I always enjoy any excuse to make the drive out to Rams Hill (especially now I live a little closer), so the GK Guru round was ideal. We had fun on an always-great course!

It's a little crazy when ... Continue »

I always enjoy any excuse to make the drive out to Rams Hill (especially now I live a little closer), so the GK Guru round was ideal. We had fun on an always-great course!

It's a little crazy when a course sets such high standards of conditioning. Yes, there were a few little dry spots and some browning here and there. Not quite the deep green carpet at this point in the season, which is understandable as the weather heats up. However, everything played perfectly. Never had a bad lie all day and everything was well manicured from the tee boxes to the fairways to the rough. I was in a handful of bunkers. Generally very nice, though maybe a little inconsistency from trap to trap. I love that the greens have matured and are very accepting of shots now. I even had to fix a couple of my own ball marks! The sign on the pro shop said the greens were rolling at 11. I would have guessed 10.5 while on the course. 10.5-11 is usually an ideal speed for my tastes. However, I had previous Rams Hill lightning greens in my head all day and could not adjust to slightly slower speeds. That was just my own problem, though, because the putting surfaces were still rolling smooth and pure.

This is such a great course and well worth the drive once or twice a year. I will certainly look forward to future visits and GK Guru outings here!

When the opportunity arose to play Ram's Hill for the first time with the Guru set, well, it was a no-brainer. The chatter about this place is incredible and I had to see for myself. Of course, you ha... Continue »

When the opportunity arose to play Ram's Hill for the first time with the Guru set, well, it was a no-brainer. The chatter about this place is incredible and I had to see for myself. Of course, you have to also take into account the 3+ hour drive for the day which will factor into the assessment of whether or not it was 'worth the trip.'

In a word, yes. It was definitely worth the trip. Once. I very much enjoyed the layout and the serenity of the surrounding desert. I loved the variety of holes, the thrills and perils that were present on many of the holes, but also the forgiving nature that Fazio puts into many of his courses that let you make up for a bad hole on a tough one by following it up with an easier one that gives you a little push.

Now, if Ram's Hill was of course within an hour of me, or even an hour and a half, it would become a regular on the rotation. But its remote location will likely mean a one and done for me, unless paired up with another trip to Palm Springs or perhaps even one of the other courses around Borrego Springs that may be worth visiting.

Being my first time, I thought the course was in very good shape, but not nearly as pristine as I had read about over the last year. However, thanks to the ever-informative Sixpez (with whom I had a great time with along with Robule and Abbacat), I found out they close down every summer, perhaps the attention to detail wanes a bit during this period before closing (who can blame them?), but again, it was still in really great shape overall to play in comparison to most other places.

There were some brownish areas on the fairways, but never anywhere close to a poor lie, and many areas of beautiful green carpet to work from. The rough was a very favorable cut and easy to play from. Tee boxes were in nice shape for the most part (we played the blue tees), and the sand traps were all very good (like Abbacat, I happened to find seven of them on the back nine!). Perhaps a tiny little bit of crust here or there, but overall had no troubles with them. The greens were in very nice shape, rolling true and accepting of shots. Definitely some very tricky green complexes and was surprised though that the speeds were not super fast as I had always heard about before (only 31 putts on the day - was fearing much worse).

Not much of a mobile cart service on a hot day, but there was a stationary cart service on the 10th hole tee box that was greatly appreciated. I'm actually surprised there were not more water stations every few holes considering the location in the middle of the desert. The driving range is also very nice - almost as nicely manicured as the course itself.

So overall, super happy that I checked Ram's Hill off the bucket list and would recommend it all day. I do hope to come back again when combined with another golf weekend and return when it's a 10 out of 10 and not its current 8-9 out of 10. But it's certainly a fun day out and a good place to swing the sticks. No doubt about that.

I played yesterday, 4-30-17. It is a long, tiring drive to get to Ram’s Hill, but it’s amazing to see such a beautiful place out in the middle of nowhere. Some non-golfer friends were in the area cam... Continue »

I played yesterday, 4-30-17. It is a long, tiring drive to get to Ram’s Hill, but it’s amazing to see such a beautiful place out in the middle of nowhere. Some non-golfer friends were in the area camping and we met for lunch at the clubhouse. The view over the 18th hole was perfect. The food was good but seriously overpriced.

I had a very fun time playing with fellow GK Gurus sixpez, robule and roarksown1. The course was in great shape as always, though it was surprising to see quite a bit of browned grass around some tee boxes and rough, which was cut quite short. The greens rolled slower than the previous times I’ve played here but were smooth with few ball marks. I was in so many bunkers I lost count. A couple of them were thin and borderline crusty but all the others had lots of clean, soft sand.

I really like the layout of this course. Although it’s quite short from the forward tees, with all the bunkers and the fairways that always seem to slope right into them, it is always interesting and shots take a bit of planning, especially with the many tricky pin placements. The wind kicked up pretty high late in the afternoon making the last 3 holes even more challenging.

