I played The Dunes course on Christmas morning. This was my first time here. Check in was efficient but not overly friendly- it seemed pretty obvious ... » More

I played The Dunes course on Christmas morning. This was my first time here. Check in was efficient but not overly friendly- it seemed pretty obvious the man at the desk wasn’t too happy to be working on a holiday.

The grass driving range was stocked with balls and the carts appeared fairly new with ice chest and good GPS. My tee time was 8:30 and I was paired with another single. The starter, was very friendly and gave us some handy hints about the course and warned us not to go in the long grass after a lost ball as it’s full of fire ants.

The fairways were great- lush and deep green. Tee boxes were small, but level with minimal damage, at least on the reds. There was adequate sand in the bunkers. Everything other than tees, fairways and greens was dormant brown, cut very short. The greens were really disappointing and more than a little frustrating. They were extremely firm with very thin coverage, causing many balls to run away. Some of the pin positions seemed a bit unfair where they were placed on the slopes.

I usually enjoy links-style courses and the challenge of Pete Dye designs. After seeing photos, I really, really wanted to love this course, but I just didn’t. The first 8 holes, I thought were ugly. It got a little wider between the houses from 9-13, then opened up away from houses for 14-18. My own photos make the course look much more appealing that it really was.

POP was good at 3.5 hours. Overall, I was just disappointed. There aren’t many courses that I have no desire to play a second time but, unfortunately, this is one of them.
» Close

I played Maderas for the first time yesterday, 12-23-18. I’d wanted to play here for quite a while. I got a great price of $56 with a TeeOff deal + p... » More

I played Maderas for the first time yesterday, 12-23-18. I’d wanted to play here for quite a while. I got a great price of $56 with a TeeOff deal + promo code. I was joined for the round by Gk’r 1PLUS1 and we were paired with a very nice father and young son.

All the staff at bag drop and the pro shop were very friendly and welcoming. Check in was very easy. We spent a little time warming up on the range (balls were included with the deal) and the starter gave us some good info about the course, including the advice to be sure to roll a few putts before heading out as the greens were very fast (oh yeah, he wasn’t kidding!)

The course conditions were good. The fairways had good coverage and the bunkers had nice sand although it was quite thin in the few I was in. The rough and fringe were cut down extremely short so many balls went rolling off the fairways and greens. The only long rough I encountered was on a hole on the back (don’t remember what one). I was grateful for it as my shot up to a very elevated green came rolling back down and was stopped halfway down the hill. The forward tee boxes were in great shape but I did notice other ones were pretty chewed up. The greens were very challenging with all the undulations and fast speed. Needless to say it was not one of my better putting days.

Overall I really enjoyed the course layout and beautiful views. I absolutely want to play here again if I can get another great deal.
» Close

I played yesterday in GK’s year end gathering. I hadn’t played as much golf this year as usual so there was no way I would miss this chance to play at... » More

I played yesterday in GK’s year end gathering. I hadn’t played as much golf this year as usual so there was no way I would miss this chance to play at Ram’s Hill.
This was my fourth time playing here and, once again, the course conditions were great. The forward tee boxes were all level with hardly any divots. The fairways are the most beautiful shade of green with not a bad lie to be found, and the rough was very manageable. The greens had a lot of spike marks but they didn’t seem to affect the rolls. There were some very challenging pin placements on the par 3s. I ended up in a few bunkers. The sand was great but a bit deeper than I can easily hit out of.
Thanks to Rams Hill’s staff and Johnny for another memorable day. I’m looking forward to next year’s outing.
» Close