Played with GK’er Nickesquire yesterday at Santa Barbara Golf Club, it was my first time playing the course and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking at the card before the round, it did not seem like it w... Continue »

Played with GK’er Nickesquire yesterday at Santa Barbara Golf Club, it was my first time playing the course and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking at the card before the round, it did not seem like it would be too challenging, once out there, it was a very good test of golf…that got the better of me.

This is a fun, position golf, type of track. But at the same time none of the holes feel restricting and driver can be played all day from the tee. The main defense on the course are its green complexes which are mostly well guarded and once on the greens you need to putt well. The greens are undulating yet not unfair and vary in sizes and shapes. Some are huge and some are small. A nice mix.

I thought the conditions of the course were very good with the greens being the highlight. They were medium/fast, firm and smooth with exception to just a few holes. The fairways have good coverage and mostly lush, the rough was cut low and not penalizing, the bunkers had good quality sand/well maintained and the tee boxes, understandably being it’s a hilly, short course with a lots of play, a bit chewed up with some divot damage, un-level at times but overall mostly lush and very playable.

Something I need to mention, the course has a great Santa Barbara ambiance. You’re surrounded by the local mountains with pleasant views from most holes. It’s a relaxing setting and if given the choice my next round I would definitely walk. The course is in the heart of Santa Barbara, just a block from State Street, with a full restaurant facility. On paper I think many non-Santa Barbara residents would not think of playing the course as part of their visit to the area but I think if they did, they would be very satisfied with the value/experience they had.

I will playing the course again and recommend it.

First time playing here, played the blues (6037/69.2/124) in slightly more than 4H with JohnnyGk. Nice to get out on a partly cloudy afternoon around 70 degrees, very calm conditions, perfect golf wea... Continue »

First time playing here, played the blues (6037/69.2/124) in slightly more than 4H with JohnnyGk. Nice to get out on a partly cloudy afternoon around 70 degrees, very calm conditions, perfect golf weather with beautiful views of the mountains surrounding Santa Barbara. The poa annua greens were mostly firm, medium fast and generally held approach shots well. They putted well, the best part of the course. However, being a muni, there was no shortage of ball marks to repair. The fairways has good coverage and were OK, but were probably closer to thin than lush. The rough also has good coverage and was mostly mowed down and not too punitive. Many tall, thick, mature trees are more of a course defense than the rough here. The sand traps were mostly good and seemed to have an adequate amount of nice sand. Not too many fairway bunkers on this course, but enough around the green to keep you honest. The customer service was excellent, they got us right out. I had breakfast @ the restaurant onsite, and the food was excellent and moderately priced. No Marshall or drink cart, but play moved well, we hardly waited the entire round. Par 70, five par 3's and three par 5's, hilly, fairly tight layout in places, but not overly tight. Many holes favor a right to left shot off the tee, especially on the back nine. You start out with several shorter, tighter par 4's where driver is probably not the best play, but the later holes are much more wide open and forgiving off the tee. You will rarely have a completely level lie on this course due to it's hilly nature. Many green complexes are built up on mounds higher than the surrounding land. The low rough around many greens can produce some interesting chips shots when you miss the green here, because an iron that barely missed the green can end up 15-20 yards away after some bounce/roll down a hill. This course in many ways reminded me of Los Robles in Ventura County. Fun course, I would definitely play here again.

Was up in Santa Barbara this weekend with the family visiting brother in law. Had an opportunity to play Santa Barbara Golf Club with my brother in law on Sunday 11/24. This is one of the few public a... Continue »

Was up in Santa Barbara this weekend with the family visiting brother in law. Had an opportunity to play Santa Barbara Golf Club with my brother in law on Sunday 11/24. This is one of the few public and private's I have not played in VC and SB county. We played for 27 bucks walking at 12 noon twilight. Another day in paradise in SB 70 degrees and no wind. Starter let us out a little early and we walked the back tees in 4 hours and 30 minutes getting stuck twice for some time on the 8th hole and 16th hole which are both par 3's. First off you will get a work-out walking this course as it is a very hilly up and down layout. I would call it semi-tight with some trees and some pretty straightforward holes. I can only remember couple of doglegs. Very small greens guarded with some nice bunkers. They have a couple reachable par 5's and two challenging longer 3 par's. The course plays longer than its 6037 yardage states. We had a blast.

