River Course at The Alisal

River Course at The Alisal: Member Reviews

150 Alisal Road
Solvang, CA 93464 • (805) 688-6042

LOCAL WEATHER

Solvang, CA (93464)

63°F
Fair

[Full Forecast]

Humidity: 52%
Wind: CALM

Sunset: 7:15 pm
green Sunrise: 6:57 am

COURSE LINKS

River Course Alisal GC Website

ALERT: Aeration
Aeration of the greens 4/29 & 4/30.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

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1. t8fish

Posted: 12/19/24 11:10p
Member Since: Jan 31, 2006
From: Altadena

In Solvang for a few days, teed off @noon on Tuesday, 12/17. A beautiful day to play, I caught the single ahead of me on the 4th hole and we continued together. Per my previous reviews, I don't think ... Continue »

All Reviews by t8fish

9 Likes.

Rated
7.2 Conditions

2. slicer

Posted: 10/01/24 6:17p
Member Since: Feb 11, 2004
From: HB

Played her last week on Sept 23 as part of a 4 day group outing. It was a very warm day with no cart service, but there was a snack bar at the turn. However, the golf course staff were great. The cl... Continue »

All Reviews by slicer

10 Likes.

Not Rated
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3. roarksown1

Posted: 09/17/24 9:26p
Member Since: Jan 6, 2013
From: Playa del Rey

Finally made it out to the River Course at Alisal after years of wanting to play there, and I definitely came away feeling like it was worth the wait. It's set in a gorgeous area and there's no shortage of beautiful holes.

The only downside was playing it in a work event scramble tournament, so now I'm more motivated than ever to play a real round there in the near future. It's a very fun layout with lots of twists and turns but nothing really too gimmicky whatsoever. There's a bit of a parkland feel to many of the holes but you never get bored or feel compartmentalized by the terrain.

The facilities in the clubhouse are very nice, but the driving range is far from adequate. It's tiny and not much fun to have to wait for a long time when warming up for one of the few stalls to open up. But really, after that there's not too much to complain about.

I found the course probably in its worst possible condition after all the recent heatwaves and still found it to be really playable and engaging. No, the fairways currently are not pristine and carpet-like, but they're most very good with a few thin spots here and there. The rough is very thick but still playable, however there is a lot of tree debris at present to make finding your ball rather difficult in spots.

The tee boxes were all in good to very good shape, while absolute top marks went to the white, fluffy sand bunkers that were an absolute joy to hit from. It's been a long time since I've played bunkers this good and it was a real treat finally to be offline! The greens were also in really good shape - none too tricked out or fancy - just solid and true, rolling medium-fast and holding shots well. Really great.

Cart service came around plenty of times, but then again that might have only been for this event. I won't talk about POP because again - it was a scramble. I am though very content to have finally seen the grounds here firsthand and will make it a point to get back out here very soon when conditions are even better after some autumn rains.

All Reviews by roarksown1

8 Likes.

Rated
7.3 Conditions

4. t8fish

Posted: 03/01/24 8:49p
Member Since: Jan 31, 2006
From: Altadena

Got out Thursday 2/29 as single joining another single. Not too much to elaborate on. The course is in overall very clean condition — clean, green and mown with not a bare or brown spot in sight. Bunk... Continue »

