Designed by Robert Tren Jones Snr, youd expect the layout to be good - it is. A championship course? Well that depends. The front 9 eases you into the game - fairly flat, relatively open, you get a chance to adjust to hitting the ball further. The elevation here at over 4000 ft allows your ball to fly further (watch the first short hole - 150 yds over water - it was the sand behind the green for me!) The back 9 - much more thinking required off the tee if you are to have a chance of making the green in regulation. The scenery & elevation changes also make for a more interesting 9 than the first. Course conditions - well, it is the middle of winter, so not at its best. The fairways were mixed - different types of grass prevelent in different places. You might find yourself with a lush lie (and less run) or get a hard bounce and have a pretty tight lie. Whichever lie you get, better make sure you can pitch in with backspin. The greens held if you came in with check - but if you scoop it on, itll run & take the breaks. Some holes are difficult to get the ball close to the hole (depending on where the pin is). They were smooth & true (apart from the unrepaired pitch marks) - Id rate them as very good. Off the blue tees, the short holes ranged from 150 to 180 yds - two over water, one surrounded by a bunker and the longest just straight uphill (and into the breeze) - a good assortment. Watch out for the 7th - the water comes in closer than is indicated on the plan - but is blind from the tee. 3 out of 4 of us drove into the water (only 1 thought they might be in trouble) - the balls fly long at Rio Rico! Condition of bunkers could improve around the edges, but the sand quality & consistency was good. Some parts of the course (near some of the tee boxes) look as though thay have seen better days but at the end of the day - will I go back? You bet - I intend going back there in the summer, when the trees have their foliage and the weather is about 20 degrees cooler than here in Phoenix. Pace of play was under 4 hrs (and the course was busy), I didnt try the bar & Grill but it looked quite good.

We played Rio Rico on a January day when the wind was blowing pretty good, making the course play rather difficult. Maintenance of the course appears to slack off during the winter, as no overseeding of greens or fairways were evident. The course is an older Robert Trent Jones Sr. layout, with the front side being flat, and offering mostly traditional type holes. Three sets of mens tees are offered, with the back(black) tees playing over 7,100 yards. We played the forward(white) tees, and they played tough enough, due to the windy conditions. The back nine looks like a different course, with much more elevation changes, and trees lining most of the holes(and offering some protection from the wind). The course would probably look and play a lot better in the spring, but at this time of year it would not be considered one of the better layouts in Southern Arizona. We were also somewhat disappointed that the Grill didnt offer anything more that a breakfast burrito for a morning meal.

I remember playing at Rio Rico, about an hour south of Tucson. Bring the wife, beautiful surroundings. On the way home, enjoy great Mexican food in South Tucson.