Greens: 8/10- Highlight of the course, fast and firm especially on chips, true on putts. One side note they are losing many portions of the 9th green--but other than that I was real impressed considering the amount of rounds they get out here.

Fairways 7.5/10 Pretty good shape. Lush Kikuyu grass in say 80% of course, just very few brown spots. Ball sitting up for most part in fairways.

Sand 7/10- Was only in one bunker left greenside #10--it was raked with just enough sand in it.

Tees 5/10- For sure the worst part of the course-some tees with dirt, sand and some tees un-level. I did see mix at the tees so players should be using and hopefully staff can have a chance to rotate boxes as much as possible.

Rough 7.5/10 Lush and green and in some spots up to 3 inches.


Overall: For sure if I could land a deal I would play Sandpiper or La Purisma before this course but this was a nice change of pace that made you think about every shot and challenges you in different ways. Had a great time and round---brother in law enjoyed as well.

Played about 1 week ago in September, 2013

12$ golfnow rate to walk @ 6:45 am weekday

Played in 3 hours and 45 minutes. The 3 best courses around ( Piper, RSM, La P) are definitely nicer and m... Continue »

Played about 1 week ago in September, 2013

12$ golfnow rate to walk @ 6:45 am weekday

Played in 3 hours and 45 minutes. The 3 best courses around ( Piper, RSM, La P) are definitely nicer and more challenging but let me say that SB muni is always in fantastic shape. From tee to green the course is very well groomed and the greens are the highlight IMO for a city course like this.

For the price (poor college student) and location, it really is one of the best deals in town. Beware of a long pace of play on the weekends!

Taking a few days getaway with my wife, we played SB's city course on Tuesday. Got a $25 (normally $37) walking rate from Golfnow for first off 2:00 twilight, to which we added a cart. We were suppose... Continue »

Taking a few days getaway with my wife, we played SB's city course on Tuesday. Got a $25 (normally $37) walking rate from Golfnow for first off 2:00 twilight, to which we added a cart. We were supposed to be paired with two other people and names were called, but it was only the wife and myself waiting on the tee, so we took off at 2:05 with no one else in sight. I suspect the two guys ahead of us may have been the other half and they jumped the gun since it was open. Worked out well for us since my wife rarely gets to play and it took some pressure off her. The course was in very good shape. Tee boxes were nicely level, lush with little damage and, if anything, needed a bit of mowing to be perfect. Fairways were in good shape and, with rare exceptions, were green and fairly lush, setting the ball up well. Greens were in good shape, were receptive, minimally marked, and rolled pretty true at a medium quick speed, leaning more towards quick than medium. Rough varied from thin to dense overgrowth hazard areas, averaging a fair penalty for getting off line. I was in one bunker and the sand was good. Could have used a little more raking but it didn't impact me. Pace was a little slow from holes 4 through 11 but it picked up the rest of the way. Don't know the exact pace but I'd definitely guess less than 4.5 hours. The course has some general contour running through it with one end of the course more severe than the other. The 11th hole, nearest the mountains, is the straightest and flattest on the course. The 17th, at the opposite end of the course is a roller coaster. The quirkiest hole is probably the 368 yd 5th which tees off at green level, drops down into a deep swale and climbs back up before leveling off about 30 yards short of the green. Most good tee shots are going to be somewhere on that upslope and pretty much guarantee a severe upslope, blind shot to the green. There is a very tall flag pole behind the green as an aiming guide. The 5th is an exception and I find the course is otherwise an interesting variety of fair but challenging holes. There are plenty of opportunities to pull driver and a few par 4's that don't need them. For a course that is in the middle of town, most of the time you aren't aware of it and the sight lines accentuate some great views of the mountains and the mesa. Both the ninth and 18th in particular (both par 5s) are beautiful fairways that have the mountain backdrop as you make you way up to the greens. I'm surprised I don't see more reviews or mentions for this course and I think that, with Sandpiper and Rancho San Marcos in the vicinity, it gets overlooked. It's not exactly comparable to those two, but it's a better than average muni and is more interesting than the shorter yardage and lower handicap would suggest. One thing I didn't appreciate is that they have a resident and non-resident fee scale and I think they are overpriced at the normal, non-resident rates. But exploring twilight and discount rates make it reasonable and worthwhile. For this trip, I ruled out Sandpiper as too pricey and Rancho San Marcos as unacceptable conditions per the recent reviews I've read here. Glen Annie has never tempted me. I really enjoyed the city course on the day. As an aside, I got married in SB and played here the morning before my afternoon wedding, 11 years ago.

