Following a week of meetings in Los Angeles, I was looking forward to playing the Sandpiper Golf Club just north of Santa Barbara, Calif. Nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Santa Ynez Mountains, the course runs along the Pacific Ocean and offers some magnificent vistas — 14 of the 18 holes are along the ocean or have ocean views — during play. The William Bell-designed course (Bell also designed Torrey Pines in San Diego) opened in 1972. It’s a point of pride that with no homes or roads to interrupt the 200-acre landscape, the course offers what locals refer to as a “Pebble Beach” experience in Santa Barbara.
The back tees at the course measure more than 7,000 yards. More modest players can tee up from the silver at 6,597 yards. The clubhouse leaves a bit to be desired. The restaurant lacks a “clubby” atmosphere and there’s no bar. Drinks are served outside or inside when seated for dining. The top-notch dining-room and pro-shop staff makes up for any shortcomings, but I would have expected a course of this caliber to have better facilities.
I played the course in mid-January following the heavy rain, flooding and mudslides that had devastated the region just south of Santa Barbara. The course was wet, but in remarkable shape given the circumstances. The day I played was sunny and warm with a nice wind, which was doing wonders to dry out the course. A “cart paths only” rule was in effect and the grass needed a trim, but the greenskeeper was holding off until later in the day to minimize damage to the course. The greens were incredibly fast and true, which made for an interesting challenge.
Hole 5 (509-yard par 5)
The No. 14 handicapped hole on the course, this one isn’t too difficult. From the tee box, you are launching your drive uphill to the landing area. Danger lurks on the left in wooded vegetation areas. From your second shot in, you should have a decent wood or iron to the green (wet conditions meant loss of distance on our tee shots). As you walk up to the green, you meet your first view of the Pacific Ocean, which was like glass the day I played. The view alone was well worth the hour or so drive from Los Angeles.
Hole 6 (195-yard par 3)
Running along cliffs with the Pacific Ocean below, this is one of the course’s signature holes. The view is beautiful, but errant shots or wind gusts can sweep balls over the cliffs and onto the beach. The hole played a little longer than it looked, which may have been due to the wind; most shots were coming up short of the green. Again the green was very quick, so doable putts were passing the cup rather than dropping.
Hole 10 (381-yard par 4)
A great golf hole leading down to the Pacific Ocean, No. 10 is a dogleg left. Off the tee you can play it safe or go for it, launching your ball over a stand of trees on the left side to cut the corner. Be careful, as the safe landing area is dotted with bunkers to trap your ball. Golfers who gamble and succeed have an enormous yardage advantage and will have a 9-iron or pitching wedge to the small dangerous green — dangerous because any ball too long or too far right will be gone and unplayable. The flag was far back center the day I played, so I had to reach the elevated area of the green on my approach shot. It is a beautiful hole marred only by the sound of a nearby pumping station, which pumps oil from the derricks at sea.
Hole 12 (341-yard par 4)
No. 12 is the No. 18 handicapped hole on the course, but play can be more difficult than expected. Your tee shot is to an uphill landing area (dogleg right). Balls that fly beyond this area will run off the hole to the trees on the left; shots that venture right can end up in a similar situation. The saving grace is the larger green with only a few bunkers protecting it. My wild tee shot landed right, but still allowed me to take an 8-iron to the green. I had an enormous putt to recover as the pin was far forward of this large green.
Hole 13 (532-yard par 5)
This spectacular hole has a blind tee shot to the fairway. Once you reach your ball, you will most probably have to lay up due to a brush-covered area in front of the green. Balls in this area are gone forever. You can shoot a little left (over the breccias) to a landing area and chip from there on a more level surface to the green, or chip up to the green, which is a good 25 feet or more above you from the fairway.
Hole 14 (444-yard par 4)
A long par 4 with the tee box placed back and a gully in front, No. 14 offers a great challenge to get on the green in two. All four in my group had magnificent drives off the tee; we were grouped together in and off the fairway within 30 feet of each other. We all had about 185 yards to the green. An easily hit 5-wood took my ball cleanly to the green. Smart and cool, I stood by and watched my partners chip up, but the green speed did me in: A three-putt was the order of the day.
