Fantastic historic course with an upper mesa, plenty of wildlife but that includes rattlesnakes. Great views with greens mostly in good condition. Very hilly and therefore a cart is strongly suggested. Some fairways are tight. Judging distance on the mesa par 3s is tricky.

Customer Service

Good; be careful with your credit card numbers

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La Purisima
The River Course at Alisal
Sandpiper

Superb course in Santa Barbara County, just 2 miles north of Los Angeles. Definitely worth the drive for the play of the course and the price. The course can play long and fast, with sloping fairways and fast greens. Plenty of bunkers and challenging green locations are characteristics of most holes. Approach shots to greens can be up to 2 different clubs depending on hole location and wind. A must play when in the Santa Barbara area or for just a day trip from LA.

Customer Service

Great. Able to get groups out quickly and play moves along smoothly with little to no back-ups on the course,

Each hole has a unique greatness and the scenery is amazing.

Expensive

This is one of my favorite courses. It is a bit pricey but every golfer should experience this course at least once. The pace of play is great because they don't pack people on every 5 minutes and the course is in excellent condition.

Customer Service

Great service, the free grass range is great as well.

The greens are great, the course is always well manicured, and the scenery is gorgeous. Both nines are excellent, each with their share of creative, thought-provoking holes.

There are a couple long transitions so it's not real walker-friendly but apart from that, no complaints.

Let me begin by saying that I'm writing to offer a counter argument to the last review (Anthony, 3/14/01). Rancho San Marcos is a little pricey but it's a course everyone who loves golf should experience. Very challenging, especially from the tips, but very fair. The scenery and setting are top notch as well. If Anthony thought there wasn't a memorable hole on the front, he must not have been paying attention when he played 3, 5, 6, 8, or 9! And as for the 15th... it not only offers the most spectacular views, it's flat out intimidating! "Miss the green, lose a ball"... if that's a problem, I guess we should tell TPC Sawgrass to change their 17th hole... only one of the most recognizable holes in golf! Bottom line, this is a fine golf course!

Customer Service

Everyone is very cordial and accommodating.

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The range, practice area, and restaurant are all quite nice. I don't drink alcohol so the fact that they don't serve any doesn't bother me.

Back nine views. The 18th hole tee-shot is one of the best I have found. Practice facility is cheap and comprehensive.

The front-nine is terrible. Not one interesting hole. The 15th hole is one of the most poorly designed holes I have ever played. I watched as my playing partners attempted to hit drives to a 20 yard wide, sharply doglegged fairway into a 20 m/hr cross wind that pushes any ball into a canyon that runs the length of the hole. The tee-shot is blind and another canyon runs the length of the other side of the hole. Miss the green, lose a ball. If I ever return to the course, I will destroy the hole. Oh, I almost forgot, you pay $100 and you can't even get a beer after the round.

TAKE THE EXTRA 1/2 HOUR AND GO TO LA PURISIMA

Austere setting. Private and Historic. The course is in wonderful shape with the greens running at a quick, but manageable pace. No complaints on the condition.

Customer Service

Staff is extremely nice, but I don't go to golf courses so someone can kiss my butt. I want good affordable golf.

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Outstanding putting and chipping area.

The greens are my favorite part of this course. They always give you a pure roll, which will reward a good putt. The fairways look like they belong on the PGA tour. Their practice facility is awesome. All you can hit for one cheap price. Great chipping and putting areas.

not many... If you shoot in the 70's the white tees are too short. Play the blacks!

This is a very well maintained course. It has incredible views of the Santa Ynez Valley and Cachuma Lake. The greens are quick with very pure rolls. If the wind is blowing, it will play much longer than the scorecard reads. The tee boxes are well taken care of and offer a challenging first shot every time. You will occasionally run into the golf celebrity enjoying this tough track also.

Customer Service

They make you feel very special.

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The pro shop is excellent. The range is incredible.