Tag archives: polo club

Mallets were changed for golf clubs when the Santa Barbara Polo Club’s Polo Training Center held its fifth annual tournament at the Sandpiper Golf Club with 76 players raising around $50,000 for the Carpinteria-based facility. A total of 19 foursomes played in the Farmers & Merchants Bank sponsored event, organized by Mindy Denson, though a […]

Social gridlock reigned supreme when more than 4,000 equestrian fans descended on the Santa Barbara Polo Club for the biggest match of the season – the NetJets Pacific Coast Open. Grant Palmer, son of Los Angeles real estate tycoon Geoff Palmer, and his team Antelope led right from the opening chukker against real estate investor […]

It wasn’t quite Monte Carlo, but roulette wheels, blackjack and craps tables abounded on the hallowed Holden Field at the Santa Barbara Polo Club as the lush Carpinteria equestrian facility held Casino Night for nearly 100 guests. “As the NetJets Pacific Coast Open, the biggest polo match on the West Coast, looms large, we try […]

Santa Barbara winemaker Doug Margerum celebrated the launch of his new sauvignon blanc with a boffo bash fieldside at the Santa Barbara Polo Club where the new label is being sold. His “all white” party for 150 guests at the weekend, featured all of his labels, including his popular Rhône varietal M5 and a host […]

After more than 50 years as a journalist and TV commentator, I took on one of my most unusual assignments when the Polo Training Center hosted its 10th anniversary Denim and Diamonds benefit dinner, raising more than $50,000 from the 120 guests in a giant fieldside marquee at the Carpinteria-based polo club. Club president Rhys […]

A positive profusion of creative and colorful tony tête toppers packed the stands and cabanas as the Santa Barbara Polo Club celebrated its 17th annual Ladies Day. As usual I had the onerous task of judging the mélange of magnificent millinery, including the largest, most colorful and most creative, and the day couldn’t have been […]

Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry appeared topless in a new image shared on social media last week. The former Dos Pueblos High student was debuting her new album cover and announcing it is titled 143, revealing that the release date is September 20. 143 is code for “I Love You” after being used in the […]

On a deeply personal note, I remember Glen Holden, one of three founding members of the Santa Barbara Polo Club, who has moved to more heavenly pastures at the age of 96. Born in Boise, Idaho, Glen grew up on a ranch outside of Portland, Oregon, from the age of six where he developed a […]

Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club opens its 113th season on Sunday (May 5) kicking off an action-packed schedule filled with exciting tournaments and events that will showcase some of the world’s most talented equestrians from across the globe. With a record number of teams and players participating at every level, this season is set […]

Banker Henry Walker is the new president of the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Henry, who I have known for many years, is the patron of the FMB Too! polo team, a club trustee and member of the USPA since 1981. He joined the 117-year-old, Long Beach-based Farmers & Merchants Bank as a teller, and now […]

Social gridlock reigned at the Santa Barbara Polo Club when it hosted the 114-year-old NetJets Pacific Coast Open with more than 3,000 spectators watching the hotly contested match, with both teams attempting to gain a hat trick. Farmers & Merchants Bank, which won the trophy in 2017 and 2019 under captain Dan Walker, was up […]

Golf clubs replaced mallets when Santa Barbara Polo Club’s Polo Training Center hosted its 5th annual golf tournament at the Montecito Club with 18 teams raising a hefty $100,000 for the Carpinteria-based facility. Players went round the Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole course in foursomes during the Farmers & Merchants Bank-sponsored event, although a BMW donated by […]

A profusion of creative and colorful tony tête toppers packed the stands at the Santa Barbara Polo Club for the annual Ladies Day. As usual, I had the difficult job of judging the mélange of magnificent millinery, having learned my “craft” donning my top hat and tails attending the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot races […]

The pandemic is now solidly in the rear-view mirror. But one of its unexpected silver linings – a surging allure to living along Santa Barbara’s South Coast – roars on. An enclave like Montecito is not all that far from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, but as so many new residents and visitors now […]

On a personal note, I remember Andy Smith, match announcer at the Santa Barbara Polo Club for more than 30 years, who has died at the age of 82. Born in Brentwood, he spent six years in the Air Force, much of it in New Zealand, with the rank of captain. A member of the […]

Homer Montecito owner Terry Pillow popped up with a one-day store at the Santa Barbara Polo Club using his vintage ‘60s Land Rover as part of the impressive props. Terry, former head of Tommy Bahama and Ralph Lauren, displayed his English bridle leather wares next to the club’s boutique. “It couldn’t have been a better […]

A torrent of tony tête toppers descended on Fieldside at the Santa Barbara Polo Club when social gadabout Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey Nowak, founder of the popular La Boheme dance troupe, hosted their third annual Run for the Roses bash celebrating the 149th Kentucky Derby. Known as the Greatest Two Minutes in Sport, the […]

Santa Barbara Polo Club launches its 112th action-packed season on May 7, showcasing some of the most talented players from around the globe. With a record number of teams and players at every level, the season is set to be one of the most memorable in the club’s history. “The club has always been considered […]

Prince Harry’s polo playing pal Nacho Figueras is now part of a Neiman Marcus Christmas present – for a price! For $295,000 the legendary Texas emporium – known as Needless Markup by Dallas denizens – is offering a two-night stay at the St. Regis in Aspen, Colorado, with a private Argentinian Asado dinner by chef […]

Michael and Lisa Amador, longtime members of the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, have taken over the management of the club’s eatery now renamed as Fieldside, which reopens next month. The dynamic duo have owned many successful restaurants in our Eden by the Beach, including Uncorked and the Nook in the Funk Zone. Lisa […]