River Course at Alisal

no mention was made of the condition of the greens either at the time of booking on golf now, or when we checked in at the proshop. greens had been punched and sanded and were in terrible condition. the rest of the course conditions were poor as well, bare spots on the fairways and tees.no beverage cart, and half way house not open, no mention was made of either of those issues. the course does not return to clubhouse at the turn, so this was inconvenient to get refreshments. have played this course in years past and experienced better conditions.

I stumbled onto this course when looking for a place to play while everyone else in my group spent the afternoon wine tasting. Found a great deal on Golfnow so decided to give it a try. Turned into an amazing afternoon. The setting is so beautiful I knew I had made a good decision even before hitting the first shot. The staff was extremely friendly. The course was in good but not great condition. But considering the lack of rain it was better than expected. The fairways were a little thin but OK. The Greens were very good. A few excellent holes with the rest being OK to good.

All in all this is a great place to play and I was amazed at how few people seem to even know about it. For the sake of the management I hope that changes. For the sake of my next time out there I hope it doesn't.

Nice course, winds blowing 20 mph makes it difficult. Great staff

Nice enough course if you play it every 2 years, otherwise overpriced for a rather boring layout.

It's a fun course. Not worth the green fees they charge. total rip off in my opinion. I am a 6 handicap and willing to pay for a good round of golf. I also work in the golf industry.

When the best price on golf now is a hot deal for 68.00. It's a shame. No way it's worth that at 12:30 in the afternoon.

The Alisal course twilight fees should be their regular green fees. I don't see how they get off charging more than la parisima. A far superior course only 20 miles away.

The restraunt is cool. Staff is nice. Course is a rip off. Won't be back.

Enjoyed playing this course. Lots of sand, some well hidden so make sure you check your course map. My playing partner rented clubs, and the driver head on the rental clubs was kind of loose. Expected more for the $40 rental fee. Overall though, I give the course high ratings.

Some very challenging holes - some too easy. Fairways sparse, greens good speed but had foot traffic bumps and more than a few ball marks. Beautiful scenery. Good value though.

The course is in good condition, great greens and fairways with plenty of grass.
Course is a fair test - not too punitive on poor shots but rewards good play with the chance to score well.
Lovely location and some great views.

I've always enjoyed playing this course. Even in this long term drought the fairways are green and the greens are in outstanding shape. I played it from the white tees but play it from the blues if you're a long hitter. The facility is in great shape and the restaurant gets a big non-golfer lunch crowd.

Like always, the course was in excellent shape. Greens were running quick and true.

Nice course, beautiful countryside. Not too busy on a Friday

The River was in good shape considering drought conditions in our area. Greens were excellent. As always, the location is beautiful and the air is fresh. Over the years the trees have grown nicely increasing the challenge a bit. This is a good course for any type of golfer.

Great value for the money. Fantastic views if the mountains. One a few courses that remains green in the drought stricken California. Excellent outing!

Enjoyed playing here and would definitely do so. Compared the cost of other courses in the area this represents a good value. I found it to be challenging but very playable.

I made a 7:20 tee time on Golf Now. I got to the course about 6:15 (first light) hoping I could go right out. The starter arrived about 6:40 and after getting organized, told us (one other had the same idea of starting early) the course opened at 7:00. We joined up as a two some and teed off a tad early. First ones out and pace of play was of course excellent. Greens mostly large and flat. Very smooth and rolled nicely. Signs of our drought throughout the course but still very nice.

Played here four times and keep forgetting that you need to give this course it's due respect. Wind kicked up in afternoon, making the back tough. Lots of weddings in the summer so a lot of nongolfers made it slow. Course was in decent shape during the summer and in a drought. Some dirt spots outside of normal landing areas but if you can play decently you will not encounter. Greens were good, rolled true. For $45 it's a great value..Solvang is a great weekend retreat.

Focus on the course played and your individual experience

This is a nice course in Solvang/ Santa Barbara wine country. Course conditions were green and were irrigated. The layout was interesting. The course was used in the famous film, Sideways. I'll definitely play there next time I'm in Santa Barbara.

I feel this course is worth the short drive from Goleta/Santa Barbara area. Although the course is basically flat, it is in a scenic area of the Santa Ynez Valley. It has everything for any skill of the golfer. There is plenty of trouble to be found, but a very fair course. I always look forward to a round here!

We played on a Friday morning and the course was practically empty. I waited in the pro shop to buy tees for 10 minutes but the guy didn't interrupt his phone call to serve me so I can't rate the friendliness of staff very high. Otherwise it was a nice course which provided a bit of challenge, especially when you hadn't played it before and couldn't see where the hazards were.