Enjoyed Sandpiper GC 2 weeks ago with a Monday afternoon tee time. We played it from the tips and wind speeds were under 10 mph. An excellent Monday!

The course was in good condition and is greenin... Continue »

Enjoyed Sandpiper GC 2 weeks ago with a Monday afternoon tee time. We played it from the tips and wind speeds were under 10 mph. An excellent Monday!

The course was in good condition and is greening up from winter conditions. The course layout is rated a 4.5 out of 5, conditions are rated a 3.0 out of 5. I note the following:

Tee Boxes: Level and generally lush, no damage
Fairways: Greening up and at times tight, no major damage
Greens: Green, medium to fast, no damage
Sand: Reasonably maintained, both soft and hard
Rough and Waste Areas: Tall rough and waste areas are very penal on stray shots
Driving Range: Closed for reasons unknown to man - very lame
POP: 4.5 hours - waited briefly on 6 holes

The course is an ocean style track with several holes running along the Pacific Ocean cliff line, remaining holes are inland with most offering beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. The course offers a few elevation changes and blinds shots that keep things interesting. The layout is very scenic and an overall fun playing track for a decent golfers.

This course requires reasonable accuracy off the tee into midsized fairways that are lined with heavy rough; along with waste areas, trees, or cliff sides. Greens tend to be medium in size and run medium to fast, often breaking towards the ocean, and always held good shots. Both greens and fairways were strategically bunkered for protection, but not excessively. Course plays a bit longer due to heavy marine layer, play shots 5-10 yards longer than normal yardage.

For no justifiable reason, this course has had the driving range closed for over 1 year, absolutely silliness and beyond lame. One practice putting green remains open, so visit a driving range in the area prior to playing, they are all open.

Snack shack offers food, snacks, and drinks.

Service received was really good. We started on time and noticed 1 Marshall on the course. If your willing to pay the full pop on the green fee, this course is recommended.

This is late and will be short. I played Thursady 12/3, paired up with another single for the front and finished the back nine alone. Teeing grounds are fine. Fairways are wintery — multicolored, tigh... Continue »

This is late and will be short. I played Thursady 12/3, paired up with another single for the front and finished the back nine alone. Teeing grounds are fine. Fairways are wintery — multicolored, tight lies and a good amount of rollout. I don't recall actual hard pan areas, so they were decent. I was in one bunker and sand was in good shape if not completely smoothed out. Around the greens was inconsistent — chipping from the fairways was tight and green-side areas could be anything from a nice lie to lumpy grass and bare spots. The greens were not pristine to look at, but actually performed well and were very fast and firm — as in scary fast, as in if you are above the hole, it just might not stop. There was no range available but you could use the hole-less putting green.Teed off around 1:10 and was one of the last to finish with enough light, so the timing was perfect. It was a gorgeous, slightly cool day with light winds. Course conditions were less than perfect, but not a reason to stay away, and probably very appropriate for this time of year. I had a horrible score and it was because of me, not the course. After some range time, I'd love to try it again.

Played Sandpiper for the first time last week- got in back to back rounds on 11/13 & 11/14, and absolutely loved it!

Standard Covid practices in place, but everything seemed safe and was run well. ... Continue »

Played Sandpiper for the first time last week- got in back to back rounds on 11/13 & 11/14, and absolutely loved it!

Standard Covid practices in place, but everything seemed safe and was run well. Range was closed. Food service was limited.

I was in a cart on day 1 and walked day 2. The carts have nice GPS systems which was a plus. There are a few holes / doglegs where getting to measure distances around hazards was key. Greens were fast but fair. Just make sure you are below the hole!

There were a lot of walkers, but there are some pretty serious hills to contend with. It's walkable and I would do it again, but be ready for some exercise if you go that route.

This course offers some of the most amazing views out there. Similar to Torry, but closer to the sand. The front 9 gets you excited, then you go to 10, 11 & 12 and just get blown away. Be ready to snap some pics.

One nice thing was that even though nobody was allowed in the pro shop, one of the workers brought me over a stack of medium shirts so I was able to pick one out that I liked. Great service!

Loved this track and will definitely be back! It isn't cheap, but is one that I am already looking forward to playing again.

