Best golf courses: Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara: the table below provides brief details about the top golf courses in and around this city. Each golf club has been visited and/or researched by Where2Golf. Click on the course name below to discover more. The course ratings below range from 5 highest, to 2 lowest. They attempt to provide an indication of the golfing experience you might expect at the course (based on its design, condition and surroundings). Hover your cursor above the Rating Key below for the rating definitions.
3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Rsrt guests only
Santa Barbara
Bell, William F.

Visitors?

Rsrt guests only

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

William Francis "Billy" Bell Jr.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Santa Barbara
Daray Jr. & Halsey

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

Jack Daray Jr & Stephen Halsey

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Santa Barbara
Graves, Robert Muir

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

Robert Muir Graves, Damian Pascuzzo & N. Meagher.

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Santa Barbara
Graves, Robert Muir

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

Robert Muir Graves

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Santa Barbara
Thomas, Bell & Morrish

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

Original design by George C. Thomas Jr and William Park "Billy" Bell (1923). Later modifications made by Jay Morrish (1988).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
(Closed in 2020)
Santa Barbara
Jones II, Robert Trent

Visitors?

(Closed in 2020)

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

Robert Trent Jones II (lead designer Bruce Charlton).

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Santa Barbara
Bell, William F.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

William Francis "Billy" Bell Jr.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Santa Barbara
MacKenzie & Hunter

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Santa Barbara

Designer

Original design by Dr Alister MacKenzie & Robert Hunter (1929); modifications by Tom Doak (2018).

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Tournaments

The Sentry: known for many years as the Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opener gets underway on Kapalua’s Plantation course (Jan 2-5). Chris Kirk defends.

Tournament of Champions: the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season is launched at Lake Nona with the their Tournament of Champions (Jan 30-Feb 2). The 2024 edition gave Lydia Ko her 20th LPGA Tour title.

Who's Who

Attahya Thitikul: also known as “Jeeno”, the Thai golfer won the LPGA Tour’s 2024 CME Group Tour Championship … and an eye-watering $4 million, the richest first-prize in women’s golf.

Rory McIlroy: scooped the 2024 European (DP World) Tour season-long Order of Merit title, joining Seve Ballesteros as a six-time winner of this prestigious award.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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Whistling Straits (Wisconsin, US)

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)