Update to previous reviewers- there appears to be some progress, greens are the only thing going for this course at the moment. If I wasn’t playing in a group event I wouldn’t have played, nor paid th... Continue »

Update to previous reviewers- there appears to be some progress, greens are the only thing going for this course at the moment. If I wasn’t playing in a group event I wouldn’t have played, nor paid the 49 dollar greens fee for this level of poor quality. The fairways were a mix of mud, dirt, patches of grass, and weeds. Think swamp mud in the middle of 100 degree summer heat. Rough was just as bad, no grass, muddy, weeds. Sand was terrible, most bunkers appear to be under renovation by simply putting down sod in hopes they turn into grass bunkers I guess. I went into the day thinking it couldn’t be that bad, right? It was… This course needs a couple more years I guess if they are going to turn it around, but for now I can’t recommend anyone choose this course no matter how desperate you are to play golf.

Played with my son on Saturday morning.
Course can only be described as a cow field!
Bunkers were either full of water or full of weeds or both. Tee-boxes were dreadful and fairways had lots of mud... Continue »

Played with my son on Saturday morning.
Course can only be described as a cow field!
Bunkers were either full of water or full of weeds or both. Tee-boxes were dreadful and fairways had lots of muddy dead areas. Rough was a combination of hard-pan, weeds or (wild) bushes.
Pro-shop staff were very courteous and greens were in good shape. Unfortunately that is not enough for me to ever go back.

I live here and I have a 2 index. Has a nice restaurant / bar with average service. Staff is friendly and courteous. Golf course layout is nice, and it is a challenge. As the fairways are lined w... Continue »

I live here and I have a 2 index. Has a nice restaurant / bar with average service. Staff is friendly and courteous. Golf course layout is nice, and it is a challenge. As the fairways are lined with homes, so double digit folks should move up to the whites, no matter your age or how far you can hit the ball. Greens are in above average condition with the number 2 hole the winner of the most divots that haven't been repaired. Most greens have a limited amount of divots, and once repaired on your putting line, if any, the greens roll out pretty true. The layout, and the greens are best part of the course. Quick to fix you line on a putt and move on to the next hole. Sand traps are not maintained, and most do not have any sand in them. Local rule is take a free drop out of the bunker - players choice. Doesn't blow any harder here than Hawaii or Ireland, Kansas, Oklahoma, or West Texas. Put your big boy pants on an learn to play the wind. Just changes the course. No biggie. Hopefully new ownership is on the horizon and we can start getting the course in the shape it was a few years ago!

After avoiding the course for almost two years, I gave it a shot on a weekend as the course was offering $25 special with cart. The course has been a layout that I've enjoyed, but management has stru... Continue »

After avoiding the course for almost two years, I gave it a shot on a weekend as the course was offering $25 special with cart. The course has been a layout that I've enjoyed, but management has struggled to maintain the course in recent years.

Conditions: While still a lot to be desired, it does appear that the ownership is starting to put some maintenance dollars back into the course.

--Greens were the bright spot per usual, receptive and rolled well. Tee blocks were okay, some uneven spots and some TLC needed.
--Fairways and rough were a mix of grass and bare spots, though better than the recent past. Some of the areas on fairways appear to have drainage/irrigation issues (where one area is soaking wet and 5-10 feet away is bone dry.) I am not sure how this could be fixed without a major overhaul.
--Bunkers, while still an issue, are also improved. Probably about 1/2 of the bunkers have new added sand.

I'm hoping the course continues their positive strides.

This was our morning round yesterday, using a Groupon voucher (2 for $41). They had a shotgun going off at 9:30, which will be their normal winter schedule on weekdays. However, we were able to call a... Continue »

This was our morning round yesterday, using a Groupon voucher (2 for $41). They had a shotgun going off at 9:30, which will be their normal winter schedule on weekdays. However, we were able to call ahead and arrange to go off earlier as long as we were off the course before then. We teed off a little before 7:00 and were finished a little after 9:00, so it worked out perfectly and we had the course to ourselves minus a few maintenance encounters. The course conditions were disappointing, even for fall/winter season. The tee boxes were okay enough. The fairways and rough were very beat up with a lot of dead spots. It looked pretty ugly. I will say, the back nine fairways/rough had much better coverage than the front nine for whatever reason. Still spotty in places, but much better where it mattered. Not sure why the front nine is so beat up. The bunkers were also inconsistent to say the least. Some were decently maintained and we saw the guy going around and dragging them. However, I'd say about a third of the bunkers throughout the course are completely neglected and being reclaimed by nature (weeds, etc.). There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to which bunkers were let go and which were still maintained. It's too bad because most bunkers are integral to the course design. The greens were the lone bright spot in terms of conditions. They were soft, fairly well-kept and rolling relatively smooth at medium speeds. It's clear this is where they are putting any significant maintenance effort right now. The course at Rio Vista has a feel like it's struggling a lot. It looks run-down and deals are easy to find. It's a pretty isolated location, so you have to go out of your way to find it unless you live very close by in the Delta region. The layout is decent, but feels like 90s-era Ted Robinson residential template #5. Very familiar style without many distinctive traits. Lots of water hazards (except on the par-3s, which is very strange for a Robinson course). Would be a solid enough course if well-maintained, but that's not the case at the moment.

