Kyle,

My first choice would be La Purisima GC which is an hours drive from San Luis Obispo. It is a good and challenging layout with a fee of only 60 USD on weekdays.

I have played Paso Robles GC which is closer to San Luis Obispo, a dull parkland design which is mostly crammed between residential housing.
Take my word, you are better off driving down to La Purisima.

When will you be there? I have a beach house in Cayucos. The best time there is the fall. If you are in the area of Cayucos on a Friday or Saturday night, stop by the Cayucos Saloon, one of this world's premier watering holes.

SLO isn't the best area for premier golf but there is a number of decent, fun courses in the area. I think Hunter Ranch and La Purisima are the best of the bunch, and I generally prefer Hunter Ranch, mainly because it isn't as far to drive.

My favorite place to play in the area is Sea Pines. A little, executive nine-holer, I have a good time there and rarely are there other people. It is on the coast in Los Osos. I also like to play Morro Bay Golf Club. Not much there architecturally, but the view and the sea air are nice and it is a walkable course -- something the newer courses lack. I only played the Links at Vista Del Hombre in Paso Robles once, liked it, but never remember to go back.

Cheers,
Dan King

Wildness and silence disappeared from the countryside, sweetness fell from the air, not because anyone wished them to vanish or fall but because throughways had to floor the meadows with cement to carry the automobiles which advancing technology produced. Tropical beaches turned into high-priced slums where thousand-room hotels elbowed each other for glimpses of once-famous surf not because those who loved the beaches wanted them there but because enormous jets could bring a million tourists every year -- and therefore did.
 --Archibald MacLeish

Very helpful info. Thank you all. I'll be playing early on Friday morning if anybody wants to join...

I'd love to treat you to a round at Monarch, but I'm heading for Kauai on Wednesday .  Hope you get a chance to play Monarch.  As Dan K. mentioned, Morro Bay and Sea Pines have some great views of the bay.

I've got a real affinity for Hunter Ranch and recommend you give it a try. It is largely a home-made job that works pretty well, although the par-4 12th defies logic; imagine a longish two-shotter in the shape of a hairpin turn.

I'm not certain whether to pronounce it quirky or stupid, but it is a conversation piece at the very least.

I recall years ago when it opened that Golf Mag ran a piece on Hunter Ranch, stating it was intended to emulate the best Australian Sandbelt courses. I've not been to Aussieland, but that boast struck me as ignorant golf-writer hyperbole.  

All that stated, Hunter Ranch is a well-conditioned, solid golf course on a lonely piece of land outside Paso Robles. The feeling of isolation is refreshing because it never seems to be crowded.

There are a handful of really fine wineries right nearby - and on the way to Morro Bay or Cambria - so as a "Sideways" type destination, certainly worth a *golf and sip* type outing.

   

I like your list of dining places. I'm a big fan of Hoppe's. I wish I could afford to eat there more often.  I only ate at Schnooner's Wharf once and didn't like it, but maybe caught it on a bad night. There's a Mexican place I like is Los Osos, but I can't remember the name of it. Oops, just saw you have it on there: Las Cazuelas.

The only glaring one missing I noticed is Bon Temps Creole on Olive St. in SLO. It's in a former motel coffee shop. Check it out.

I've always liked the front nine better than the back nine at Hunter, but there are some excellent conversation pieces on the back nine.

Cheers,
Dan King

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
 --Virginia Woolf

Dan- I had brunch at Hoppe's. Excellent food. Thank you so much for the recommendation.

R. Boult, Gib, Dan - I ended up at Hunter's Ranch, so I definitely want to hit Monarch Dunes or La Purisma, should I return to your neighborhood.

I thought HR was a solid course in a superb setting. It played way too soft after the rains of a day before, and I ended up as a single following several hundreds of foursomes (another single joined me for the back nine... He teed off 90 minutes after I did.) late on Saturday morning.

HR had tons of quirks, most of which I liked. The 12th needs to add some watered turf on the right side of the landing area. Currently, anything slightly right of the fairway will roll on hard pan down to a creek about 60 yard to the right. Also, trees need to be cleared on quite a few holes on the back nine, includeing the right side of # 12. I love the old oaks, but some of the younger ones need to go. A yardage book would have been very handy on the par 3's.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction, gentlemen. Hopefully, we can meet up next time.

Cheers,
Kyle

Kyle,

Did you not make time for San Simeon Pines?  Finest course in the area...

No, Sir. The girlfriend isn't a golfer, the weather was hit and miss, etc., etc, and Paso Robles seemed like a good choice. I hope to play everything eventually.