Played on a perfect weather day at 11AM on Wednesday, 3/4/15, that GKer stickboy booked as a Golfnow Hot Deal, so $35 fee was great. Sunny, warm, and wind didn’t ever affect any shots. Joined by GKers... Continue »

Played on a perfect weather day at 11AM on Wednesday, 3/4/15, that GKer stickboy booked as a Golfnow Hot Deal, so $35 fee was great. Sunny, warm, and wind didn’t ever affect any shots. Joined by GKers Nickesquire and walnutgolf (the latter’s first time here) and had an enjoyable round. Never saw anyone in front of us and managed to stay ahead of the hard-charging group behind to finish in 4+ hours. I was reminded why I don’t play here often – traffic coming up the 5 was heavy and there’s a lot of construction. Going home was also busy but not as bad as I thought it might be.

Course is in overall pretty good shape. Greens are firm and tight, holding only high shots, and rolling well at medium-fast speed. We saw the usual unhappy number of old and new ballmarks waiting for repair. Pins on several greens were in difficult locations, especially front pins behind bunkers. In general, I think the greens are slopy and tend to break more than you read, especially to the southwest.

Lies in the fairways were about 50/50 as to whether the ball sat down – grass is thin and dormant and patchy. All fairways had areas where a lot of divot damage was unrepaired. Rough is cut low and generally benign, and lies can be better than in the fairway. Traps have generally good coverage, but only a thin playable layer over a packed damp base, making it very difficult to get the wedge under without bouncing into the ball. And the usual number of unraked footprints, slashes, etc. Tees could use quite a bit of work – many are pretty torn up, and many also have uneven or sloping surfaces, and not just the par 3s.

Staff was friendly, saw the cart girl several times. No bag service at either end, just lug your own. Recommended.

1st time playing here since the 1980's, before the course was redesigned. Played the Blues (6370/70.7/124) with GKers Stickboy, Dconnally and Walnutgolf in 4h, 15m on a Golf Now Hot Deal for $37.49 in... Continue »

1st time playing here since the 1980's, before the course was redesigned. Played the Blues (6370/70.7/124) with GKers Stickboy, Dconnally and Walnutgolf in 4h, 15m on a Golf Now Hot Deal for $37.49 including a cart. The weather was beautiful, perfect for golf, low 70's with little wind. I really liked the new layout, the course is nicer than I remembered. Good mix of shorter, medium and longer holes. Some water, some tightness, but the layout is very fair overall. The greens putted medium speed, were smooth and held most approach shots well. The green speeds were consistent from green to green. I saw the lines relatively well on these greens. Ringworld's review from yesterday stated it perfectly on the speed. After I got the speed down. I had a relatively good putting day. Didn't make many putts, but had many good lags from 40+'. Both the fairways and the rough were decent. Semi dormant, winter thin conditions, occasionally lush. They were still dryer than expected after the recent rains. The tees were OK, decently maintained. Occasionally lush, usually winter thin. The sand traps looked good but several need more sand. Our group had several sand shots where our club bounced and thinned the ball instead of blasting it out. However, in fairness, the traps were hit and miss. There were also several really nice sand saves in our group today. The customer service was excellent. The tee times were on schedule, the cart gal came around several times and they have a nice snack stand on the turn. I would definitely play here again, and would play here often if I lived closer.

Greens are in great shape. They roll true; just a little slow for my taste but once I zeroed in on the pace, it was smooth sailing. Fairways look dormant (brownish) but very playable. Rough is thic... Continue »

Greens are in great shape. They roll true; just a little slow for my taste but once I zeroed in on the pace, it was smooth sailing. Fairways look dormant (brownish) but very playable. Rough is thick in places and can prove to be punishing. Sand in bunkers are well stocked.

Pace of play today was under 4 hours considering two more joined our group at hole 5. Wind was factor but fun to play at this time of day. Started after 1pm and was done before 4. Group was slow at first but once we picked the two additional golfers we managed to pace ourselves well.

Overall I liked the current conditions of Rio Hondo. And at $26 (includes cart) it's a definite deal. Admittedly a few of the holes were a little gimmicky but it's still golf and Rio's conditions are perhaps the best I have seen since the last time I played here.

First time playing this course today 2/8. We started on time. Took us around 5 hours to play 18 on a weekend. Course is pretty flat. You can easily walk this course. Water comes into play on about... Continue »

First time playing this course today 2/8. We started on time. Took us around 5 hours to play 18 on a weekend. Course is pretty flat. You can easily walk this course. Water comes into play on about 6 or 7 holes. Interesting layout.

