There are two ways to rate a course: One is the aesthetic value and lushness and maintenance of the grass, while the other is based purely on the playability of the course. I bring this up because sin... Continue »

There are two ways to rate a course: One is the aesthetic value and lushness and maintenance of the grass, while the other is based purely on the playability of the course. I bring this up because since it reopened several years ago, Rams Hill has been THE STANDARD for that first description. Yesterday’s round was the first time I’ve ever seen a little browning in the fairways, but here’s the catch: The course is arguably playing better than ever despite not being perfectly green from edge to edge.

Firmer fairways mean the already-present contours become accentuated, and more fun. The greens are running slower than I’ve seen them in the past, but if they hadn’t been, the course might’ve been unplayable with yesterday’s insane wind. I’ll wrap up this preface to my review by saying that it seems Rams Hill is exceptional either way: Manicured to perfection or a little drier but faster and bouncier.

Played with dconnally and Rat-Patrol yesterday and we started around 1:30. We pretty much had the course to ourselves, but extremely strong winds slowed our pace, and we finished in a little under 4:30. (Huge thanks to dconnally, dcricket and Rams Hill for the circumstances that led to me playing there yesterday.)

The greens were smooth, mostly firm and rolling about medium speed. Putts hit into the wind really needed to be smacked, which felt odd. Downwind shots were very difficult to stop on the greens. Fairways were mostly great except a few thinner spots here and there, but even those areas were fun. For instance, on the 419-yard par-4 14th, my drive must’ve caught a speed slot and I only had about 40 yards downhill to the green. Rather than attempt a precise chip off the tight fairway, I opted to putt and ran it onto the green. It would’ve been fun to putt a whole bucket of balls from that spot. Most of the rough was lush and very easy to hit from, probably about an inch deep. Blue tee boxes were good overall. All the bunkers I was in had plentiful sand.

I think I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I enjoy Rams Hill more and more each time I play it, and I can’t wait to get back out there.

Cliffnotes: Worth the money, but the drive is horrible. They just need to dynamite a road straight to Borrego from San Diego region. If you read Johnny's previous review, I'll pretty much piggyback on... Continue »

Cliffnotes: Worth the money, but the drive is horrible. They just need to dynamite a road straight to Borrego from San Diego region. If you read Johnny's previous review, I'll pretty much piggyback on that - re: the playing conditions.

Today, we had 40mph sustained winds with upwards of 50mph gusts. Almost made the course unplayable, as in - my 3i usually gives me 220; today I had a 165 approach shot and came up about 10 yards short of the green. On 18, I had 126 in - my 8i gives me 158, and I came up about 10 yards short on that, as well. The ball was ballooning like I've never seen.

That being said, the course is in decent shape. The greens are pure, but are getting slightly beat-up due to people not fixing pitch marks. Traps are in fantastic shape; I was able to pick a 5 iron out of a fairway bunker and had no issues (sans wind, lol).

IF YOU PLAN ON PLAYING ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE - the pro shop said this is the most wind they've had since the re-opening. Also, they've never had an issue with frost, but they are expecting to, starting on Wens. of this week. Make sure you check the weather - if you catch RH on a windy day, it wont matter how well your ball striking is or how far you hit the ball - it is brutal.

Played 2-12-18 with John, Keith, and Alex on a very windy day, teeing off a little before 11 and finishing a little after 3 for a relaxing round with some minor waiting. Tee boxes were level and lush ... Continue »

Played 2-12-18 with John, Keith, and Alex on a very windy day, teeing off a little before 11 and finishing a little after 3 for a relaxing round with some minor waiting. Tee boxes were level and lush with minimal divot damage on par threes. Fairways were very nice with great lies and descent roll out with some minor thin areas on outer sides of fairways. Rough was in really good shape, maybe 2 inches longer than fairways and very green and lush. Was in two greenside bunkers and two fairway bunkers all of which were in great shape with a good amount of sand. Greens were really nice rolling smooth at medium pace and holding shots very well. Really nice golf course that unfortunately is a little out of the way but still worth the trip.

Played Rams Hill Golf Club Monday 2/12 with sixpez, rgm2525 and Alex326. Awesome time. It was a challenging day of golf with cooler temps and very gusty winds. I had never played Rams Hill Golf Club i... Continue »

Played Rams Hill Golf Club Monday 2/12 with sixpez, rgm2525 and Alex326. Awesome time. It was a challenging day of golf with cooler temps and very gusty winds. I had never played Rams Hill Golf Club in these kinds of conditions and can safely say the golf course played about 7 strokes tougher.

