Played here today (9/28) with a few friends on an 8:50AM tee time with ideal Santa Barbara weather. The price here for anyone not living in SLO, SB or Ventura County is too much even with the ocean vi... Continue »

Played here today (9/28) with a few friends on an 8:50AM tee time with ideal Santa Barbara weather. The price here for anyone not living in SLO, SB or Ventura County is too much even with the ocean views, but I had to try this course out for myself. Overall, I walked away impressed with the views, stunned by the ocean-front holes, but somehow left wanting more for as much hype as the course receives.

Tee boxes: Played the gold set today and the boxes were more than playable. Footing was generally good and grass coverage was vastly adequate.

Fairways: Like the tee boxes, good coverage with grass cut to a length that allowed for the ball to sit up enough. Course was wet as there was very light rain hours earlier so roll wasn't as good as it could have been, but more than fair.

Rough: At times it was penal and thick. There was plenty of it on certain holes, however the natural OB and native areas are far more in play and really made you think.

Bunkers: Was only in one and it was wet with the sand more dirt than anything. They don't have a great amount of "sand" in them and because of the consistency of the stuff available, it's important to play your sand shots with caution.

Greens: The highlight of the round. They looked to have been punched about 3 to 4 weeks ago but the visible holes didn't affect play at all. They ran amazingly quick considering they started out wet and the ocean break was difficult to read at times. Fun to putt on.

ETC: As mentioned, course is overpriced for the conditions and because of the following information. Carts were basic with poor handling and no GPS (it would be very useful here). Staff was friendly and cart attendant was out today. Layout is fun with a few standout holes, but conditions left much to be desired when you are paying upwards of $200 for a rack rate.

Got out as a walking single last Thursday, 5/23 at around 1:45. I hadn't been out on Sandpiper in several years and, spurred by recent positive reviews and Johnny's dog picture, decided I was overdue ... Continue »

Got out as a walking single last Thursday, 5/23 at around 1:45. I hadn't been out on Sandpiper in several years and, spurred by recent positive reviews and Johnny's dog picture, decided I was overdue to revisit it. Check in and service was smooth and included having to be issued a loaner putter when I realized I had left mine at home. A warmup bag of balls, some putting and chipping and off I went, playing from the silver tees. All around conditions were very good. Clean, flat teeing grounds, good green coverage on the fairways, rough that was groomed to a pretty consistent length, and quick greens. One area I feel the need to clarify relative to previous reviewers is the term "lush" as it refers to the fairways. To me lush implies thick with a some length to it. The kind of thickness that would tee the ball up a touch. I considered these fairways nicely covered and green with no brown or dry areas, but also on the tight side — good for rollout. I enjoyed the fairways and thought they were very nice, but in the interest of accuracy, would not comport with my definition of lush. I thought the rough was worth extra mention in it's general consistency — not overly punitive but you weren't going to get off clean. I never hit into a bunker all day, so they looked pretty good from my perspective. The greens were firm and fast, not giving up ball marks easily. There must have been some light top dressing of sand recently. It was slightly visible and didn't affect the roll, but when an incoming ball struck the green, a light explosion of sand particles was evident. And while fast and tricky from above the hole, I don't think any of the greens out on the course were quite as scary fast as the practice green. Generally grey weather lightened up to some sun as the breeze and the round wound down. I finished in about 3.25 hrs. on an only moderately populated course. There is enough up and down over the 18 that I was pleasantly worn out by the end. It is a beautiful course with some special holes in very nice condition right now. Fortunately for me, it was enhanced by a decent round of ball striking. Definitely enjoyed getting back to play here, definitely recommend it.

Played in the 5/6 outing with gk.

Drove through quite a bit of rain on my way up to the course from LA and was worried about a bit but cleared up nicely as I approached Santa Barbara. The grass at... Continue »

Played in the 5/6 outing with gk.

