Santa Barbara Golf Club

Santa Barbara Golf Club occupies a hillside site in the foothills above the city of Santa Barbara, offering views across the coastal plain toward the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands. The course was designed by Lawrence Hughes and opened in the 1950s, part of the post-war expansion of golf in Southern California. Hughes, a regional architect active primarily in California during the mid-twentieth century, routed the layout to work with the natural contours of the terrain, incorporating elevation changes that are characteristic of foothill courses in this part of the state. The routing moves across sloping ground with several holes playing uphill and downhill, requiring golfers to manage uneven lies and adjust for changes in elevation. The property features native vegetation typical of the coastal chaparral environment, including oak trees and drought-tolerant plants that frame many of the holes. The layout is relatively compact given the hillside setting, and the design emphasizes accuracy and course management over pure length. Santa Barbara Golf Club functions as a private club serving the local community. The facility maintains the traditional character of a mid-century California golf club, with a clubhouse positioned to take advantage of the views and a membership drawn from the Santa Barbara area. The course provides a straightforward test of golf suited to its setting, without the dramatic features or tournament history of more prominent Southern California layouts, but representative of the regional design work of its era.