In keeping with a personal "tradition" of playing somewhere special to commemorate my birthday, I chose to venture out to Borrego Springs on Friday and brave the sweltering 114 degree temperature. It... Continue »

In keeping with a personal "tradition" of playing somewhere special to commemorate my birthday, I chose to venture out to Borrego Springs on Friday and brave the sweltering 114 degree temperature. It was a mild 105 degrees when I teed off at 10:15 but things heated up in a hurry; the wind was howling yet it was a welcome relief, despite the havoc it might have had on the golf ball. There was a threesome ahead of me (played through on #9) and I believe that was it as far as course traffic was concerned at that time of day. Despite the openness out there and seeing no reason to rush through the round and not appreciate the solitude of playing alone, I moved at a relaxed pace in order to conserve energy. Even with a cart I managed to walk 4 miles during the round so the endless supply of water and ice was an absolute necessity. There was even a course attendant who came out at one point to make sure I was well-stocked prior to reaching the refill stations on Holes 9 and 12. There's only one word to summarize turf conditions: flawless. Although the facility will be closing for the summer on July 6, the golf course is in amazing shape, especially for this time of year. As a matter of fact, I didn't see any difference from when I played here in November of last year. Tee boxes are healthy, level, and void of divots. Fairways are wall-to-wall plush and the ball sits up as perfectly as possible. Rough maintained on the short side and not punishing at all; ball still sat up so it was easy to get the club on the ball. Sand traps meticulously raked and very playable with plenty of give. The greens are, quite simply, the best I've seen anywhere in the past 10+ years. Akin to putting on a high quality pool table, the surfaces are velvet-smooth and roll as true as can be; plenty of opportunity to make some putts here, which was aided by the modest 9.5 Stimp that was posted along with the day's pin position. Greens tended to be on the firm side...which added to the challenge of selecting the correct approach club...and that was further complicated by the wind conditions. Course knowledge worked in my favor as I was able to utilize the slopes around the greens in order to work the ball towards the pin. It was definitely a day to test one's shot-making skills and, fortunately, my game was up to snuff. I simply cannot say enough about the facility and the top-notch fashion in which the new ownership/management group has revitalized this outstanding layout. In talking to Head Pro Rick Sprouse, who I know from his days at Cottonwood, they have been very pleased with how things have been received since reopening in November 2014. The course and restaurant will be closing for the summer on July 6 in order to complete renovations to the dining facilities, among other projects, but will reopen on November 5. And it's my understanding they plan to keep the course open year-round going forward. Although Rams Hill is off the beaten path...it's a "spirited" 90 minute drive for me...it's still closer than Palm Desert and doesn't take a back seat to any of the courses the Coachella Valley has to offer. Seems as if everyone who has reviewed the layout is in agreement that it's well worth the trek despite the absence of any nightlife and extensive dining opportunities in Borrego Springs. Package deals are available so a two-or-three day golf getaway should not be overlooked. I couldn't have been more pleased with the playing conditions yesterday but that seems to be the norm. I'm also encouraged to hear the results have been quite positive thus far from an operational standpoint. I'm already looking forward to a return trip in November...it can't get here soon enough.

Played there on 6/6/15 after playing there for the first time one month before. This is truly a great course, located in the middle of nowhere! It is definitively worth the trip. the course was decent... Continue »

Played there on 6/6/15 after playing there for the first time one month before. This is truly a great course, located in the middle of nowhere! It is definitively worth the trip. the course was decently busy for the summer, and we played in a bit less than 4 1/2 hours. Tees, Fairways, Bunkers and Greens were in excellent shape and lush. Greens are big, and you think you can two putt them.. well it will be hard. We even had a 10 handicapper 4-putt one green!
Staff was very nice... go there!

Played today as a twosome sandwiched in between a whole bunch of foursomes so the pace was a little slow. Took almost 5 hours to play but the was probably due to the wind playing a significant factor... Continue »

Played today as a twosome sandwiched in between a whole bunch of foursomes so the pace was a little slow. Took almost 5 hours to play but the was probably due to the wind playing a significant factor today. We adjusted shots by 40 yds today, it was brutal out there. The wind affected everything even had to factor it in when putting.

Fairways were perfect, love it when you can make a nice crisp divot. Rough was perfect too. Not very long rough but it is grabby if you don't hit it right.

Greens are still very firm and really quick. The sign said 10.2 but I think it was fast but it's hard to tell with the wind today. I think it will be good to get them aerated in the next week or so.

Even though the conditions we treacherous it was still something we will never forget. I can say that on the 2nd par 5 on the front I went driver, 4 wood, 4 wood and was short while on the first par 5 on the back 9 I went driver 9 iron. Love this course and will definitely be back.