Fairways were about average for this time of year. Grass was a little dormant in the fairways. They were very lush in spots and bare in other spots. It's still decent to play on. Sand in bunkers were very good. Greens were in good condition. Tho' there were lots of unrepaired ball marks on the greens. There is a driving range here with a couple of levels to use. The clubhouse here is very nice to hang out after a round.

Hello fellow golfers. Played here Mon the 5th. Haven't played here in 8 yrs. Not much has changed. Tee boxes were kinda dry and patchy. Fairways were the same. I guess they call it dormant for this ti... Continue »

Hello fellow golfers. Played here Mon the 5th. Haven't played here in 8 yrs. Not much has changed. Tee boxes were kinda dry and patchy. Fairways were the same. I guess they call it dormant for this time of year. They were still dry and hard to find a good lie. Greens were rolling pretty good with a few ball marks but you find that everywhere. Pace of play was decent. I was only in 1 bunker, the 17th, and the sand was pretty good if people would rake it. I probably won't be back until it's greener. Enjoy.

Always enjoy playing this course ! While the fairways/rough are dormant, overall they are in remarkably good condition considering the recent cold wave. Yes, there are areas where you'll get some "t... Continue »

Always enjoy playing this course ! While the fairways/rough are dormant, overall they are in remarkably good condition considering the recent cold wave. Yes, there are areas where you'll get some "tight lies" but that's just part of the challenge and what you expect during the winter months. Off early so pace not an issue.

Staff is always pleasant and accommodating. I try to play here at least once a year, so I guess I'm good for 2015 (LOL)

Played this morning in a leisurely pace of 3.5. Fairways are bermuda and dormant at present. So while you will get a lot of roll, you will have some tight and occasional dry lies. Tee boxes were clean... Continue »

Played this morning in a leisurely pace of 3.5. Fairways are bermuda and dormant at present. So while you will get a lot of roll, you will have some tight and occasional dry lies. Tee boxes were clean and level and the bunkers (not in any today) were all raked and appeared fine. The greens are in great shape. Cleaned/mowed and running very fast and w/o divot damage (thanks to those who take the time to fix them). Customer service was excellent in the shop. Always like playing here, but will wait until the fairways come back in a few months, to enjoy it even more.

It's been quite a while since I've teed it up at Hondo, glad to come back (thanks to positive GK reviews). Was able to make an early single tee time online ($39 + 1.25 booking fee), and was paired up... Continue »

It's been quite a while since I've teed it up at Hondo, glad to come back (thanks to positive GK reviews). Was able to make an early single tee time online ($39 + 1.25 booking fee), and was paired up with a couple decent fellows ... walked as a three-ball in 3:40 with minimal waiting on the front 9. Bermuda fairways are starting their dormant period, so there can be a lot of roll out. Rough is Kikuyu, the grabby type that can be a challenge to play out of, but they cut it fairly short so it's really not an issue unless you really hit a wayward shot. Greens were the best part of the course: cut short and quick, just not overly so, and very few ball marks. A few areas in distress and the majority of those were marked with white GUR lines ... good job. Note that some firm areas of the greens would not hold an iron shot very well so that needs to be taken into consideration when selecting a club. Of course, the greens firmed up as the day progressed. Overall, a nice day on a nice course. A few funky sections (back-to-back par 5's and par 3's on the front) and water hazards to be cautious of (bring a ball retriever, the hazards have very steep cement borders), can be noisy (under the LAX flight path, homes surround the course so there are gardeners and occasional barking dogs), but those are minor drawbacks. A bit pricey for weekday rates unless you live in Downey ($28 vs. $38), but I'd say it's worth it in it's current condition.

Tee Time: 9am
Weather: Morning after overnight showers. Course was wet. Weather was beautiful. Great weather for golf.
Pace of Play: 4 hrs
Tee Boxes: Great! Tee boxes were level and very well maint... Continue »

Tee Time: 9am
Weather: Morning after overnight showers. Course was wet. Weather was beautiful. Great weather for golf.
Pace of Play: 4 hrs
Tee Boxes: Great! Tee boxes were level and very well maintained
Fairway: Great, with some exceptions. The ground was wet due to the weather, but as the day went, the fairways were in great condition. Not too hard... and not to soft. Nicely trimmed and very few patchy areas. I don't recall hitting from any bare spots in my round.
Green: AWESOME!! Greens were rolling true. It was like a rug! Very nicely maintained. Probably some of the best greens around for a course that gets a lot of volume.

Overall: It's been a long time since I played here. The course condition was great. Very surprised by the conditions. I use to come here pretty frequently and I would say it was fairly average. After today, I would say the course is great, especially for the price. I would say the course is about a 7 to a 7.5. Definitely will be playing here more often.