Drove through quite a bit of rain on my way up to the course from LA and was worried about a bit but cleared up nicely as I approached Santa Barbara. The grass at the range and putting green were in excellent shape. The practice green was fast fast fast. Between putting and heading to the first tee e got some decent rainfall. The rain wasn’t enough to make the course a slog but softened up the greens just enough to slow them down and make them more receptive to incoming shots. They rolled very smooth and downhillers were a real test to get close to the hole.

The fairways were excellent as well and were great to hit from.

The rough was thick and with the added moisture was difficult to advance the ball from.

The bunkers, despite the rain, were still relatively fluffy and had great sand in them.

Tee boxes were great, level, and lush.

After my first round at sandpiper I was impressed and look forward to future rounds there.

Played 5-6-19 in a GK plays with Gary, Nick and Mike in about four and a half hours with no waiting. Tee boxes were in really good shape, level and lush with only minor divot damage on par threes. Fai... Continue »

Played 5-6-19 in a GK plays with Gary, Nick and Mike in about four and a half hours with no waiting. Tee boxes were in really good shape, level and lush with only minor divot damage on par threes. Fairways were in excellent shape, lush with great lies and good roll out. Rough was in nice shape, not to long and easy to hit from. Was in one greenside bunker on 4 that had nice semi-soft brown sand in good condition. Greens were great, holding shots nicely with medium/fast pace and mostly smooth. Great fun day with good company on a really fun and scenic course to play.

Sandpiper Golf Club, one of my favorite courses and what a fun day on Monday with 7 other GK’ers. Golf course was in great shape!

Teeing off at 10:30am, we played the first hole in the rain… by the... Continue »

Sandpiper Golf Club, one of my favorite courses and what a fun day on Monday with 7 other GK’ers. Golf course was in great shape!

Teeing off at 10:30am, we played the first hole in the rain… by the second hole the rain was done. By the 4th hole the sun was shining which made me very happy because you know how I love to take photos of this place. Check out the new set in high resolution.

Greens were fantastic. Smooth, fast and holding shots. Fairways were very lush and cut tight. Good roll out. Rough, mostly lush, not long however spray a shot badly off the tee and you might find some deep nasty stuff requiring a ball search. Bunkers, thin and firm yet playable. Tee boxes lush, groomed and level.

Layout, just take a look at the photos I posted. Stunning. Ocean views from most holes with the stretch from holes 10 – 14 as well as holes 5 & 6 amazing. Hole 11 green and hole 12 tee box is practically on the beach. These ocean holes alone on a great overall course make this a bucket list golf course. Even hole 18, which most would frown having a par 3 finisher, is a great hole and fun to play.

Service on the golf course, in the proshop, after the round, in the grill was very professional and friendly.

Highly Recommended.

After a couple days up north, it was time to make the trek down south for one last great day of golf with some fellow GK'ers. I've been dying to get back to Sandpiper so there was no twisting my a... Continue »

After a couple days up north, it was time to make the trek down south for one last great day of golf with some fellow GK'ers. I've been dying to get back to Sandpiper so there was no twisting my arm to join the others when asked if I wanted to join. I'm not sure how the folks managed to get a golf course right on the ocean without any hotels or houses surrounding it but it's just wonderful. You get out and there is nothing but a great golf course and the pacific ocean. Oh and a Hawk that buzzed us a couple of times! very peaceful and easy to just get lost in the moment.

As the others mentioned the course was in excellent shape tee to green. I met my monthly quota of bunkers yesterday so I was only in one greenside trap today and it had great sand. Fairways were near perfect, an easy 9 and greens weren't far behind. Greens are tricky no doubt. Have a downhill putt and you may actually be better off putting up the hill to let it roll back down towards the hole. I'm not joking. Challenging yet still fun.

The layout is a good mix of holes with long and short holes to keep you challenged yet present some scoring opportunities. The course finishes with a par 3 over a pond that somehow adds to the enjoyment. Yes a finishing par 3 is odd but this one doesn't seem that way. The only layout change I would have done was to reverse the tee and green on the 18th so you are hitting over the pond looking onto the ocean instead of having the ocean at your back. But with all the great ocean views throughout the day it's not that big of a deal. Plus with the green next to the restaurant, it gives people the opportunity to watch golfers finish out.

