Rams Hill Golf Club continues to receive regional and national accolades, with the most recent its inclusion in Golf Advisor’s Top 50 Golf Courses in the U.S.
The Tom Fazio design, which also ranks third in the state in Golfweek’s 2017 Best Resort Courses list, is in Borrego Springs about 75 miles east of San Diego. The 7,240-yard course has received its favorable status in a short period of time, having reopened to the public in 2014 following extensive renovations and environmental enhancements.
“The Golf Advisor ranking validates our vision for Rams Hill and reaffirms everything we have been striving for with regard to the overall guest experience,” said director of golf Mike Setchel. “We regularly hear feedback from guests that Rams Hill is the best conditioned public golf course they have ever played, and the Golf Advisor ranking supports that sentiment.”
Residing high above the desert floor, Fazio’s layout twists through the hillside, with lush conditioning and bentgrass greens providing a nice contrast of green and gold. Water features amid the rugged surroundings also provide a serene setting that befits Rams Hill’s relatively isolated location.
“The course is unique because it’s completely surrounded by a 600,000-acre state park,” said Bill Berkley, CEO and co-owner of Rams Hill Golf Club. “The serenity, surrounding mountains and the natural elevation changes have been molded by Mr. Fazio into a course that should be on every golfer’s bucket list.”
Berkley and business partner Terry Considine, both real estate investors, purchased the Rams Hill property in 2013 with an eye on a fairly quick turnaround.
“We set out to reopen a spectacular golf course that would far exceed the expectations of golfers in terms of design quality, conditioning, playability and service, and we think we are succeeding in that goal,” Berkley said. “That vision has come to fruition, and it’s wonderful that it’s being recognized by both the golf raters and, more importantly, the golfers.”
While Berkley, as CEO of T2 Borrego, purchased the grounds for less than $1 million, his reinvestment has surpassed $10 million, a cost that includes replacing irrigation timers, planting native trees and drought-resistant plants, revamping the clubhouse and road that leads to the course, and drilling six wells.
Another environmental upgrade is the group’s $2.5 million investment in a 1-megawatt solar farm on property.
“We put in the largest solar facility that you can put in,” Berkley said. “So the net result of that is that we save, on an annual basis, about $1.2 million in water and energy costs.”
With things going well to date, there has been talk of building another course in the area but management wants to see how things play out a bit longer.
“We’re still trying to see if more golf is the answer, at this point,” Setchel said. “We’re still waiting for Rams Hill to mature and reach its true potential.”
