Fairways are in better shape than last year—but a few are still struggling and splotchy. The greens are mostly healthy, but relatively slow. The bunkers are outstanding. Pace of play was sluggish. Con... Continue »

Fairways are in better shape than last year—but a few are still struggling and splotchy. The greens are mostly healthy, but relatively slow. The bunkers are outstanding. Pace of play was sluggish. Conditioning is about average, but the layout and location are outstanding. Would really like to see them do more to reduce slow play.

Visited Rams Hill Golf Club for a Birdie Chain Battle Sunday, they’re opening weekend of the 2022-2023 season.

Teed it up with GKers rgm2525, alex326 and mpisarski01 around 12:00pm with no waiting... Continue »

Visited Rams Hill Golf Club for a Birdie Chain Battle Sunday, they’re opening weekend of the 2022-2023 season.

Teed it up with GKers rgm2525, alex326 and mpisarski01 around 12:00pm with no waiting finishing in 4 1/2 hours. Could have finished in under 4 hours had it not been cart path only and we were having too much fun. Birdie Chain Battle info posted in the forums!

As far as the golf experience, its Rams Hill, it was fantastic. Regarding the facilities and service, top notch. Add the beautiful views and landscaping, this place is a desert oasis. The only downside, and more so for us that have played Rams Hill Golf Club year after year is that despite large efforts being put into improving the turf conditions there is only minimal improvements. Still in very good shape which will elevate into great shape come December but right now not close to Rams Hill Golf Club standards. I had a conversation with management prior to playing and they are experimenting with a new bermunda turf called tiftuf for the fairways and tees which looked/played amazing on the 16th tee box. There are also plans to add another 18 holes championship golf course in the next few years. They have 6 wells on the property however the water has high salt content which presents lots of challenges. However no question the owners and management are going to do whatever it takes to bring Rams Hill Golf Club back to its immaculate conditioned self. In general the greens, fairways and rough could all use a couple more weeks of growth and cutting. Greens were medium speed, mostly smooth and softer than I’ve previously experienced. Fairways have mostly full coverage with some small clusters of thin to bare areas. Rough is in the same category as the fairways. Tee Boxes in very good shape, lush, a little shaggy but only because the turf needs a few more cycles of cutting this early in the season. The bunkers were in excellent condition with quality sand and well groomed.

Prior to playing had a delicious breakfast buritto on the outside patio with the guys. See photos of the view. Highly recommend making the time to have a bite to eat before or after your round.

Check out the photos of just posted!

Also look for some of my Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok posts about the round :)

Recommended.

Played 11-6-22 afternoon finishing in about 4 1/2/ hours, cart path only so a little more walking from cart to ball. Tees were in real good shape, lush and level with minimal divot damage on par three... Continue »

Played 11-6-22 afternoon finishing in about 4 1/2/ hours, cart path only so a little more walking from cart to ball. Tees were in real good shape, lush and level with minimal divot damage on par threes. They were trying out a new grass on the 16th tee box that was very nice to play from, would like to see how is does in the fairway. Fairways were in decent shape with some thin and bare spots that need a little more time to fill in. Rough was very lush, 2-3 inches and uniformly cut along fairways and around greens. Fairway bunkers were in good shape with a nice layer of sand to hit from. Greenside bunkers had a little more sand than fairway bunkers, and were well groomed. Greens for the most part were in decent shape, there were some that had some issues around the edges with bare spots but nothing in the line of play. They were playing mostly soft, and a little long so putts were pretty slow. Overall conditions were just okay, but I would expect them to improve with time.

Was happy to be able to play a few rounds at Rams Hill upon its seasonal reopening. Let me start by saying I love the drive into Borrego Springs, I love Borrego Springs itself, I love the course layo... Continue »

Was happy to be able to play a few rounds at Rams Hill upon its seasonal reopening. Let me start by saying I love the drive into Borrego Springs, I love Borrego Springs itself, I love the course layout, and I love the Rams Hill facility generally. This is an exceptionally well run place from reservations to arrival to warmup to serious practice to tee time management and to course care. That said, I am sorry to report that the course still has a lot of fairway problems, I think even more than last season, and it is just a bit of a disappointment given the work I know they have put into it. When the turf here is at its best, it is unsurpassed; but most of the fairways have some bare spots and often in the landing area. So my detailed ratings are not as high as they normally would be—but I still rate the place highly and recommend it. I look forward to returning later in the season to see if the turf work that they obviously are invested in pays off. If so, this place is under priced, but right now the rack rate is too high for the course conditions. Much of the value is just being in this area, it is unique and well worth a visit.

