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River Course at Alisal
Rating Snapshot
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 |
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Reviews
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
Excellent layout!
Course was excellent condition, the three other guys I played with were fun!
Sidestep the Sideways Golf Course
Course condition was rough, lots of dead spots and beat up greens and tee boxes. Driving range was hard to find and in poor condition. Luckily I found a deal on GolfNow otherwise I would say the course is overpriced.
Disappointing experience
Being from this area I have played the course before and have always enjoyed the experience. I was disappointed to learn that the greens had just been punched and feel that this should have been posted on the website and also on the Golf Now app. At least offer a discount because putting is half the experience. The rough around the greens was to high and at times it was difficult to even find then chip your ball. The pace of play was ridiculous and I finally drove past three foursomes and had clear sailing for the last five holes. Other than the greens the course was in good condition and the setting is beautiful. The Santa Ynez Valley is a special place. Clubhouse and outside dining are very nice.
Just aerated
River Alisal just aerated their greens so it is hard to say what the course would feel like.
Punched green
Why is this always a secret I would of like to have known this was done so I could have gone elsewhere. Other than the greens the course was great
Family tournament
Jeff made this annual family tournament a real treat . Helped with all that was needed to make this not only a great experience but an overall great time . Jeff went beyond what we expected but look forward to next year when we will hopefully have more family playing golf. Thanks buddy you are awesome
Great place to play golf
Great golf course. But I don't want the course to get crowded.
Nice course but tough rough and high winds
Enjoyable round. Course is in decent shape, can be tough to play due to thick rough and high wind gusts in the afternoon.
Valentines / Couples Day in September
First time playing the course in a foursome and our round was adversely affected by whoever was running the tee sheet and scheduled twosome after twosome after twosome after our foursome ...
We let the first of four twosome play through at the turn, but the entire day felt pressured and rushed even though we finished 18 in 4:30...
Course conditions were pretty good, but there were many ball marks on the greens (thanks fellow players - NOT...)
Quite a few doglegs and lots of trees (and their dropped leaves) lining the fairways created a few situations resulting in lost balls... Quite a few unmowed areas off the fairways as well contributed to lost balls and we think that other players might have picked up our golf balls...
Popular place as there were players everywhere and the layout reminded us of a downscale muni like Westlake Golf Course....
All in all, it was a frustrating day and a two hour commute that resulted in a sub-optimal experience for a course I cannot recommend...
Great Course
Really nice course regardless of price. For the price, this place is truly amazing. $60/person on a Friday morning is insane for how nice this course is. The greens are super well kept with few unfixed pitch marks and good even trim around the first and second cuts.
Only problem was finding balls in the rough. It was a pretty thick first cut plus with the early morning light, every fallen leaf looked like a ball. Hit your fairways and you are golden.
Overall, great course, great price, highly recommend.
Nice course!
Greens were in great shape and played true. The only thing I found bad were the sand traps, or make that no sand traps. Little sand and hard packed made hitting out a challenge.
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