Rams Hill was in great condition although not its typically immaculate self. It’s been very dry, warm and windy January/February in Borrego Springs. This is a recipe for the following to take place: 1. With very few cold nights that drop below freezing, the bermunda turf base is never going to truly go dormant and thus compete for water/nutrients with the overseeded rye grass. 2. With little rain so far this winter, the golf course has not got fully saturated so areas where the irrigation system has little coverage is going to struggle due to warm temps and wind. 3. With very windy conditions, not only does it dry the course out sort of like a hair dryer (not that extreme, just an example) it presents a challenge for the irrigation system (ever turn your lawn sprinklers on during a Santa Ana wind and watch half of the water that supposed to be on your lawn turn into a mists and blow all over the place?). That all said, the golf course is still predominately lush, an absolute pleasure to play and a golfer should not hesitate to play it. I spoke with the GM after the round and one of this year’s Summer projects is improve the irrigation system for all green complexes. Most people think the golf course closes in the Summer due to high temps and potential of less play … that is not the case, they use every Summer to do projects to continually make Rams Hill Golf Club a better and better experience for their season. The ownership is totally committed to excellence.

So currently the greens are moderately fast, smooth and holding shots. The fairways are mostly lush with a few thin spots here and there. The rough is lush with a few thin spots here and there. The bunkers are in very good shape with quality sand (I found many), the tee boxes (we played the popular white tees - blues in better shape) lush, level with some divot damage.

I did not have an opportunity to warm up, which I love to do at Rams Hill Golf Club due to their outstanding driving range/practice facility that utilizes ProV1 practice balls.

Had a super time and can’t wait to get back there.

Out at Rams Hill again yesterday to play my GK Cup match with Mr. JohnnyGK himself. Also joined by Alex326 and rgm2525. It was a crazy windy and blustery day out there, which really amped up the chall... Continue »

Out at Rams Hill again yesterday to play my GK Cup match with Mr. JohnnyGK himself. Also joined by Alex326 and rgm2525. It was a crazy windy and blustery day out there, which really amped up the challenge on an already demanding course. We enjoyed a nice relaxed pace, keeping up with the groups ahead and rarely being pushed much by the group behind.

The conditions were, as always at Rams Hill, very nice. Pretty similar to the GK Plays conditions last month, with the exception of the fairways playing much firmer and faster after a dry winter and the wind. The tee boxes were good, though it was sometimes hard to get a tee in as deep as you wanted it because there was a very firm layer underneath. The fairways could maybe benefit from a spot aeration as there were more thin/firm spots than usual. The rough is nearly immaculate with lush coverage throughout. The bunkers had good soft sand around the greens and a little firmer stuff in the fairway bunkers, so it's the right combo. The greens weren't quite as soft as last time, but still receptive and rolling smooth at medium speeds. Like last time, I just couldn't adjust to the slower speeds than I had been accustomed to on earlier visits. The surfaces were nice by any standard, but I miss them rolling super fast. The putting green is definitely quicker than any on the course, so keep that in mind.

I'll never turn down any excuse to make the drive out to Rams Hill. Always a great course with excellent service and facilities.

I kept hearing a bunch of hoopla about some course called Rams Hill. Seeing some great reviews on GK I told myself I need to play it and see what it's all about. One slight problem. The course is w... Continue »

I kept hearing a bunch of hoopla about some course called Rams Hill. Seeing some great reviews on GK I told myself I need to play it and see what it's all about. One slight problem. The course is waaaaay out in the middle of nowhere. It's about halfway between San Diego and Palm Springs. Not a bad drive if you live in either of those places but a heck of a haul from Northern Califirnia With so many great options at both locations, Rams Hill just never made the list on any of the So Cal golf trips.

Johnny GK gave me an invite and when the MAN himself invites you, you make the trip.

And let me tell you it Was WORTH every minute of the drive!!

The course had everything that I like in a track: elevation changes, multiple water hazards, great playing conditions, and excellent customer service.

Per my intel this used to be two private courses that is now one "resort" style course. Greens were spacious that offered some fun challenges but gentle enough to give up a handful of birdies to the group (sadly none to me).

Fairways are wide enough that errant shots can usually be found in the first cut of rough which was thick but manageable.

