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
Practice/Instruction
Policies
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
Well kept course.
Excellent condition and great pace of play, well worth the price through golf now.com
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.
Great place outside Solvag
The golf course is in great shape. With the drought and water restrictions in Southern California. A must play
Alisal Drought
Course in great condition considering drought and wide open on a nice Sunday afternoon.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Fun course
Had a wonderful round of golf, very fair course and worth every penny, would highly recommend.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
First Time
simply beautiful. Great facility, great views and great weather. a must play when visiting the central coast!!
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!
Great Day
7:20 tee off. Finished by 11. Greens recently punch
this review tells me nothing about the course... not very helpful.