ALISAL RANCH COURSE (1955)

CENTRAL COAST REGION

Private Resort: 18 hole: cost: $60 - $80

1054 Alisal Road, Solvang, CA 93463

Tel: (805) 688-4215

Designed by William F. Bell, Steve Halsey. To score well at the picturesque valley course, it is imperative that your ball stay in the fairway. Just beyond the short grass are an abundance of trees and Kikuyu rough, which will stop a ball dead in its tracks. If you safely negotiate the fairways, you will find the greens medium-sized and undulating, yet very puttable. You must be a guest of the resort to play the Ranch Course. The resort offers horseback riding, tennis, swimming, and meeting facilities. From Santa Barbara (about 35 miles north to the course): Take US 101 north to Highway 246 east. Go three miles into Solvang. Then turn right on Alisal Road. This is natural, quietly understated California golf personified.

ALISAL RIVER COURSE (1992)

CENTRAL COAST REGION

Public: 18 hole: cost: $30 - $60

150 Alisal Road, Solvang, CA 93463

Tel: (805) 688-6042

Designed by Halsey/Daray Design. A riverbed sandwiched between hillsides provides the set­ting for this 1 992 course. Because the trees are still immature, the River Course is far more reveal­ing than its counterpart, the Ranch Course. From Santa Barbara (about 35 miles north to the course): Take US 101 north to Highway 246 east. Go three miles into Solvang. Then turn right on Alisal Road. The course is on the left. A decent value for the area. Basically flat, but nice greens and playable for the high-handicapper. Play it and get a Danish pastry in Solvang.