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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 | 386 | 420 | 226 | 583 | 395 | 438 | 358 | 172 | 3548 | 430 | 539 | 147 | 391 | 523 | 356 | 399 | 130 | 457 | 3372 | 6920 |
| Blue M: 70.9/123 W: 77.7/134 | 563 | 368 | 400 | 206 | 563 | 376 | 407 | 331 | 150 | 3364 | 411 | 521 | 134 | 356 | 498 | 337 | 370 | 115 | 374 | 3116 | 6480 |
| White M: 69.4/119 W: 75.7/130 | 527 | 352 | 380 | 186 | 532 | 358 | 397 | 311 | 131 | 3174 | 402 | 466 | 128 | 340 | 484 | 320 | 363 | 95 | 354 | 2952 | 6126 |
| Red M: 67.3/114 W: 73.2/125 | 465 | 340 | 369 | 136 | 519 | 339 | 381 | 302 | 126 | 2977 | 384 | 450 | 111 | 325 | 476 | 250 | 346 | 82 | 309 | 2733 | 5710 |
| 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
Under construction
Course under construction!!
The tee boxes on the front nine were closed for rebuilding. The front nine was played far in front of the red tees so it played very short. The bunkers are under construction getting new sand. On the back nine they had sand in some buckers, the new sand, very nice. So I would give the course a C minus for playing now but I do give them an A for the improvements. They’re trying to do and it will be very nice once they’re done. It was still a nice day of golf. The scenery is very nice. Just understand you’re not gonna get the course in normal conditions.
Excellent course
Overall was a great experience for my first time, beautiful course with lots of open spaces. Was working on the tees but everything else was great definitely going to keep coming back here
A nice day in the park
Nice middle of the road course that has nice flow, challenging but not too difficult, generally in good shape. Nice surroundings
Understaffed and not well managed
Not well managed. Course itself is in pretty good shape and under construction to be even better.
We were sold range balls for a noon tee time, then the machine was all out of balls. Staff let us know there were no more balls available for the day and didn’t seem too worried about there being no way to warm up. Not accommodating, offering to help us get some balls and not concerned about it.
Wait until front 9 tee boxes are back
We love this course but the tee boxes on the front were being rehabbed & the holes were really short. The back 9 was normal. Really changed the round. All that said, it was perfect weather & beautiful.
Fun in Solvang Golf and Food
The River Course tees on the front nine were all being rebuilt. The greens had just been sanded the week before. Normally, this course is in good shape and very fun to play.
The course was good but the front nine tee boxes weren't ready yet so the moved us about a 100 yards so it was irratating
Rebuilding tee boxes
I knew before booking my tee time as a single that the tee boxes were being reworked and the greens aerated, but for the low price including a cart, I couldn't pass it up. Pro shop attendants also were nice enough to tell me when I checked in that the front 9 tee boxes are being rebuilt and the greens are freshly punched. The course rating has been adjusted because of the shorter distances since you must tee off well in front of the red tees on the front 9.. Despite all the upgrades and maintenance, the rest of the course was in great shape. The fairways were evenly mowed as was the rough. I will play here again with the rebuild if I can get a good price as I did this time. Also, plan to return once the rebuild project is completed.
Always enjoyable.
Between the excellent pro shop staff who greeted me, to the grounds keeping staff working diligently, I find this course one of my favorite places to play.
Perfect Weather and Amazing Condition
From the moment my son and I walked in we were warmly greeted and made feel welcome by Collin. We were pared with two very nice gentlemen and completed the round in just under 5 hours. The course is playing great and the greens are fast. Definitely a must play!
Beautiful course
Great course well manicured. Love playing her and with discounts a great price
Fun fun fun!
Emerald green fairways and hills, great company familiar with the course (big thanks to Tom & pals), staff super friendly and helpful. Watch out for #9 - deceptively short downhill that plays an additional club thanks to swirling canyon winds. Course gets a lot of fellow walkers, which is great to see. Perfect time of year!
Great course
Great course
Staff friendly, course well maintained.
Great experience.
Great price and pace.
Will play again
Nice track but…
They were mid punching the fairways and we had some very muddy holes. Setting is beautiful. Holes aren’t that interesting - straight ahead par 4’s and short par 3’s. Teed off early (7:30) and hitting straight into the sun + mist was very tough visibility for first 4 holes. Overall it was fine.
Perfect...except
What a wonderful course! Always a challenge and I have almost never found the course to be in shabby condition. When I played, the course was in magnificent shape. Fairways were lush, greens were fast and true, and the traps were excellent. The weather was a perfect 73 degrees, with very little wind. Everything was perfect except for the groups playing in front of us. They appeared to be "locals", and it wasn't that they were slow, but that they hit a lot of shots. It would have been nice if they had just let us play through. But like at a lot of courses, that part of golf etiquette is dying. I love The Ranch Course at Alisal, and despite any drawbacks, I will more than excited to return. It is a "must play".
Very good condition
The course was in great condition except for the sand because of the rain. Very windy when I played making the back nine quite challenging. Will definitely come back when not so windy.
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