All Reviews by t8fish

13 Likes.

Rated
7.9 Conditions

5. t8fish

Posted: 12/11/22 4:31p
Member Since: Jan 31, 2006
From: Altadena

Out as single on Friday 12/9, teed off at 12:20 playing the whites on a beautiful sunny day in-between rainy ones. Overall course conditions were clean. Teeing grounds were covered and level. Fairways were green, on the tight side but with a good based — not thin or hard. I noticed a few brown patches starting down the first fairway but they were small, few, and I didn't notice any the rest of the day. Rough was generally green, consistent and not overly punitive. I was in way more than my usual quota of bunkers and they were in good shape, clean and somewhat on the firm side. They gave way to the shot well enough, but needed barely a swipe with the rake since one tended to walk over the surface leaving minimal impression. Chipping from the fairway was tight but the rest of the area around the greens was in good shape for short shots. I'd say the greens were the highlight — clean, medium fast and true. I generally had a good putting round, converting numerous six-ish footers that stayed on line. As muni player, I'm not used to seeing that. Surroundings and conditions aside, I do find the course itself tad pedestrian in a predominantly flat, back and forth park land kind of way. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy it. It's a good walking course in a beautiful valley and views of the surrounding area are very nice. While the round started with minimal wind, a steady westerly breeze running up the basin soon kicked up and stayed until the 18th. While it can seem like you are always heading into the wind on a breezy day, in this case it is closer to true. With the wind in this direction, 12 of 18 holes either play into the wind or get a cross breeze to factor in, so it often played longer for me on the day. My singular disappointment was bringing my dog out to walk with me only to find out they have banned dogs on the course since the last time I had been there. Apparently, an incident with someone's dog biting a child on the cafe patio led to the resort-wide ban. Too bad, as I was alone and it was otherwise the perfect opportunity and setting for it. Fortunately I was able to get my wife to come pick him up before I was due to tee off. Otherwise, a pleasant course, nice conditions, beautiful setting, and good walk. Recommended.

All Reviews by t8fish

12 Likes.

Rated
7.2 Conditions

6. BigHitter2317

Posted: 10/04/22 11:10a
Member Since: Mar 20, 2022
From: Norco

Played this course on 10-4-22 with OG greenskeeper.org member Cheeseburger. I have been coming to the solvang area since I was a small child and never actually realized how close to the course was to this beautiful town. The location of this course is amazing and the views of the surrounding areas are incredible.

The club house is very nice and has well stocked pro shop, the starter was very nice and we had a good conversation for a little bit while I was waiting for my playing partner to show.

The driving range was off of mats which did not have areas for using a tee if you wanted to hit driver at the range, but it is a nice small range. The carts are older and do not have GPS, but do have usb ports which allow you to charge your phone if you have a golf GPS app.

Arriving to the course there was a good amount of early morning dew and fog which cleared up after the first couple of holes. The fairways were in good shape and there were no patchy sections. The rough was consistent in length and not too difficult to hit out of. Tee boxes were in good shape and mostly level with a few exceptions, but on those you could still find a level area. The fairways were soft and the greens held most shots during the round.

There were a few minor things about the course that were of concern. The greens were inconsistent when it came to the surface. Some greens were very bumpy and did put a true line. Others looked like they were still recovering from the previous aerating, which was of some concern as I heard this course was due for another aerating at the end of the month.

The course had been recently mowed and there was a large amounts of wet trimmings along the course which had to be removed, and some areas of the course appear to be over watered and were very wet.

The sand traps need some work, some were like hitting out of a wet concrete slurry. Many of them had large amounts of pebbles, stones, and large rocks in them.

The pace of play was solid as we finished our round in 4hrs. We were able to get a great deal using GolfMoose.com that is found on the greenskeeper website. The round was $99 for 2 players with a cart and a free replay (wish I could have taken advantage of that but was not able too), All in all I was happy with this course and cannot wait to return. It was also nice to be able to go into town and enjoy lunch at one of the local restaurants and stop by my favorite bakery for some danish cookies and the famous onion cheese bread.

All Reviews by BigHitter2317

13 Likes.

Not Rated
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7. Cheeseburger

Posted: 10/04/22 10:24a
Member Since: Nov 1, 2002
From: Santa Ynez, California

I have been wanting to play this course forever. Finally got my chance on Monday the 2 October 2022. As a twosome, playing with my fraternity brother's son who is, like the Dalai Lama... a "big hitter... Continue »

All Reviews by Cheeseburger

16 Likes.

Rated
6.9 Conditions

8. bogeygolf

Posted: 11/23/20 10:01p
Member Since: Sep 2, 2005
From: Fountain Valley, CA

Played 11/19/20 at 910, paired with a 3some from San Jose. My first time playing here and I can't believe why- the course was a blast to play! Check-in was quick and efficient, single rider carts unle... Continue »

