Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 16-18

Hole 16  Par 4

398 | 377 | 339 | 276 yards

The final three holes begin with a shorter par 4 that plays straight away.

Off the tee it is a bit intimidating with a relatively small landing area which is surrounded by desert scrub.  A desert wash runs across that hole as well about 120 yards from the green.  With the tight fairway and desert looming beyond, a driver here is probably not wise or needed.

The right side of the landing zone is sloped heavily back to the left, so a shot hit down the right may still find a safe kick to the center. Missing left offers no such advantage, as the hole falls off into the desert on this side.

Your approach shot must carry the wash that extends across the hole.  This is a great looking shot into a green that is surrounded on all sides by  dramatic cliffs.

The shot into the green needs to be fairly accurate.  There is room to miss short but if you stray too far left or right the desert comes into play.  Behind the green is some grass mounds to help hold shots in play.

As you head up to the 17th, you get a great vantage point to the 16th green and the Rio Secco sign that is prominently displayed behind the hole.

Hole 17 Par 3

516 | 485 | 460 | 446 yards

The 17th is another straight ahead hole.  This one is a par 5 but with a good drive, the green is reachable in two.

Off the tee you have a wide landing area.  There is a large bunker down the left side of the hole but it is off the fairway a bit and shouldn't be a hazard if you are relatively straight.  Another wash runs across the hole around 200 yards from the green and dividing the the hole for your second shot.

For your second shot you are offered another large landing zone, if you choose to play this as a 3 shot hole.  An enormous bunker runs up the left side of the hole almost 100 yards, and wraps around the left side of the green.  On the right, another bunker juts out, narrowing the fairway and framing the second shot landing area.  You want to play to no less than 75 yards to avoid that trap.

If you want to go for the green in 2 you must avoid that right side bunker and carry your ball all the way to the green, or play up the left side of the fairway where you can run the ball up onto that half of the green.

The approach is relatively flat into the green, making longer run-up approaches possible, provided you miss all the sand.

The large kidney shaped green is also pretty flat.  There is room to miss long and right here while avoiding the sand.

Hole 18 Par 5

634 | 601 | 576 | 521 yards

Another par 5 finishes up your round.  Off the tee you have a great view of the straight ahead par 5.  Beyond the green is another great last overlook of Vegas stretching out on the desert floor before the mountains in the distance rise up to the sky.

Your tee shot here needs to avoid the 2 large bunkers that sit on either side of the fairway.  A shot aimed ot the left edge of the casinos, and at the distant bunker is the safest play.

Another open shot to the green welcomes the long hitters.  A bunker does sit down the left side of the fairway at 200-100 yards from the green.  If you can avoid that there is room to miss beyond down the left side.

Another bunker plays in from the right just short of the green.  It doesn't really cover any of the hole and wont come into play if you find the fairway.  There is a small deep bunker down the left side of the green.

The approach into this green has a generous fairway corridor to run the ball up.  The green is slightly elevated in front so ball struck short may not make it all the way up to the green but it will be close.

You can see here that there is plenty of room to miss just short and left of the green.  This is the area over the top of that left fairway bunker that is in play from 200-100 yards out.

The green is slightly crowned on all sides so hitting the proper portion is important to prevent the ball from running off.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed my round out at Rio Secco.  Like all the courses I played on my trip, it is kept in really, really great shape.  I think that the price is a relative bargain compared to a lot of the other higher end daily pay courses in the area.

While I didn't sniff the chance for the million dollars on the 7th hole, I still felt like a winner.  The course offers a lot of variety in its design.  Particularly notable are the par 3s.  All 4 of these holes are well designed and offer a good deal of variety in both hazards and length.

My favorite holes were probably 3 with the forced carry of the ravine, 11 with its great tee shot view, the short but demanding 13th, and then the 15th and 16th with their greens tucked in among the cliffs.

While hole for hole, Rio Secco is not a scenic as the courses up north in Mesquite, it is a great deal for those who want to stick closer to Vegas. It offers a fair test, and if you are hitting it straight, the generous fairways should offer some good scoring opportunities.

