First time to play Sandpiper, What a great place to play golf! From first glance the course looked wide open, but boy was I wrong. Good thing I packed extra balls because I needed them. This is a re... Continue »

First time to play Sandpiper, What a great place to play golf! From first glance the course looked wide open, but boy was I wrong. Good thing I packed extra balls because I needed them. This is a real golf course, that requires length and good accurate shots. I played with a cart however, I think it would be a pretty challenging walk. Next time I'd like to walk just to take in more of the beauty. We started at 10:00 with the ocean a sheet of glass all the way out to the beautiful Channel Islands. As it's April everything was green with yellow mustard plants everywhere, what vistas. Tee boxes were all very nice, fairways were in good shape, The greens were fast about 11.6 I would guess. They felt a little thin to my liking but rolled very true. Sand traps were variable some hard packed, others nice and soft and one had a bunch of casual water, 2nd hole I think. Rough is penal enough but you get out of the rough into the native area's and it's 8 inches deep and definitely to be avoided. Causing part of the need for extra balls. And then the wind came. Blowing about 20-25 mph from the ocean. Kicked the difficulty up a notch or 2. Good thing I had enough balls. The 2 guys we were paired up with lost theirs on 13 and quit. hahaha. Price is a bit steep, but it is ocean front property near Santa Barbara. I was fortunate, my playing partner is in the preferred partner plan, so as his guest the price was $50. I can't wait to go back.

Played 10/26. Course is not in good shape. Greens are best part but some had a lot of ball marks. Fairways are thin with bare spots and ground under repair. Many tee boxes beat up. Great layout, fanta... Continue »

Played 10/26. Course is not in good shape. Greens are best part but some had a lot of ball marks. Fairways are thin with bare spots and ground under repair. Many tee boxes beat up. Great layout, fantastic views but certainly not worth anywhere near what they are charging right now. Other big complaint is I called a week in advance to ask about the conditions. Was told the course was "in great shape" and "no maintenance being done any time soon". Arrived to find most of the aprons had been punched with large holes that morning. Pro shop was un-apoligetic. Would avoid until we get a lot of rain and you see some honest positive reviews here.

First off, again, I want to thank everyone that came out to join in on the fun at our GK Plays Sandpiper Golf Course. This was a GK Plays put together on short notice and we still got 19 players.

... Continue »

First off, again, I want to thank everyone that came out to join in on the fun at our GK Plays Sandpiper Golf Course. This was a GK Plays put together on short notice and we still got 19 players.

I think like many of you I was expecting better conditions but I've always been in love with this layout and ambiance so I’m not sure I could ever be disappointed with a round here. I knew going in with the harsh drought that there would be many thin areas in the fairways and rough. A lot of us came up from LA County, what I think many people don’t realize is Goleta did not get a drop of the monsoon/tropical storm rain LA County got saturated at times with this summer. Anyway I felt the greens, tee boxes and bunkers were all in good to great shape so that made up for me the conditions of the fairways and rough all things considered.

As far as from a group organizer perspective, I can’t think of a better course setup for small outing. The staging area is perfect with convenient first tee, practice putting, range and cart barn. The clubhouse patio is versatile with spectacular views. As much as I’m not a fan of finishing off on a par 3 I think it’s so cool that everyone from the clubhouse patio can watch groups come in (even though I hit my shot fat into the water!). The service at Sandpiper is superb and working with the Sandpiper staff before, during and after the outing is professional/easy.

I fully intend to arrange another outing here. I can say having played Sandpiper about ½ dozen times before this the golf course in normally in much better condition. I fully expect next year following the El Nino wet season the golf course to return to form.

Played 9-20-15 in the GK plays with Wangster, Mattis, and the man himself JohnnyGK. Tee boxes were in descent shape, mostly level with good coverage. Fairways were just ok with many dried out areas an... Continue »

Played 9-20-15 in the GK plays with Wangster, Mattis, and the man himself JohnnyGK. Tee boxes were in descent shape, mostly level with good coverage. Fairways were just ok with many dried out areas and some bare spots. The rough was all over the place with hardpan, to very heavy thick grass. Found one greenside bunker on 10 that had very nice firm sand in it. Greens were kind of a disappointment for me. I expect them to be fast and smooth here, but they were more medium speed and a little bumpy (some of that do to unrepaired divots). From what is supposed to be a high in course I would expect better conditions even in this drought we are having. Didn't expect to play here but on my way back from Purisima stopped in and Johnny said lets go so I did. Had a great time and always enjoy play golf with other GKers.