Played here yesterday morning. Showed up for dawn patrol as a walk-on. It was busy first thing in the morning, but I still ended up in the first group out with another local twosome around 6:10 who sh... Continue »

Played here yesterday morning. Showed up for dawn patrol as a walk-on. It was busy first thing in the morning, but I still ended up in the first group out with another local twosome around 6:10 who showed me around the course. That was helpful because it was so foggy on the front nine we could barely see anything. $75 as a non-resident weekend rate with cart is ridiculous, but I begrudgingly paid it because I was already there. I always see good rates on GolfNow and they give good resident rates and local hotel stay rates, so it sucked to pay full rack. We finished the front nine quickly and then ran into the back-niners. Things were slower on the back, but we still finished in about 3:45. This course seems to get a lot of back-nine play early and they let people out all the way up to 8:30, which is way too late if you ask me. The course was in decent "muni" conditions. Typical late summer kikuyu with mostly good fairways and rough with some bare/thin/brown spots found throughout. The greens were super firm, but medium speeds on putts. The sand was good and tee boxes mostly level. I was pleasantly surprised with the layout. Very fun and challenging. Don't let the short total yardage fool you, because this course will make you work on every shot. Very hilly, so not many flat lies anywhere. Massive greens with a lot of severe slopes and some undulation. Though close to the freeway, roads and the Showgrounds, it's still a nice scenic setting. The course really looked great once the fog cleared. I wouldn't pay full price to play here again and it's not to be compared directly with the big name courses in the area, but with the right discount it's a very enjoyable option.

Played this morning for $42 walking. Got a local hotel discount since I am not a resident of santa barbara, so this saved about $10. This is a short course from the tips (6000 yds) but plays longer du... Continue »

Played this morning for $42 walking. Got a local hotel discount since I am not a resident of santa barbara, so this saved about $10. This is a short course from the tips (6000 yds) but plays longer due to the elevation change. There are many holes that you are hitting uphill to the greens. The tee boxes were lush and pretty level. Only the 2nd hole had a severely domed tee box. The fairways were lush kikuyu and the rough was lush rye/kikuyu. The greens ran very smooth and somewhat firm. They were a mixture of bent/poa. The bunkers were in great shape with excellent sand. Would play again if I come back to santa barbara. Well worth the greens fee.

Went on Central Coast Golf Trip this past weekend.

This was Course #1. We played on Friday @ 8:30 am. Customer service was pleasant and the starter let us out early. Played with two very nice lo... Continue »

Went on Central Coast Golf Trip this past weekend.

This was Course #1. We played on Friday @ 8:30 am. Customer service was pleasant and the starter let us out early. Played with two very nice locals. Course is in average shape at best. The green fees are expensive for a muni course and the carts fees are quite high. However, if you walk this course, get ready for many elevation changes. Fairways were average and rough had many rough patches. Greens were slow, running @ maybe a 7. Keep in mind, with the thick ocean air, even if you pound your drives, they will go only 70% of your averages. Many blind approach shots holes, and gimmicky holes. Sand traps were in rough shape. The course looks short on paper, but plays much longer because of elevation change/ocean air. Not worth their rack rates unless u get a resident of online discount.

Santa Barbara Golf Club Review
Santa Barbara California Golf Course Reviews

Played on a Monday morning, first one out at about 7:00 a.m. This was my first time here and I thought it was a very well maintained golf course. I had some time to walk around before they opened. The... Continue »

Played on a Monday morning, first one out at about 7:00 a.m. This was my first time here and I thought it was a very well maintained golf course. I had some time to walk around before they opened. The pro shop looks very well stocked and there were fliers advertising club repair. The starter gave me a discount on the round as I was staying at a local hotel/B&B ($33 to walk). Tee to green the course was in nice shape; especially since this is mid-winter. Really decent lies everywhere. The greens were on the fast side and looked (and played) really nice. Bunker sand was very decent. Lots of forced carries and elevation changes made this a challenging course. I would play here again.

Santa Barbara Golf Club Review
Santa Barbara California Golf Course Reviews