I played as a single in the morning and after being allowed to play through the couple of groups that were ahead of me I got to the front of the line by the ninth hole.  I finished my round in just under 3 hours which you sure can't beat.

After the round I cashed in my 7th hole ticket for food and drink at the club house bar.  The Monterrey Chicken sandwich  I had was really good, as was the service.  I was the only one at the bar and the staff was very friendly and attentive.

What is my my most vivid memory of this round is unfortunately nothing to do with the golf.  While seated at the bar I received a text from my cousin that Prince had passed away.  I'm a Minnesotan who grew up with the songs of Prince.   A private concert I attended at Paisley Park still ranks as the greatest musical performance I have ever witnessed.

It was a sad way to end an otherwise great round of golf. 

Rio Secco
2851 Grand Hills Dr, Henderson, NV 89052
www.riosecco.net
702 777 2400.


Rio Secco Golf Club Introduction
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 13-15

Hole 13 Par 4

329 | 313 | 247 | 220 yards

One of the most memorable holes for me was this short par 4.  From the elevated tees you have a large fairway target to aim at before the hole rises again as it approaches the green.

Aiming for the green off the tee is a real possibility for long hitters but a myriad of bunkers guard the front slope of the hill prior to the putting surface.  The far more conventional play is to hit to about 100 yards out which will be to the heart of the landing area.

There are a couple of bunkers on either side of the fairway to watch out for off the tee.  Shots that stray wider can also easily find the desert.

The approach shot must avoid the bunkers.  It is better to be long than short, but an overshot ball can find a touch downhill shot to the green.

You can see how the slope in front will prevent anything hit short from reaching.  In the background is the next hole stretching off towards the green.

Hole 14 Par 4

432 | 413 | 365 | 335 yards

After what may be my favorite hole, the 13th, the next hole turned out be be probably my least favorite hole.  A sharp dogleg left, it features another elevated tee to a fairway landing area before turning left and heading towards the green.

I think a bit of a questionable design on this one forces a tee shot to the right of the large bunker.  Because of the turn of the hole, driver is also not a good option as you can hit through the fairway.  There really is not an option to cut the corner.  With a deep bunker protecting the corner it is hazardous to begin with, but the narrow strip of fairway over the bunker is virtually impossible to hit.  Not only that, but again the desert looms behind that ribbon of grass.

Despite the length of the hole, you are almost forced to hit to the center of the landing zone.  That leaves a long shot into the green.  A shot which also plays uphill and for my straight into the wind.

Your second shot must avoid the large slope to the right of the green that runs off into the desert.  There are also 2 large bunkers short of the green on that side.  Missing left is not much better as the desert runs fairly close up the entire left side of the fairway.  There is room to miss long here though.  A good thing since it is possible your second shot is going to be coming in from a long ways out.

Hole 15 Par 3

189 | 168 | 147 | 134 yards

The 15th is a pretty par 3 that is tucked down into a canyon.  Your target is essentially an island of green surrounded by sloped desert walls.

The entire landing area slopes pretty well from back to front so shots that come up short are either goig to find the large bunker or come back off the slop towards the tee.  The same holds true of the green, so try to keep the ball short of the flag and below the hole.

With another set of elevated tees, you will need less club than the yardage might indicate.

Rio Secco Golf Club Introduction
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 16-18

Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 10-12

Hole 10 Par 4

378 | 354 | 324 | 298 yards

The opening hole on the back 9 is a short straight forward par 4.  The hole's primary defense lies in the bunkering in two locations.  The first set of bunkers await you on either side of the fairway in the landing area off the tee.

The bunkers to the right of the fairway start closer to the tee but both sets extend to about 75 yards from the green.

On your second shot into the green the approach is slightly elevated and is guarded by a large deep bunker that fronts most of the green, coming in from the left.  Another set of deep smaller bunkers sit hidden behind the green.

You can also see from here another monstrous shopping mall/house going up in the distance.

