Played yesterday early afternoon after having lunch at the restaurant. The restaurant is a popular destination with the locals (non golfers ) but I was able to beat the lunch crowd and head out to a f... Continue »

Played yesterday early afternoon after having lunch at the restaurant. The restaurant is a popular destination with the locals (non golfers ) but I was able to beat the lunch crowd and head out to a fairly open course. Every few holes I had to make my way through a group which most let me through with no issues. Course remains in its usual very good condition. Greens rolled smooth at a medium fast pace with very few pitch marks to be found. The sign at the pro shop said the greens were rated at firm and fast but I found they easily held well struck approach shots.

Fairways were lush with some brown areas here and there but still enjoyable to hit from. San traps had decent soft brown sand but one did have some pebbles in it.

Hunter Ranch is always a fun track. Wind can play a factor in the afternoon for sure but otherwise it's a fun track with nice conditions.

Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in slightly more than 5H. Matched up with 3 very nice guys to form a 4some mid day on a GN Hot Deal. This was not a slow group, the POP was directly attributable to the ... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in slightly more than 5H. Matched up with 3 very nice guys to form a 4some mid day on a GN Hot Deal. This was not a slow group, the POP was directly attributable to the wind and the heigth of the rough. Especially the 6" tall patches of clover everywhere. Windy and partly cloudy in the 60's. 2 club wind most of the round. The tees were mostly lush and were well maintained for divots. Some could use leveling. The fairways are mostly lush poa annua, nice to play from. The rough was mostly lush close to the fairway, with hardpan farther off the beaten path. The challenge is that under the oaks it is often 6" to 12" high because they have not mowed there in awhile. There are many areas on nearly every hole that has large areas of clover that is 6" tall barely off fairways. Seemed like almost every hole we had one or more balls that were not that bad of a shot that we practically had to step on to find it. The sand traps had nice quality sand and were excently maintained. The large, undulating greens were firm, smooth, medium fast and putted very nice. Very challenging layout, hilly with fairways framed by oak trees. Few level lies anywhere on this course. The fairways are generous in size, and you currently need to avoid the rough. Nice all grass driving range. No GPS on the basic carts and no drink cart. The customer service was good, right out on #1 tee at my tee time. Highly Recommended.

Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in slightly more than 3H as a single early morning using Forelinx. Partly cloudy, calm and in the 70's, almost perfect golfing weather. The tees were semi lush and most... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in slightly more than 3H as a single early morning using Forelinx. Partly cloudy, calm and in the 70's, almost perfect golfing weather. The tees were semi lush and most were well maintained for divots. Some could use leveling. The fairways look really nice mowed like a checkerboard. Mostly lush poa annua, nice to play from. The rough was mostly lush close to the fairway, thinner the farther you got from the fairway. The sand traps had nice quality sand and were excently maintained. The large, undulating greens were firm, smooth, medium fast and putted great. Very challenging layout in very nice condition. Hilly with fairways framed by oak trees. Few level lies anywhere on this course. The fairways are generous in size, the rough is mostly mowed down and if you get off in the oaks its hardpan. Nice all grass driving range. The customer service was good, right out on #1 tee at my tee time. Highly Recommended.

Played mid-day on a semi-busy day. Had a bit of an issue with the starter (inside the pro-shop). We were a twosome who naturally had been paired up on the tee sheet with two others. We get to the f... Continue »

Played mid-day on a semi-busy day. Had a bit of an issue with the starter (inside the pro-shop). We were a twosome who naturally had been paired up on the tee sheet with two others. We get to the first tee and there is a 4-some practice putting getting ready to go. I ask them their tee time and they were behind us. So, I teed off and my buddy gets ready to do the same. Starter tells us to hold up until the other two arrived. 5 minutes later one of the guys shows up and we go off as a threesome. Here's my dilemma, Why hold up 6 people because 1 or 2 are LATE for their tee time. Why not send off the others first and then let the stragglers filter in being that no one was scheduled to go on after the foursome behind us. Just my thoughts.

Condition wise the course was in solid shape. Greens were perfectly smooth and rolling medium-fast+. I was surprised at how firm the greens were for as wet as its been this year.

Fairways were fairly lush with some thin/wet spots here and there. Rough was spotty after the first cut. Tee boxes were level, lush and divot free. I was only in one sand trap and it was very nice. POP was on the slow side but that was probably because the two other players in my group each shot triple digits and had a lot of lost balls which always slows things down. Plus it was cart path only which can be a bear if things are going awry.

I always like the layout of Hunter with it's elevation changes and water hazards plus some forced carries over gully's. There are some annoying trees placed in the middle of the fairways. There are plenty of strategic holes demanding shot placement off the tee mixed in with grip it and rip holes. Wind is usually a factor at Hunter Ranch but most holes are north/south to the wind so there's not too much crosswind.

Played mid morning on the threat of rain but weather held out and it was actually warm out for most of the round. Wind came up the last few holes to cool things off. Course was almost completely em... Continue »

Played mid morning on the threat of rain but weather held out and it was actually warm out for most of the round. Wind came up the last few holes to cool things off. Course was almost completely empty. There were only a 2-3 other groups out. Greens were in fantastic shape. Early greens were a bit damp from recent rain but they dried out about 5 holes in and started rolling at a medium-fast pace. As I mentioned before, greens at Hunter have modest slope with predictable breaks. A good test of skills but nothing to overwhelm a seasoned golfer.

