Golf Course Improvement Projects
Rams Hill opened the 2022-2023 golf season on November 4, and reviews of the course and Rams Hill Experience have been strong after a busy summer offseason. Here are just a few comments overheard during Opening Week:
“This is my first time playing Rams Hill, and I highly suggest it. It is so, so cool out here. It feels like you’re driving through a national park. And the sunset was the best I’ve seen this year.”
“Put it on your Bucket List. Everyone who swings a golf club needs the experience. … [Ram Shack] Tacos, the views, it’s all just sublime.”
“Rams Hill jumped into the No. 2 spot of the 275 different golf courses I’ve played. What an absolute gem.”
Click Here to watch our latest video of November vibes at Rams Hill Golf Club. And if you’re interested in how far we’ve come since last season, read the entries below (and watch the videos) to see the significant agronomy investment and improvements made in recent months.
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OCTOBER UPDATE
With just three weeks to go, the overseed is coming in nicely across the course. We sent a drone crew out to survey they progress, and here’s what they found in our latest Reel video on the @ramshillgolfclub account on Instagram. There are still plenty of details to address in the coming weeks before Rams Hill re-opens to the public the weekend of November 4-6. Daily-Fee Tee Times for the first few two weeks are now available through the Book Now engine here on the website. And, as always, you can “skip the line” and book tee times and lodging anytime from November 4, 2022 through early June 2023 with Rams Hill Stay & Play Packages in our Golf Houses or Partner Resorts.
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SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 UPDATE
Two months after new sand and seed hit the ground on Rams Hill fairways, our course conditions are beginning to look much, much different. We ran the drone last week to survey the results of the Agronomy Crew’s Bermudagrass Fortification Project — and we like we what we’re seeing. We hope you will, too. Take a look for yourself in our latest YouTube video.
We’re about a month away from our ryegrass overseed, which will add another important layer to the course conditions. And Opening Weekend (beginning Friday, Nov. 4) is less than two months away.
The work hasn’t stopped all summer — the Bermudagrass seen in the video continues to mature and fill in the fairways, getting mowed regularly in the hot, humid weather. Drainage work continues throughout the property to ensure better water efficiency on our fairways and greens. And the hole-by-hole bunker cleanup begins this week as we march toward November. Meanwhile, your odds of hitting the green on Holes 9 and 12 might be getting a boost this year as the crew works to expand those putting surfaces.
We’ll have another Update in early October, and don’t forget to follow @RamsHillGolfClub on Instagram and @RamsHillGolf on Twitter for more frequent news, photos, videos and more. And if you haven’t signed up for the Rams Hill E-Club, please join by signing up at the bottom of the Homepage.
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AUGUST UPDATE
Even though we’re closed for summer, July was a busy month at Rams Hill. And August is equally eventful with course preparations progressing toward the 2022-2023 season-opening date of Friday, November 4 on our award-winning Tom Fazio design honored among the 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest.
Check out our first Summer Project video on YouTube showcasing our fairway bermudagrass planting last month. Those stolons (as they are called in the agronomy world) have now taken root and are already getting their first mows of the offseason, creating the foundation for the upcoming season’s course conditions. Other fairways have been aerified and top-dressed with sand twice this summer — and a third top-dress is planned for targeted high-traffic areas that have historically seen a great deal of cart compaction.
The desert heat this time of year is perfect for growing bermudagrass — so the stolons planted on holes 2, 3, 6, 17 and 18 are flourishing. And the results of our summer sand program are promising. The material is working into the soil as expected and will continue to reach deeper to increase root growth, fortifying our fairways before rye overseed is added in the months before we re-open to golfers.
Drainage is an ongoing initiative with our difficult soils in the Southern California desert — and this year Superintendent Willie Lopez continues to work on drainage across the property. In recent weeks, the crew has added additional drainage to holes 4, 16 and 17. And drainage work will continue throughout the offseason.
Meanwhile, Rams Hill’s greens (like the 18th, pictured above) are the healthiest they’ve ever been at this point in the summer (knock on wood) — yet another encouraging sign for the upcoming season.
So while summer might be considered our “down time” at Rams Hill, there’s a growing excitement about the upcoming season. It starts, of course, with the golf course preparations, but also extends to new Golf House options joining the Stay & Play roster, new Food & Beverage surprises on the horizon (don’t worry, the famous Ram Shack tacos and Apple-Caramel Cookies will still be centerpieces of the Rams Hill Experience) and a new Ram Shop launching online later this year with personally cultivated small-batch logo’d products and other specialty merchandise — some items available only through the website.
As always, Stay & Play Packages for November, December and beyond are now available on the website — use our new Availability Calendar and Custom Stay & Play Request Form to start shaping your fall/winter golf getaway today.
It’s Time to Plan Your Great Escape. Book Today.
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JUNE 20, 2022 UPDATE
When Rams Hill said goodbye to the 2021-2022 season on June 6, the Course Maintenance and Agronomy team jumped into action preparing for next season, embarking on a major project (which includes tons of sand, literally) to fortify our fairways for the coming year. The photos above offer a glimpse into the process. A tilling machine was used to rip several fairways, resulting in freshly tilled soil mixed with clean sand. And then we followed that up with the planting of new bermudagrass stolons — which serve as the base for our overseeded playing corridors. These aggressive agronomy practices are examples of our commitment to address course-condition challenges and ensure that each golfer’s time at Rams Hill is memorable. All other fairways have been aerified and top-dressed with more sand. And drainage improvements continue (as they do every year) on fairways and green surrounds (shown in the above photo of the 18th hole). Stay tuned for more photos and project updates in the coming weeks and months …
