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The following article appeared in the March 1997 edition of the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine
Rams Hill Revival A 300-room hotel would complete this desert oasis Rams Hill Country Club, emerging from the quagmire of bankruptcy in 1994, is once again attracting golfers and home buyers. The 3,200 acre Borrego Springs resort, now under new ownership, has refurbished its clubhouse, spruced up the golf course, and refinanced its troubled water bonds. A 300 room hotel/spa/conference center is in the works. Bob Jackson, project coordinator for Rams Hill LLC, is excited about the prospect of a hotel complex but wants to make sure the selection is best for Rams Hill. "We are doing the demand studies now," says Jackson. "One of the mistakes builders often make is to force a certain project into an area where it doesn't fit." Jackson expects to have an agreement with a national hotel operator within the next few months. A 90-minute drive from Downtown San Diego, Rams Hill is targeting it's marketing efforts primarily toward San Diego and the Palm Springs area, although Jackson notes that repeat visitors come from Orange County, Los Angeles and even Northern California. "Among our regulars is a couple from Santa Rosa who drives down every weekend." The lure of uncrowded golf is strong, even for those who already live in the desert. "We get quite a few visitors from Palm Desert, many of whom live on a golf course but drive here to play because they can't get on their own courses," Jackson adds. The master planned development has sold more than 300 lots and homes, but at build-out there could be in excess of 1,500 homes. Rams Hill homes sell in the $150,000 to $500,000 plus price range. Golf is critical to the success of Rams Hill, and the resort soon will have 27 holes available for play, with another nine holes in the planning stages. Ultimately, there will be a private course for members and a public resort course. Head golf professional Dan Martin joined the Rams Hill staff last year, coming from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is enthusiastic about the prospects. "This is really an excellent golf course, and few people know about it," says Martin. "One reason it stays so uncrowded here is that it takes an hour and a half to get here from Palm Springs, even though it's just over the mountain." Borrego Springs has the feel of Palm Springs of the 1950s: quiet, slow paced, undiscovered. And many valley residents want it to stay that way. There has been discussion of building a road to Palm Springs that would cut the drive to 30 minutes, but those talks are on the back burner. "The valley is not crazy about development. It's maybe 50 50 out there," says Martin. For his part, Martin, a Canadian, intends to begin beating the drums for Rams Hill. "I'm going to meet with travel agents this summer in Canada and promote what we have to offer. Everyone up there has heard of Palm Springs, but very few know anything about Borrego Springs." A planned air-charter service from Palm Springs and San Diego also should help. Yet Jackson and Martin stressed that more than promotion is needed. Rams Hill has had to turn down large groups from Canada and the Northwest due to lack of accommodations. "We can't hold a PGA event, or even a celebrity pro-am without more rooms, both at Rams Hill and throughout the valley," says Martin. But hopes are high that Rams Hill will soon begin to fulfill the great promise others saw in it 20 years ago. "As they said in the movie ("Field of Dreams")," notes Martin with a smile, "if we build it, they will come." Tony Allison has been writing about the business of sports for three years and loves to challenge area golf courses with his shrinking handicap.
Reference: http://www.sandiegometro.com/1997/mar/sports.html |
