Got a rare Tuesday off so got a buddy and headed to Rio Hondo. This course has always proven problematic for me as it's quite narrow and it's easy to get in the tree trouble, but I felt like taking up... Continue »

Got a rare Tuesday off so got a buddy and headed to Rio Hondo. This course has always proven problematic for me as it's quite narrow and it's easy to get in the tree trouble, but I felt like taking up the challenge. Got a $41 rate with cart online for an 11:16 tee time. Fairways after the first two holes are in fine shape (holes 1 & 2 severely punched). Always good lies and not too many dry areas at all - excellent coverage. The rough is thick and penal - if that's good or bad depends on you. Tee boxes showed some wear and tear but no major complaints. The greens had a few too many ball marks from careless golfers, but otherwise were in fine shape. They were mostly receptive to good approach shots and rolled true all day. Took my buddy a few holes to get the speed down. He was also impressed with how lush the course was and considered it a fine deal at that price - I concur. We had the first 4 holes to ourselves, then got stuck behind a very slow foursome until they let us by on the par 3 7th, then smooth sailing all day, finishing in 3 hours and 15 minutes. And best part was exorcising past demons of playing here with a solid 89 for me. Great day and a very good facility.

Always enjoy playing this course. I thought the condition was for the most part pretty decent. Greens rolled well, fairways were good, although some brown areas. Some of the rough needed a little "tr... Continue »

Always enjoy playing this course. I thought the condition was for the most part pretty decent. Greens rolled well, fairways were good, although some brown areas. Some of the rough needed a little "trimming" as it was rather inconsistent in length.

Pace was not an issue as I was off early. Staff was pleasant as usual. Every time I play here I remember what this course was like before they renovated it back in the 70's, night and day difference. (For the better)

Rio Hondo
Played Rio on Thursday 7/9 with Martin (lgsx) and his dad.
Course conditions are good. Got out before a tourney and actually played in a little over 4.5 hours. Backed up on the last two ... Continue »

Rio Hondo
Played Rio on Thursday 7/9 with Martin (lgsx) and his dad.
Course conditions are good. Got out before a tourney and actually played in a little over 4.5 hours. Backed up on the last two holes? Weird.
Tee boxes - were in good shape, fairways were in great shape as well. Greens looked really good, smooth and running a good medium speed.
Rough was different in areas. Some areas light rough and some very spongy, that is due to the grass in the areas.
Overall it is still one of the better course in the area. When it comes to conditions, consistency and overall golf. Fun course.

I Hate to let this News Out, but when we arrived for our 5:56am Tee Time today on 6/24, we were told about the special price of $35.00 per person including cart for this month. That was a real great ... Continue »

I Hate to let this News Out, but when we arrived for our 5:56am Tee Time today on 6/24, we were told about the special price of $35.00 per person including cart for this month. That was a real great way to start out the day. The staff at this course should be commended for having in course in such wonderful shape and condition. Every hole was in perfect. Considering the weather conditions and water restrictions the grounds crew has gone above and beyond. Playing early avoids the crowds and let you get around this course in a very reasonable amount of time. Looking forward to another early round at Rio Hondo soon.

got a deal on golfnow played for $25 w/ a cart at 130 or so. got paired up with 2 other guys. we ended getting stuck behind a 2some and a 3some. the front 9 was SLOW. the way the course is set up does... Continue »

got a deal on golfnow played for $25 w/ a cart at 130 or so. got paired up with 2 other guys. we ended getting stuck behind a 2some and a 3some. the front 9 was SLOW. the way the course is set up doesnt help. short par 4 2 par 3s one short next one way long. the 2 guys i was paired with bailed after 11 so i had to play one hole alone before pairing up with the 4some behind me.
Overall the pace was terrible but the course itself was in great shape and it was fun yet challenging. I will definitely play again.

Played Sunday 5/2 scheduled as a foursome for 9:56 but got off 20 minutes or so later due to a generally stacked, but orderly, first tee. We were a little behind by end of the day, but it was about fi... Continue »

Played Sunday 5/2 scheduled as a foursome for 9:56 but got off 20 minutes or so later due to a generally stacked, but orderly, first tee. We were a little behind by end of the day, but it was about five hours on a busy course. Not too bad and probably expected on a nice Sunday. In light of a couple of recent reviews, main thing to mention here is the greens, as this is the first review after punching. They probably need another week before most visual indications of aeration are gone, but I thought they putted better than they looked. They rolled true enough, with no surprise changes of direction, and at a nice quick pace. That's quick, not touchy or scary fast, but a step above medium. Personally, it's a speed I like. I recall all tee boxes as being pretty level with most adequate or better in coverage, while a couple were a little sparse or beaten up due to the optimum teeing position being from a specific location. Bare spots could be found on some fairways, but limited and most fairways were well covered but firm with a good bit of rollout. Course is built on a small footprint so I think some of its defense is the narrowness of many of the fairways. Missed most bunkers but they looked good. I was in one fairway bunker and the ball sat up on slightly firm sand. The rough generally offered you a good recovery opportunity. Overall, a flat course, good for walking, mounding has been implemented throughout (mainly parallel to fairways) to create visual and sometimes strategic interest. The non-resident price bump makes it a little pricey for what it is on the weekends, but if you are flexible about when you can get by here, like a weekday, it can be a good deal. If you are used to playing weekends and the accompanying rates, it may faze you less. It also has a nice clubhouse and bar. I'm not here often, but I had an enjoyable day of it and will eventually be back.

