After reading the previous two reviews, my buddy and I decided to try Rio Vista again, after having given up on it for several years. I feel the reviewers did a disservice by giving the impression that the course was in decent condition. Only the greens were acceptable. The condition of the fairways was the worst I have seen anywhere lately. There were large areas that were completely dead on most fairways, and even larger areas that were patchy (think of a bald guy with brand new hair plugs). The bunkers were dirt. The tee boxes were heavily chewed. We had to change carts, because the wheels on the first one were drastically out of alignment and it would not turn. There was no beverage cart on a Saturday, between 10:45 and 4:00 (that's how long the round took). In my survey I selected that the course was worth the money, but that is only because we got a deal for $12 per person. I will have to hear that the course is spending the money and making the effort to improve the condition, before I will go back again (unless maybe they drop the price to $8).

Rio Vista Golf Club Review
Rio Vista California Golf Course Reviews

The course continues to mature nicely. Excellent condition and superb service. They are now allowing carts on all holes except the par 3s. There used to be several par 4s and 5s where carts were prohibited for no apparent reason. The peace and quiet of the valley setting is really a pleasure.

This course has many attributes that are important to me. It is visually very beautiful and appears natural, the condition of the course is always good, and it is so quiet you can hear the birds talking to each other. (I should mention that my buddy lost his appreciation for the charming wild turkeys when one of them let out a series of gobbles during the backswing of his birdie putt.)

The course is quite challenging for those of us who do not always hit the ball straight. The fairways are mostly treelined and some are very tight, with unmowed underbrush between the trees, only a few feet off the fairways. If you hit it in there forgetaboutit. I think the blue tees are best for single-digit handicappers or extremely straight hitters. This is a course where prior knowledge is valuable, because there are many doglegs and elevation changes, causing tee shots to finish out of sight of the tee. Try to get paired with a local.

All in all, it is very much worth the cost and it is one of my faves.

Fine new course. When almost all NorCal courses are playing as muddy swamps, I did not pick up mud on my ball once all day. Very nice condition, good range, good restaurant, nice people. I had to use every club in my bag on the excellent variety of holes. The only thing that kept Callippe from being one of my favorite courses after playing it for the first time, was the slow greens. Someone in the restaurant was saying that the local men's club complained that the course was too tough with fast greens. Too bad. Anyway, I plan to play it as often as I can, while it still looks natural (and hardly has any houses built around it.)

The condition of the fairways is mostly OK, but the 16th hole was ruined by flooding and now is playing as a weak par 3 instead of a 500+ yard par 5. There are huge piles of dirt in the fairway and I cannot see how it will be repaired and playable this year. The greens are quite bumpy. Watching a put roll is sort of like watching someone run the high hurdles. I'm not going back until 2007.