The water hazards are off to the side with hole 11 having a river/stream flowing down the entire left side. It's probably my favorite hole on the course. There are no forced carries over any of the water hazards which takes a couple points off the design For me but not that big of a deal breaker.

The views are amazing and all in all the layout is awesome with a number of fun holes. Most holes are fairly straight with only a couple of severe dog leg holes.

There have been some recent articles about Rams Hill being the third best resort course behind Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. Whereas I can't say that I agree with that statement (there are just so many great courses in California) I can say that Rams Hill is Definitely, definitely worth the drive and a fun track.

I did have several issues with the website, but that may have been a compatibility issue with my iPad.

Rams Hill: 1/27/2017 I've been reading GK reviews for RH for the last few years. I've been dying to get down there but haven't found the time. Well, the girlfriend was out of town this weekend so I d... Continue »

Rams Hill: 1/27/2017 I've been reading GK reviews for RH for the last few years. I've been dying to get down there but haven't found the time. Well, the girlfriend was out of town this weekend so I decided to solo trip down to Borrego and see what all the hype was about. The customer service was top notch, the starter was great and the guy in the clubhouse was friendly and accommodating. Being a single I figured I would be paired up on a Saturday with another group. Well apparently I was wrong and this course doesn't fill their tee sheet like the Palm Springs courses. I played solo in 3.5 hours, getting stuck occasionally behind a 4 ball here and there. Conditions: Excellent from tee to green. Greens were posted in clubhouse at 11.6 on the stimp which to me is excellent speed for rolling some putts in! Smooth, pure, medium firmness, and quick (9/10). The fairways were pure as can be, I would say a solid 8/10. Easy to take nice divots and the ball still rolled out on well struck drives. Tees were lush and perfect (9/10) but I wish they would have cut them a little tighter. Sand was excellent and I found myself a lot of sand so I can attest to them! All in all, I will be back this season. Just blown away at the whole facility/property. Prov1 Range balls, endless views, lush striped fairways and pure putting surfaces. Oh yeah, and its also a fantastic Fazio design! Forgiving off the tee but hazards lurk and the greens are very undulating and difficult to navigate. I ended up squeezing in a second round and given the lateness in the day he only charged me 20$ and i was able to loop through all 18 in 1 hour and 45 minutes!! Record for me perhaps. Get out there and enjoy Rams Hill, its a true hidden gem and worth the drive.

Had my first Rams Hill experience with the Gurus on 1/7. Everything about the course was well above average. Great coverage on the fairways and rough, good tee boxes (some overly long but they were pr... Continue »

Had my first Rams Hill experience with the Gurus on 1/7. Everything about the course was well above average. Great coverage on the fairways and rough, good tee boxes (some overly long but they were probably getting a haircut soon), and great, receptive greens as Keith noted. They definitely looked faster than they were and my entire group left more than our fair share of putts short. Bunkers had lots of soft sand, which was great around the greens but made fairway bunkers a pain to play from. I really enjoyed the layout which reminded me more of Tucson golf than anything in Palm Springs, not something I was expecting. Looking forward to coming back!

Better late than never!

I played in the GK Event a week and a half ago and had a great time! I absolutely love this course and it gets better and better every time I play it. One thing that does s... Continue »

Better late than never!

I played in the GK Event a week and a half ago and had a great time! I absolutely love this course and it gets better and better every time I play it. One thing that does stand out to me is that I have a hard time remembering the details of the greens and their slopes. I'm not sure why because I am starting to get a feel for the sight lines off the tee and flow of the course layout, it's just the green complexes that I can't remember. This kind of sucks because its a HUGE part of the course design and a big advantage if played correctly. Oh well...

First off, the course conditions all the way around were completely awesome. It's always so fun to play courses so immaculate from tee to green, especially in contrast to the desert landscape. If I could be nitpicky at all I would like to see the par 3 tee boxes cut a bit shorter, but seriously, I have to try REALLY hard to complain on those.

I know the knock is the distance to get to Rams Hill, but I have no problem with the 1 hour 45 minute drive. It's scenic, easy driving and if you give yourself ample time you just know you're making a day of it.

The staff out at Rams Hill is always fantastic. Jennifer in the bar was great and funny and the guys running the carts and beverage cart did a great job. Just genuinely nice folks.

Can't really say much more than Rams Hill is definitely my favorite course in San Diego County. I'm excited to get back soon!