Played Sandpiper today from the Golds which is there blue. Overall the course was in good shape. The greens were pretty quick. We had the first twilight time at 200 PM. We finished in about 4 hours. T... Continue »

Played Sandpiper today from the Golds which is there blue. Overall the course was in good shape. The greens were pretty quick. We had the first twilight time at 200 PM. We finished in about 4 hours. The good thing about there first Twilight time, is they block the 10 minutes prior to Twilight which gave us a clear path of the whole course. The twilight rate was 85 to walk and 115 to ride. I think the twilight rates are reasonable, but I’m not sure if I would pay full price for this course. Full price is 160 to walk and 190 to ride. It’s a fun layout don’t get me wrong. It was the typical Covid rules. No driving Range but putting green was open with no holes punched for cups. It’s just the green. The odd thing is Glen Annie which is 5 minutes away their driving range and putting green was open. We went there to warm up on there range and drove to Sandpiper. I’m not sure why one course 5 minutes away would have their range open but Sandpiper not. Also today, all the ocean holes were fogged in where you could barley see about 100 yards forward. Once we got inland of course it all cleared and it was just beautiful. I have played here before so at least I was able to enjoy those holes when it was nice and sunny.

Best conditions I've ever seen at Sandpiper currently despite the heavy rains that came down the last few days. It always seem that the ocean holes are in fine condition, but they slack a bit on the i... Continue »

Best conditions I've ever seen at Sandpiper currently despite the heavy rains that came down the last few days. It always seem that the ocean holes are in fine condition, but they slack a bit on the interior holes. Not the case right now. Not in the least.

Fairways are a lush and very verdant green, while the first cut of rough is thick but manageable. If you're on the bad side of THAT cut, well, you're in big trouble. I lost two balls in the rough after three holes, so keep that in mind when you see it drifting.

Bunkers were tough to judge as some had some residual water left over, but the ones that I ended up in seemed as if they would be fine if the weather cooperated. The tee boxes? We played the Gold tees and they were all level and well conditioned.

The greens were also very nice and rolled well at medium-fast speeds. I wouldn't call any of the green complexes at Sandpiper 'gimmicky,' but there are definitely some with some severe tiers to work with and take into account when judging distance and direction. Overall though they're very nice.

Unfortunately it was Cart Path Only but that's not difficult to understand when it rains this much, but it was surprising to hear that the driving range was closed. We did get a GolfMoose deal which was nice but also had to pay an extra $20 for the pre-twilight tee time. Regular rates are a good bit higher, and I'm not sure that I would want to pay that, but if there's ever a time that it would be close to being worth it, this is it. When the sun finally comes back out, it's going to be a serious treat.

Played Sandpiper yesterday during my match with Roarksown1. Due to morning rain the range was closed and it was cart path only. Had I known, I would have brought the hand cart and walked as this co... Continue »

Played Sandpiper yesterday during my match with Roarksown1. Due to morning rain the range was closed and it was cart path only. Had I known, I would have brought the hand cart and walked as this course could easily be walked. Still it was nice to be able to chitchat with Rob as we tend to do A Lot during our rounds. There was a threat of rain all day but it held out for us and though it was cloudy it actually wasn’t too cold.

Check in was flawless and they offered to send us off early if we wanted. As is the usual with this place, the course was in excellent condition all around. Greens are the odd grass (that Blackhorse/Bayonet use as well) which have some brown coloring to them when looking from a far but it doesn’t affect the performance what so ever. Greens rolled at a medium to medium fast pace and most were two tiered with a good amount of undulations. Enough that you paid close attention throughout the day but not so bad you felt beat up after the round.

Naturally with the recent rain the greens were soft and receptive to approach shots.
No issues at all with the tee boxes. Level, lush and divot free.

Fairways were also well kept. Nice hitting surface all around with only a couple minor wet spots here there from the recent rain. There wasn’t much roll out on the fairways. The first cut of rough was very manageable in that it was only about 1-2 inches thick and very lush. I always had a great lie from the first cut. The second cut was much taller and presented to serious challenge. After that and it was no mans land where you were happy to find your ball (Rob) but most of the time it was a lost ball (Me).

The layout is a mixture of a few things. Flat, straight and long parkland style, to some tricky dog leg holes with great ocean views and also some great imaginative routing down to the beach and back up top along the ocean. Of course there are a number of other ocean holes that play along the ocean to make this track enjoyable.

Without a doubt it’s a highly recommended course.

I played here last week with a friend and this was our first experience playing Sandpiper. We both enjoyed it! I lived in Northern California for years and always wanted to play here, however it was a... Continue »

I played here last week with a friend and this was our first experience playing Sandpiper. We both enjoyed it! I lived in Northern California for years and always wanted to play here, however it was a bit south from where I lived.

We caught Sandpiper on a perfect weather day with the fog burning off before our round. And, a blue sky will sure add to the experience here with all the ocean views.

The first four holes are inland without any water views then, then you get a mix of holes along the ocean and others with ocean views. The 6th, 10th, and 11th were my favorites, as I'm sure is the case for most people! The 10th is cool short par-4 with some options as you play towards the ocean. The 11th is a mid-length par-3 that drops at least a club to a green that sits on the beach.

