Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 4-6

Hole 4 Par 4

396 | 381 |351 | 331 yards

The fourth hole plays slightly left off the tee.  The fairway is framed by sloping hills again on either side.  Once again sets of bunkers sit on either side of the fairway in the typical landing spot.

Not a long hole, I opted to hit a 4 wood to keep short of the bunker trouble off the tee and had around 150 in on my next shot.

Hitting into the green requires precision with 2 deep bunkers that await any balls off the mark.  A third bunker sits deeper on the right.  Going long here is killer, with a severe slope behind the green running into the desert beyond.

Hole 5 Par 5

595 | 577 | 547 | 476 yards

The first par 5 of the day is a long double dog leg.  Off the tee the hole plays straight out at a bunker complex before turning off to the left.  The first of those bunkers are reachable at around 280 yards.  You can play away from them and try to cut some of the corner on the left, but that brings a bunker into play should you fail to carry that.  it also brings decidedly more hazard into play as thick vegetation runs all the way up the left side.

 I again opted to not hit driver off the tee and just play a 4 wood short of the bunkers.  On your next shot, the hole turns back right.  You will likely need to fly your shot over the right side green complex on this second shot.  The landing area for your second shot is very generous, provided you miss the vegetation off to the extreme left.

Your shot into the green needs to avoid a long bunker short left that winds up to the front of the green.

This green is fairly deep and slopes from back to front.  Misses here have to be to the right, as the hole falls off to the left to the desert.  This shot was taken fro the right side of the green on the cart path.

Hole 6 Par 4

409 | 395 | 355 | 332 yards

A lovely view awaits you on the elevated tee of the 6th hole.  A dogleg right, with trouble running down the right side.

Once again this hole turns a little short of being able to hit driver.  Playing driver here can mean hitting through the fairway and up[onto the mounding on the left side.  Once again I opted for my 4 wood, leaving me around 120 on my second shot.

This hole plays uphill  from tee to green so factor that in as you play it.

Once you turn the corner on the dogleg, you must avoid the deep bunkers that sit short on either side of the green. Also, avoid going right where the hole falls of to the desert.

Also, avoid hitting long into the green as it also drops off.

A view back down the hole from the green shows how the hole plays uphill.  Another nice view of Vegas can be had in the distance.

Rio Secco Golf Club Introduction
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 1-3
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 7-9
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 10-12
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 13-15
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 16-18

Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 1-3

Hole 1 Par 4

429 | 406 | 379 | 351 yards

I think the opening left dogleg typifies the kind of golf you will face during your round.  Rio Secco offers generous landing zones off the tees but also tempers those with areas you do not want to go.  This is also true of approaches into greens, and also the greens themselves.

On the first hole this means avoiding the long bunker that runs down the left side of the fairway.  Down the right side, the hole is much more inviting, with sloping mounds that can keep wayward shots from getting into too much trouble.

The hole is framed on either side by a gravely desert border with nicely tended flora, common to most of the holes here.

In the distance you will get a great view of the mountains that rise up off the desert floor.  These will be your common background for a lot of the round.  Rio Secco is elevated above Las Vegas proper, and playing here offers some great vistas of Vegas and the strip in the distance.

The fairway rises as it wraps around the bunkers sitting on the corner of the dogleg.  Hitting down into this bunker or onto one of the steep banks can lead to a very difficult to reach shot to the green on your next hit.

I was able to fly those bunkers with a well stuck tee, even so there is a stip of rough with mounding that separates the main fairway on the right, with another small section of fairway that is hidden behind the bunker.

The approach into the green must avoid the trouble that lurks down the right side.  The green falls off on that side into a pair of bunkers that wrap around the front and entire right side of the green.  Missing left on your approach is much less penal.  This green slopes back to front and has 3 small levels.  Hitting to the correct portion of the green is important today in order to avoid having some nasty putts.

Behind this hole is your first great view of the Vegas strip. The second hole is to the left, while turning to the right takes you to the Harmon school.

Hole 2 Par 4

489 | 460 | 436 | 407 yards

If the first hole led you to believe you might ease into your round, the second hole comes along to change that.  This is the number one handicap on the course.  Impressive landscaping awaits as you walk up to the tee.

From the tees you are faced with a long but straight away hole.  Hills slope in on either side of the hole.  At the base of these hills sit a trio of large bunkers on either side of the fairway.  I suspect this trouble off the tee leads to a lot of this hole's difficulty.

