1901 East Valley Rd,
Santa Barbara, California 93108
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+1 (805) 969 2215Pro shop
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+1 (805) 969 6174Website
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Lisa Price (Head Professional)The Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Residential setting.
Designer:
Original design by Dr Alister MacKenzie & Robert Hunter (1929); modifications by Tom Doak (2018).
34.432673
-119.615286
6 miles E of downtown Santa Barbara.
Valley Club of Montecito
The Valley Club of Montecito: this private golf club is home to one of California's finest golf courses ... many would say an excellent example of Alister MacKenzie's less dramatic and understated designs. However, there's nothing undramatic about the layout's impressive mountain backdrop. And there's nothing understated about the size and quantity of the course's ever-threatening bunkering.
MacKenzie's out-and-back design occupies a charmingly peaceful environment, complemented by a stunning backdrop provided by the Santa Ynes Mountains. The design is elegant, but also deceptively testing. Your full repertoire of shots will be called on to score well. On many occasions a high-flighted approach is required to clear the greenside bunkers; only that will bring you safely onto the fast, true and subtly sloping putting surfaces.
Predominantly flanked by woodland (rather than the multi-million dollar mansions of the adjoining Birnam Wood Golf Club), The Valley Club retains a pleasantly natural feel throughout.
Limited access: this is a private course generally playable only by members and their invited guests.
Private club; guests may only play if hosted by a member.
Non-metal spike facility. Walking permitted at all times. Golf carts available to rent.
Limited
Directly to the north of The Valley Club is the also private Birnam Wood Golf Club, a par-70, 6000-yard layout designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Many of Birnam Wood's fairways are flanked by opulently large real estate ... unlike those of The Valley Club.
2019/20 Golf Digest rating: 86th best course in the USA and 11th best in California.
Tournaments:
US Women's PGA Championship: located just outside Philadelphia, the famed Donald Ross layout of Aronimink Golf Club hosts the third women’s major championship of 2020 (Oct 8-11).
Scottish Open: first played in 1972, this year’s championship is again played on the Tom Doak-designed Renaissance Club course, which sits alongside mighty Muirfield in East Lothian (Oct 1-4).
Who's Who:
Jim Furyk: in winning the Pure Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links, “The Grinder” joined Arnold Palmer and Bruce Fleisher as the only players to win their first two starts on the PGA Tour Champions.
Georgia Hall: recorded her first win in an LPGA Tour event on American soil at this year’s Portland Classic, played at Columbia Edgewater Country Club … on the edge of the Columbia River.
Traigh Golf Course (pronounced "try", and meaning "beach" in Gaelic): You'll find this nine-hole seaside gem on the scenic coast road (as opposed to the more inland and quicker A830) between Arisaig and Morar. Although not on the well-beaten path of Scotland's "trophy" courses, if you are passing through this area, it's a must play.
Read More...
Cullen Links Golf Club: "immensely scenic", "quirky as golf can get", "short!", "hugely enjoyable" ... Cullen Links attracts as wide a variety of comments as it lays down golfing challenges. Shoehorned into this 4,600 yard treasure trove are ten par-3s, seven par-4s and a good-length par-5. Here you'll find all the seaside scenery a golfer could ask for, and a lot more besides. Read More...
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