Well, we went and gave this place a shot yesterday, Monday 10/26. Place had a few groups out there, the group in front of us was slow, which was fine, because my wife and her friend really like to t... Continue »

Well, we went and gave this place a shot yesterday, Monday 10/26. Place had a few groups out there, the group in front of us was slow, which was fine, because my wife and her friend really like to take their time anyway. Green fees were about $46 with a cart. Way overpriced for the conditions. They are finally trying to work on this course and it's getting back to playable shape, but that's about as far as it goes. Most of the greens were pretty awful, still had some fungus going on and dead spots throughout. They held shots well, as they were soaking them, making for huge ball marks. But putting was definitely a challenge. The fairways were actually quite nice, definitely the best part of the course. Bunkers were unmaintained completely, take a drop. Teeboxes were pretty much awful for the most part, a couple of them were ok. They were very unlevel and mostly dormant Bermuda or dirt, at least the blue tees were. The white and red tees looked a little better.

Very friendly check in, proshop was closed, but they had the register at the threshold of the proshop entrance. Snack bar looked open, but we ate before we went so we didn't use it. No beverage cart so we BYOB, which is fine with me. Carts don't have GPS and my golfbuddy GPS was way off, so just use the yardage stakes on the course (100, 150, 200 and 250), some sprinklers were marked, too. I hope they can bring this course back to life. It's an awesome layout in my opinion. It's very tight and demanding, especially the back nine. They are building some incredible homes in the hills, so maybe that's a good sign.

Played RDM on Monday, July 18, 2016 for the first time in a few months.The good news is that the course continues to improve. The greens are now very good, and the fairways are at a 7 or 8 out of ... Continue »

Played RDM on Monday, July 18, 2016 for the first time in a few months.The good news is that the course continues to improve. The greens are now very good, and the fairways are at a 7 or 8 out of 10. Tee boxes are still somewhat rough. Bring lots of balls, because if you miss the fairway, it's gone.

In the past few years it had really gone down hill, but, thankfully, they are on the right track in restoring it. Definitely recommend it now.

Played the blues (6403/70.7/125) with Sixpez on Sat. 4/18 as a warm-up round for our GK match. The course is about 20 minutes south of the S.D. border crossing. We arrived shortly after 6am before a... Continue »

Played the blues (6403/70.7/125) with Sixpez on Sat. 4/18 as a warm-up round for our GK match. The course is about 20 minutes south of the S.D. border crossing. We arrived shortly after 6am before anything was open and walked around and checked the place out. Let me paint this picture. The greens we could see had large patches of hardpan on them. The bunkers had NO SAND in them, just dug out areas full of weeds. The tees were furry and had numerous weeds also in the 6" range standing up. Much of this course looked slightly better than the closed Shadow course @ Lost Canyons... and the best for last. On parts of the course, it smelled like sewage was mixed in with water draining alongside many of the holes. The sign on the Pro shop said it opens @ 7am, which was our tee time. Golf Cart attendants & starter were arriving by 6:45. Starter encouraged us to go ahead and tee off and pay @ the turn, which was what a local single did. However, with visions of federalies showing up and us spending the rest of the weekend in a mexican jail, Keith & I waited until the pro shop guy finally wandered in and opened the pro shop a few minutes after 7. So we went in, paid our $45 and teed off. The fairways were probably the best part of the course, in that they were mediocre and actually had grass on them. Relatively tight course to start with that was made unreal by very thick weeds that composed their "rough" that was usually in the 4" to 2' range right off almost every fairway. I quit using good balls by the back 9 because if you missed the fairway by even a foot, the chances were more likely than not your ball was lost. Perfect example, #7 was a short, downhill par 4. I had a chip shot from perhaps 25 yards away land just short of the green, take 1 bounce sideways and be in a small area just between the green and greenside bunker. We were both standing there and definitely saw where the ball went and could narrow it down to a small area, maybe 10 square feet. 5 minutes of looking and I finally stepped on my ball when searching literally step by step over the entire area we thought the ball was. The course layout was actually OK to good, but you get an idea on the condition. Keith said he had actually played a few courses in worse condition than Real del Mar. However, I think it's now at the top of my "bad" list taking the whole course into account. I actually was trying to play golf and score until #7. From that point onward, I spent the next 11 holes trying to hit different shots that I thought may come in handy in the afternoon for our GK match @ Bajamar. It was little more than an overpriced driving range experience in my mind. The bunkers here are the first time I have ever rated something a 0 on the Gk scale. They were dug out like you would expect a bunker to be in the golf course design stage. Completely devoid of sand and had numerous weeds in the 6" to 9" range popping up. Packed brown dirt or mud. I will say this. Had we have not actually paid before hand, I would have been inclined to not pay $45 and either leave after 9 or just hit range balls, it was THAT bad. $45 with a cart, even on a Saturday was about $40 more than this place was worth. Good layout, I would hardly ever say not playing would be preferable to playing. However, even if the course conditions improved here by 50%, it would still be a course to avoid.