The tees and most of the rough are in beautiful shape, a few sets of tees look almost like artificial turf, they are that smooth and lush and level. In some places the rough is at least 5 inches and thick—the fairway issues can’t be water issues, the course is very well irrigated and drains beautifully. The greens are very receptive, roll true, and in great shape—good putts are rewarded here, play a little less break than you think. They are running a bit slower than they will be as they harden up, but still very smooth and fair. The bunkers are perfect, just the right amount of sand and evenly dispersed, the crew who tends to them every day really knows what to do to avoid compaction and uneven sand. The course has appealing surrounds, but they are not overdone. So if they can get the fairways all to come in evenly, man, this place would really be superior. But it is simply disappointing to hit a great drive and find yourself on thin, bare, still seeded fairway turf.

I believe I have played about 8 rounds here on four trips over the past three years or so. Wind always has been an issue, sometimes severely so. However, it is always worse around the clubhouse and range than on the course, some of which is shielded, so it is annoying but not unplayable, don’t let it scare you off a visit.

The first couple of weeks of the season are cartpath only as the course continues to come into shape, and with some very wide expanses from cartpath to course, it definitely impacts pace of play. Good for exercise, though. I love to walk with a push cart, and it is allowed and can be done here, but the front nine would be a pretty good slog, some decent hills and several long green to tee distances. I don’t recommend it.

My previous review still holds up otherwise, so I won’t repeat it. This is a really good layout with several quite memorable holes, it is in overall great shape and will be exceptional if the fairways come in better as the season progresses, and the drive in is just, well, wow, the area is really a must see. The course is challenging but playable for all handicaps. The range and several practice areas are terrific, it is a great place to work on all aspects of your game. It has a great restaurant and bar. I am rooting for the fairways to come in, and definitely will be back again, soon, to find out.

Rams Hill used to be a course that was worth a 2-hour drive. The conditioning was outstanding, the pace of play brisk, and the layout memorable. Unfortunately, while the layout is still fun, the cour... Continue »

Rams Hill used to be a course that was worth a 2-hour drive. The conditioning was outstanding, the pace of play brisk, and the layout memorable. Unfortunately, while the layout is still fun, the course conditioning is subpar and the pace of play is sluggish. Greens are slow with dead spots, and there are problems around some of the collars. The fairways are okay, but still have areas of patchy growth. Frankly, the conditions pale in comparison to the better courses in the Palm Desert that get just as much (or more) play. I understand they did a lot of work this summer in an attempt to fix the problems from last year—but if you’re expecting the type of course conditions that Ram’s Hill used to be famous for, you’ll be sadly disappointed. I wish it wasn’t so.

Day 2 of the short So Cal trip was at the ever popular and exciting Rams Hill. This remote track is always a crowd pleaser with a fantastic layout. It might be a bit of drive to get to the course, ... Continue »

Day 2 of the short So Cal trip was at the ever popular and exciting Rams Hill. This remote track is always a crowd pleaser with a fantastic layout. It might be a bit of drive to get to the course, but it’s not short on amenities that’s for sure. We had breakfast on the outdoor terrace which overlooks the 18th green and valley below.

This was opening weekend for Rams Hill and being “shoulder season” the course wasn’t quite in its usual super high end condition. Not that conditions were bad mind you, but when you set standards as high as Rams Hill does, then that’s what you get compared to.

Greens were a little shaggy and rolled at a medium pace. A handful of the greens had some burnt edges. Most of the pins were kept away from those areas, so any relatively close 10-20 foot putts weren’t affected. Greens held well struck shots and have enough slope and undulations to make it challenging. Leave your ball on the right tier and you have an “easy” flat and straight putt.