I got lucky and hit my tee ball right down the center of the hole, avoiding the sand.

The second shot does not let up for you.  While playing slightly downhill it is still a longer approach in.  I had 175 yards in after my tee shot.  Aside from the length, The green is surrounded on both sides by large deep bunkers.

At least the font of the green is open, allowing those who need to run it up be able to do so.

A view from the cart path shows the large bunkers that protect the second green.

A pretty view looking back down the hole.  I was happy to have gotten through these first 2 holes even.

Hole 3 Par 3

180 | 166 | 139 | 110 yards

Maybe one of the more famous holes on the course is the first par 3 of the day.  A forced carry over a ravine is required here.

 Your target is an island of green surrounded by sand and desert.  For those lucky enough to carry the canyon you must also avoid the bunker that runs between the desert and the green.

Take a moment to look at the views behind the tee here.

The green is some 30+ yards wide but is fairly shallow.  This shot taken from behind and to the right (as you look from the tee) shows its size.  You can also see that narrow bunker sitting between the green and the canyon.

I didn't hit the best tee shot here, or maybe misclubbed.  I cleared the canyon, but just barely.  Luckily I missed the bunker, landing in the rough shown in the far left on this photo.

Rio Secco Golf Club Introduction
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 4-6
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 7-9
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 10-12
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 13-15
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 16-18

Rio Secco Golf Club Introduction

Las Vegas has attracted throngs of people willing to throw down their money on the gamble of winning ever since the first casino opened in the 1930s.  All that cash has to go someplace, and the suburb of Henderson appears to be where a lot of it ends up.

Driving to Rio Secco, the thing you will notice about the surrounding neighborhood is it doesn't feel like you are in the desert.  Lush manicured lawns and flower lined boulevards are the norm here, with nary a view of sand anywhere.  This is the high life in Vegas and right in the middle of it is the great track, Rio Secco.

Rio Secco opened in 1997 after being designed by Reese Jones.  Opening to rave reviews, it has consistently been rated as a top Nevada course.  Perhaps its biggest claim to fame is it is home to the Butch Harmon school of golf.  For just $6500 you can get 3 days of instruction here.  They will even throw in lodging!

With Rio's reputation and proximity to Sin City, it has routinely attracted big names to play here.  The Harmon school also draws them in.  In fact the course record (64) is held by several people, including one Tiger Woods, who shot his 64 a week before going on to destroy the field in the U.S. Open in 2000 by 15 strokes.

Playing here is not cheap, but really nothing is in Vegas.  The fees in 2016 during the peak spring season was around $170.  That is actually quite favorable to the ultra-steep Vegas tracks like Shadow Creek with its head shaking $500 green fees.  Regardless, for the price you get a first class experience, from the parking lot attendants, to the optional "Teemates" that can make your round even more memorable.

The sprawling 37,000 sq. ft. clubhouse offers a nice restaurant and bar, along with a well stocked pro-shop and all the other goodies you would expect from a top tier facility.

Heading out after checking in you will find the practice putting green located behind and to the left of the clubhouse.  The green is a giant two tiered affair.  If the greens are fast (which they usually are) try to putt a ball from the upper right corner down to the lower right and while keeping your ball on the green.

Your attention on the putting green may be distracted by the monstrosity hanging over the top of the green.  This hovel was being built while I was there:

Like I said, lot o money around here.  In fact, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar has one of the largest shopping malls, er, houses I have ever seen adjacent to the course.  At 50,000 sq. ft. it makes the Rio Secco clubhouse seem cramped.  The manicured grounds are ridiculous too.  I forgot to take a picture, but here is an image from the google-verse:

Anyways, back to the course.  Moving up the hill from the putting green is where the driving range and snack bar are located.

The range is nice and I think brilliantly designed for desert golf with only islands of green to aim at.  Straight across from the normal range is the Harmon school.  Take a gander to see if you spot any famous people or players getting their swings tweaked over there.

The "snack bar" is a sizable structure with a nice area behind it, overlooking the clubhouse.  I assume this area with its pergolas is used for outdoor wedding ceremonies.

Anyways time for the golf!  In the words of Mr. Crossfield, let's get stuck in!

There are 4 tee options at Rio Secco.

Tees	Yardage	Slope	Rating
Black	7,313	75.0	153
Blue	6,927	73.0	149
White	6,356	70.7	136
Red	5,759	73.4	127

Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 1-3
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 4-6
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 7-9
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 10-12
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 13-15
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 16-18