All Reviews by bogeygolf

12 Likes.

Rated
7.7 Conditions

9. Nickesquire

Posted: 07/13/20 9:16p
Member Since: Aug 11, 2007
From: Cambria, CA

Rode the Blues (6451/71.1/122) with GDR23. Averaged 3H, 15M per round for 36 holes on an UP voucher with an hour in the middle for lunch. Clear and 70ish. Breezy in the a.m. round, windy in the p.m. r... Continue »

All Reviews by Nickesquire

14 Likes.

Rated
7.0 Conditions

10. GDR23

Posted: 07/13/20 8:46p
Member Since: Mar 21, 2006
From: Thousand Oaks

Played 36 holes with my buddy Nick today 7/13/20. Rode the golds 6913/73.3/127 this morning and then replayed the Blues 6471/71.1/122 in the afternoon. We used the underpar voucher. 1st round beautiful weather and we had blustery wind conditions during the second round. But overall beautiful high 70 temps. Our POP for the first round was just over 3 hrs and second round we played in 3 hrs 30 minutes at a comfortable pace never really waiting nor being pushed. Got to chat with the GM and staff inside the pro-shop before the round who stated even with COVID their rounds are up and the course is generally busy every day. Alisal has a range with mats right when you drive into the facility that is hidden. They have a nice big putting green and a beautiful patio for lunch that was packed. I had the Reuben pastrami sandwich in between rounds which was killer. COVID-19 masks required in the pro-shop and when walking to your table on the patio. Single rider carts and good thing my buddy had a measuring device on his phone as the course was not marked with any sprinkler head yardages that we saw which is a negative for old school walkers with no GPS. No ballwashers and no rakes in the bunker and the pins had foam at bottom of the cup. Had not been out here since August of 2009 when I played here for my bachelor party weekend. This is a beautiful course that is set in between mountains and vineyards. Layout has some up and down holes with a couple beautiful elevated tees to let the driver rip. As far as the layout is concerned several treeline holes, some holes to thread the driver through a narrower chute, some grip and rip holes and some dogleg holes. I found more holes here that fit a draw off the tee. A very enjoyable layout. 2nd time here and both times the wind blew good in the afternoon portion of the day. Holes 4 and 7 are very tough holes and if you can make par on those two holes you are ahead of the curve. Greens looked beautiful to the naked eye and putted medium pace and I felt were soft and semi-receptive. My buddy had a great putting day and I witnessed how to read the greens. I think there is overall less break here than the eye sees. Green size was ample and there was some greens that had some nice swales and humps. We loved the greens and they were the highlight of the show. Rated 8/10 The tees were not so great especially the back tee boxes. Most were sloped and had dips and canal lines running through them. You had to hunt for a level stance and they should level some of them out(#7) back tee box comes to mind. I thought the blue tees the 2nd round were a little better. Rated 6/10 The fairways were better than average. Most parts were lush, some thinner areas. Overall we did not encounter a horrible lie. Rated 6.5/10 The rough was in good shape and lush around the greens. It did not look that high but would nestle down some just around the fringes. Fairway rough was not as green and lush as the greenside rough. Rated 7/10 Was in 2 greenside bunkers that looked firm on the top but actually had a nice base of sand underneath. Rated 6.5/10. We really enjoyed ourselves here. Nice layout, friendly staff, above average course conditions and good food on the patio. For sure would recommend the Underpar voucher deal that they have going for 2 players.

All Reviews by GDR23

13 Likes.

Rated
7.0 Conditions

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Playing Conditions
7.25
Great

Course Statistics
108 of 2,337 Overall Rank
Value
Layout
Service

» More Detailed Ratings

River Course @ Alisal

» Twosome = $99 «

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PRACTICE FACILITIES

- Driving Range (Grass)
- Practice Chipping & Sand Areas
- Practice Putting Green

River Course @ Alisal » Twosome = $99 « [ Click to View Deal ]

River Course @ Alisal

» Twosome = $99 «

[ Click to View Deal ]