A recent post asking about Rio Hondo and dconnelly's positive reviews brought me out to Downey this Friday morning. I put my name on the waiting list at 6:20 and was on the first tee at 6:45, paid $3... Continue »

A recent post asking about Rio Hondo and dconnelly's positive reviews brought me out to Downey this Friday morning. I put my name on the waiting list at 6:20 and was on the first tee at 6:45, paid $39 walking. Starter Steve doing a fine job behind the counter, he knew every guy that walked in the Pro shop so there are a lot of regulars who play there, and that's who he hooked me up with: 3 super nice retired guys. Conditions at Hondo are overall very good to excellent, I was very impressed. Greens are tight Poa ready to be punched (4/13), they rolled quick and true. Fairways are coming-out-of-dormancy Bermuda so you have to get ball first, rough very playable but the ball can settle which poses a challenge. Bunkers excellent. We got around in 4 hrs but it should have been a half hour faster ... the group ahead of us was two behind on the back side. Not a bad thing to say about this course right now, just a few tee boxes needing work and some thin areas in the fairways to avoid is all. Okay, so there are some rough edges here and there, and several parallel fairways (you hear FORE! a lot), but otherwise it's kinda got a country club-ish feel. Grass is mostly green and full, and there's some nice landscaping throughout the course. The Maintenance team deserves some kudos. One more complaint and, again, it is a minor one: a layout flaw I'm not crazy about at Hondo are the back-to-back par 5's and par 3's on the front. It seems that could have been avoided during design, but oh well. The positives clearly out weigh the negatives. So, as DC sez, highly recommended ... until 4/13.

Played here again this morning at 7:45 in an SCGA qualifier - POP great on the front but ground to a halt on the back as we ran into the late teeoff times of the split field - overall 4.5+. Perfect we... Continue »

Played here again this morning at 7:45 in an SCGA qualifier - POP great on the front but ground to a halt on the back as we ran into the late teeoff times of the split field - overall 4.5+. Perfect weather - warm, clear, and no wind, course was just laying there to be had. Greens a little too firm and got really quick as they dried out. Fairway lies were 90% good, rough was cut short and very playable. Wasn't in the sand but it looked good and playing partners didn't have complaints. Still some tees that need leveling, and par 3 tees still very torn up. Staff had the whole course looking great, coot damage was minimal, saw the cart girl a couple times. Highly recommended right now.

Played on a perfect weather day at 11AM on Wednesday, 3/4/15, that GKer stickboy booked as a Golfnow Hot Deal, so $35 fee was great. Sunny, warm, and wind didn’t ever affect any shots. Joined by GKers... Continue »

Played on a perfect weather day at 11AM on Wednesday, 3/4/15, that GKer stickboy booked as a Golfnow Hot Deal, so $35 fee was great. Sunny, warm, and wind didn’t ever affect any shots. Joined by GKers Nickesquire and walnutgolf (the latter’s first time here) and had an enjoyable round. Never saw anyone in front of us and managed to stay ahead of the hard-charging group behind to finish in 4+ hours. I was reminded why I don’t play here often – traffic coming up the 5 was heavy and there’s a lot of construction. Going home was also busy but not as bad as I thought it might be.

Course is in overall pretty good shape. Greens are firm and tight, holding only high shots, and rolling well at medium-fast speed. We saw the usual unhappy number of old and new ballmarks waiting for repair. Pins on several greens were in difficult locations, especially front pins behind bunkers. In general, I think the greens are slopy and tend to break more than you read, especially to the southwest.

Lies in the fairways were about 50/50 as to whether the ball sat down – grass is thin and dormant and patchy. All fairways had areas where a lot of divot damage was unrepaired. Rough is cut low and generally benign, and lies can be better than in the fairway. Traps have generally good coverage, but only a thin playable layer over a packed damp base, making it very difficult to get the wedge under without bouncing into the ball. And the usual number of unraked footprints, slashes, etc. Tees could use quite a bit of work – many are pretty torn up, and many also have uneven or sloping surfaces, and not just the par 3s.

Staff was friendly, saw the cart girl several times. No bag service at either end, just lug your own. Recommended.