I am so disappointed with the direction this course has taken , I don't know where to begin. First of all, played at 8:30 on Sat. morning and there were very few people there. This should have bee... Continue »

I am so disappointed with the direction this course has taken , I don't know where to begin. First of all, played at 8:30 on Sat. morning and there were very few people there. This should have been my first clue that there were problems. Check in was actually good, as it was one of the few bright spots. The one person working in the pro shop was friendly and helpful. We went to the bar to get a breakfast and some adult beverages and discovered it was closed until 11am. Ugh. The guy behind the desk stated he could get us beer if we wanted it but no mixed or hard drinks. So the choices were beer, soda, or water only. No food. Carts were nice w GPS. The course itself was the ugliest part. I love the layout but the conditions were the worst of any course I have played in years. Bare spots everywhere in the fairways and rough. The rough was nothing but weeds, with some of them spreading to the fairways. Drainage issues as part of many fairways would be soaked in one place and bone dry right next to it. There were spots that were a messy mush resembling a wet pasture. The bunkers were a chance complete disaster. Either full of water or super dry. Most had very little sand. Some had dirt or worse (pieces of wood, weeds, even concrete chunks.) The water hazard were murky green, looking like they were a health hazard. No beverage cart or course marshals. Needless to say, we had the play preferred lies in the middle of Summer. On the good side, the greens were smooth, soft, and rolled quickly. This was the only positive note on the course. Sadly, my group (who plays 40+ rounds per year) decided we will not be returning until the management makes significant maintenance improvements. This is a shame as it's such a fun and unique layout.

I got on with a tee time from Golf Now - me and a buddy got on for $33 each. Got there early for a 7:15 tee time. Thought I could hit the range before but didn't realize they don't have one. There ... Continue »

I got on with a tee time from Golf Now - me and a buddy got on for $33 each. Got there early for a 7:15 tee time. Thought I could hit the range before but didn't realize they don't have one. There were a few groups out before we were, (all of them locals and a lot of women which was great to see). Another out of towner joined us to make it 3. We got around in under 4 hours which was great and got lucky with no wind (everyone tells me the wind can blow hard out here and every day). The course is a tale of two 9's. The front nine was a bit ragged. Fairways were spotty and the greens were a bit beat up. The fairways were also heavily drenched with water. The bunkers were all very wet and many of them had large puddles. Not good. The front 9 also had weird designed holes. Driver could not be used on any of the par 5's. Length would hurt you as there were lakes out there so that made the par 5 a 3 shot hole for sure. The back 9 however was much better. Fairways and greens were in great condition. Bunkers were still wet but no puddles. The layout was also much better. We really enjoyed the outing. Guys in the clubhouse were super. Folks in the restaurant were also great I am definitely come back. I imagine they are not getting the play as it is out in the San Joaquin Delta area and the drive was about 40 minutes from Walnut Creek. To me however, it was worth the drive. Had a great time out there

The upside is $30 with cart and a 3 hour round. Downside is spotty conditions and maybe the worst hot dog I've ever had at the turn. Yuck. It's an Ok course if you live here,but pretty far out for eve... Continue »

The upside is $30 with cart and a 3 hour round. Downside is spotty conditions and maybe the worst hot dog I've ever had at the turn. Yuck. It's an Ok course if you live here,but pretty far out for everyone else. Pone very odd thing....some residents just "appear" and watch your tee shot, and then disappear just as quick. Seems like they've probably had too many broken window "hit and runs". They're
watching out for one another. It's trilogy so houses line the fairways everyone.

Played 4/09/14 on a beautiful day. The course is in better condition then I expected. The fairways were medium, not firm but not soft. The Blue tee boxes were uncared for but level and divot free whic... Continue »

Played 4/09/14 on a beautiful day. The course is in better condition then I expected. The fairways were medium, not firm but not soft. The Blue tee boxes were uncared for but level and divot free which is nice. The greens were quite soft, the ball stays within 2-3 feet of the pitch marks. They roll well, medium/slow on the speed and are fairly flat, no huge breaks. The sand is horrid. Crusty/hard. I found 3 and used a 60*, played the same as hitting from hardpan, makes greenside tough and fairway bunkers fun.

The course is fun. Long par 3's and 4's with short par 5's. The tee shot requires attention as the landing zones are small the farther the shot is played. 2 of the front 9 par 5's don't allow for a full driver off the tee without risk of water hazard or a marsh. Bunkers guard tee shots on every hole it seemed.4-5 forced carries over water and other hazards.

This course is built into what I thought was a retirement community, I was pleasantly surprised by the length and difficulty level. I'm told the wind can really get up however the day I played it was only around 10-15 mph (thank god). I'd play it again, and for the $15 deal I got on golfnow I was a happy camper!

Worth playing.