Played 4/22/15....It's all true. Read all prior reviews. Amazing

Played 4/22/15....It's all true. Read all prior reviews. Amazing

It’s been a week since playing Rams Hill with fellow GK’ers and I’m still thinking of the fun I had. Thanks to everyone who came out. It was a great way to start our 2015 outing season. As far as the... Continue »

It’s been a week since playing Rams Hill with fellow GK’ers and I’m still thinking of the fun I had. Thanks to everyone who came out. It was a great way to start our 2015 outing season. As far as the course, immaculate, as expected. Greens fast and very firm. Fairways, Rough and Tees – lush and well groomed. Bunkers, and I found many, well groomed with excellent quality sand. Regarding the layout, I love it. Challenging yet fair. Beautiful desert scenery and some very thought provoking holes. I’ve only played it twice and I can describe every hole. Clubhouse, mid-size, nice restaurant, nice proshop and comfortable patio. It was perfectly suited for our small outing. I drove further than anyone at the outing to be there, close to 4 hours from Westlake Village. But I left very satisfied and willing to make the drive again one of these days. I think I’m going to play it again over the Summer. I want to see how it plays under bermuda turf conditions too. If you like rye grass conditions, get out and play it this month for sure before it starts transition in May to bermunda grass. May is also when the course will aerate the greens. The course will still be beautiful in May but April will be prime. Highly Recommended.

Played Rams Hill in the GK Plays event.
I heard a lot about the course as well as the drive?

Well it looks like a good portion of what is being said out there is very much so true. It is a long ... Continue »

Played Rams Hill in the GK Plays event.
I heard a lot about the course as well as the drive?

Well it looks like a good portion of what is being said out there is very much so true. It is a long drive for those of us on the west side of the world. But totally worth it, especially if you are going for a couple of days to play some good golf.

Yes Rams Hills is some very good golf. So where do you start with what could be considered great golf? Well let's start from tee to green. Tee boxes where in very good shape, level and plush. There were a couple of the gold tee markers missing (almost all of them? Maybe a re-paint) but the tee boxes where very easy to find.
Fairways were manicured and in great shape, and the sand bunkers were soft. I was in several of them as well as the fairway bunkers. The greens are a major defense for the course. On that day there were running a 12+ in speed. But if you can figure out which way is uphill you can be aggressive on a lot of putts for birdie.
Views were amazing, even though it is out in the middle of the desert.

It was a totally great experience and will have no problem returning to the golf course for more of this same type of fun. If you are close to the area, or looking to go to a great course in that area. I would go to Rams Hill. Four and a half stars out of five stars.

Food needs some work. But the sliders were. Rey tasty.

Have fun

Played 4-1-2015 with Rudyclub. Course shape obviously is immaculate since it is so new... I am curious as to how it will look in a few years. Sand is top notch, fairways perfect. If I can sum it up to... Continue »

Played 4-1-2015 with Rudyclub. Course shape obviously is immaculate since it is so new... I am curious as to how it will look in a few years. Sand is top notch, fairways perfect. If I can sum it up to save you time reading positives, it is perfect. Greens are crazy tough to read and I wonder if it is because they are so new. I swear it would break but never did, so I stopped playing break. Negatives... I food. The food setup is bad. 9 doesnt some back to clubhouse, and no cart girl. The only other problem is, it is 1.75-2 hours from my doorstep. It would be hard to sell my wife on a stay and play since there is nothing for her to do in town. Other than that, I love this course.

Had just a great time with the GKer group, made some new friends, Ringworld, Kviser and Jerry, what a great foursome of fun guys, everyone had some good laughs. I will never compare anyone else to Co... Continue »

Had just a great time with the GKer group, made some new friends, Ringworld, Kviser and Jerry, what a great foursome of fun guys, everyone had some good laughs. I will never compare anyone else to Colin Montgomerie as long as I live. lmao.

Anyway, course is pretty much as nice as everyone is talking about. Tee boxes were perfect. Level and lush. Never had to search for a nice spot.

Fairways as well, just about as good as it gets! They were proper firmness, nice and lush, never had a bad lie, and I found a lot of em, hit the driver well.

Found one trap and it was nice, I was buried against the lip and still managed to get it out.

Rough was not very penal, only 2inches and had some pretty nice fluffy grass.

Greens were about the only thing that could've used a little, I mean a little improvement. They were firm, didn't hold shots very well, but just played about half less club to adjust, not a big deal. However, I couldn't figure them out to save my life. I'm a crappy putter to begin with, but I did have 44 putts, yep 7 3putts and a 4 putt. OUCH!

Anyway, I will definately be back. Get a room somewhere out there next time. It's a long haul for one round, get a stay and play and enjoy. Whatta killer course.

I held off a little on my review and there probably is little I can add to the many great reviews other than to say I agree. I did have a mishap with my putter on the way to the course and the pro sho... Continue »

I held off a little on my review and there probably is little I can add to the many great reviews other than to say I agree. I did have a mishap with my putter on the way to the course and the pro shop loaned me a rental putter which worked out fine for me. Great customer service, exceptional course conditions, and a fantastic location will bring me back sometime soon; perhaps on my next trip to Palm Desert, as this is a short hour and ten minutes from Indio. Thanks to Rams Hill and JohnnyGK for providing a great event last Saturday!