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Previously known as Trini Alvarez El Rio Municipal Golf Course
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Golfer Reviews
A Favorite of Mine
Grew up playing EL Rio, so it's a personal favorite. Seems like an easy course, but you must hit the ball straight. Fairways could be in better shape, but not bad for a city course. Bunkers need to be improved (hard panned sand) as almost every green is guarded by bunkers, but regulars know these about El Rio. Hit the ball straight and you will score well on this course.
The course is in okay shape. Challenge because of the traps in the front of virtually every green. Needs better signage
Cart paths are terrible and barely any grass for a very high rate.
Great Course For Walking
I grew up playing this course. The city seems to have upgraded the care now provided on this course and it is in good shape. It is a fairly flat course, so it is a great course to walk. It is not a long course, but you need to keep your shots in the fairway and all of the greens are protected by bunkers.
Difficult for a muni
Narrow fairways with several forced carries. Greens too close to one another creates hazards. Fairways and greens were in great condition. Bunkers were typical desert, hard without much sand, but all nicely raked. Friendly staff. Decent driving range. Overall too difficult for an average golfer.
Golf Cart Woes
unfortunately our cart broke down not once but twice, They brought out a replacement and that one broke down also.
First nine holes nothing but dirt everywhere you look.
The first nine holes was a lot of dirt. The last nine were better.
Slow play and no one cares
I made a pre-paid tee time to play at El Rio GC on March 4, 2026. My tee tiem was at 2:30. There was a regular mens group that was playing ahead of us. They were extremely slow with three groups on the tee boxes. It took an hour to play three holes. I called the pro shop twice to get staff to hurry up the slow play. I play often at Tucson city courses 1-2 times per week. The staff at proshop does not really care and impotent saying there is nothing they can do. The head guy at pro shop said he will "take care of me" if I choose to end playing and call it a day. When I got to the pro shop (quitting play at the 4th hole since there were three groups again on the tee box on a simple par 3) he said he cannot refund me the money for the round and that I have to call myself to Golf Now and ask for reimburment. This is so frustrating and unprofessional. As a manager of the facility you have the ability and obligation to move play or get players who play in a league penalized (storkes) and eventually removed from the filed. Not caring what going on is no way to operate a golf course. I took time off work and no one cares that I get penalized twice. Moreover he told me this is a group that plays every Wednesday so they should know better and enforce faster play and warn patrons about the slow play ahead of time. I would like to see at minimum: 1. An a one time voucher /credit given to me to play any city golf course with cart . 2. Educate the staff at the golfcourse to better do their job in managing the facility better. 3. Contact the mens group who need to be educated on what is acceptable pace of play. Other than that. The course has small green that are hard so ball has to come in really steep otherwise its really hard to hold the snall greens and there is just dirt behind. Golf course fairways are good. Bunkers are not very good. Overall cpurse is a 2 out of 5, there are much better optikns in tucson and simply palying this course becuse it will be a course i will need to play in a tournamnt. Next month, so its a practice round. The staff overall is nice (except to proshop guy that day) nice but incompetent at trying to move play. This course should habe been closed a long time ago and money better off reinvested to improve the other city courses.
1st rd At El Rio
Fun times at the course played with a co-worker and some NYC Yorkers. Nice day for 18!