Rio Rico

[Jason Topp]

If anyone is looking for an affordable golf trip in Arizona and does not like desert golf, I would recommend Rio Rico about an hour South of Tucson.

The course has nice greens, is walkable and, while it will never win any design awards, contains some interesting holes on the front nine that use a ridge that adjoins the property. Other than those holes, it is a pretty typical 60's era course with big greens, long par threes and pretty straightforward holes. The area was pretty windy about 1/2 the days we were there.  It cost less than $50 when staying at the hotel.

It is used for the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying and plays to about 7100 yards (at 4,000 feet) with length being added.
In the winter, with the bermuda rough dormant, it is pretty forgiving. In the summer, I imagine it is pretty tough if you stray from the fairways.

The staff was excellent at the golf course, providing nice service without the CCFAD overkill that irritates me more than I appreciate it.

The hotel was $120 a night (double) with $50 food included in the price.  The hotel is in a great location, with adequate rooms and food, although maintenence and service are occassionally a concern.

I enjoy destinations like this when the midwinter swing is rusty.  I prefer to spend $50 to play an adequate well run course than $250 to play a manicured course loaded with tourists.  

[Jeff Fortson]

Jason,

I played 1st Stage at Rio Rico last October and really enjoyed the course and the land it sits on (especially the front nine).  It is VERY walkable, as tough as you want to make it (playing the tips, etc.), and peaceful.  No houses on top of every hole (or any hole for that matter), small, contoured and fast greens, and a pretty good routing and design for RTJ.  

I recommend this course for anyone looking to get away to a quiet place for some peaceful, fun, walkable golf (obviously Q-School wasn't too peaceful).  The restaurant at the hotel is OK.  I suggest some fairly authentic Mexican food at Las Trancas on the west-side service road off the I-19.  I ate there twice and it was very good.

I hope to go back sometime in the future.


Jeff F.

[Jason Topp]

Jeff -

Peaceful is a great way to describe the place.  We played early in the morning before the first tee time and basically had the place to ourselves.  A little different than your experience.

I imagine it played pretty short for Q-school.  They are putting new back tees in on 3-4 holes on the back nine.  I don't think they will change the course much.

[Jeff Fortson]

Jeff -

Peaceful is a great way to describe the place.  We played early in the morning before the first tee time and basically had the place to ourselves.  A little different than your experience.

I imagine it played pretty short for Q-school.  They are putting new back tees in on 3-4 holes on the back nine.  I don't think they will change the course much.

Jason,

We played from virtually the tips and it played fairly short.  There is no denying that the course is for the taking (especially #10-#16) by anyone driving it long and making putts.  Basically, if you can control your wedges on the shorter par 4's and take advantage of the three reachable par 5's you can shoot a low score.  The greens were in fantastic shape and very true.

I think a few holes on the back nine could use new back tees.  #11, #13 & #14 come to mind.  All could improve with a little length.  6, 7, and 8 irons to those greens are going to be more difficult than Pitching and Sand Wedges.  #17 & #18 was a tough finish back into the 20mph winds during the final round.  

The front nine is my favorite nine holes in Arizona.  With some improvement to the back nine (without deviating from the character of the course; basically making it more like the front in feel) would make this my favorite course in AZ.


Jeff F.

[Jason Topp]

Jeff - I hope you do not mind these questions but, it is interesting for me to see if my perceptions of how the course would play at your level are accurate.  

How did the short par five on the front play? (I think it was 7).  Did people handle it better or worse than 2 which has more room but is longer?  

For me - I thought it was an interesting hole, basically just a straight hole tighter than the rest with the green sitting on a rise.  Even from the tips, two straight shots got me on the green, but it was tight enough that I was much more likely to hit a crooked tee shot and with the green was difficult to hit.  I felt like I should have made a 4 there every time, but only did so once in three rounds.

What kind of distance did you have into the green on 8? (my favorite hole on the course).  I could never figure out the right line off the tee on that hole.  I aimed left the first time and wound up in the dirt next to the fence.  I went at the 150 marker the 2nd time and was in the fairway with a tree in my way about 180 from the middle of the green.  Then, thinking too much, I topped it the third time.

I looked it up and saw you made it through on the number.  I assume the pin was left on 17.  Did you just hit it to the middle and putt or did you try and get it close at that point?

[Bill_McBride]

I really enjoyed the short dogleg left up the hill hole on the front nine - really fun green and an interesting hole.  The longer par 4 that followed with water all down the right and somewhat in front was also good; it played into the wind and was well designed.  A faded long iron could bounce onto the green.

Jeff, you're right about the back nine, even I found some of the par 4s there to be on the short side.  Of course I played from the whites!

Those were some original RTJ aircraft carrier tees, no?

[Jeff Fortson]

Jeff - I hope you do not mind these questions but, it is interesting for me to see if my perceptions of how the course would play at your level are accurate.  

How did the short par five on the front play? (I think it was 7).  Did people handle it better or worse than 2 which has more room but is longer?  

