Summary:   Value Rating = B-

The Rio Rico Country Club at Esplendor is a golf course with two personalities.  The front 9 is pretty plain and flat but gets more interesting on the 8th and 9th holes.  The back 9 is a much better golfing experience than the front 9.

The front 9 is wide open and you can’t get into much trouble.  Not a very interesting 9 holes to play.  The back 9 is a much better layout and design – you really will notice a difference and, like I did, will probably enjoy playing the back 9 much more than the front 9.  The back 9 is nestled up closer to the mountains with more elevation changes and rolling fairways.

We played the course in November 2007 and the course was in very good shape.  It is located south of Tucson (about 45 minutes) and Green Valley in Arizona.

The views along the course are very nice – some great views of the surrounding mountains.

The price we paid was reasonable for a course of this nature – $60 which included the cart – part of a golf discount package from the resort we stayed at in Green Valley during our trip.  Having played Rio Rico once already I would like to play the back 9 portion again but wouldn’t really go out of my way to play the course if I was able to play some of the other courses in the area – hence my lower rating. Check out their website at www.rioricoresort.com.

Play and Value Evaluation Rating Table

Refer to my evaluation criteria.

Some Details:

We were disappointed with the front 9 but my buddies and I did enjoy the more challenging and back 9.  At one point in time the 9’s were reversed because I have chatted with others who played the course and they indicated that you once did play what is now the back 9 first.

There is water to worry about on the front 9 but it isn’t really a problem.

Rio Rico is a bit different from some of the more desert conditions you’ll encounter in the Green Valley and Tucson area.  This part of Arizona is a bit more lush as you are at a higher elevation and it is a slight bit cooler in this area – hence it is greener and you don’t have as much cactus around as you have in the lower elevation areas.

The greens were fast requiring a good feel for longer putts.

My score was 89 which is my average score.  One of my golf buddies shot 83 the same day and his feeling was that it was a reasonably easy course for an average player.

You can easily walk the course.

The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Maybe think about playing the back 9 twice……would result in a really enjoyable round.

My Evaluation Details:

Scenery – nice views of the surrounding area.

Mix of holes – Just average with the back 9 offering more interest.

Consistency and condition – The course was well maintained and in great shape.

Character – as a whole view, just average but back 9 has way more character

Golf Challenge – the course does offer some challenges…..

• tee shots – plenty of room
• fairway shots – mostly flat lies everywhere, even in the rough.
• pin placements – nice size greens so many pin placement choices.
• putting – the greens were fast the day we played.
• greens – the condition of the greens was great.
• a chance to recover – you can almost always recover from an errant shot.

Other Observations

The practice green gives you a very good feel for what the greens are like on the course.

Like I noted earlier in this review – a course with two faces – front 9 just average, back 9 really nice.

Check out some of my photos.

Comments appreciated – contact me at Lane@lifepast50