GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
4.4
496 Reviews (496)
5 Stars
264
4 Stars
172
3 Stars
41
2 Stars
16
1 Stars
3
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.4
Layout
4.5
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.4
91.3%
Recommend this course
463 out of 496 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
23 Reviews (23)
5 Stars
17
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.5
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.8
91.3%
Recommend this course
21 out of 23 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
51 Reviews (51)
5 Stars
32
4 Stars
12
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.4
Value
4.3
Layout
4.5
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.5
StaffFriendliness
4.8
88.2%
Recommend this course
45 out of 51 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6830 yards
Slope 125
Rating 72.7

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.

Book a Tee Time at
River Course at the Alisal
Powered by GolfNow.com

Course Details

Year Built 1992
Golf Season Year round
Architect Jack Daray, Jr. (1992) Stephen Halsey (1992)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
GPS Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Golf Simulator Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Indoor Practice Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill

Available Facilities

Clubhouse
The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+
waivedfees
10 rounds of waived fees
golf ball.svg
$120 in tee time credits
teetime protection.svg
Tee Time Protection
redeemtrophy
Redeem GolfPass points

Reviews

4.4
496 Reviews (496)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Patio Dining 17
Drinks 13
Amazing Food 9
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 23
Water Hazards 20
Forced Carries 10
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 25
A Weekend Splurge 17
Locals 17
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 25
Near Local Attractions 16
Convenient to the City 10

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Just aerated

River Alisal just aerated their greens so it is hard to say what the course would feel like.

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

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

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

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

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great place to play golf

Great golf course. But I don't want the course to get crowded.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

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.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

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...

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0

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.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

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.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 26
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

6-some

Great course. Great staff.

Only issue was that a 6-some was allowed to play by the marshal. It disrupted the round for several groups. The marshal made an attempt to skip the group up a couple holes but they bogged things down again on the back nine. It disrupted any chance of playing at a normal rhythm

.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 77
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 5
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 27
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Lovely course

The course was very well kept and the scenery was beautiful. The course had its challenges but was not too punishing. Fun to play.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Nearby Courses
Solvang, California
Private/Resort
5.0
1
Buellton, California
Public
4.5
2
Santa Barbara, California
Public
3.4916666667
120
Lompoc, California
Public
4.4156626506
166
Santa Barbara, California
Public
4.0533333333
75
Santa Barbara, California
Public
4.2809089754
280
Lompoc, California
Private
4.3448275862
29
Goleta, California
Private
0.0
0
Goleta, California
Public
4.0
1
Santa Barbara, California
Semi-Private
0.0
0
Santa Maria, California
Public
3.7744927112
442
Golf Packages
MB2.1.jfif

Monarch Beach Resort Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
ORANGE COUNTY, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Waldorf-Astoria Monarch Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Nigel, the Montage Laguna Beach, or the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa and golf at Monarch Beach Golf Links.

Monarch Beach Resort Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
ORANGE COUNTY, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Waldorf-Astoria Monarch Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Nigel, the Montage Laguna Beach, or the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa and golf at Monarch Beach Golf Links.

The Inn At Spanish Bay Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
PEBBLE BEACH, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Inn at Spanish Bay and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Del Monte Golf Course.

La Quinta Resort & Club Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
LA QUINTA, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at La Quinta Resort & Club and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of PGA WEST - Nicklaus Tournament Course, PGA WEST - Pete Dye Mountain Course, PGA WEST - Greg Norman Course, PGA WEST - Pete Dye Dunes Course, and PGA WEST - The Pete Dye Stadium Course.

The Casa Palmero – Pebble Beach Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
PEBBLE BEACH, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Lodge at Pebble Beach and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Del Monte Golf Course.
Now Reading
  • Home

  • Memberships

  • Library

  • Account