"I have not the slightest hesitation in saying that beauty means a great deal on a golf course; even the man who emphatically states that he does not care a hang for beauty is subconciously influenced by his surroundings. A beautiful hole appeals not only to the short but also to the long handicap player, and there are few first rate holes which are not at the same time, either in the granduer of their undulations and hazards, or the character of their surroundings, things of beauty in themselves."- Alister MacKenzie
The Good Doctor must've had The Valley Club in mind when he wrote this, amongst his many other masterpieces. I was extremely fortunate to recently experience this magnificent place with 2 other GCAers and our most gracious host and I left being mesmerized once again by my favorite architect. I wanted to present and share with others some history and photos of this truly special place. This will be a 3 part presentation.
The beginnings of golf in Santa Barbara started in 1894 and the founding of the Santa Barbara Country Club with the clubhouse occupying the grounds of the present Biltmore hotel on Channel Drive, a fabulous place my friend Jon Spaulding and I enjoyed breakfast at before arriving at the club. The course broke ground nearby in the fall of 1895, "a grassless nine hole affair" that was amongst the earliest in California. Eventually, the club in the early '20's acquired more land and founded what would become the Montecito Country Club, an early course of a friend of MacKenzie's and a great architect in his own right, Max Behr. In early 1928, some members of this club wanted to start a new one and upon hearing of MacKenzie's visit to Los Angeles, invited him to look at the present site and he accepted the commision, signing an agreement with the club to build the course with Robert Hunter in October of that year. The course broke ground the following month and was completed in December of 1929. Below is an aerial of the property before construction.
Once again, the formidable duo of MacKenzie and Hunter would work hand in hand, just as they had at The Meadow Club and Cypress Point Club, with Hunter carrying out the Dr.'s design. The Valley Club is often considered Hunters most personal effort, as he moved to Montecito with his wife to carry out the details of the design and living out his days there as well as being a member. As a side note, Hunters son, Robert Jr. would head up MacKenzie's construction firm, The American Golf Course Construction Company.
Below are the plans for the course taken from the club's history. The first is the West side of the road (clubhouse side) that divides the course, Sheffield Drive, and the second is the East side. Note that Hunter's name is listed first.
Of the two, the East side contains the more interesting land with MacKenzie and Hunter utilizing a hill, much like they did with the dune at Cypress Point, to great effect as you'll see in the photo's.
The club in 1942 used the East side for a Victory Garden for the war effort and thus operated as a nine holer with a par 3 hole near the driving range to make up the difference, which is still used to this day for those who wish to not cross over Sheffield. In 1946, the club brought William P Bell to restore the course to the original design as both MacKenzie and Hunter had passed away. More recently, the Renaissance Group has completed work that brought back the spirit of MacKenzie's and Hunter's bunkers and recaptured lost green surfaces as well as bringing back the closely mown areas around the greens. Doak and Urbina are to be commended for their painstaking efforts and the wonderful job they did. Our host commented that the membership is quite pleased with the results. And now, the journey begins. After turning off of East Valley Rd.....
The Valley Club has one of the most serene settings I've ever experienced. With one of the best clubhouses in golf overlooking the Channel Islands, it truly is a breathtaking place.
Next to the clubhouse and above the practice tee are 2 cottages, the lodgings of John Grant and MacKenzie in Geoff Shackelfords novel, The Good Doctor Returns.
Not much has changed in the wonderful locker room.
So we come to the first tee, which was originally built as a par 5. Today, it's a 462 yard par 4 from the tips. Upon acquiring a scorecard, you also are given one of these.
No, the course does not contain yardage markers and these are your lifeblood if you wish to successfully navigate the course.
Our tee shot
a little closer...
The greensite..
...looking back to the tee...
..the falloff on the right side of the green..
Looking back from behind the green
..and a vintage photo..
An early aerial of the hole...
A view of the surrounds from the 2nd tee. To the left, the 14th green. Everything is maintained at one mowing height.
The 2nd hole's tee shot. Par 5, 503 yds.
From the fw...
...and a little closer...
...and from the right...
We now cross Sheffield Drive over to the East side of the property and we start with one of best holes on the course, the 457 yard par 4 3rd, with our tee shot crossing over Picay Creek.
"It is not the love of something easy which has drawn men like a magnet for hundreds of years to this royal and ancient pastime; on the contrary, it is the maddening difficulty of it."- Robert Hunter
From the edge of the creek...
...and a little closer...
..from the left...
...looking back.
And old aerial.
And a look of the green from the 12th hole and across the creek...
We now climb the hill that MacKenzie and Hunter took full advantage of that comes into play for the first time. It serves as the tee for the next hole, the beguiling 143 yd par 3 4th.
"Hazards-how well chosen the name! They are risks; and penalties must come to those who take risks and fail."-Robert Hunter
The 422 yd par 4 5th.
From the left side of the greensite....
Note again the closely mown area that flows right into the 6th tee....
The short 298 yd par 4 6th.
We have now reached the end of part one. In part two, we will return to the hill, depart from it and then return once again and then conclude the East side of the course before recrossing Sheffield.