Ridgemark: Holister, California

     I travel to Monterey, California quite a bit to enjoy the beauty of the place and to play some great golf. On the road to Monterey from where I live you have to pass through Holister.  The town has been bypassed by a new throughway, but you still know that you are passing it.  Most of the time you just drive on, not thinking much about the town, but as just a place that is on the way to somewhere else.
     The town's claim to fame is that it was the site of the 1947 "Motorcycle Gang Riot" that was portrayed in the movie The Wild One staring Marlon Brando. Nothing very earth shaking happens there--actually I take that back.  The town is located in a valley formed between the Diablo Range and Gabilan Range of the Coast Range Mountains, almost directly on an active area of the San Andreas Fault. Its quaint downtown was heavily damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. All told, it is a sleepy little town in a sleepy though shaky part of California.
     Ridgemark, a semi-private facility, was a place that had been on my radar for a long time. I have known for a long time that the course was there. A few people that I play with on a regular basis have played it and I have vowed for some time to stop by and see what the course was like.  Again, it was one of those "I have to play that course some day" kind of thing. The time to make a trip to see for myself what Ridgemark was like was long overdue. I finally took the plunge with my expectations soaring high.
     There are two courses at Ridgemark, the Diablo and the Gabilan. The separate tracks were named after the mountain ranges and you can see the ridgelines clearly from the course. We played the Diablo course which is said to be the more forgiving of the two courses, although people I have talked to that have played both courses have said that there is not much difference in the difficulties of the two courses. Supposedly, the Diablo course is the more picturesque. I will have to play Gabilan in order to decide for myself as to the difficulties.  Diablo is said to have the better views of the valley, and as such more pretty.

The Clubhouse

     We checked in at the pro shop and proceeded to the first tee where we were greeted by the starter/course assistant.  He was very friendly as we talked about some of the nuances of the course. He warned us about the course signature hole, number seven. After giving us a few tips on how to play the hole, he also let us know that the greens were fast at about a ten on the stimpmeter and to stay below the hole on most greens.  This info would come in handy during our round.

The first hole.

     
      The first hole was a dog leg right from an elevated tee. There is a stand of trees on the left of the hole which can come into play if you pull your drive. The green is slightly elevated and the green putts true.  The view from the first tee gives you a great introduction to some the tee box views on the front nine.
     Hole number four was a favorite of mine.  It wasn't exactly picturesque or special, I just kind of liked it.  It is a par three from an elevated tee to an elevated green, a distance of 144 yards on the card. There is a lake at the bottom of the hill, although when we played the lake was dry.  Not a hard shot, just a fun hole.

Par 3 number 4

       There it was, hole number seven.  Time to suck it up and go for it. The view from the tee of the valley and the ranches around the course almost took your breath away.  The tee is eleveted, which gives a great view of the valley and the barranca that you have to carry to get your ball to the fairway. From there, the fun does not stop because the barranca doubles back on you. You have to either lay up or go for it. I did neither and wound up in the barranca--twice. That was it for me, pick up and on to the next hole.  I do want to play this hole again when I know what to expect.

The seventh tee: What a view

The seventh green: a breathtaking hole

   
             
    The back nine is a bit different from the front.  You don't have the elevation changes as you do the front. The fairways on the back are a bit tighter with more trees lining the fairways.  On to number ten.
     I really like the par threes at Ridgemark.  I talked about number four and number eight was a kick in the pants as well. The back nine starts with a slightly downhill short par 3, measuring 144 yards on the card. The hole is very playable and user friendly. There is a tree on the left and a huge bunker on the right. The green is generous in size and set in among the trees, as were most of the greens.  Again, watch out for that tree.  You think that they won't come into play, but they can.

Par 5 eleven tee

     Hole number eleven is a par five.  It doglegs right around a sort of lake, I guess you could call it, which shouldn't come into play. It is a very short par five at 437 yards.  You can shorten it by staying on the right, or make it a long par 5 by going left.  There is not much trouble and birdie is a good possibility.
     How about a short par four at 273 yards.  For some players, this hole is driveable if you go over the lake which is out of bounds and also carry the green bushes which surround the lake.  I would have none of that.  I hit a three wood into the fairway and got on the green with a wedge leaving about a twenty foot birdie putt. I really hate when a birdie putt lips out.  I hit a great put, but it just didn't want to go in.
     Ridgemark is truly a work in progress. The course was feeling its age when it was sold to new owners and a new management team took over. The courses were neglected and the new owners and management team are committed to making Ridgemark a world class facility.  There is a lot of work to be done as I noticed that some of the fairways were sparse, but we also played the course in early November when the bermuda was going dormant.  The greens were lush and putted true, but the bunkers needed attention. I am sure the new management is addressing these concerns.  All in all, the experience was a great one and I would live to go back and play the Diablo Course again and try the Gabilan Course. I wish this great venue the best of luck and success. I would recommend Ridgemark especially if you were looking for a great golf experience with some great value.


***Check the course for greens fees, however they shouldn't be more than $50 a round with cart.