Course Accolades
Ranked among the top 25 public courses to play by Golf Digest
Ranked among the top 75 upscale courses to play by
Golf Digest
Hosted PGA Tour Qualifying School in 1997
Hosted LPGA Santa Barbara Women’s Open
Ranked among four-star places to play by Golf Digest
Hosted PGA Tour Tournament Players Series
SANDPIPER GOLF CLUB
7925 Hollister Ave.
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
tel 805 968 1541
www.sandpipergolf.com
Read This Next
All Reads on This Topic
Read Them All
Introducing
FX Excursions
FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.
#globility
Insta FeedDaily
Mar 29, 20234 Spring Hotel Openings
With the start of spring, travelers have their choice of new design-centric boutique properties opening in the coming months. Check out these properties for travel inspiration.
Sponsored Content
Share Your Travel Preferences with Global Traveler in a Short Survey & Win
Learning more about our readers’ travel habits and preferences ensures Global Traveler delivers the content you desire. As the travel industry has adapted and changed over the last few years, it’s more important than ever to connect. To best meet your short- and long-term travel content needs, please help us!
eFlyer Reviews
Mar 29, 2023Elk Cove Inn & Spa Review
Mendocino County is a self-contained universe of effortless, California-centric joy enveloped within the Redwood Forest National and State Parks, the rocky Pacific Coast and several prime wine production areas like Anderson Valley. If Highway 1 and Route 128 are the ribbons holding this package together, Elk Cove Inn & Spa can be considered the bow. Mendocino Coast’s first vacation destination, established in 1968, is an ideal 16-room gateway to the destination.
eFlyer News
Mar 29, 2023YOTEL to Open YOTELPAD London Stratford in Late 2023
YOTEL recently announced plans to open YOTELPAD London Stratford at the end of this year, making it the seventh YOTEL property in the United Kingdom and third in London, joining YOTEL London City and YOTEL London Shoreditch. YOTEL currently features properties in the United States and United Kingdom, with hotels in Boston, New York, San Francisco and, more recently, Washington, D.C.
Sponsored Content
Enter to Win $500 and Get Six Months’ Free Access to the New GT App
Now through May 8, sign up for a free six-month trial of the Global Traveler app and be automatically entered for a chance to win a $500 gift card of your choice for Amazon, Apple or American Express.
eFlyer News
Mar 29, 2023Puerto Rico’s Hotel El Convento Unveils Multimillion-Dollar Renovation
Hotel El Convento, one of Old San Juan’s most popular landmark hotels, recently completed a multimillion-dollar design and architectural renovation to its 81 rooms. The renovation blends Old World charm with Puerto Rico’s vibrant and modern energy.
Last-Minute Spring Deals from SIXT
eFlyer Deals
Mar 29, 2023Daily
Mar 29, 2023Set Sail on a California River Cruise with American Cruise Lines
Love small-ship cruising and the California coast? You’re in luck: American Cruise Lines offers an eight-day San Francisco Bay excursion, taking in some of the best wine country in the United States. The itinerary for American Jazz — one of 10 new riverboats in American Cruise Lines fleet — includes ports in San Francisco, Stockton, Sacramento and Vallejo. Sailing time takes in San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay and the Napa and San Joaquin rivers. American Jazz reaches the California Coast following a repositioning journey from Mississippi, including a transit through the Panama Canal.
Daily
Mar 28, 2023Recaro Aircraft Seating CL670 Business-Class Seat Takes Off on Iberia
Recaro’s new CL6720 business-class seat with doors took off recently on Iberia’s Airbus A350 cabin, flying Madrid (MAD) to Buenos Aires (EZE), with a total of 31 of the seats in the aircraft’s business-class cabin. The premium-economy and economy cabins also feature Recaro seats.
ShareThis