Tee boxes were level and lush. Fairways were average. A few thin/wet areas along with some dormant grass throughout but decent lies for the most part. Sand traps have nice sand in them (or at least the one trap I was in did).

Hunter Ranch is always a fun track. It offers numerous elevation changes throughout with forced carries over water and gullies mixed in for add enjoyment. Weekend prices are a little pricey but that's the nature of the beast.

My previous review back in June covers the layout fairly well so I'll go straight to the course conditions. Greens were fantastic. They rolled smooth and true at a fast pace. Hardly a pitch mark ... Continue »

My previous review back in June covers the layout fairly well so I'll go straight to the course conditions. Greens were fantastic. They rolled smooth and true at a fast pace. Hardly a pitch mark to be found on any green. Most greens have modest slope with predictable breaks. Having said that, there were some tough pin locations today that made putting a challenge.

Fairways were green and lush for the most part. A few had some thin brown areas but nothing too bad. bunkers were nice. They offered a thick heavy sand but definitely predictable and playable.

Tee boxes were level and fairly lush. A few divots here and there (mainly on the par 3's) but nothing major.

First cut of rough was nice. Mainly lush but a bit thin in places. After the first cut, it's hardpan dirt.

As I've mentioned before, Hunter Ranch offers a little of everything; elevation changes, water hazards, tight tree lined fairways, grip it and rip it holes, forced carries and most importantly solid conditions.

Also, the bathrooms throughout the course are real bathrooms in good clean condition.

Played 8-18 as a twosome teeing off at 9:40am with the course pretty wide open for the day. Waited on some holes but nothing to crazy. POP was right at 4 hours.

Greens, as always, are the highlight... Continue »

Played 8-18 as a twosome teeing off at 9:40am with the course pretty wide open for the day. Waited on some holes but nothing to crazy. POP was right at 4 hours.

Greens, as always, are the highlight. Still kinda slow because they keep them a little long in the summer, but if you have a putt or a chip downhill good luck stopping it anywhere near the hole. Always ran smooth and held their line.

Fairways had some burned out areas which is common for this time of year. Still great to hit from.

Rough was thick around the greens and just off the fairways, but gave way to hard pan and dirt about 10 yards off most fairways.

Tee boxes are the only downside to this course. With how narrow some tees play with tree growth, it asks you to play from different areas of the tee instead of the middle. Unfortunately the further you drift from center, the more uneven it gets. I understand that this is a hilly course, but it's tough to try and hit a cut when the ball is noticeably above your feet at tee off. That's the only gripe I have about this course.

I wasn't in any traps, but the sand looked well kept all around the course.

Always will be one of my favorites to play in the central valley. The food is good at the restaurant as well. Can't wait to come back again soon.

It's been awhile since I've played Hunter Ranch, and I forgot how challenging the course can be. Most of the holes run north/south so you rarely have a crosswind. It's either behind you or against ... Continue »

It's been awhile since I've played Hunter Ranch, and I forgot how challenging the course can be. Most of the holes run north/south so you rarely have a crosswind. It's either behind you or against you! Tons of elevation changes throughout the course with a good mix of tight narrow openings demanding accuracy along with several WIDE fairways allowing you to grip it and rip it. A few water features are thrown in to add to the accuracy challenge along with a mid iron par 3 over a mini canyon. The course has plenty of trees throughout to offer shade during the triple digit summer temps. Condition wise the greens were smooth as always rolling at a medium-fast pace. They held approach shots decently. The score card has pin placements on them which is helpful in determining your preferred angle of approach. Carts are in nice shape. No GPS system but they do have USB ports to charge your smart device. Fairways were decent enough. Some areas were very nice, however there were a handful of thin brown areas throughout the course. First cut of rough is very manageable, after that it's pretty much hardpan dirt. Restaurant is a rustic western style ranch building with very good food. It's a very popular lunch stop for non-golfers. Overall, it's a fun challenging course. Mid-week the course sees little play so you can get around quickly. Weekends....not so much! I know this is true for just about every course, but it's a much bigger difference between the two at HR.

Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in less than 3H as a single. The weather was around 60, completely cloudy and misting when I left HR around 1030a. Just pulled into Rancho Mirage, 102 and clear... go f... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in less than 3H as a single. The weather was around 60, completely cloudy and misting when I left HR around 1030a. Just pulled into Rancho Mirage, 102 and clear... go figure? HR is a hilly, challenging layout in very nice condition. The fairways are framed by hundreds of 100+ year old oak trees. It is unusual to get level lies anywhere on a course set among rolling hills. The fairways are generous in width but the course can be really penal if you stray barely off many fairways. The tees were mostly lush and were well maintained for divots. Some could use leveling would be the only negative. The fairways are a mixture of grasses and are mostly lush, nice to play from. The rough was mostly lush close to the fairway, thinner the farther you got from the fairway. Stray off in the oaks and you are playing on hardpan. The sand traps were well maintained with nice, soft, white sand. The large, undulating greens are firm but still usually held irons well. They putted smooth and medium fast. The customer service was good as usual here. No drink cart or Marshall usually, nice restaurant beside the well stocked, beautiful clubhouse. Definitely recommended.