Up for a weekend getaway with wife and in-laws, my reward was to get out Friday 12/16 for a 1:00 PM twilight round. When I made the reservation earlier in the week, my first choice was Saturday, but t... Continue »

Up for a weekend getaway with wife and in-laws, my reward was to get out Friday 12/16 for a 1:00 PM twilight round. When I made the reservation earlier in the week, my first choice was Saturday, but there was a tournament on schedule. For Friday twilight, he said the list was wide open. When I got there, I went off walking as a single and another single followed me. No one immediately thereafter. The week had been chilly and there were Santa Anas in the SoCal forecast. The River Course can also be prone to sundowner breezes so I was prepared to layer up and get blown around. Instead it was mild. I was halfway down the first fairway, there were no small aircraft in the vicinity, it was completely still and, except for a few birds, completely silent. Amazing. Some light breezes through the round but it ended in dead calm also. I caught up to an older couple around the seventh hole who were, in turn, waiting on a men's foursome. The older couple finished at nine. I caught the foursome by the tenth green. They picked up the pace after that but didn't ask me if I wanted to play through until around the fourteenth hole at which point I just waved them ahead. The general conditions were reminiscent of Goose Creek. Well kept and tidy with good quick greens. Bunkers were good and smooth and the rough not particularly punitive. While the course layout is a more straight forward and flatter than Goose, I noticed this time around that, while there was generally a minimum of hazards, many holes had their few bunkers strategically placed at a slight choke points on the fairways, right around where most driver landing areas would be impacted. Otherwise water came into play on three holes. There is little evidence of the nearby town from most of the course except for some nearby vineyards, and the hills surrounding the course are rather scenic. When I think of this course, the expression "a relaxing round of golf" always comes to mind. It's not a pushover, but it is more inviting than challenging. Following the foursome, I finished in something around 4.5 hrs. The sun had set behind the mountains but hadn't reached dusk yet. I've only played here a couple of times and around his time of year, but the $45 twilight rate to walk is a good price for this course and I've had good luck with it.

River Course at the Alisal Review
Solvang California Golf Course Reviews