Clubhouse: B+
The clubhouse at Ridgecrest Golf Club is a good sized building. The clubhouse portion of the building is small, with a limited selection of golf apparel and equipment. No I’D Golf gear in the clubhouse yet.
Bar: B+
The bar portion of the clubhouse is well equipped with beverages for both on the course as well as for your 19th hole beverage. Good sized seating area with golf on the T.V. Didn’t see any liquor… but it was 8:00 am so they couldn’t serve any that early anyway.
Amenities: B
The course has a few permanent bathrooms along the way, not sure how many are out on the course but there are a few throughout the round. Nothing extra on the course. There is a beverage cart that drives around which makes it nice!
Price: $$$
Somewhat spendy for a city course in my opinion. On a Saturday morning with a cart was $52. We decided to walk and it was only $37. One of us forgot a push cart and used one of the course’s, the handle fell off on the first hole. They didn’t charge him for the push cart and he figured out how to push it from then on out, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Practice facilities: A
A medium sized driving range and a large practice putting green. Plenty of room to practice short range chips without disturbing someone who is putting. They also have a good sized practice bunker and green on the other size of the club house.
Staff friendliness: A-
Staff was reasonably friendly throughout the clubhouse. We got there pretty early and I am sure the guy checking us in was still waking up. The girl who was running the kitchen was extremely friendly and made sure there was a breakfast burrito for us at the turn.
Carts (if riding): B+
Just your typical battery powered carts. Nothing extra. No GPS, sand or water to clean your clubs. Push carts were just okay. No strap to hold your clubs down.
Tee boxes: A
Tee boxes were in pretty good condition. They were green and didn’t have too much wear and tear to them yet.
Bunkers: A
The bunkers were in good condition. Still pretty wet that early in the morning but I didn’t have any problems getting out of the bunker the two times I was in them… and that is saying something!
Fairways: A
Fairways were in great shape! It is always great playing a course that is rewarding to find the fairway on your drive. I was in the fairway probably 70% of the time and it was nice to know I didn’t have to worry about my lie.
Greens: A-
Greens were rolling great! They were holding moisture, but rolling true. The moisture was causing the balls to slow in some places but role fast on other holes. Wasn’t consistent from green to green. Either way, the condition of the greens were great, especially this early in the year.
Difficulty: 7
The course is pretty open. More of a links style course. There are a few places you can lose your ball if you spray it but for the most part it is easy to find if you are in play. Some well placed trees and water make a few holes pretty tough but I enjoy that challenge! I am currently a 12.7 handicap.
Ambiance: A
The course is very unique. Tucked right next to I-84 on a few holes on the front 9 make it enjoyable. You don’t know if you will have a semi rolling by with its loud engine or peace and quiet during your back swing. Moving away from those holes you get a good view of Meridian and Boise along with some mountain scenes. Really enjoy the views on this course!
Overall rating: B+
Ridgecrest is definitely a fun course to play. Would love to see the city of Nampa invest in a few more amenities. Upgraded push carts would be nice and a few additions to the golf carts such as water to clean your clubs between shots. Can’t be too picky though with city courses because they tend to be on tighter budgets than their counter parts. We will definitely be back out there this year. Enjoy playing the course and look forward to see it when the weather finally stays consistent.
