If you look up Santa Ynez Valley in the history books, it’s likely there’s a photo of the Alisal Guest Ranch. As synonymous with the valley as oak trees, the Alisal has been a working ranch, in one form or another, since 1843, when Conquistador Raimundo Carrillo received the 13,500 acre Rancho Nojoqui land grant as payment from the Mexican government.

The Alisal has undergone many changes since Carrillo’s day, but the tradition of raising cattle and award-winning horses has carried on through every owner

The Alisal has undergone many changes since Carrillo’s day, but the tradition of raising cattle and award-winning horses has carried on through every owner. The Pierce family bred harness racing’s legendary trotter Lou Dillon. Horse and cattle breeder Charles Perkins bought the property in 1927 and raised Kentucky Derby winner Flying Ebony. In 1943 the Jackson Family acquired the property. They opened the guest ranch in 1946 to summer guests. It was an instant success with visitors from across the nation, with it’s rustic setting and small guest cottages that house a maximum of 30 guests at any time. For some families, the Alisal is a vacation tradition spanning three generations. Eventually, the guest ranch property expanded, and two 18-hole championship golf courses were added that rank among the best, attracting attention far and wide while finding their most faithful patrons among valley residents themselves. Fifteen years ago, the River Grill opened next to the pro shop at the River Course. It started as a snack shop, serving a light breakfast and lunch to golfers, but over the years expanded into a real representation of Santa Ynez lifestyle -- equal parts rustic and refined. Lauded for having the best view in the valley, the River Grill recently underwent the latest, and perhaps most praised, upgrade, with the addition of a pub-like bar adjacent to the dining room. The change is what Alisal’s Sales Manager, Stormie Strickland, calls “a mini-remodel.”

“Last spring we added a bar area and installed a 54-inch plasma-screen TV,” Strickland explained. “It’s given the place a new identity; it’s fun, and a relaxed atmosphere.”

The new bar area inside the River Grill has been a particularly big hit with the regular golfers, who now have a place to rest their clubs, have a drink, and watch sports on the big screen. It’s also a more casual, moderately priced, option for the River Grill’s faithful dinner patrons.

According to River Grill Manager Israel Flores, the restaurant hosts very few tourists. Most of the patrons are locals.

“I pretty much know everyone by name, and it’s nice to see the regulars come in frequently,” Flores said.

Flores started with the River Grill ten years ago as a bus boy, and over the years he has worked his way up through the ranks to the position of manager. A golfer himself, Flores particularly enjoys working near the golf course and talking the game with his clients.

“I get out [on the course] about once a week. Not as much as I used to,” Flores explained, “and it’s nice, now with the new bar, because the golfers come in and stay awhile; they have a place to go at the end of a round.”

According to head pro Robert Scarpati, the Alisal’s golf course sees about 35,000 rounds per year. It’s ranked as a player-friendly course, and for the reader familiar with golf vernacular, it has a slope of 121 for the men’s blue tees and 128 for women’s red tees.

“We are one of the nicer public golf courses.” Scarpati said.“The addition of the bar was badly needed, especially for the winter months when the afternoon gets chilly on the patio,” he said.

“The new bar is a welcome addition. Players come in to have a cocktail, maybe an appetizer -- it’s going over very well,” Scarpati said.

With one foot in the old world, and another keeping pace with the changing times and needs of its patrons, the Alisal Guest Ranch and Golf Course continues to be a flagship institution in the Santa Ynez Valley.