Rio Rico Golf Club

This course is conditioned horribly and they know it, which is why they have reduced fees. BUT, I have played here a few times each of the last 6 years and since Nov 2015 I have seen very little progress to bring the course back. The lady in the Pro Shop says we are making "baby steps". Well, that's a joke because I found the entire course, especially the greens, in worse condition now, Mar 2016 than in Nov 2015. I have worked on and built courses and whomever is "trying" at Rio Rico has no clue as to what or how to manage/maintain the facility. Is a real shame, because the course design is fabulous. I watched the other day them watering and wasting water because the sprinkler heads are virtually aimed in the wrong direction. Overall, it's obvious that whomever owns this course has no money and no talent. Only way to save the greens is to dig down 8 inches, remove all and completely rebuild. The staff who are mowing the greens have no surface to mow and are mowing at an inch high. Top dressing and fill cannot fix the problem. The tees and fairways are sooo bad, any reseeding and watering is a lost effort. Such a crime to see a beautiful piece of property turned into a cattle ranch. I am very disappointed and angry to see such awful attention to quality.

The course is definitely not in good shape however, the new owners and staff are working hard to bring the course back to its former glory. We golfed the course twice in two weeks (primarily because of the reduced green fees) and noticed an improvement on our second visit. Having said that the green fees are more than fair given the condition of the course. The staff are courteous and helpful and the prices in the bar and dining room very reasonable. The scenery is fabulous and if the hard work pays off -- hopefully this course will realize its potential.

OK, to be totally fair we played at arguably the worst time of the year...the overseeded rye was dying out somewhat and the bermuda was totally dormant. The layout was pure RTJ - well constructed holes with hazards well placed. The greens were contoured nicely although they truly were unputtable. The fairways were sparse without any bermuda and the ball rolled forever. My understanding was this course essentially went belly up (I am not convinced the demographics could support it) and has just been purchased. It was obvious that the new owners are working at bringing it back but it looks to me like it will be sometime before it returns to what it was intended to be. It may benefit greatly by the upcoming monsoon season because it was too dry although there were at least two maintenance people syringing the greens. I will drive by the course on my next trip to the area before booking a tee time - oh, it was not expensive to play...$30 included a really nice lunch with 6 or 7 choices. The staff was really friendly. It's a shame to see a great layout like this in this kind of shape - I sure hope they are successful. It did take me a while to not recommend the course unless you are like me and wanted to see another RTJ layout.

Staff were very friendly and helpful. Course was in good shape. My game had the usual mix of good, ok and bad shots but that is not the courses fault. We had a wonderful day at Rio Rico.

I have never seen a golf course in such bad condition. Fairways are cow pastures, and greens are such that they are so bad that I could even begin to describe them. it is criminal that management would allow unsuspecting golfers to pay for their round without advising them of the conditions..

read a lot of reviews about this course and most were unplayable greens. 1. greens are unplayable. 2. fairway is unplayable. 3. cart paths are undriveable. 4. grounds are unappealing, un maintained. I realize new owners have taken over a year or more ago and are trying but this golf course will not be supported by a community of 19k. maybe in 5 years I might come back. I payed $25 and live in marana and was not worth the drive. ah last but not least, to drown our sorrows we were told happy hour was great, yup a whopping 50 cents off the beer. I wish these people the best in the future but not any time soon will we be back. the 3 of us agreed this was the worst golf outing.

I have wintered in this area for three years and have been warned to avoid Rio Rico because "it's in such terrible shape". Well, we gave it a try because it was so reasonably priced, We were pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's in rough shape, but it looks like the current owners are trying to bring it back to life on what is probably a very limited budget because of the limited play it gets.

The design of the course is first rate. So pay a visit; have the place all to yourself; move your ball to a grassy lie; keep your sense of humor about the odd bounces and bumps on the greens; and have a fun day at a price that likely less than the cost of a few drinks after your round.

I played Rio Rico twice in Feb. 2016. The Robert Trent Jones designed course is very well laid out with interesting, challenging holes. Previous owners had let it deteriorate, and the greens, especially, need a great deal more work. The current owners are committed to returning it to its former condition, and they are receiving and following the advice of agronomists from Arizona State University. More play and more revenues will enable the owners to put additional money into improving course conditions. My brother plays there frequently, and he and I are grateful to the owners for taking on this worthwhile reclamation project. I expect course conditions to be much improved when I return to Rio Rico in 2017!

Greens are HORRIBLE!!! I don't expect a lot for $26, but I should at least be able get the ball to roll instead of bounce to the hole.

I have played the course a number of times over the years and enjoy the layout. It is first and for most a golf course, as apposed to a housing development that accommodates a golf course. If the owners invest enough to bring the greens back to even average condition the course will get the play it deserves. As it is, forget about putting but enjoy getting to the greens. There are multiple tees to choose from. The practise area also leaves a lot to be desired. The restaurant and pro-shop are first rate. I can't wait to see if over the coming months, the course gets the TLC from ownership it deserves .

Course is terrible condition

I play for the fun of it and usually don't keep score. Very rough greens keep most people away, but I love the layout of the course. I play slow and with few other players I had a great day, and did not care it took an extra putt.

Greens are in very poor shape and uncovering putt able in several cases
Played this course several years and times never have seen it this bad sorry to report

Worst maintained course I've played on in years. Tee boxes and fairways were marginally adequate but greens were horrible - bumpy and rutty with debris on some greens. Member of foursome hadn't played there in 25 years, out of area etc., said it would be 25 years until he returned - maybe. Two other members of foursome remembered the course as well maintained and a pleasure to play - they both were very disappointed.

I have played this course many times over the years, but now it has come on hard times. It is better than it was 9 months ago, and even better than 2 months ago. But it still needs work. I know it is a work in progress, but the fairways are still like a cow pasture and the greens are very pebblely. At least the fairways were mowed from side to side, and the there were no temporary greens like 2 months ago.

Rio Rico is worth the drive from Green Valley, price is right, food quite good, staff very friendly. The course needs work, esp the greens on the front nine but as the course recovers from the flooding it had, over all not too bad.

Rio Rico has great potential. It is under new ownership, and they wish to bring it back to its
potential. The layout/design of the course is
terrific, as you would expect from a Robert Trent Jones course. I hope to play again, and hope the greens are in better shape.

The worst conditioned course I have ever played...to say it is a cow pasture is insulting to cow pastures. I predict the course will not be in business this time next year and what a shame because it has potential to be an excellent track....BLT at the turn was superb!!

greens were very rough. Duck droppings all over several greens making putts was difficult but not impossible. I would play course again.

We were told that overseeding had not yet occurred, and it became very apparent one we hit the course. At times, it was difficult to identify the fairway because the brown form the rough blended into the brown of the fairway. The greens were definitely green... with many patches sand, and weeds. I've never seen a golf ball bounce along on a green like those yesterday: it was like putting on a washboard. Throw in the number of ball washers that were dry, and drinking fountains not working, and it made for a challenging, and less-than-enjoyable time for our threesome.