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.

Finally got to play this gem on 1/24/17 @ 8:40 am. Let me begin by saying, RH is in fantastic shape. Even with all the rain they received, I only found a couple spots in the fairway were a little so... Continue »

Finally got to play this gem on 1/24/17 @ 8:40 am. Let me begin by saying, RH is in fantastic shape. Even with all the rain they received, I only found a couple spots in the fairway were a little soggy, and did see one large puddle that didnt come into play. Even though I found a couple fairway and green-side bunkers, there was plenty of sand to execute your shot properly.
From the moment you pull into the property through the guard shack, you are treated like royalty. On the range, your hitting ProV1's and I found the practice green speed (10-11) and undulations very similar to the course.
Unfortunately for us today it was cart path only and as the fairways are fairly large it was difficult to get an accurate yardage for your approach. I found myself carrying 3-4 clubs, sand to fill the divot, and a towel. What I didn't expect to see is they have the golf boards and an e-bike to get around the course, which we will be back to try.
On the way to the course, we took I-15 down and on the way back we took 86 up to I-10. Not exactly sure which way I preferred or was quicker as both had their pro's and cons.
Once again, kudos to the grounds crew for getting the course in such great shape with the weather they had to deal with. Make sure to save yourself some time to enjoy an adult beverage on the 19th hole as it is spectacular.

Finally got out to play this highly regarded and suggested course. WOW! Easily in my personal top 3 public course I have ever played. from a course condition, it probably is in the top 2. We have s... Continue »

Finally got out to play this highly regarded and suggested course. WOW! Easily in my personal top 3 public course I have ever played. from a course condition, it probably is in the top 2. We have seen the Golfweek note saying Rams Hill is the 3rd best public course in California behind only Pebble and Spyglass, well we have played both of those within the last year, and course condition-wise, it is FAR superior to Pebble... okay...so many reviews already, I can only say as a first timer I was blown away. Tee to green there is simply nothing out of place. MUST play.. you suck it up and make the drive.... from lake forest it took us 2 hours and 35 mins. to get there and it is a really nice drive to just chill out and enjoy. I would rate this in the 9.8 to 9.9 area....only reason not to give a 10 was "lack of GPS" and "no mayo on the club sandwich" Hey Golf Digest - this course absolutely deserves to be in the Top 100 US public courses list for 2017 and TOP course list in California.

Okay call me crazy....I have heard all the great things said about RH so I thought I would decide for myself. I made the 3 hour drive with 2 others yesterday in pouring rain to play here. The weather ... Continue »

Okay call me crazy....I have heard all the great things said about RH so I thought I would decide for myself. I made the 3 hour drive with 2 others yesterday in pouring rain to play here. The weather reported that the rain would be light and would stop at 9:45 am so I made a 10:20 tee time. We arrived at 9:45 and the rain stopped at 10:10. This place is golf heaven in the desert! Conditions were near perfect other than the winds that picked up on the back nine. Greens were 10-11 speed, tee boxes immaculate, fairways perfect, sand was great, and the course is a real gem. We bought the $150 twosome special and they charged our 3rd only $80 which was great. The round came with $15 credit vouchers for food so we stayed for lunch before driving home. It was a long day but was a real joy for us all. Thanks to all the GK'ers for the spot on reviews.........we will be back soon!

Played yesterday on a golfnow hot deal for $77. Unbelievable value. The course is perfect in every way for conditioning. Just a real treat, friendly people, good challenge, but with wide fairways to k... Continue »

Played yesterday on a golfnow hot deal for $77. Unbelievable value. The course is perfect in every way for conditioning. Just a real treat, friendly people, good challenge, but with wide fairways to keep it fun. I just wish it was closer to me. However, it's just 1.5 hours from palm desert or San Diego area. Will play here at every opportunity at that rate. I'm guessing this course is well known to everyone in Southern California. I discovered it through GK, so thanks guys! Also, my cart partner was from Chicago on vacation and also discovered it through the GK website and reviews. You guys impacted the course all the way to Chicago. Maybe they owe you guys for the advertising. Al those good reviews were definitely earned at Rams hill.

We were the first group out this morning and made the turn for our second round in around 4.5 hours as a fivesome. The entire facility is just top shelf from the people to the course. The practice a... Continue »

We were the first group out this morning and made the turn for our second round in around 4.5 hours as a fivesome. The entire facility is just top shelf from the people to the course. The practice area has everything you need to work on your game with top quality practice balls. The entire course by far has the best coverage of any I can remember playing. Tee boxes maybe could have been cut a little shorter but were nearly perfect. The fairways were fantastic with not one thin or bare spot to be found. The rough was also in great shape but slightly thicker than other courses I've recently played. The traps in the fairways and green side were the best groomed BY FAR of any course I've played. The greens were near perfect with very few marks and rolled nicely - we did notice they slowed as the day went on and the moisture started to fall from above. The area offers great views of the valley and surrounding hills with several holes lined by nice custom homes. The military copters and jets put on a free airshow for us by flying at a low altitude and very high speed over the course. The pro shop is top notch and the restaurant offers excellent food as well. Definitely worth the long winding drive to experience the BEST groomed course I've played in the last several years!!!

