San Ramon Royal Vista- San Ramon

If you haven’t played San Ramon Royal Vista lately, you haven’t played it at all.

I went out there the other day and couldn’t believe how much it’s improved. The place aint’ Augusta, but if you had played there three years ago, you’d see that just about anything would be an improvement.

The place was not only a dump—with cow pastures for fairways—but there was also something of an arrogant attitude from the staff. 

Since general manager Russ Davies took over three years ago, the course has undergone a facelift. They did $1 million worth of renovations—just to the sprinkler system. The course now has actual fairways, and most of the greens are smooth. Some are still bumpy, though, and they were all very slow on the day I played. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It makes putting a lot easier.

Besides merely improving the conditions, they’ve reworked a few of the holes, including building what they say is the only island green in the Bay Area.

The ninth green used to sit alongside a pond, but they dug out a ditch to expand that pond in front of No. 18, and they used the dirt to build an island in the middle of the pond for the ninth.

Here’s how the new No. 9 was explained to me as I stood on the tee: You want to be careful with your tee shot, because it’s only about 220 to the water if you are on the left side, which is toward the green. But you also don’t want to lay back too much, because the green is very hard and it’s tough to stick a ball up there if you’re hitting a middle iron. Then when you get there it’s a difficult green to putt. And my partners didn’t even mention to me that the wind blows in your face, meaning you need to add a club on the approach. I learned that the hard (and wet) way.

Translation: the hole’s a bitch.

The changes have toughened up a course that wasn’t that difficult. On No. 6, for example, they cut out a notch in the green and added a bunker, making you think twice before going for it on this 488-yard Par 5.

Outside of Nos. 9 and 18, few of the holes are very memorable. In fact, several are practically runway holes: long and straight. None of the Par 3s are interesting.

That said, this is definitely one to add my list of good, affordable public courses. It’s comparable to nearby Franklin Canyon, Boundary Oak and Las Positas.

Which is progress.

By Jeff Fletcher
Editor, sfbaygolf.com

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