent beasts.
Thank you, too, for providing the picture that was used on a postcard to promote the amusement park. The hatted boy on the bicycle is my brother, Garth.
The aerial picture you provided was taken during one of the Miss Southern California contests, I believe. That was a staple for us to watch as well, after we claimed a pistachio nut ice cream cone from nearby Betty’s.
Thank you again for all you do,
Jeff
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Wow, Jeff! What incredible memories! Thank you so much for taking time to read my story as well as writing down your recollections. I had no idea about the lions….How did it happen that your brother Garth was in the photo turned postcard? Was that just by chance? Thank you again- your writing was so descriptive-would love to hear more memories of Oceanside!
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Jeff thanks for a wonderful recap.
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Jeff thanks for a wonderful recap.
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Thanks for the great flashback! I worked in the corner restaurant right out of high school back in the later 60’s. The summer holiday weekends were pretty wild. I remember Penny but I think Lucky was gone by then. 🙂
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Duane, thanks for reading. I’m glad you enjoyed the story
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By the early 70’s the ‘Arcade,’ as we called it, was in disrepair, and not much attention was paid to it by management. I was mostly interested in the pinball machines, the only time I went into the skeeball area or miniature golf area was when we were chasing girls from out of town, staying on the strand, on family vacations.
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Peter, thanks for taking to read and then share your memories!
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As children of the fifties, our collection of neighborhood kids would venture to the pier first for fishing, then once the sun warmed us up, we would head for the surf. In between, we would spend some fun times at the arcade playing pinball machines for a nickel a play hoping to extend our play with replays. Ice cream cones went for a dime…Wonderful memories…Thank you for sharing this, Kristi…
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Thanks for reading, Ted. It’s so important to document these events, happenings and places so that future generations can learn of them!
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I grew up in San Marcos in the sixties and seventies. We would go there a lot. Also brought dates there even after I graduated in 1976. Lots of memories of golf, bumper cars, skeet ball ( my favorite) and many more. Was sad to see it go. Still frequent the pier, strand and the harbor. Live in Fallbrook now.
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My mother was a waitress at Bettys. I worked with a fellow that told me he worked at Pacific Holidayland when he was a teenager. I still remember the gunslinger quick draw game as well as that game where you were a gunner in a military aircraft and shot down enemy aircraft with a scope that was much like a periscope.
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Thanks for sharing your memories !
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I have clear memories of playing pinball machines and miniature golf there in the 50’s and early 60’s, along with many hours fishing on the pier. Just north of the amusement park there was a vacant lot that was used for pier parking and occasional carnivals. It was in that parking lot, during the 1939 4th of July pier fireworks that my parents first met. My mom was a 1938 graduate of Oceanside-Carlsbad High School who, with her sister and friends, had gone to see the fireworks. My dad was an Army surveyor who was residing temporarily in Oceanside while surveying the future Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. He and some buddies were making some extra cash working as parking attendants. While he was helping her friend with parking the car he and my mom did a little flirting, which led to a courtship and marriage on April Fools Day 1940. The rest is history. I and my 2 brothers attended Oceanside High and continue to visit the area as often as possible. My older brother was part of the early Oceanside surfing gang; his picture is in the surf museum. Thanks for bringing back so many great memories.
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Wow. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt memories and your family ties to Oceanside ❤️
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