Played last Sunday with Dave, Keith and Mark - the prior reviews are spot on regarding conditions. Golfweek named Rams Hill as the #3 resort course in CA - which is pretty high praise since Pebble an... Continue »

Played last Sunday with Dave, Keith and Mark - the prior reviews are spot on regarding conditions. Golfweek named Rams Hill as the #3 resort course in CA - which is pretty high praise since Pebble and Spyglass are #1 & #2!

Since the conditions and service have been thoroughly covered, I'm going to focus on the layout in general.

Rams Hill presents as a "Resort Course" and it fits that niche perfectly. Plenty of tee options to allow for considerable differences in ability and driving distance with fairways that are (for the most part) fairly wide and accessible. Greens are good sized, and different pin placements can make the same hole play very differently from one day to the next.

A very wide variety of hole lengths means you'll probably use every club in the bag, even if you're not a big short hitter you'll have several short iron approaches (assuming you're playing the appropriate tees). Bunkers can be extremely challenging if you're in the wrong spot (let's not talk about the skinny little bunker on the front/left of #5) but with good quality (forgiving) sand it's normally not an ordeal to get out of them.

If you try and play at or slightly above your usual score you should be be able to stay close to that figure. If you try and shot under that, you can find yourself in WAY over your head in a very short time. It will definitely reward good shots and thoughtful strategy - and if you goof then the penalty will likely reflect how badly you messed up (small goof = small penalty/outside chance of par, big goof = double bogey or worse).

Now, if you want to challenge your game, it is more than up to that challenge. Most of those large greens have several much smaller areas you must hit to have a reasonable shot at a birdie. Same for position off the tee - there are definitely preferred locations on most fairways, but the greater the reward for being there the greater the penalty for missing.

All-in-all, Rams Hill is one of those rare courses that can be enjoyed equally by all players, whether a 25 handicap or scratch. Definitely a "must play" and highly recommended.

12Dec2016: 10:00 a.m. -- Played at the GK end-of-the-year outing at my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE #1 GC, Rams Hill. LOVE LOVE LOVE this AMAZING course. What could make this course any more wonderful than... Continue »

12Dec2016: 10:00 a.m. -- Played at the GK end-of-the-year outing at my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE #1 GC, Rams Hill. LOVE LOVE LOVE this AMAZING course. What could make this course any more wonderful than a group of Great GKers, Fabulous Staff, and Pristine Practice facilities??.....an unusually PERFECT day weatherwise. Sunny, cool, and NO Big Wind all day. AWESOME!!! Echoing what others have mentioned in their reviews..., the course was in top notch shape. Green Green Green which speaks volumes for the exceptional course maintenance crews. Astounding how this desert course is manicured to its level of perfection. Okay, so the fairways and tee boxes may have been a tidge longer than summer conditions might be, and the Yes, the areas directly surrounding the bunkers were uniformly browned, but I didn't feel these were detracting factors at all, but moreso smart maintenance to keep things healthy and safe from upcoming colder temps/frosts. Yes?/No? Greens were remarkable in their large deep emerald green beauty. They were receptive to well hit shots, and there were signs of earlier day's play footprint traffic, and occassional un/ill-repaired ball marks, but they all rolled fairly true; not as fast as the practice greens, but fast enough to challenge your putting game. Bunkers (and there are plenty), were consistent throughout. Ample good quality sand. No onboard GPS on carts, but they do have ball/club washer, and a cooler with ice/water. The Cart service was frequent/friendly and reasonably priced. The Clubhouse, Pro Shop, Restaurant, and Food are Top Shelf!!!! Did I mention I Luv Luv Luv this course? Lady friendly forward tee boxes made for decent scoring opportunities if you could capitalize with your A-game. My game finally started to awaken on the back 9. This course is simply Beautiful in design, conditioning, and professionalism from the minute you arrive until you head home after a great meal/libation. Certainly Worth the drive; a Must 'Go Play'. Exceptional end to the GK Events Season. Just this novice golfin gals opinion. Thank you Johnny for another Great year of friendship and dedication to improving the golf experience through social media awareness for golfers and courses alike. Thank you to all those sponsors and GKers who give of their time, products, and unyielding support of this wonderful "Know Before You Go" Greenskeeper world. Thank you All -- Can't wait to see what 2017 has in store for us.