Played in the GK Plays yesterday with Osamabinhacking, Ringworld, and RobStretch and we had a blast! It was my first time playing Sandpiper and I think knowing ahead of time that the course was hit ha... Continue »

Played in the GK Plays yesterday with Osamabinhacking, Ringworld, and RobStretch and we had a blast! It was my first time playing Sandpiper and I think knowing ahead of time that the course was hit hard by the drought lowered my expectations going in so I was pretty happy overall. Conditions wise I agree with the previous reviewers. The layout is pretty solid. Being able to work the ball both ways is a plus here. Most the the course's defense comes from the wind and the awesome views which will distract you lol. I've played a lot of ocean front courses and Sandpiper's stretch of 10-14 are some the best views I've ever had on a golf course. In fact, so much so that the last few holes are somewhat anti-climactic. But still a great test of golf. Saw the beverage cart several times on the front but not once on the back 9 on a hot day.

Thanks again for setting this up Johnny!

Played my first GK event at Sandpiper Golf Club on 9/20/15.

To my standards, this is a high-end course. The rack rate is $165 Monday-Thursday and $185 Friday-Sunday. I haven't played golf too long ... Continue »

Played my first GK event at Sandpiper Golf Club on 9/20/15.

To my standards, this is a high-end course. The rack rate is $165 Monday-Thursday and $185 Friday-Sunday. I haven't played golf too long so I was very much looking forward to playing here but really came back thinking if the view on several holes is worth the fees. If the conditions were immaculate, I would say yes but maybe my expectations were too high.


Tee Boxes - All tee boxes were in great shape. Mostly level and plenty of smooth grass.

Fairways - This is where I had the highest expectations. I was expecting a solid green colored fairways throughout the entire course but I've seen better coverage on courses that charge half of what Sandpiper charges. There were few holes with fairly large patches of hardpan areas. You can avoid them but visually, it's a disappointment.

Bunkers - I did go into several bunkers and the they are a lot softer than bunkers I am used to. I almost found them too soft but I honestly don't know which is better.

Roughs - The grass is thick where there is grass and there are some areas where you are hitting from hardened sand. In my opinion, you are supposed to stay away from the rough so I really don't care if the rough is crappy or not regardless of what a course charges.

Greens - As a less seasoned golfer, I cannot say whether they are fast or slow for a course of this caliber. They are definitely faster than a $50 course out in the Inland Empire. Greens are smooth but I honestly think I expected better.

Customer Service - Great. Saw the beverage cart at least four times throughout the round. The starter offered wet or dry towels before starting the round and they clean your towels afterwards.

*Do note that this review is written in the middle of a serious drought. Maybe the standards at this course was higher and will be higher if we get decent amount of rain.


I don't know if I will pay a $100 to play here but you have to consider that you are also paying for the service and it was definitely less crowded than the $50 courses. I personally would rather play Oak Quarry in Riverside than here even if the rates were same.

Having said all that, MOST IMPORTANTLY, I had a great time at my first GK event and walked away with some awesome GK gear. Also played with some really good golfers so hopefully I picked up a few things from watching them.

Played with Stickboy, DKnight & Kviser in the GK Plays in hot, breezy conditions. We let a 3some play through during a 5 hour Sunday afternoon round. Played the Golds with Stickboy (72.8/131/6646) and... Continue »

Played with Stickboy, DKnight & Kviser in the GK Plays in hot, breezy conditions. We let a 3some play through during a 5 hour Sunday afternoon round. Played the Golds with Stickboy (72.8/131/6646) and witnessed Vince put on a clinic on how golf should be played (hit the fairway, hit the green, make almost all reasonably makeable putts, then repeat the process hole after hole) as part of an enjoyable 18 with this group. The course had more holes with at least partial ocean views that I remembered. Holes 6,10,11, 13 & 14 in particular either play right along side or right into the ocean. On a bright, cloudless day, the backdrop is about as good as it gets. I like the course layout and the ocean breeze always makes club selection a challenge. The tees were decent, I had no issues finding level lies with adequate coverage. Several needed some divot repair. The fairways were good overall, but many had fairly significant patches of thin or hardpan areas. More than I would expect for a high end course. The rough was often penal, thick kikuyu even if not overly tall. Get off the beaten path and it was more a combination of hardpan, thin or native weeds with occasional high patches that were lost ball deep. I was in 2 traps and found them to be very good with moist, thick brown sand. The practice green was very quick. The greens on the course were not quite as quick. I never did get the speed down. I had the same thought as I did from when I played here the 1st time 5-6 years ago... downhill putts seem quicker than you would expect while uphill putts were slower than you would expect. I suspect that being near the ocean (less landmarks to compare with) creates the optical illusion of making you think the slopes are gentler than they actually are? You better be careful with ANY downhill putts, they will creep, and creep and keep creeping down the hill. Our group had several seemingly excellent lags near the hole that ended up being 6' to 10' putts coming back. If this course were 5 miles inland, it would be a $30 to $50 course based on the conditions. However, being located on prime property makes it one of the more expensive public rounds of golf in So Cal. If the conditions are pristine, maybe it's worth it. However, even getting a "deal" here is marginally worth the $$$ in my mind when the greens are average and the fairways below average. I was more impressed with the layout than on my prior visit. The customer service was excellent from the very present cart gal to the attendant who cleaned and took care of your clubs after the round. Enjoyed the experience, but at these prices, I would rarely play here.

