SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- One course is operated by the same folks who bring you nearby Titan missile launches. Another local course played a supporting role in the hit wine-centric movie Sideways. Two others have earned high honors from Golf Magazine and Golf Digest.
Welcome to the remarkably diverse and affordable golfing experience of the greater Santa Maria Valley on California's Central Coast, right off Highway 101 between San Francisco and Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County.
Now, golfers can escape to this award-winning wine country and enjoy incredible rates with "stay and play" packages offered by several local hotels and golf courses via www.californiagolfvacation.com, which is hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau. Packages begin at just $95 for overnight lodging for two and two rounds of golf.
Following are some of the signature golfing experiences of the Santa Maria Valley:
YOUR TEE TIME BEGINS IN…5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
Marshallia Ranch Golf Course in Santa Maria is an 18-hole Air Force-owned course that is open to the public. Out of 70 courses operated by the U.S. Air Force, Marshallia Ranch is the only one to twice earn a five-star award of excellence from the agency. If you're lucky, you might even see a rocket launched from the adjoining Vandenberg Air Force Base. Maximum green fee is $40.
WHERE THE 19th HOLE IS A WINERY
River Course at The Alisal in nearby Solvang is famous for its role in the hit wine-themed movie Sideways, where characters Miles and Jack hacked their way around between adventures in love and Pinot Noir. Maximum green fee is $72 on weekends. The Santa Maria Valley is a dynamic wine country and is home to two wines that were named to the Wine Spectator's most recent list of Top 100 Wines of The World. There is no shortage of tasting rooms to visit after your round.
BIG COURSES, SMALL PRICES
Golf Digest last year ranked Monarch Dunes Golf Club third on its list of America's Best New Golf Courses Under $75 - yet another testament to the Santa Maria Valley's unusual blend of golfing excellence and affordability.
Rancho Maria Golf Course in Santa Maria is a vintage 18-hole championship course that unfolds along beautiful rolling terrain off scenic Highway 1. Maximum green fee is $35 on weekends.
Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo, the only 27-hole course on the Central Coast, offers three nine-hole tracks that offer distinct challenges to golfers of all skill levels, all amid peaceful coastal hills. Maximum green fee is $60 on weekends.
Other area courses include La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc, a Golf Magazine Top 100 Public Course and the 33rd toughest course in America according to Golf Digest; Avila Beach Golf Resort, a 6,500-yard championship course with panoramic seaside and valley views; and Cypress Ridge Golf Course in Arroyo Grande.
The Santa Maria Valley is also home to the 150-year-old tradition of Santa Maria Style Barbecue. Numerous local restaurants specialize in this sizzling regional cuisine.
For more information, visit www.californiagolfvacation.com and www.SantaMaria.com or call 800-331-3779.
