The Ranch Golf Club, Southwick, MA

Good layout and lots of tee options so bite off what you can chew. Nice driving range. I didn't like #18, but otherwise enjoyable. Good conditions and nice bunkers.

July, 30 2013: Beware, 30 to 40% of the greens have recently been aerated and many are in very poor condition this summer with many dead and diseased spots. In addition, although a beautiful layout there are many blind tee shots over hills, down hills and around corners. I prefer to see my tee shot landing. You will not see this here on many holes. The practice range, however, is top-notch and is usually including in the greens fee.
Right now, given the conditions this course is not deserving of a premium price (~ $100 on the weekend). You can play at Edgewood Golf Course in the same town Southwick, MA for 1/3 the price and with better conditions especially the greens.

I played The Ranch on 7/27/2013. I arrived and was very impressed with the staff and the way I was greeted. The smile on my face quickly turned to question marks when we were told that the course fee was being discounted because "A COUPLE OF GREENS" were punched. This was a gross inaccuracy since more like 8 greens looked to be destroyed by fungus. We were forced to put over sand like I was playing at the beach. This was compounded by the fact that the course seemed to be grossly over watered. SO MUCH water had been dumped on the course that on a hot July afternoon the fairways were SOAKED at 2:00 in the afternoon. The fairways were so wet that your divot revealed the lack of root structure in the grass. I am no grounds keeper but this course is going to need several seasons to repair the greens. So even at $80 this course is over-priced. If you want to play a premium course look for another track. It will be a very long time before I return to The Ranch.

I never feel the need to write reviews for products I buy or services rendered for me, but I need to refute the previous review with my experience from today, and comment on the quality of the course.

I talked to the starter and one of the maintenance guys a few times each during my round. There were places on fairways that clearly had been bare spots and were being filled in with the typical green sand/fertilizer. I was told by the starter that the course purchased a new aerator over the summer, and in the changeover process the fairways weren`t able to be aerated during the hot, dry season we had. Hence, the watering process wasn`t very effective, resulting in the condition referenced by the previous reviewer.

The tee boxes are in better condition than a lot of the greens at many courses I play. As such, the greens are absolutely pristine. They are mowed every single day, resulting in greens that are quite a bit faster than I`m used to (they were reading an 11 on the Stimpmeter). But there are little to no blemishes on the greens. The layout is tough, even from the whites, but the greens are generally pretty forgiving and the fairways/landing areas are usually wide.

There are some decent views from the tees of a couple of long downhill holes, especially 16 which is the signature hole of the course (there`s a reason it`s named "Ski Hill"). The neighborhood along the course, I gather, is fairly new. Not surprising; most golf courses are hurting for business and it was probably less of a "money grab" as the previous commenter said, and more of a move to promote the financial health of the course so that it could remain in such great condition. Also, the staff that I talked to were extremely friendly, giving pointers where applicable and making great conversation. It takes money to hire good staff; the houses and roads are a small price to pay for such great service.

That said, the price of the course is not easy to swing. I booked on GolfNow where my round was 25% off, but it still ran me $75. That does, however, include range balls and a cart with an included and sophisticated GPS system. And, as previously mentioned, the course condition and staff justify the pricing structure. Still, the golfer on a budget will have some difficulty justifying their cost for the round. The guy in the pro shop did offer to give me 10% off the Pro V`s I was eying after I said they were too pricey.

Bottom line, disregard the previous review. I have trouble defending anyone who writes in all caps in the first place, but their review is way, way off. It`s also not the course`s fault that two motorcycles rode by. It seems like this person is a pessimist looking for things to complain about. If they had bothered to ask, I`m certain that the course staff would have shed some light on the course condition, re: the new aerator.

My recommendation: play this course at least once in your life. If you can handle it financially, play much more often. The course doesn`t end up on Golf Digest lists for nothing (#43 public course in USA in 2009; #2 in New England).

EDIT- The rating system on GolfLink seems to be messing up so these are my ratings: Amenities 4.5/5, Difficulty 4/5, Maintenance 4.5/5, Scenery 4/5, Value 2.5/5, Overall 4/5

JUST GOT BACK FROM A WEEKEND AT THE RANCH GOLF COURSE IN SOUTWICK MAASACHUSETTS. WE HAVE NOT BEEN THERE FOR 3-4 YEARS. I WAS BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED BY THE OVERALL CONDITION OF THIS ONCE PRISTINE LAYOUT. IT APPEARS AS IF THERE MAY BE SOME FINANCIAL ISSUES FACING THIS COURSE OR MAYBE IT IS TIME TO HIRE A NEW GREENSKEEPER.
WHAT WAS ONCE ONE OF THE FINEST LAYOUTS IN NEW ENGLAND, IS DETERIORATING INTO A MOUNTAINOUS FLORIDA COURSE WEAVING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS. COMING DOWN THE 18TH FAIRWAY TO END OUR ROUND, 2 HARLEY DAVIDSONS CAME BLASTING DOWN THE ROAD ALONG SIDE THE GREEN. I FELT LIKE I WAS AT STURGIS FOR THE MOTORCYLE WEEK.WHAT A SHAME. LOOKS LIKE A MONEY GRAD BY OWNERSHIP. NOTHING KILLS A BEAUTIFUL GOLF COURSE LIKE PUTTING IT IN A NEIGHBORHOOD.TOO BAD!