River Course at Alisal
About
The River Course at Alisal enjoys a scenic backdrop provided by the foothills of the beautiful Santa Ynez Mountains. Stands of mature live oaks, native sycamores, and elderberry trees sway against the vivid hues of the mountains. Though scenery abounds, don't get too distracted because the golf course demands a fair amount of attention. It's a challenging but not punishing layout that features a variety of hazards that will reward length and accuracy. Seemingly wide fairways are bordered by mounding and the large greens have subtle but tricky undulations. One of the toughest holes is the par-4 seventh, which has a challenge waiting for you everywhere you look. A beautiful vineyard runs the length of the hole on one side and on the other, there is a lake that runs all the way up to the green.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 72 | 6830 yards | 72.7 | 125 |
| Blue | 72 | 6451 yards | 70.9 | 121 |
| White | 72 | 6099 yards | 69.5 | 118 |
| White (W) | 72 | 6099 yards | 75.7 | 132 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 5710 yards | 73.8 | 128 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold M: 73.0/128 W: 80.2/139 | 570 | 385 | 420 | 227 | 580 | 396 | 437 | 357 | 173 | 3545 | 428 | 538 | 147 | 393 | 521 | 353 | 398 | 128 | 451 | 3357 | 6902 |
| Blue M: 70.9/123 W: 77.7/134 | 558 | 366 | 398 | 201 | 560 | 376 | 405 | 332 | 151 | 3347 | 408 | 524 | 135 | 357 | 494 | 331 | 369 | 115 | 373 | 3106 | 6453 |
| White M: 69.4/119 W: 75.7/130 | 524 | 350 | 380 | 182 | 550 | 356 | 396 | 311 | 131 | 3180 | 398 | 464 | 125 | 340 | 481 | 313 | 358 | 95 | 354 | 2928 | 6108 |
| Red M: 67.3/114 W: 73.2/125 | 458 | 336 | 367 | 136 | 511 | 338 | 377 | 299 | 123 | 2945 | 381 | 450 | 108 | 323 | 471 | 251 | 343 | 80 | 309 | 2716 | 5661 |
| Handicap | 13 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 12 | |||
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 7 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 17 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 12 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
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Food & Beverage
Bar, GrillAvailable Facilities
ClubhouseReviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by u217656252 on 12/05/2025
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1st tee from the tips Photo submitted by RichMini2 on 04/04/2022
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Photo submitted by chrisleduc on 04/01/2021
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Vineyards and fairways Photo submitted by Robstnr on 06/15/2015
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View from the 1st tee !!! Photo submitted by Zimbotrini on 04/21/2015
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Photo submitted by Zimbotrini on 04/21/2015
Epic golf
I have played almost all the courses from Paso Robles to Santa Barbara expect except Spindrift and this is by far the nicest course I've ever played oh, great Pace done in about 3 hours and 15 minutes and the course is just fantastic! A little expensive but worth it
Disappointed with River Course
Checked in to find the greens had been punched and sanded two days prior. No warning when tee time was made. Greens were unplayable. Pro shop staff says, “just take an automatic 2 putt.” Sorry that’s not golf.
Coarse condition awful. Teeing areas devoid of grass. Not a single level tee. The markers weren’t every aligned. The sand traps looked like they had Never received any attention from maintenance crew. Large stones in all bunkers. Crusty “sand”. Etc..
Not a bad layout though it is repetitive. A lot of chris crossing direction to tees —
Great day
Awesome day of golf- there was a slow group two ahead of us walking- but overall it was very nice
Every group we saw was struggling with first cut
The grass just off the fairways was too long which slowed play because you could not find balls that were only a few feet feet off line.
Can get windy
Beautiful views, fun layout. Nice greens, some tricky holes require previous knowledge, want to play it more often. Been years and it has matured nicely
Great course
The course was great, excellent condition, would definitely go back and play.
Enjoyable Round
River Course was in good condition and played very fair. It’s a pleasant day on the course.
Beautiful but breezy!
Be prepared for winds and lightning fast greens! The course layout is fun. I played the tips which was about 7,000 yards in a 30 mph wind. It was fun. Keep the ball down and know your distances with your clubs and you can predict your ball flight if you go up high. The cart girl was non existent and there was no ranger. I say the latter bc i got stuck behind a 3 some and they had no clue to let me play thru for 6 holes. I feel it's a solid 4 out of 5!
Nice track, great employees...
Had lunch prior to hitting the links, good food, a nice start.
Check in was painless, employees had a good vibe and very personable. Great representation of the company they work for.
The course was in good shape, fairways were lush, the greens were receptive and rolled fine. A few of the tee boxes could've used some help. The layout could pose some issues with a few holes running parallel to one another...FORE.
Pace of play was very good, our 4some finished under 4 hours with a 2pm start on a Sat afternoon, perfect.
Well worth it, if in the area again, I would definitely tee it up there again.
Thanks guys for an enjoyable afternoon.
Good round at a terrific course
A round at Alisal River Course is always a pleasure; the wind is a regular visitor in the afternoons but it simply adds more challenges.
Excellent day of golf!
What a day, course conditions fabulous, staff extremely friendly, played in 3.15 , definitely will be back! My favorite course and the Central Coast!
Snack attendant excellent!
Nice day at Alisal
Played here in 4 hours, 10 minutes in a foursome with some friends. The course was in decent shape and we had to wait only 2-3 times. All in all a good course on a nice warm day with only a little wind. We tee’d off at 11:40. A very good value via Golfnow hot deals.
Spring Splendor
This course is in a beautiful setting, especially in the spring with green, oak studded hills in wine country. The challenge level is moderate, but the greens have a coarser grass than most. We enjoyed our round, but the wind was pretty strong from 12-3.