Was invited to play RH for a noon tee time on Friday 6/23 and was reluctant to do so largely because of the heat, the reviews and comments from some of my friends. I decided to go as I have never play... Continue »

Was invited to play RH for a noon tee time on Friday 6/23 and was reluctant to do so largely because of the heat, the reviews and comments from some of my friends. I decided to go as I have never played here before, at least not since it was redone what? about 20 years ago? I’m glad I did as I was pleasantly surprised. I guess I was expecting the worse and it was better than what I expected? No, not really. I enjoyed this course and would rate it higher than the previous reviews from our GK colleagues.

Overall, not a real long course and it is a muni. The fairways however were in very nice condition. It was heavy kikuyu but was cut down pretty low so the ball sat up pretty nice. Some dry areas but not very many. Sand was in good shape as well. Not much rough as it was cut down a bit as well so getting out was not difficult. Tee boxes were a bit thrashed but can’t say it was different than any other course I have recently played.

The greens were soft. They were smooth and rolled true but not very fast. A bit on the slow side particularly as the day progressed.

I enjoyed playing here. $52 to ride seemed a bit high for a muni but there are a good mix of long and short par 4’s. Opening hole played to about 410 from the blues. A couple of nice dog legs are mixed in so you need to hit to a good spot to approach the green. Par 3’s are challenging as well. #8 played 239 yards for us on this day.

We had a late lunch/dinner in the restaurant and it was pretty good. They have a very nice bar overlooking a couple of the holes. Nice!

This is not on my “hurry up and play again real soon list” but I would definitely like to come back give it go. Overall I was impressed and would recommend.

Played a midweek twilight round at Rio Hondo this week and was left a little underwhelmed at what I normally expect to be a pretty nice experience. Don't get me wrong - it's far from terrible, but Rio... Continue »

Played a midweek twilight round at Rio Hondo this week and was left a little underwhelmed at what I normally expect to be a pretty nice experience. Don't get me wrong - it's far from terrible, but Rio Hondo has a reputation of being one of the best kept Munis in LA county, and it simply fell short of its normal lofty standards.

I was surprised to see the fairways so dried out and thin in many spots. They were also recently punched in many areas and have not come near recuperating fully yet. The greens were also still on their way back from aeration it appeared, but even more annoying were the high number of ball marks on the greens from lazy golfers.

The rough was actually very playable and often better than the fairways. The tee boxes were okay - nothing too serious to criticize there. Maybe could be a little more lush, but they were fine. Bunkers were a mixed bag depending on which hole you were on throughout.

POP was a very fine 3.5 hours or so after bypassing a lesson group on the first hole and joining another solo player without anyone in front of us from the third hole until 14 when I caught up with a group in front of me and play came to a screeching halt. I played pretty poorly around the greens so that probably didn't help my assessment of the course, but I do know that Rio Hondo in poor shape is definitely an anomaly and I won't be surprised for them to be back in top shape in a few weeks or less.

I was able to get a single time at Hondo for Sunday AM on Sat, cool. $50 walking, non-res with a 4:15 PoP, not too shabby. What was shabby were the putting surfaces on all the greens. Pro shop guy ... Continue »

I was able to get a single time at Hondo for Sunday AM on Sat, cool. $50 walking, non-res with a 4:15 PoP, not too shabby. What was shabby were the putting surfaces on all the greens. Pro shop guy said they were back to normal after punching early April ... he lied. Actually, they just need a cut and a roll, but today they were slow, bumpy, and just plain fuzzy. The rest of the course is fine, lot's of pine needs anywhere near a Pine tree with drying out fairways and green rough. In a couple GS bunkers: thin cover but playable. I don't play here often, the layout can be a bit boring with lots of parallel fairways, but the greens are usually quick and putt nice ... just not today.

Played Rio Hondo 4/2 at 7:00 am as part of a good friend's weekly group.
Played blue tees. Most tee boxes were good, a few placed in spots that weren't level.
Fairways had great coverage, nice lies... Continue »

Played Rio Hondo 4/2 at 7:00 am as part of a good friend's weekly group.
Played blue tees. Most tee boxes were good, a few placed in spots that weren't level.
Fairways had great coverage, nice lies on the few I actually hit. Rough was patchy in spots, thick in others. Was in a couple spots where thick rough plus morning dew meant tough shot. Bunkers were much better than I remember in the past-and I was in enough of them to know! Fairway bunkers were firmer than greenside, as they should be. Nice, fluffy sand in greenside bunkers. I'm not a great bunker player, but had no problems getting out. Greens were in really good shape. Slower early due to water, but dried up later in the round and rolled true at medium speed. A little surprised they were in such good shape given the amount of play this course gets as well as the fact they are punching them this week-my experience has been courses sort of neglect the greens the week before punching.
The more I play this course, the more I like it.

