One of the lessons of the past two decades is that golfers are willing to travel significant distances to remote locales for the promise of memorable golf experiences. From Bandon Dunes to Sand Valley to The Prairie Club to Streamsong, among others, we know that if you build something special, golfers will find their way to distant outposts to enjoy it.
Rams Hill Golf Club, though just one course at the moment as opposed to those multi-course resorts, is of a similar pedigree. It’s ranked No. 6 in California against stiff competition and No. 55 nationwide among Golfweek’s Best Resort Courses.
Rams Hill’s unique setting also fosters that same sense of adventure and exploration as those more established resorts. Its clever tagline is: “The middle of nowhere – exactly where you need to be.” The course – a two-hour drive from San Diego, three hours from Los Angeles – is located in Borrego Springs, Calif., the only town in the state located entirely within a state park (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park). Borrego Springs is so remote and tranquil that it’s designated an International Dark Sky Community, and the 2,500 year-round residents often gather for star-gazing parties.
In daylight, however, Rams Hill is the place to be. As the course’s reputation grows, it’s steadily drawing more golfers from across Southern California and farther away to take advantage of stay-and-play deals.
Tom Fazio designed Rams Hill as an 18-hole private course on land where a 27-holer previously existed, but the scheduled 2010 opening was sidetracked by the real estate bubble. Colorado businessman Terry Considine subsequently bought the course and got the project back on track.
“The golf course had been left for dead, so the new ownership orchestrated a complete revival of agronomy, watering systems and landscaping,” said Rams Hill GM Harry Turner. “Tim Jackson, who worked for Fazio when the course was built and now partners with David Kahn in their own golf design company, was instrumental in bringing the original vision back to life as well as adding a few upgrades, including the redesign of the par-4 17th into a shorter, drivable hole that has added more drama to the closing stretch.”
Rams Hill finally opened for public play in 2014 and quickly began making noise in the Golfweek rankings. Its season runs from November to June, an effort to provide optimal playing conditions during the desert’s peak season, while also being good stewards of the desert’s water resources. That strategy seems to be having the desired effect.
“I was blown away with this track, and I am so excited that it was brought back from the dead,” said Golfweek course rater Harris Kaplan.
Fellow rater Leo Twiggs, a fan of Fazio’s work, sees similarities between Rams Hill and one of the architect’s most celebrated designs. “It’s a wonderful track that feels a little like Shadow Creek, but it’s not manufactured like Shadow Creek,” Twiggs said.
There was no need for manufacturing on this dramatic desert landscape, with its natural swings in elevation and holes framed by lovely golden native grasses.
The highlights start early. They include the short, strategic fourth, with water and other hazards lurking left and the 204-yard fifth, the first in a strong, diverse collection of par 3s. You’ll notice a delightful flow to the layout, from the short par-4 seventh to the long, brutal eighth, then to consecutive par 3s – the delicate ninth, followed by possibly the best of the short holes.
“The back nine is outstanding, starting with a great par 3, with a Redan green, followed by a fantastic par 5,” Kaplan said. That’s followed by a strong collection of par 4s, the most entertaining of which is the downhill 14th.
“There are two terrific finishing holes in the 17th and 18th, which just explodes with every type of feature possible,” Kaplan said. “It is an epic conclusion to a phenomenal back nine.”
After sitting dormant for several years after the financial crisis, Rams Hill is positioned for growth. It has strong ownership and stable water rights – always a key issue in California – and it has earned critical acclaim. Turner said the goal is to build off that strong foundation.
“It would not be surprising to eventually see a resort model that includes a short course, putting course, another 18-hole golf course and on-site accommodations just steps from the clubhouse and the first tee,” Turner said.
The foundation for those plans already has been laid, not just with the golf course. As Twiggs said, “Rams Hill has a wonderful clubhouse, a wonderful restaurant. It’s the best restaurant in the area.” That includes an abundance of outdoor seating and a fire pit that allow guests to enjoy the long views of the course and Santa Rosa Mountains.
The vision of Considine, Turner and the rest of the staff is to create a must-visit destination for golfers across the West Coast and beyond.
“Rams Hill wants to be known as a fun place to stay and play – and be in the conversation among the best golf resorts and destination clubs in the country,” Turner said. “There are so many more ways we want to cater to golfers in the future. We’re just getting started.”