Played in the Vivid Golf/GK outing on Wednesday, March 19. It was a fun group with John, Ron and Andrew. My family is from the area but I have never played in the city. Santa Maria Country Club is a n... Continue »

Played in the Vivid Golf/GK outing on Wednesday, March 19. It was a fun group with John, Ron and Andrew. My family is from the area but I have never played in the city. Santa Maria Country Club is a nice facility. Smallish driving range and practice green. Nice snack bar near the 7th tee with a good selection of grilled items and sundry. The day was gorgeous but the wind kicked up mid-round and it was an added layer of difficulty.

I really liked the course. The layout was interesting. It had a good mix of short and long par fours and varied par 3 distance. Half the course on the other side of the railroad tracks to the northwest of the clubhouse. I preferred the layout of the part of the course on the clubhouse side but the conditioning was equally superb on both sides so it was a matter of personal preference. The fairways were lush with some runout. The rough was also lush and we had to look hard for balls several times. We lost a couple even though we knew the general area they ended up. Great shining white sand. The greens were lush and had decent speed but were not what I would term fast. They were firm but my ball was generally near the divot after good contact from the fairway. The greens were contoured enough that there was runout on some aggressive putts. They were challenging.

I would play this course again any time. It was a long drive but I got a good rate at the local historic hotel (my parent's wedding reception was held there). If I lived in the area, I would consider joining the club. I can't wait to get back.