Though my review will be far from glowing, it will be like rainbows and lollipops compared to what Nickesquire will probably write : )

He and I played here this morning as our "warm-up" round on th... Continue »

Though my review will be far from glowing, it will be like rainbows and lollipops compared to what Nickesquire will probably write : )

He and I played here this morning as our "warm-up" round on the way down to Bajamar. We had booked a 7:00 tee time, but it was closer to 7:15 by the time the pro shop opened. The cart prep staff was super nice and were going to let us go ahead and pay when making the turn, but the pro shop guy showed up just as we were about to tee off so we paid then. Otherwise, we had the course to ourselves. We did have to play through a group on the back nine, but that was only a minor speed bump. Cost definitely too much for what you get here ($45, cart included), but it's a Saturday and there are limited golf options in Baja, so I guess it is what it is.

The conditions were pretty dreadful. I expected things to be bad, but was actually pleasantly surprised by the fairways. An older fellow who teed off before us mentioned that they have a new superintendent and, though the course still has a very long way to go, it has made some improvements. For the most parts, the fairways had pretty good coverage and I always had good lies except for one fairway where my ball nestled against a tall clump of weeds. Beyond that, things are very bad. Tee boxes unlevel and inconsistent. Rough is crazy. A lot of really thick and brutal sections and then others where it was just rocks, dirt and weeds. Basically, if you miss a fairway here, there's a very good chance you won't find your ball. Sand traps were horrendous. Greens were bad, as well, with a lot of big dead patches. Very slow and bumpy. We did notice that the back nine greens were definitely better overall than the front, with the exception of the 17th, which was probably the worst green of them all.

I can say I really did enjoy the layout. It's a fun target course with a lot of trouble in play and every hole is unique and interesting. Local knowledge would make a difference here, and like I said, you have to keep the ball in the fairway right now or the conditions will eat you alive and drive you bonkers. It will take a ton of work to really get this course back to anything good, but I'll root for it because I did like the layout. Still, most likely a one and done for me no matter what.

It's definitely showing improvement!!

If you read the previous reviews of RDM, it got nice reviews up untiil 2008, then in 2013 it was really bad. I've been playing there since 2004, when we got... Continue »

It's definitely showing improvement!!

If you read the previous reviews of RDM, it got nice reviews up untiil 2008, then in 2013 it was really bad. I've been playing there since 2004, when we got a vacation condo at Playa Blanca. Always enjoyed it. But then with the downturn in the economy, and the fear of the drug cartels, it went steadily down hill. They dropped the affiliation with Marriott, laid workers off, cut back on maintenance until it was like playing in a cow pasture. We actually quit playing there and started going down to bajamar, even though it was a 40 minuted drive and more expensive.

Now it's definitely improving. Played there in August, September & October and the difference is noticeable. The greens are definitely getting back in shape, they've invested in mowers so the fairways are much better. They've also reduced green fees so weekday 18 is now $29 and worth it. The putting green is still under repair and the carts aren't the greatest. It's still not up to the standards of Bajamar or Campestre, but the vistas are spectacular, the staff is friendly, it's a good "baja experience" and closer to the border.

Give it a try.

Played Real Del Mar on 6/15/2013. Course is in horrible condition. Grass coverage is, approximately, 60%. Nearly every green appears to have been sodded in the prior few months. The sod squares ar... Continue »

Played Real Del Mar on 6/15/2013. Course is in horrible condition. Grass coverage is, approximately, 60%. Nearly every green appears to have been sodded in the prior few months. The sod squares are clearly visible with their borders affecting every putt. The sod is browning in many areas on each green due to lack of watering. The various water hazards around the course have the appearance and smell of open sewage paths and cesspools. The cart was a death trap with most braking provided by the brake pedal linkage grinding on the cart path or fairway dirt. Played this course about 12 years ago and it was great. Now, I would not recommend the course to any players and will not be returning. Cost was $39 plus $10 for rider – tee’d off at 2pm.

Played over the July 4 weekend. Course was in very, very good shape, aside from some of the tee boxes which were under attack by chipmunks. Really. These are some of the narrowest fairways you'll see ... Continue »

Played over the July 4 weekend. Course was in very, very good shape, aside from some of the tee boxes which were under attack by chipmunks. Really. These are some of the narrowest fairways you'll see and a couple of the holes were brutally difficult for me. Making a couple birdies almost made up for two snowmen.

Everyone's very friendly down here. I recommend making a weekend of it and staying in the hotel above the course.

Went there on June 22, 2007. Walked right on, very difficult course. The course was in great condition, had a wonderful time. No one in front of us, no one behind us until the 17th hole. Their lakes s... Continue »

Went there on June 22, 2007. Walked right on, very difficult course. The course was in great condition, had a wonderful time. No one in front of us, no one behind us until the 17th hole. Their lakes smell kind of nasty but overall, I'd play again next time I'm in Rosarito.