Fairways were about the same. Most had good lush coverage throughout, but there were plenty of thin/ dead areas throughout the track. I would assume that this will all be grown in within the next few weeks.

The tee boxes were fine. I will say that I was surprised by how many divots were on the tee. Maybe it was just because we had the afternoon tee time and were behind the majority of players.

I was disappointed in the range. It was torn up. Plenty of grass behind the markers but the markers hadn’t been moved and there was more than just a weekend of activity on the range based on the divots and limited grass within the marked area.

Plenty of elevation changes and water hazards to make the track enjoyable. The layout alone make you forget about the minor imperfections of the course. For full rack rate, I would wait a few weeks until the course is in full mature state.

Ventured out to Rams Hill on their opening weekend. I know that the conditions were not going to be prime season perfect as they just opened but the conditions were still good all around. Of course th... Continue »

Ventured out to Rams Hill on their opening weekend. I know that the conditions were not going to be prime season perfect as they just opened but the conditions were still good all around. Of course there is some areas that they are working on but given a few more weeks this place is going to be pure!

Conditions-
Tee's- The tee boxes were great with multiple tees to choose from and all of them were very well maintained. They are testing a new grass on 13 tee box and it looked spectacular.

Fairways- The whole course was CPO but I would rate these at 7.5 as most holes were fully lush but a few had some GIR that they are trying to patch and grow. I bet in a month the whole course will be like carpet.

Rough- I wasn't in a lot of rough but it was very playable. some areas are a little thin but not enough that it would be a problem.

Sand- The two traps I was in could use a little more sand but they were perfectly playable.

Greens- I have to admit I was a little let down by the greens. They were painfully slow and just too shaggy. Some of the green had turf issues around the edges and it looks like they are fixing them but it just wasn't up to the rams hill standard of firm and fast greens.

Overall this is an experience you must try and the layout which is one of my favorite in SoCal. It helps when you always score well here. The staff was friendly for the most part. The older gentleman at bag drop seemed a little grumpy but was still helpful. The marshal was very friendly and the free tacos at the ram shack plus apple cookie at the end of the round are just an added level of hospitality that makes this place special. I do recommend playing here but I would give it 2-3 weeks if you want everything to be perfect conditioned.

Finally was able to make it out to Rams Hill to take a turn around the course!
Played 4/13 at 9am. Gold/Blue Combo. My playing partner had himself a day and broke the season record for the Gold/Blue ... Continue »

Finally was able to make it out to Rams Hill to take a turn around the course!
Played 4/13 at 9am. Gold/Blue Combo. My playing partner had himself a day and broke the season record for the Gold/Blue combo.

Man, what a fun course!! More target golf, but NOT a beat down drag out target course. Plenty of room for forgiveness if you miss the target, making it fair and enjoyable.

Customer service was excellent. Dorthy was the starter and since it was our first time there, took care of us by providing a few course knowledge tips and letting us tee off in the 9am slot instead of our 930am slot.

Our POP was 3 hours 40 min as a twosome. Weather was BEAUTIFUL. Shorts and Polo day in the high 70s.

Like the other reviews, there's probably 1/3 of the fairways that they are definitely trying their best to get under control. Looks like a drainage issue compounded by fungus and weeds just looking at the markings they're doing to implement drains in those area. The other fairways are in pretty good shape, a little browning but is to be expected this late into their season I'm sure.

The greens were in real good shape. There was also a few bare-spots here in there, and maybe a few high-points on the greens that were a little drier or thinner, but still all-in-all in real nice shape. Never really noticed them or had them affecting my gameplay. Rolled true.

Tee boxes and sand traps were all in excellent shape.

Complimentary tacos at the turn and the complimentary apple-caramel cookie waiting for you as you walk off 18 is a great touch.

Wish we could've played another 18 (or 9) but had to hit the road, but we'll definitely be back soon!

About a third of the fairways have issues. Greens were terrific. This is the second year in a row that the conditions have been off. In fact, it seems like the Fairways are worse than they were a mo... Continue »

About a third of the fairways have issues. Greens were terrific. This is the second year in a row that the conditions have been off. In fact, it seems like the Fairways are worse than they were a month ago. Bunkers were good. Layout is fun.