The Ranch Golf Club

I wouldn't recommend this course until the course is back to normal....I was not aware that the course had storm damage and had to play 1-6 again...I quite after 13 holes.

Very fun, but difficult course. Up and down and around the mountain. The views were fantastic and the layout was good. Its not your standard course. You should expect to lose double the amount of golf balls as you regularly would. Would recommend the course just for the views and challenge.

The course was set up to play the back nine twice and have to wait on every hole minimum 10 minutes, That was my worst day ever on the golf course.

Although this course is beautiful with many challenging holes no PGA event will ever be played here. Why? Because you cannot play this course without a cart. In one case it is over 1/4 mile between holes and I am not exaggerating either, it really is that far. The course is quite challenging with several long carries being required and should you stray from the fairway, in general, you will need a new ball to play, so bring several extras with you.

Don't play this course if it has rained in the past month. The fairways don't handle rain well at all.Did not notice on golfnow that the front nine was closed(the alert should be a little more noticeable). I paid more through golfnow than I would have as a walk on.

Was not aware front 9 damaged due to heavy rain until check in. Played back 9 twice. Great yet difficult course.

heavy rains earlier in December resulted in front nine being closed. back nine was still soaked causing many plugged balls. considering all the rain, they have done a good job keeping the course playable and well groomed.

Front 9 is closed, so play back 9 twice.
1. They should advice player when making reservation.
2. the fairways are soaked, very poor drainage.
They should close the course until all 18 holes are playable.

I never realized how much I like the front nine at the Ranch. But the rain last week washed away the bridge. So we played the back nine only. Still a fun challenge and still long. You have to travel a little between the 10th and 11th hole, but the back nine holes are close compared to the distance you have to travel between hole on the front nine. Bring balls if you are unfamiliar with the course. Course lays tight and some OB's on both sides of fairway. Played in the rain and wind, staff thought we were crazy!. and it was still a good place to golf.

This visually spectacular and challenging golf course has more elevation changes then some mountain ranges. The greens are in good shape. They border on the radical side of contouring but still are a fun experience to negotiate. If you don't like long cart rides between holes, this golf course is not for you. Don't even think about walking it. If you play the correct tees for your ability you will have an excellent time trying to negotiate this test of nerves. Not your average course by any means, but I found it to be an exhilarating excellent experience. A few issues with conditioning on Fairway, but overall in great shape.I think this is one course that you will either hate or love.

The course was in excellent condition. This was a big change from playing golf in flatlands of Florida. A very good challenge for any golfer. I would highly recommend this course if you are in the San Jose area.
Be aware that carts must stay on the cart path and at times you need to walk up and down some steep elevation changes from cart to fairway

Fairways were in bad shape, bunkers in really bad shape, need sand and contouring.

nothing beets the price. the golf course is on great shape, everything is manicure fast greens, the elevation chances are great overall I have to say that I recommend this to any golfer out there looking to play a great course

I was very surprised how nice the conditions were at the course considering the drought.

I was also surprised how painfully slow the round was going to be. My group was the second group out after a 10-group tournament. We were told that a marshal was out there helping to keep up the pace. Didn't see him; never noticed a difference.

After over an hour, we were still waiting to tee off on the third hole. After over three hours, we had only finished the 7th hole. At that point, we were on pace to have a 7-hour round. We decided to go back to the first hole and start over, since the course behind us should be pretty clear. Those who've played the Ranch before know the layout and the only way to get back to the clubhouse was to drive past the 11th hole. As we passed groups in the tournament, we could see huge gaps between groups. So apparently the course wasn't doing much to much the tournament along.

Not sure why courses allow tournaments to totally slow down the pace of play for everyone who comes after them.

After calling the clubhouse and asking they send a marshal out to help move people along, the reply shouldn't be "it's slow because there's a tournament." Does that mean people in tournaments don't need to worry about pace of play?

Yesterday was pretty disappointing.

Hadn't played here in about 10 years (since it tore me up so bad back then). This time, knowing what to expect, played blues instead of tips. Makes it short, so hit driver on only 3 holes----also because it's the smart play (probably wouldn't hit driver much more often if played the tips.). Lost only 1 ball (hit driver--mental error--and drove thru the downhill dogleg-----dumb). Previous round here lost 6 balls. Really spent time analyzing each shot (fine, since playing as a single) to make the smart, less aggressive/stupid decision and it payed off. Greens were nice, but tee boxes and traps needed alot of TLC. Don't play this course unless you hit it where you intend (ie. not for "bombing"). It definitely wears you down mentally.....not for the "faint of heart". I call many of the holes "helicopter golf", especially if you play the tips. I got a ridiculous deal (70% off) on GolfNow, so couldn't resist.
If you've never played it, it's worth a try. Just be prepared to throw out quite a few choice cuss words when you see the holes' layouts from most tees. Good Luck and Be Smart.

Expect to score 5~10 strokes higher than your handicap especially if it's your first time playing this course.

the front nine is more difficult than the back nine. the front nine fairways were very wet and muddy. in a drought I was surprised. this made club selection very difficult and made the front nine almost unfair. the back nine fairways were dry and tight, which made for a better experience (a difference of 9 strokes). the course is tough, but with dry fairways it would be a fair test..........

I love this course and have played it several times now. The views are great and the course is very fun and very challenging. You have to hit the fairways and greens, if not drop a ball in. The drop zone and play away. Plan on doing a lot of walking up and down the fairways and greens as carts are cart path only. There are planet of water coolers on the course and the restrooms come up at the right time and are clean.
The two biggest complaints are pace of play and how wet the course is. Given there is a drought going on in California this course was so wet you could not even walk across some of the fairways. The starter sent two foursomes out and three twosomes and a single behind them. It took nearly three hours to get through the front nine. No course marshals on the course to assist with pace of play and the bev cart only came by once. Makes it hard to come back.

The course is unreasonably challenging. Am a very fit lady; I doubt it if one who is physically challenged could manage to play in this course. It is a car path only golf course. It is not easy to find a ball due to steep grounds. You need to carefully read directions otherwise you might lose your way. I golf to relax and enjoy nature. Because of too much looking for balls or worrying if you would even find it where you thought it landed, is no fun at all!

I read many of the reviews before I played. Some people love it, some hate it. I thought it was a great test of golf.

There's no doubt it can be very penal - you have to be able to hit the ball in the fairway. Missing the fairway (or the first cut of rough) will often lead to a lost ball. For that reason, I'd suggest if you spray the ball, or if you can't break 90 every time out, you might want to pick some other course.

There are spectacular elevation changes, and I found the fairways and greens to be in very good shape. One disappointment was the condition of the bunkers - it's like they had no sand, but were merely holes with some dirt in them. Very surprising, considering how well maintained the rest of the course was.

Despite the severe hilliness of the course, only 2 holes play significantly uphill. The uphill terrain is covered when moving from a green to the next tee. Good thing, because there are some really steep climbs.

The course isn't long, just over 6600 from the back and only 6300 from the blues, so you don't have to be a bomber to play it - just hit it straight (although the fairways are generous enough - you don't have to hit it pipeline straight).

I'd definitely go back.