For me - I thought it was an interesting hole, basically just a straight hole tighter than the rest with the green sitting on a rise.  Even from the tips, two straight shots got me on the green, but it was tight enough that I was much more likely to hit a crooked tee shot and with the green was difficult to hit.  I felt like I should have made a 4 there every time, but only did so once in three rounds.


I agree with your description of #7.  I played it in -3 for the four rounds with a huge eagle during the last round.  #7 & #10 (both par-5's) played at 4.59 for the week.  However, #7 had many more eagles and bogeys/double bogeys than #10.  #10 was not as penal or rewarding.  I played #7 agressively.  I hit driver everyday and hit it in the fairway each time.  I hit anywhere from 7-iron to 3-iron to reach the green on my second shot.  The wind was blowing harder on some days.  

The quirk of the hole is that while it is only 484 yards, it is a tight driving hole from an elevated tee with trees left and right and a slightly canted fairway that will run balls towards the trees on the right.  If you hit it in the trees, left or right, there was virtually no chance of getting home in two.  Then to make matters worse (as you well know) the green is pitched severely from back to front with a raised spine running through the center of the green.  If you hit it on the wrong side of the green or too far above the hole you were basically taking not only eagle, but birdie out of the equation.  Hence, my two pars in the first two rounds.  Once I got it in the right part of the green with my aproach in rounds 3 and 4 I made birdie and eagle.[/b]


What kind of distance did you have into the green on 8? (my favorite hole on the course).  I could never figure out the right line off the tee on that hole.  I aimed left the first time and wound up in the dirt next to the fence.  I went at the 150 marker the 2nd time and was in the fairway with a tree in my way about 180 from the middle of the green.  Then, thinking too much, I topped it the third time.


#8 is a great hole but man did I want to blow it up during the third round.  It is a 439 yard par-4 and it played 4.48 for the week.  I played it in two over for the week with a double in the 3rd round and the rest pars.  The pars were unbelievable ones too!  I hit the green twice in regulation for the week and one was from DEEP in the trees right and the other was from the right side of the fairway from 180 and I had to hit a 40 yard slice while aiming OB left with a 6 iron to get it on the green.  

I had a tough time driving the ball on #8.  It was the one shot all week that my mind dreaded.  My cornhole would pucker up walking up to the tee from #7.  I wasn't carrying a 3-wood for the week, only a driver and a hybrid 2-iron.  Driver was too much so I hit 2-iron each day and it wasn't enough club.  I couldn't get it far enough down the fairway to open up the angle to the green unless I flat out ripped it and with all the trouble I couldn't get myself to smash it.  In the 3rd round, in which I double bogeyed the hole, I hit the one good tee shot of the week on that hole for me.  Unfortunately, my ball picked up a significant amount of mud on the the right side of the ball and my second shot sliced heavily into the water.  Great hole but I was relieved when I was done with it each day.
[/i]


I looked it up and saw you made it through on the number.  I assume the pin was left on 17.  Did you just hit it to the middle and putt or did you try and get it close at that point?


The pin on #17 was front and slightly right of center for the final round.  I hit it 30 feet behind the hole and two-putted for par.  I decided in the practice rounds that I was not going to challenge any pin neasr the front edge of the putting green.  Too risky.  I bogeyed it the first day because I hit it just over the back and didn't get up and down.  Otherwise, I tried to hit my tee shot past the flag  each round and attempt to two putt.  

The reason I played well is I never bogeyed the same hole twice and I had 105 putts for the week.  I actually played the front nine in -5 and the back in -2 which was opposite to most of the other players.  I did make it on the number and had to par the last 8 holes to make it.  I made 5 putts in those eight holes from 3-5 feet that I will never be able to describe to you what I was thinking or feeling during them.  It is undescribable.  You are almost watching yourself perform at that point, like an out of body experience.  You have to trust your skills and body to take over and do the work because mentally you are shitting yourself.

Jeff F.

[Jeff Fortson]

I really enjoyed the short dogleg left up the hill hole on the front nine - really fun green and an interesting hole.  The longer par 4 that followed with water all down the right and somewhat in front was also good; it played into the wind and was well designed.  A faded long iron could bounce onto the green.

Jeff, you're right about the back nine, even I found some of the par 4s there to be on the short side.  Of course I played from the whites!

Those were some original RTJ aircraft carrier tees, no?

Bill,

That hole on the front you speak of is #6 and it is a wonderful hole.  I parred it everyday.  2-iron to the right side of the fairway and 8 or 9-iron to the green.  I had to get up and down once, I think in the first round.

Yes, the course does have it's fair share of USS RTJ carrier tees.  They don't bother me as much as they do some on here.  Obviously, I'd design them a little different but I'm sure the super likes them.  You can almost always find a good patch of grass for the tee markers!


Jeff F.

[Jason Topp]

Jeff - Thank you!  It is comforting to know 8 tee caused you problems as well.

[John_Cullum]

I suggest some fairly authentic Mexican food at Las Trancas on the west-side service road off the I-19.  I ate there twice and it was very good.

I would think that if its an hour south of Tucson, you could enjoy some fairly authentic mexican food in Mexico.