By Dave Wilcox

Mark Twain’s lament that golf is “a good walk spoiled” proves the writer never played a round on the Central Coast.

Whether you’re a scratch golfer or are carrying a 25 handicap, the spectacular courses scattered across San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties are a pleasure to play - even if you don’t bring your “A” game.

Yank a duck hook? Just take a deep breath and remember you could be on a fairway somewhere with the buzz of a freeway in your ears.

Not here, where you can chose from a menu of great golf options.

Fairways at BlackLake Golf Resort dogleg through oak-studded canyons where hawks circle overhead. The front nine of the Avila Beach Golf Resort zig-zags through coastal hills generously covered with sycamores, emerging at the turn where San Luis Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean.

A county course in Morro Bay boasts some of the most stunning views, from commanding coastline vistas to the serenity of anchored boats gently swaying.

Golf on the Central Coast, however, is more than pretty pictures. A quick guide to the area’s courses:

Golfing the Coast: Southern San Luis Obispo County
In Nipomo, the BlackLake Resort is made up of three, nine-hole courses, allowing golfers playing 18 to choose a combination of two. Long par-5s and challenging par-3s are part of the mix. It is generally considered one of San Luis Obispo County’s most challenging courses.

Up the road a stretch is Cypress Ridge in Arroyo Grande. The county’s newest championship course is designed by Peter Jacobsen. Although young, the course plays well and is fast becoming one of the premier destinations for golfers.

The Avila Beach Golf Resort’s 18 holes feature an interesting mix of a woodsy, hilly front nine and a flatter back nine whose play can be influenced by coastal breezes. It’s a course that players with higher handicaps won’t find too frustrating, while more experienced golfers will appreciate for its variety.

One of the course’s more unusual holes is number 10, which requires a tee shot across the wide mouth of San Luis Creek. Kids with rowboats can pad their allowances collecting errant golf balls that line the creek’s banks. The front nine includes a par-three with an elevated tee and a pond guarding the green’s right side.

One of the region’s newer courses is Dairy Creek, off Highway 1 about six miles south of Morro Bay. Operated by the county, the course drew a few complaints when it first opened because the fairways weren’t quite ready. Those problems no longer exist and the course is becoming more popular.

A tee time in the late morning or afternoon often means gusty winds that blow through the valley, turning the course into a much more challenging round.

Just a few minutes away is the Morro Bay Golf Course, adjacent to a state park campground, which many golfers believe offers the most beautiful scenery of all the county’s courses.

It isn’t the toughest course, but walking 18 holes up and down the hillsides will provide an aerobic workout. Here’s some advice offered by a friend of mine who plays the course regularly: All putts break toward the bay, even when it looks like that’s impossible.

The course layout rewards straight hitters, even if you’re not very long off the tee. There are few doglegs and hazards are minimal.

Castle Country’s Backyard Worth the Drive for Advanced Golfers
Courses in San Luis Obispo County’s northeast area are worth the extra drive.

Hunter Ranch Golf Course, a few miles east of Paso Robles off Highway 46, is a challenging championship 18-hole course with tight fairways and water that comes into play on three holes (four more when seasonal creeks are running.)

Hunter Ranch Golf Course is an easy 30 minute drive north on Highway 101 to Highway 46 East in Paso Robles, or a straight drive about east on Highway 46 from Castle Country (Cambria, San Simeon) on Highway 46, another 30 minute drive.

Its hilly terrain demands creative shot making over the entire 6,741-yard course (played from the championship tees). Opened in March 1994, the maturing course has hosted amateur and professional tournaments, including the California State Amateur Qualifier and both men’s and women’s mini-tours.

Not far from Hunter Ranch is a unique opportunity to play a course styled after Scottish links courses.

The Links Course at Paso Robles uses the natural environment of rolling hills and long grasses - not to mention afternoon winds - to shape an unusual challenge for golfers of all abilities. It’s also a bargain at $19 for 18 holes on weekends.

Short Courses Offer Fun, Views
For vacationing golfers who would rather not spend four or five hours on a course, there are a couple of coastal nine-hole courses that can match the others for sheer beauty.

Sea Pines Golf Course in Los Osos, 20 minutes west of San Luis Obispo, has been revamped and is ideal for working on your irons. A couple of the holes offer views of Morro Rock, which sits just north of Los Osos.

In Grover Beach, the Pismo State Beach Golf Club is a 1,465-yard course that includes a 220-yard, 1-handicap hole. The course runs alongside a stretch of sand dunes and is just south of the Pismo State Beach North Beach Campground.

Too many choices? Not enough time? Oh, the dreary problems of vacationing on the Central Coast. My advice: if you’re here to enjoy the ocean climate, choose Avila Beach or Morro Bay for your golfing excursion. If wine tasting’s your thing, combine it with a trip to Hunter Ranch. Wherever you tee off, enjoy!

Dave Wilcox is an advertising and public relations media consultant and freelance writer based in Grover Beach who wishes he had more time to golf.

Want to know locations, green fees and par stats? Click Here for our list of San Luis Obispo & Castle Country golf Links.

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