I highly recommend Ram’s Hill and look forward to playing there again.

Played yesterday (4/23) and loved it. The layout and condition are just about perfect. You won't punish yourself but miss your shots and you'll pay for it. Greens, fairways, and tees were perfect. ... Continue »

Played yesterday (4/23) and loved it. The layout and condition are just about perfect. You won't punish yourself but miss your shots and you'll pay for it. Greens, fairways, and tees were perfect. I played in a tournament and my only complaint would be that he had us playing the whites, WAY too short. 400 yard par 5 down wind....no thanks, but thats an easy fix. I believe they had 3 other tee boxes to choose from.

My wife and I had breakfast before the round, she loved it. She would normally play with but headed to the spa at La Casa Del Zorro for a spa day while I golfed. Great way to spend a spring day in SD county. Hoping we can make it back for a stay and play before they close for the summer.

Took a trip to the desert with my wife for our anniversary weekend. I said "let's try someplace we've never been and play golf. Rams Hill is supposed to be amazing!" Amazing doesn't even begin to desc... Continue »

Took a trip to the desert with my wife for our anniversary weekend. I said "let's try someplace we've never been and play golf. Rams Hill is supposed to be amazing!" Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it. We played Saturday 4/21 at noon and Sunday morning at 8:50am. Course knowledge round two was definitely a big help. We got around in about 4 hours on Saturday as a twosome, playing through one group. It was about 98 degrees with only about 5 mph of wind, so it was warm, but great. Sunday morning we played as a threesome with a single, and the wind had picked up considerably. When we finished the round, winds were constant at 20-25 mph and definitely had an impact.

I really love Fazio designs, and Rams Hill is one of his finest. No two holes are the same, and you need to hit many different shots to score well. The conditions are pretty much perfect all the way around, so there's really no point in going into much detail. The greens are as pure as they get, and I felt bad taking divots out of the perfect fairways. There are a few spots that are starting to brown in the fairways, but that's nitpicking. The rough is cut down to just over an inch or so, and isn't very penal. The sand in the bunkers is heaven. It has a little bit of crispiness to it that is easy to play from, but the ball doesn't really plug.

The service and food are outstanding. We stayed down the hill at La Casa del Zorro, which is a great resort, but we wished we had eaten every meal at Rams Hill. The only thing missing for me was an on-course beverage cart. There are water and ice stations every 3 holes or so, and they do put one beverage cart in between the 9th green and 10th tee.

The course is preparing to shut down for the summer months, but will be overseeded and should be even better in the fall (is that possible?) I'd have to say Rams Hill is the second nicest course I've ever played, and the nicest (Tiburon Gold in Naples, FL) hosts a PGA Tour event every year. However, Naples gets tons of rain, and Rams Hill is in the middle of the desert. Unbelievable experience. We can't get back there fast enough.

Played 4/21 at 10:00 AM. I'd run out of superlatives trying to describe my experience, so I'll just leave it at "the best course I've ever played". Perfect throughout. This should be on every golfer's... Continue »

Played 4/21 at 10:00 AM. I'd run out of superlatives trying to describe my experience, so I'll just leave it at "the best course I've ever played". Perfect throughout. This should be on every golfer's bucket list.

Played 36 holes on a tuesday. Course was in amazing condition. greens rolled true, fairways were like carpet and rough was nice and lush. It was my first time playing and I will come back again for s... Continue »

Played 36 holes on a tuesday. Course was in amazing condition. greens rolled true, fairways were like carpet and rough was nice and lush. It was my first time playing and I will come back again for sure.

Played today at 11:15 and finished in just under 4 hours. The high winds led to some cancellations so the course was mostly open. In terms of course conditions it was flawless as always, tee boxes wer... Continue »

Played today at 11:15 and finished in just under 4 hours. The high winds led to some cancellations so the course was mostly open. In terms of course conditions it was flawless as always, tee boxes were perfect and the emerald fairways played firm without a bare spot or blemish. Found 2 fairway bunkers and both were well maintained and pretty soft. The greens are softer than the last time I played almost a year ago, and were a little slower, posted at 10" on the clubhouse sign. On a day like today with 20 mph wind and gusts hovering somewhere around 35(?), anything to stop my ball from blowing off the green was appreciated. The wind provided plenty of opportunities to have some fun and get creative with the short game once you can swallow your pride after hitting a driver 180.

My usual drive from OC to Phoenix took a southern detour on 2/21 in order to play Rams Hill for the 1st time. I had high expectations given all the glowing reviews, and every expectation was met.

A... Continue »

My usual drive from OC to Phoenix took a southern detour on 2/21 in order to play Rams Hill for the 1st time. I had high expectations given all the glowing reviews, and every expectation was met.

An immaculate course, beautiful location, and a great staff round out a perfect golf day....if I could only have the last 5 holes over.

The only minor complaint from the group was that the greens could have been faster (speed 10), but the greens were so plush and smooth - I am fine with the speed if all greens could be so perfect.

Well worth the drive, and I hope to take the southern detour again soon.