I have to disagree with the others about missing the GPS in the carts. Most of us have range finders or apps on our phones that display the course. Sandpiper even has their own app if you want to bring the layout up on your phone. Not having GPS on the carts helps keep the green fees down, and I'm good with that. Besides, with views this great we should be looking out at the ocean anyway.

I've already planned a trip to come back down next month and play it again with the wife. It helped that I blew up her phone with gorgeous pictures of the course all day long. Marketing is a wonderful tool!! :)

Rode the Golds today with buddies Nickesquire1 and RGM2525 as well as Mike who was a pleasure to meet and play with. Our POP was around 4 hrs 20 minutes. Weather was raining on our first tee shot of t... Continue »

Rode the Golds today with buddies Nickesquire1 and RGM2525 as well as Mike who was a pleasure to meet and play with. Our POP was around 4 hrs 20 minutes. Weather was raining on our first tee shot of the day and then cleared up with a slight 10 mph wind or so on the back nine. You can always count on Santa Barbara weather to be pretty nice even on a sketchy forecast. This is my second favorite course that I have played in California. It has some length from the Gold's at 6700. It has a couple tough par 3's, some shorter fun par 4's and a couple tough par 4's. Some nice dogleg left's and rights and a great stretch of holes from 10 to 14. Number 5 and Number 13(both par 5's) are a blast to play. The greens here are always usually the highlight and they did not disappoint today. Being underneath the hole is key on this layout especially on green complexes like 1, 3 and 18. Greens held great today, putted true and were a treat. They have some big green complexes here so a 3 putt is always lurking. Rated 8.5/10 Fairways were beautiful, lush with great padding. Great coverage today and even with the rain to start the round they drained very well. Rated 8.5/10 Rough was lush, thick in most spots but still fairly easy to get a good strike on. Rated 8/10. Was in greenside bunkers on 11 and 18 which contained soft brown sand that had just enough sand to splash out easy. Rated 7.5/10 Tees were really nice, bordering on the 9/10 range. Level, great coverage, hardly any divots. Would highly recommend playing Sandpiper, great layout and its in great shape. If you like Ocean views your in for a treat.

Once again a great three days hosted by John and GK. Sandpiper matches Pebble Beach for outstanding ocean views, demanding holes and a great golfing experience. I love the first four holes on the back... Continue »

Once again a great three days hosted by John and GK. Sandpiper matches Pebble Beach for outstanding ocean views, demanding holes and a great golfing experience. I love the first four holes on the back nine. Unique, challenging and just plain fun to play. The course was in fine condition everywhere, greens, fairways, demanding rough and bunkers. I did miss the cart GPS' we enjoyed at Corica and Bodega Harbour. But I've not often seen the ocean so serene after the morning rain.

Joined GK out at Sandpiper today. Weather was raining on the first hole then partly cloudy the rest of the round. Big thanks to the Man, the Myth, The Legend Johnny GK for setting up the Gurus at this... Continue »

Joined GK out at Sandpiper today. Weather was raining on the first hole then partly cloudy the rest of the round. Big thanks to the Man, the Myth, The Legend Johnny GK for setting up the Gurus at this fantastic place. About 15 mins north of Santa Barbara sits this masterpiece of a golf club. Stunning Panoramas and well placed holes along the Pacific Ocean this is definitely a spectacular course.

Conditions today were fantastic. From the moment you drive in you see the dark green rough and light green fairways. From Tee to green the course was in fantastic shape. Greens were firm and fast and had it not rained for 20 minuets before our tee time they would have been lightning fast and very firm. The only thing I could possibly nit pick are the bunkers were 50/50 depending on which one you were in, some having ample sand and some lacking.

Staff here is friendly and the Tri-Tip nachos at the restaurant were fantastic, they can feed 3 people. I highly recommend playing.