I won't say that Sandpiper is an architectural masterpiece, because it isn't but the setting cannot be beat. The good part is it isn't super tough to play so it lets you enjoy the setting.

Conditions were great for January. Things were a bit soft, but other than no complaints. I don't think Sandpiper is worth the $185 green fee (no GPS and no range balls for example) but for the $125 twilight we paid I think it is worth that. Sandpiper turned out to be one of my California favorites.

Reading Sal’s review and reflecting on my experience with Garth’s group it’s pretty humbling. Joined up with Garth for the round, previously played with him and the Gold Coast Golf Association in Marc... Continue »

Reading Sal’s review and reflecting on my experience with Garth’s group it’s pretty humbling. Joined up with Garth for the round, previously played with him and the Gold Coast Golf Association in March, was really impressed with how friendly, organized and fun the outings are. Sandpiper is one of my favorite courses in SoCal so this was a no brainer. Didn’t expect Garth to make a special announcement about me joining them to play. Appreciated it but man, I’m just an avid golfer that loves this game.

As far as conditions, those greens were running around a 12, super smooth, holding shots and in tough locations. Even the hotdog putter was tormented at times. But they are fun. The rest of the golf course is exactly what I expected for this time of year. Firm with tight lies. It’s a different course compared to April and December. In April (last time I played it) you have a more lush course, more eye pleasing and in overall better shape. In December following a dry summer and fall (remember SoCal didn’t get a bunch of rain until just 30 days ago) there are going to be thin spots and occasional bare spots up there. They are doing some small tine fairway aerations in trouble spots. But what you always get with Sandpiper is simply stunning ocean views and some spectacular golf holes. The ambiance of the place is one of my absolute favorites. It’s the main reason, IMO, to play the golf course. I don’t think I have or will ever play an immaculate conditioned Sandpiper but it’s always in very good to great shape which is good enough for me given the amazing location. Always Recommended.

Played here yesterday (12/19) with the Gold Coast Golf Association of Ventura County. Johnny GK made a very special appearance and was recognized by the GCGA president Garth and may have been one of t... Continue »

Played here yesterday (12/19) with the Gold Coast Golf Association of Ventura County. Johnny GK made a very special appearance and was recognized by the GCGA president Garth and may have been one of the most popular people out there as plenty of other players and few GK members said hello to him. It was a full field with two teams on every hole of this 10AM shotgun start on one of the most perfect days (weather-wise) I have ever seen in some time; almost no wind, a nice low to mid 60 degree temperature, and bright sunny skies. Shotgun ran well as it was nicely organized and players seemed to do a good job of keeping up (including our group) and pace was right around 4.75 hours with zero waiting. On to conditions...

Tee boxes: Perhaps the weakest feature today, and that's not a detrimental knock on Sandpiper as everything today was well above average. However, knowing that, a handful of tee boxes were not level and a bit chewed up. This very well may have been that it was a shotgun start with most everyone playing the silver today at some point.

Fairways: Cut tight and offering a fair amount of roll. Didn't end up in any divots so people were doing a good job of filling them. Had great lies all day to mess up my shots and the fairways today were particularly sparking and visually pleasing.

Rough: In some areas, the nasty fescue grasses were punishing (I believe 16 was one where we spent some time looking for TWO lost balls in the group). The more traditional rough was still quite penal at times, not insanely long, but I am certain it humbled quite a few people today.

Bunkers: Was only in one bunker today (amazingly) and it had ample sand, that was closer to beach sand than the stuff you see on the Tour. One member in our group was practically living in the stuff and he had no issues getting out, so I use that to gauge conditions and consistency. Rakes were lacking at times.

Greens: The highlight of the round. Everyone at warm-up was chit chatting about them and saying "quick as glass", "crazy breaks". I must not have listened as I had 40 putts today, including a comical adventure on #11 where the pin was placed in one of the most ridiculous placements I have ever seen. Suffice to say it wasn't the only crazy pin placement today; it was truly bordering on unfair with the speeds of those greens. Quick greens are one thing, but pin placements where you tap the ball and it run 60 feet past is just silly. I know some guys are glutton for punishment but not a 14 handicap like me.

ETC: The staff out here was great. Welcomed at the parking lot and clubs carried to my cart. Well organized outing due in part because the staff worked hard to get everything right. Cart attendant came around a handful of times during the round. Stopped at grill during the turn, however they were quite backed up. Still managed to get some small items; fairly priced for the area. Carts were basic with no cooler or GPS. Facilities on the course could use some TLC, but functional. Layout is fantastic with the ocean holes rivaling Torrey in terms of panoramic views. Amazing rate today of $89 for a wonderful course. Conditions are great if you can make it out!