Hole 11 Par 4

478 | 435 | 417 | 366 yards

A spectacular overlook awaits you on the tee of this long dogleg right par 4.  A significant elevation advantage off the tee makes the bunkers across the fat part of the fairway landing zone more reachable.  In fact it is possible with a well stuck drive to carry these bunkers and find the desrt beyond.

The best play here is to hit as far right as you can while still finding the meat of the fairway.  After the wide landing zone, the fairway chokes down significantly making it a near impossibility of hitting from the tee.

The view here, both of the hole itself and of Vegas in the distance may be one of the best on the property.

As you descend down onto the fairway, the hole turns sharply right as you then play straight to the green.  The remainder of the hole slopes pretty significantly left to right so your second should tend to be down the left.

As you approach the green, a trio of bunkers wraps around the right side of the green.  You can play the slope between the cart path and the green to get the ball to funnel onto the putting surface.

A view back down the hole shows the sand behind the green and the elevation change from tee to fairway.

Hole 12 Par 3

215 | 188 | 164 | 147 yards

A long par 3 that plays slightly uphill from tee to green.  Your tee shot must carry the ravine that runs across the hole. The closer you get to the green, the more the hole plays more uphill, depending on which tee you use.

There is a bit of room to miss short but if you come up too short your ball can run back into the ravine.

There is plenty of grass around the green for wayward shots.  A pair of bunkers are present behind the hole.

This house, perched above the 12th hole, struck me as completely incongruous with the desert.  I cant imagine how much water you need to us to keep ivy like that growing in the desert.  Hey it's Vegas, I guess anything can happen!

Rio Secco Golf Club Introduction
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 13-15
Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 16-18

Rio Secco Golf Club Holes 7-9

Hole 7 Par 3

208 | 199 | 166 | 147 yards

The 7th is the most famous hole on the course for its hosting of the "Million Dollar Challenge".  For an entry fee of at least $20 (you can gamble on more) you are eligible to win $1 million.  All that is required to win is to get a hole in one - twice.  Once gets you entered to come back and compete with others who also got one.  If you can do it a second time- whamo!

I don't know if anyone has ever won, but at least you get the money you gambled back in the clubhouse for food and beverages after your round.

The hole itself is a tough challenge, never mind the hole in one.  A forced carry over water nearly the entire way to the green is required.  There is maybe a 15 yard landing area short of the green but even that does slope down to the water.

Surrounding the green is a trio of bunkers, seen here from the right side of the hole.  Good luck on your tee shot on this one!

Hole 8 Par 5

566 | 559 | 536 | 489 yards

A long dogleg left hole.  From the back tees the tee shot must carry a pond that sits adjacent to the more forward tees.

Danger of the tees is in the shape of 2 large bunkers sitting down the left side of the fairway.  Other than that the main concern is keeping it on the grass.

On the second shot you have a decision to make, as a gully crosses the hole short of the green at around 130 yards out.  With a long enough drive it is possible to go for this green.  Most people will likely lay back for a short shot into the green.

There is a bunker down the right side about 160 yards from the green.  Otherwise the lay up area is large and unguarded.

The green is situated on a small elevated island raised up from the rest of the desert.  Other than the desert, the only greenside hazards are two pot bunkers, one located short fo the green, and one located behind the green.

This green is quite a large oval.  Hitting to the correct portion is a good strategy to avoid a long putt and a real chance at 3 putts.

Hole 9 Par 4

472 | 450 | 408 | 373 yards

The final hole on the front is a long par 4 that plays straight away.  Another large bunker sits in the landing area off the tee down the left side of the hole.

A massive hill frames the right side of the hole.   Once again, focus on getting onto the grass here as anything that misses will find a precarious lie in the desert.

As you can see here, the right side of the hole has some mounding to catch and funnel balls hit down this side back onto the fairway (hopefully).

As you appraoch the green water comes in near the left side of the green. That is not likely to come into play as there is a large bunker sitting between the green and the water.  That bunker is a place you don't want to be, as it is a deep escape to get out of there.

The right side of the green also presents more danger with another large, but much more shallow, bunker that wraps around the entire right side.

As you can see the green is fairly flat but slopes back to front.  Missing long is not good with a steep slope running away from you into the desert beyond.

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