I had a great time at Sandpiper yesterday with the GK Plays outing. I found the course to be in fine shape, though I must agree with Sixpez that the course feels like a shell of its former self and pa... Continue »

I had a great time at Sandpiper yesterday with the GK Plays outing. I found the course to be in fine shape, though I must agree with Sixpez that the course feels like a shell of its former self and paying rack would not be wise. I did not find any bare spots in the fairway and the only dirt I was in was under trees outside the rough. The fairways did not look like their stellar best, but I had decent lies whenever I found the short grass. True, there were areas that were wet and some that were dry. The rough was a little inconsistent; sometimes you could find a nice cut, deep rough, or dirt. The traps had brown, finely graded sand. It looked almost like silt, which is weird considering this is a beach side course and nice beach sand would be preferable. Many bunkers were somewhat wet as well. A couple of sprinklers seemed to be oozing effluent-looking water and that looked bad. The front nine greens seemed a little wet and beat down, while the back nine greens looked and rolled nicer. The green speed was very nice and quick, but not so slick that you were running them off. The practice green was quicker. The small driving range was okay with the grass hitting area, but the range itself was mostly dry with a lot of bare ground. Great views throughout the course and I do look forward to playing here again.

Surprised I'm the first one writing a review from yesterday's GK Plays, but here goes. As always, we had a lot of fun out there with a great group of GK'ers in attendance. Thanks to Johnny for setting... Continue »

Surprised I'm the first one writing a review from yesterday's GK Plays, but here goes. As always, we had a lot of fun out there with a great group of GK'ers in attendance. Thanks to Johnny for setting up more and more of these fun play days! I was in the first group at 11:00 and we enjoyed a nice relaxed pace, never really seeing the groups ahead and never getting pushed from behind. As for the positives, Sandpiper offers one of the best pieces of a property for a golf course in all of SoCal. The views are beautiful and the weather yesterday was amazing. The wind did add a big element of challenge, but the breeze was also very welcome on a fairly hot day by Santa Barbara standards. Holes 6, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are always awesome along the water. The rest of the course is fine, but nothing nearly as spectacular as those holes. The staff was very nice and I enjoyed a good breakfast at the grille while waiting for others to show up. Condition-wise, the highlight was the greens. Though not lightning fast, they did roll well and downhill putts were definitely tough to stop. Uphill putts really had to be struck firmly to hold the line and get to the hole. You definitely want to be below the hole here as much as possible. The rest of the conditions left some to be desired. The tee boxes were fine. No problems there. The fairways did have a lot of bare spots and have a dried-out look to them, even though I still felt like I found a ton of mushy wet spots, too. The fairways did seem a bit better on the back nine than the front. The rough was hit or miss, but generally penal. Either it was a lush/deep grassy area, hardpan or somewhat patchy, so you never knew what you might get. I was in a couple bunkers. The first (#6) was very wet and muddy. The other (#18) was better, but still nothing too impressive. I'll admit I have kind of a romanticized view of Sandpiper because it was one of my first big "splurge" road trip courses many years ago and it was very nice when I played it then. I know the drought is hitting them hard like all SoCal courses, but the rates are still so high and it is definitely a big step down from what it once was.. We got a pretty good deal for a weekend round, so that was nice, but I'd have a hard time paying rack here. The ocean views are amazing, though, and the overall relaxed vibe here is nice, so you are also paying for a little less crowds. I'd love to see the course recover from the drought issues and return to its former glory some day, because it is such a special setting and a pretty enjoyable layout.