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