GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
4.4
487 Reviews (487)
5 Stars
257
4 Stars
171
3 Stars
40
2 Stars
16
1 Stars
3
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.4
Layout
4.5
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.4
92.0%
Recommend this course
455 out of 487 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
15 Reviews (15)
5 Stars
10
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.5
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.4
StaffFriendliness
4.7
86.7%
Recommend this course
13 out of 15 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
44 Reviews (44)
5 Stars
27
4 Stars
11
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.3
Layout
4.5
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.4
StaffFriendliness
4.7
88.6%
Recommend this course
39 out of 44 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
487 Reviews (487)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Well kept course.

Excellent condition and great pace of play, well worth the price through golf now.com

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Walked

Nice course

It was a last minute decision. Arrived there at 330pm for a tee time at 400pm. We advised the guy working in the proshop that we needed clubs. We were advised that we had to be back by 630pm as he was closing the proshop? 630? So we had to hurry and golf in 330hr. Round and cart cost was $40.00 each and club rental were $ 40.00 a set. Expensive as the club were not in great condition. I almost felt that we were bothering the guy at the proshop. Otherwise good round.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great place outside Solvag

The golf course is in great shape. With the drought and water restrictions in Southern California. A must play

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Alisal Drought

Course in great condition considering drought and wide open on a nice Sunday afternoon.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Pleasantly surprised!

Returned to this course after a 15 year absence. Happy to see the small trees have matured nicely providing a clear view on how each hole runs from tee to greens. Greens were in very good condition and rolled true. Only negative is the lack of visible yardage on sprinklers or fairway markers. However, I look forward to returning again!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Nice course in a getaway location

Played with friends from Santa Barbara and enjoyed the outing very much. A fun course to play with a fair landing areas and sufficient bunkering to make it interesting and penalized the errant shot. Greens were large and relatively flat but in great condition and receptive to well hit shots. Not much elevation changes on the course but trees and a few water hazards create some psyc factors. We played early and had no one in front of us. We let one three some of locals play through as they were playing faster than we were. Otherwise we had the place to ourselves. We finished just in time for a nice lunch on the patio. Located in the interesting town of Solvang where you could spend a day visiting the many shops and venues of Danish heritage.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Walked

Great golf for the $$

Course was in very good shape for the drought conditions we are experiencing. Open course that is very forgiving up to a point.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

enjoyable place to golf

We have golfed at the River Course several times and find it to be a very pleasant and enjoyable place both on the course and the restaurant where the food is excellent (open for lunch only). The setting is very peaceful, the golf course was in wonderful condition and the staff was very helpful and accommodating.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 22
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Fun course

Had a wonderful round of golf, very fair course and worth every penny, would highly recommend.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course and great weather

I would play this course everyday if I could. Great fun to play here!. Cool in the am before 8:00...54 degrees. Beautiful course. Great deal with golf now

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

2.5 hr round

Went out early on a Monday morning and was able to play by myself. Course is in excellent condition. Fairways manicured, and greens are like carpet.

I was out with the grounds keeper. They were doing their thing and I was doing mine. Although some hole I was hitting into a field of sprinklers watering the fairways, it didn't bother me, but it might others.

Love the course. Look forward to my next round here.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

The total package

Great course, great conditions top notch staff. The river course is a cool layout with winding fairways, water and wonderful views of the Santa ynez Hills. Gotta be accurate off the tee as there are some tight tree lined passages to navigate. Make sure to stay for lunch as the steak tacos are amazing. Seriously.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Used cart

this course is nestled in a valley with fairly flat terrain

The River course at Allisal Ranch is a very nice course. It is lined on the fairways with Sycamore tress. they can be troublesome at times. very scenic outlay. The course has fairly flat greens. nice fairway grasses and the tee boxes are nicely done. best to go in the morning early, because it can get hot and windy.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 32
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Used cart

Great Course, Bad Service

Found a great deal to play some golf on Saturday morning (Golfnow Hot Deal) and really enjoyed the round. The course was a great shape and the pace of play was excellent. The deal was great but even for the standard rate on Golfnow, you would get good value for your money.

The experience with the staff was a bit poor. Prior to the round, found out a good friend was going to be attending the same wedding and called the Pro Shop to see if they could accommodate us adding another (we were a twosome) or moving us around to find space. There was zero effort to help us out and basically told tough luck. When we get to the course, it's an absolute gong show off the first tee (I was given the impression on the phone that they run a tight ship, obviously not the case) and we ended up playing as a twosome. Clearly would not have been a problem to accommodate us adding another and it ended up being a lost opportunity to play a round with a friend who lives across the country.

The customer service aside, the course was fun, challenging and in great shape. Definitely recommend it but just don't expect any willingness to accommodate you as a guest.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Poor
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 25+
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Beautiful day

WOW, What fun my friend and I had. 18 holes, beautiful scenery, absolutely no one around, large wide fairways. Be sure to bring snacks / drinks with you, we found out a little late after 2 everything is closed. Come prepared
.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Wonderful Time

What a lovely get away place to spend a day. Looks like some where from a movie like Darby oh gill and the little people. Wow what a view each hole has. Just good for the soul.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

First Time

simply beautiful. Great facility, great views and great weather. a must play when visiting the central coast!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 38
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Fair weather
Used cart

ALISAL

grenns were aerated, we were not made aware of this until we got to the 1st green. practice driving range very poor, ground not flat or have much grass. limited hitting area.

chipping area very limited. putting green good!

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/26/2015

this review tells me nothing about the course... not very helpful.

Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Fair weather
Used cart

Wind in the Afternoon

If the wind is at 15 MPH then add two clubs minimum on holes 13-16 when hitting into the green.......

Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Great Day

7:20 tee off. Finished by 11. Greens recently punch

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
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
4.2987931426
272
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
3.6611814742
431
Golf Packages

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.
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.

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