We played Warner Springs Ranch on the Saturday before the Rams Hill GK outing and it was certainly a memorable experience, but mostly of the non-flattering variety, but with a caveat. First off, the... Continue »

We played Warner Springs Ranch on the Saturday before the Rams Hill GK outing and it was certainly a memorable experience, but mostly of the non-flattering variety, but with a caveat. First off, the rainy and windy weather made the experience quite miserable with only a very few breaks throughout the day. But with the Borrego Springs resort having been closed and De Anza having a tournament all morning, we really hoped that WSR would scratch the itch, if of course the weather held. It did not. The greens were a disaster, and not just from being completely water-logged. The tee boxes were chewed up and rough, the bunkers were absolute gravel and mud and the fairways were thin, chewed up and of course also buried under the deluge of water. It was about as far from ideal conditions as you'll find just about anywhere thanks to the weather, but had the sun been shining, it would have likely been an entirely different experience. Why? Because this course has immeasurable character. It's charming AF and the layout is really superb. This course really makes you think and bring your best stuff. It's got some incredibly challenging holes, especially on the front nine, and you must be very accurate and precise to have any chance of getting a good score here. I do imagine this place in good condition to be absolutely fantastic, and based on the last review from July this past summer, it can absolutely get there, but how often is the question. After some discussions at Rams Hill with the San Diego clan of GKers, it looks like the best time to go back would be late spring/early summer. The pro shop is bare bones and they only open this place a few days of the week, Thur-Sun I believe. There's not much of a range but it gets the job done, and the restaurant was really good I thought. I believe we paid around $50 for the greens fee, which was too much for that particular day, but it's also not going to get any better with less money, so I was okay with it. While most of my playing partners feel that a one and done at Warner Springs Ranch is just fine, I absolutely feel compelled to return one day when the weather is far better and course conditions match the super cool layout that awaits in this unique spot for golf.