Played today in an SCGA qualifier. Course in good condition - greens firm, only hold wedges, roll medium-fast. Good lies in fairways, rough generally 1-2 inches. Good quality sand, though damp. Tees g... Continue »

Played today in an SCGA qualifier. Course in good condition - greens firm, only hold wedges, roll medium-fast. Good lies in fairways, rough generally 1-2 inches. Good quality sand, though damp. Tees generally OK - some issues with level, and divots on par-3s. Cart girl out roaming, snack bar at the turn. Lots of maintenance going on, and workers sometimes drive into your group while hitting. Range on mats but good quality. Recommended.

Played Rio Hondo yesterday. It's been about a year and a half since playing the course. As is many of the courses lately all the rain we've had has surely "greened" everything up. The Course was in wo... Continue »

Played Rio Hondo yesterday. It's been about a year and a half since playing the course. As is many of the courses lately all the rain we've had has surely "greened" everything up. The Course was in wonderful shape. We were early for our tee time and starter said he'd try to get us out early. The staff here is pretty nice all around. This course gets a lot of play but seems to hold up very well. Some tight lies in the fairways but otherwise your ball sat up pretty well. Greens fairly firm and rolled pretty quick. Sandtraps were outstanding for a Muni, nice and fluffy. Enjoyable round.

Played here early on Presidents' Day with three friends for $62 with carts. I usually like to walk Rio but decided to ride with my group. Rio has always been my "go to" course due to conditions, proxi... Continue »

Played here early on Presidents' Day with three friends for $62 with carts. I usually like to walk Rio but decided to ride with my group. Rio has always been my "go to" course due to conditions, proximity, and pace. I think this is a $40-50 dollar course all day but anything above that is a stretch.
Now on the conditions....the greens are still the best part and are always in great shape. The fairways are usually green but thin and this time they were a little patchy due to all the rains. The rough was patchy as well and the sand traps were pretty beat up and still had water in many. The pace of play was great at 4 hours and we always enjoy coming back here. The front nine always seems to play 3 shots tougher than the back but both nines are fun. Once Rio dries up it should get back in prime shape but I would give it some time.

Played here on Thursday, 2/16, one week after my previous review. Course is in excellent shape. We started at 9:15am and finished around 2pm, so POP was a little long. Waiting on the tees quite a bit ... Continue »

Played here on Thursday, 2/16, one week after my previous review. Course is in excellent shape. We started at 9:15am and finished around 2pm, so POP was a little long. Waiting on the tees quite a bit actually.
The course is in great shape though.
Tee boxes flat with good coverage.
Fairways were great. Not wet or soggy. Not sure what they do differently than other courses.
Fairways with the normal thin, tight lies expected at Rio. But really playable.
Rough has been maintained nicely through the storm. While a little thicker than usual, still very playable, and not too penalizing.
Bunkers were consistent and very playable. None had standing water either. They looked good.
Greens were decent. A little bumpy. But rolled pretty good.
Rough around the green was decently maininted too. Lots of good lies to chip/pitch from.

Overall, Rio Hondo is in great shape. This past storm on 2/17-2/18 might make it wet again, but once it clears up and dries out, Rio could vie for best conditioned course at that point.

Out early at Rio Hondo. I always enjoy playing this course because it is generally in good condition and has a nice variety of holes. Because I was out very early did not have any of the pace issues... Continue »

Out early at Rio Hondo. I always enjoy playing this course because it is generally in good condition and has a nice variety of holes. Because I was out very early did not have any of the pace issues noted in the prior review. While the course was in nice shape, I could not justify a "9" rating. The greens rolled really well and were very receptive. As expected, everything was green and lush. I still find this course a little on the "pricey" side for where it is and what you get.

I remember what this course was like prior to it's renovation. This was probably the best redesign I have ever seen. If it were closer, I'd play it more often.