Tag archives: Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club

With Charles in Charge, Polo Community Soared into New Territory
By Richard Mineards   |   July 1, 2021

On a deeply personal note, I remember Charles Ward, the longtime Texan publicist and promoter for the Santa Barbara Polo Club, who left us for more heavenly pastures at the age of 80 in his hometown of Dallas. We first met in 2007 when I moved to our rarefied enclave from Hancock Park in Los […]

A Birthday Bonanza
By Richard Mineards   |   July 1, 2021

Teresa Kuskey Nowak’s deliciously decadent La Boheme Dance Company, who were attired in Versailles 18th century Marie Antoinette costumes at the Santa Barbara Polo Club earlier this month, were back at the picturesque locale for the birthdays of ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri and former Cottage Hospital orthopedic nurse Rochelle Mirabello. As guests feasted on […]

Polo in Paradise: Kentucky Derby Brings Out Familiar Faces
By Lynda Millner   |   June 3, 2021

The Santa Barbara Polo Club is celebrating 110 years, one of the oldest clubs in the United States. It was the location for a Kentucky Derby party hosted by Deb Richards, John Hillis, and Juli Kordic. Energy abounded (and so did mint juleps and big hats) since it was the first time for many to […]

Extraordinary Moment: SB Polo & Racquet Club Makes Welcomed Return
By Richard Mineards   |   May 13, 2021

Crowds of members packed the clubhouse and tiered seating at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club when the Carpinteria equestrian facility opened its doors for the first time in more than a year after the pandemic restrictions were eased. “This really is an extraordinary moment,” said club manager David Sigman. “It couldn’t have been […]

Keep Up That Racquet, Please!
By Richard Mineards   |   April 29, 2021

It’s all systems go at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club! As the Carpinteria equestrian facility marks its 110th season with its official opening on May 2, the club will be open to spectators as pandemic lockdown rules are eased. “It will be nice to have people back in the stands,” said club manager […]

Promotion, Partnerships, and Polo
By Richard Mineards   |   December 10, 2020

Dallas dynamo and former TV anchor Charles Ward, who has been promoting the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club for nearly two decades, is expanding his empire. Charles, who plays President George Washington with my King George III in the village parade each year, has forged a strategic alliance with the international luxury glossy Polo […]

Polo’s PCO, pandemic-style
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 27, 2020

As with just about everything else that might involve an audience, polo tournaments have also been barred from permitting spectators at their matches. But rather than canceling the season, the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club has carried on sans the crowds, as only polo players, team associates and club staff are allowed to attend […]

Santa Barbara Country Music Festival
By Joanne A Calitri   |   September 26, 2019

The first annual Santa Barbara Country Music Festival was held on Sunday September 8, from 1 to 7 pm at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racket Club (SBPRC). The event featured music headliner Hunter Easton Hayes, and musicians Devin Dawson, Honey Country, and Savannah Burrows. I interviewed the festival co-founders, OakHeart Country Music Festival co-founder […]

SB Gains an Ace
By Richard Mineards   |   February 14, 2019

Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club has added a new tennis pro to its talented staff. Born and raised in Scotland, Nikki Slater grew up playing with Wimbledon champ Andy Murray and his brother, Jamie, as her coach was the ace racketeers’ mother, Judy. She graduated from Florida State University where she was number one […]

Justin Time: Klentner Ranch Wins
By Richard Mineards   |   September 6, 2018

High-goal season at the Santa Barbara Polo Club ended on a soaringly high note when longtime patron Justin Klentner‘s Klentner Ranch team hoisted the 109-year-old Silver Air Pacific Coast Open trophy, the most prestigious tournament on the Left Coast, for the first time. Although Justin, who has had his team for six years, was unable […]

Fluidity, Frolicking, and Flow
By Steven Libowitz   |   September 6, 2018

“There is a thin semantic line separating weird and beautiful. And that line is covered in jellyfish.” So said choreographer Doug Elkins at the Lobero Theater a couple of weeks ago, perhaps answering a question posed by one of the members of the Friday Club. Or more than likely not. Elkins is the high-energy, self-described […]

Golden Holden
By Richard Mineards   |   August 30, 2018

Santa Barbara Polo Club’s hallowed Holden Field was turned into an outdoor planetarium when it threw an Under the Stars bash for 200 guests with organizers from the local 63-year-old astronomical unit, part of the Natural History Museum, which does 200 events annually showing off the stars above, just two days before a full moon. […]

Labor of Love: Studios Open for Tour
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 30, 2018

Montecito has always been an integral part of the Santa Barbara Studio Artists (SBSA) Open Studios tour. But not so much this year. The annual Labor Day weekend event when local artists who are members of the organization welcome guests into their working home studios or off-site locations has just one site for visitors to […]

Muse News
By Tim Buckley   |   August 23, 2018

Santa Barbara Polo Club president John Muse opened the doors of his magnificent Carpinteria beach house to host a fund-raising dinner bash for 60 guests. The contemporary home, with 120 feet of Pacific frontage, took two years to build and is worthy of a spread in Architectural Digest. The fun fete raised more than $50,000 […]

Sip-Top Condition
By Richard Mineards   |   August 16, 2018

Santa Barbara Polo Club hosted its first Sip and Shop event for 250 guests next to the hallowed Holden Field. With seven vendors and a stall providing Moet & Chandon’s new champagne – with a slightly higher sugar content that can be served over ice – the fun fest was the brainchild of Kathryn Lenihan, […]

High Horse
By Richard Mineards   |   May 17, 2018

Santa Barbara Polo Club opened its 107th season with a bang when former patron Andy Busch and his wife, Kim, threw a bash for his new Folded Hills 15-acre vineyard in Santa Ynez. Andy, whose Grants Farm team used to be a regular feature at the Carpinteria club, bought the 600-acre ranch some years back […]