El Rio Golf Course

Nice layout; the varying lengths of holes, the many bunkers protecting the SMALL greens, doglegs and the close proximity of greens to tee boxes keep the game interesting! Dodged a couple of in-bounds!

May take a time or two to play and get the nuances.

The course needs to replant some roughage; too many thin lies close to the greens. And a driving range that is available! I support ALL efforts to encourage youth in golf!

But overall, I liked the course and will be back again soon!

We played here only because of a great deal. It was better than I expected. Pretty decent layout, condition and staff. Some areas are hazardous because of errant shots from adjacent holes or golfers hitting before they should. 18 is a good challenge.....over the dogleg right fence.

course has excellent but small greens all greens are protected by bunkers in the front making wedge and iron play important. The fairways were not over seeded and have not begun to grow. Fairway shots and lies were difficult.

The early afternoon pace of play is horrendous but you expect a slower pace that time of day. The thing that drove me crazy were the golfers who were just driving around aimlessly jumping from one empty tee box to an other. Absolutely no regard for the other golfers and no ranger to keep those people in line. Then they would get behind you and act aggravated because you weren't playing fast enough for them. Plus there either needs to be more available water on the course to drink, besides the dirty looking bubblers, or a more visible cart person with beverages. I actually like the layout for a city course and the staff was very friendly. The greens were in decent shape also.

Everything was fine with this course but the pace of play was terrible.
If you like 5 hour rounds you will like the course. Fairways were hard and dry. Greens were very good with moderate speed.

Good layout for a muni course, but basic out and back and side by side fairways., so watch out for errant shots.

About half the greens are pretty rough, and you can't count on the ball holding its line.

I have no idea what they are achieving with the roped off areas near the greens --- I guess the soil/grass was pretty wet there, but they would be better off to have a clearly defined white line or markers to keep you from driving up near the greens.

The course really needs some protective chain link fences near about 3 tee boxes that are near the previous green.

Greens are very well trapped, but the sand/dirt mixture is not too good - a lot of hardpan in the low spots, one inch down. Grrrr.

I liked the basic layout and can see why in the old days the Tucson Open was played here. Dumpy old clubhouse, but functional. There seems to be a trap on the left and right (frontside) of every green. Small greens usually slope back to front. You can cut some of the dog legs for easy wedge shots.. Fairways hard and roll for extra yardage. Two long par threes.

When I went to the range to hit balls, there were no ball baskets - had to go out to the range and find one. I used that time to pick up all the empty baskets....all ten of them.

Played 1st time this year. Better shape last year year but staff friendly as I remembered. Have to be on your toes as balls can come from any where on this course.

Fun course with good pace of play. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Would definitely play again!

The course was not in very good shape, but for the price I really can't complain!

Great value. Not the best part of town , however, if want a course that has value for the price with a little history look no further. Tucson open was played here back in the day. Apparently , there was a storm that pass through and wipe out the majority of trees which once line the course. So you long hitters will have a field day with shooting for the pins. Small greens usually slope back to front. You can cut some of the dog legs for easy wedge shots.. Fairways hard and roll for extra yardage. Long par threes. I like this type of course over a target course any day of the week. Play this course for the value and no frills or gimmicks.

Awesome day to play !!!!! Played solo and went they quick !!! Staff was friendly and course looked great !! Will play again soon

Great weather today and great value for el Rio in this condition. Barely any rough patches, bunkers were wet from rain but other than it was fantastic.

Although OB Sports has done an admirable job upgrading the conditions of all five Tucson municipal courses since it took over management, El Rio remains my least favorite of the five. The course is located in Barrio Hollywood, one of the oldest and most ethnically diverse sections of Tucson. It has a loyal following among the natives in the neighborhood, but if you looked up muni course in the dictionary, El Rio would be there. The course has no remarkable or memorable features. However, it is probably most notable for having some of the most difficult par 3s in the area. Holes #4, #8, and #15 are all near or greater than 200 yards even from the white tees. Since it is an older, traditional layout, the greens are rather small as is the norm on courses of that type. These par 3s are not only difficult to hit, they are difficult to hold. #8 is particularly tough since it is the longest of the three and usually into the teeth of the westerly wind. Many closest to the pins go unclaimed even in low handicap leagues on these holes. As for the conditions, even at its best, you will find less than ideal lies in many places. On this particular Sunday, the course was in about as good of shape as it is all year since it recently came out of overseeding. The fairways were really nice, and the greens rolled decent. However, if you venture outside the cut of the fairway, anything is possible. The rough can be patchy, extra thick, non-existent, gnarly, or wet. Plus, the many mature trees on the course have lots of rogue branches. Be prepared to punch out a lot (even from the first cut sometimes). The course does get quite a bit of play, especially on the weekends, but if you are from out of town and looking for a memorable golf experience, this is absolutely not the place. There is plenty of culture and history nearby, but there are also better courses nearby, too. I will say that El Rio is the best walk of the city's quintet. Since my club plays here often, I reluctantly play El Rio more than I would prefer. Despite my misgivings about the course, the staff is almost always very friendly. This is also the headquarters of the First Tee program. So, El Rio is a value to the community, but with all the other golf options in this area, it does not have my endorsement.

Course was in nice shape. A pleasant surprise.

Bunkers were terrible.

I was rained out. The course said they would give me a rain check if they received authorization from Golf Now.

Nice cool day. My husband and I were paired up with a 3rd player. The carts are nice, staff was very helpful and friendly. The course was in good condition with just the appropriate number of bunkers. The bunkers were hard and flooded, the greens were a little long, but the course overall was fun. There are a lot of large old trees. The facilities are a little tired, but this is an old course and they were what you would expect. Staff helped us get the clubs on our cart, and cleaned our clubs at the end of the round. Would golf here again.

This being my third time playing this course I am pleased to say the conditions are consistent. The fairways are in excellent shape and the course is challenging with sand traps tucked in close to greens. The tee boxes need a lot of work however, there are bare spots or crab grass on most. This day the greens had been recently plugged so ball was bouncing a lot, but two weeks ago there was nothing bad to say about them. Nice break from playing the target golf so many of the desert courses demand. It will be my go to course as it is close to my home.

The course was in really good shape. The greens were perfect. Many bunkers made it challenging but fun.

Tucson city courses are good value. They offer a fair price to play in 100+ degree temperatures.

The staff was friendly. The golf carts were cleaned. The only problem I had was not having a map of the course. On a couple of holes I had a difficult time locating the flag from the tee.