A friend and I headed up to Santa Barbara for some golf on Sunday, at Sandpiper Golf Club. Sandpiper (a William F. Bell design) has always been considered one of California’s highly-regarded public courses. And, I’ve wanted to play here for many years, thanks to the course’s dramatic setting.
I’ll add that the course has a fairly dramatic price tag as well! The weekend morning rate is a whopping $210, so I booked us the more manageable twilight rate of $125. For the twilight fee I thought the round was worth it, albeit the experience lacked a few upscale items you might expect (no range balls and no GPS on the cart).
Once you walk into the proshop you’ll see the Pacific Ocean in the background and understand why Sandpiper isn’t cheap to play. The oceanfront property the course occupies is very impressive!
The first four holes at Sandpiper are inland, without much “wow” factor. They aren’t terrible, but they certainly aren’t up to the standards of the remaining holes. Then, once you get to the 5th, the scenery starts to pick up!
The 5th is an uphill par-5 with a surprise view of the ocean once you get to the green. The 6th is a longish par-3 that plays along the cliff and reminded me of something you’d find at one of the Bandon Dunes courses.
The back nine also has its share of signature holes, specifically the 10th, 11th and 13th. The 10th is a short par-4 that makes a beeline for the ocean and the 11th is a downhill par-3 that drops down to the beach. The 13th is a par-5 that plays across two edges of a cliff.
While there are some really spectacular golf holes at Sandpiper, I found the design itself a bit underwhelming. Much of the course has a parkland feel to it and outside of the ocean holes, the design felt a touch repetitive and bland. We played the gold tees which are 72.6/130/6699 so the course won’t beat you up too bad while you are enjoying the views!
As you’d hope for the price the conditions were good. The greens were full, slick and pure. The fairways and rough yielded a mix of lush and thin spots, however there usually was some good cushion under the ball.
The thing that stood out to me about Sandpiper were the postcard views of the ocean and nearby coastal range. I am a sucker for scenic golf courses and would put Sandpiper among my California favorites. As long as you aren’t seeking an architectural masterpiece, I’d highly recommend a round here!
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):