Dan1499450

There are a lot of positives about Rio Secco from the views to the conditions to the variety of holes. But all of that was overshadowed by the lack of decision making. Hit the fairway then aim for the middle of the green, repeat. Missing a fairway was almost certainly a lost ball, so challenging one side or the other was not an option, and wouldn’t have created an advantage.

The round never had a relaxing escape feel to it (see Shadow Creek). It was a stern test of consistent ball striking.

Rio Secco is the right answer for certain players, but not for me.

We actually considered playing a second round as we walked off 18, it’s that great. Considering our round of drinks and dinner later that night was $500, paying that for golf isn’t so ridiculous.

The entire experience is fun and relaxing. Any golfer can enjoy a day on SHadow Creek.

If you’re going to take time to play golf in Paradise, shouldn’t it be something unique. C+C at their best. Created a course that can host a pro tournament, and more importantly, is playable and fun for the amateur golfer. Generous fairways, multiple angles for approach, just enough character to the greens to make you smile. This was never designed to be a walking course, so accept it and enjoy the ride. We caught a headwind on 17 and 18 and still finished with a smile. All the other courses on the island could be found on the mainland. This is a must play original on Maui!

Great course. Required decision making from the tee on most every hole. Rewarded bold shots with better approaches, but gave the mis-hit a chance to recover and avoid big numbers. The only poor conditions I recall were the first 40 yards off the tee boxes or on the edges of a few fairways (60 yard wide fairway, so what are you doing over there anyways!). A must play for anyone that values golf course architecture. A must play even before you factor in the price!