RIO SECCO

RUNDOWN:  Just outside of Vegas you will find Rio Secco golf course in Henderson Nevada. From multiple places on this course you can see the strip in the distance. This will help keep your mind somewhat on the fact you are bound to lose a little money after your round. But do your best to pull away from the table because you will not regret your round here. The course sits among a large housing development but that doesn't seem to detract from the round. The routing of the course keeps you entertained from the first box to the last green. The fairways have plenty of room and the greens are large enough to capture wedge shots of even the most hungover golfers. The course may not have the wow factor of some of the other properties in the area, but you are going to be hard pressed to find many more enjoyable rounds. Make some bets and then enjoy your time out here because you will wish you were heading back to the 1st tee once you are done! 

COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS​
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The course is managed by the Cabot Collection.
Designed by Rees Jones in 1997. 
Public golf course.
5 sets of tees ranging from 5,226 to 6,992 yards

https://golfriosecco.com/

(702) 777-2400 2851 Grand Hills Dr. Henderson, NV 89052
Hole 2 Par 4 - 452 Yards
This course gets to your first test real quick! The second hole is the number one handicap hole on the course. The distance is not the only thing that can get you here. The way the fairway sits from left to right will require you to hit what looks to be a smaller landing area. Keep it out of the bunkers on the left because they will definitely compound the holes difficulty. But, left is better than right because you should be able to find your ball at least. The green plays from left to right and can push your approach shot into the bunker. The bunker shot will be pretty straightforward but keeping your approach on the left will provide a good chance at birdie or par. Make it out of here with a par and you will have a few holes coming up that you can score on. 
Hole 4 Par 4 - 325 Yards
Welcome to the drivable par 4 4th hole. It may be on the outer reaches of some hitters, but you might as well swing away and give it a go! Did you come to Vegas to play it safe? Of course not! The fairway sits well below the tee box and then the approach shot plays significantly uphill to the green. That is if you play it safe anyways. So, cut out the fairway and just go for the green! Who uses an iron on a drivable par 4 anyways!? People who use iron covers, that's who. We both went for it and Kevin bombed it over the green. Yeah, it left him with a tough chip with the green running away from him, but it sure sounds cooler than, "I laid up off the tee and made a birdie". Who wants to tell that story? No one. The large bunker guards the front and right side of the green, so stay out of there. All in all this hole provides you with a great chance at birdie. 
Hole 6 Par 3 - 184 Yards
This is a just a fun, straightforward par 3. Obviously you are going to put some money down for closest to the pin with your group. With the added pressure make sure to grab the right club. The bunker short left will lose you your money and probably any chance at par here. There is quite a bit of room on the right side to keep away from the bunker though. Knock it close and give yourself a little more gambling money for the casinos later!
Hole 9 Par 5 - 589 Yards
Here is the second of back-to-back par 5's on the front 9. It plays longer than the previous hole but it may play a little easier in our opinion. There is plenty of room off the tee and you can really take a whack at this one with driver. Getting on in two is going to take a couple great shots, but you might as well swing all out to try and get there with an eagle chance. We didn't make it there in two but we both had great looks at birdie with some short approach shots. This green is pretty tough with a lot of movement to it though. Beyond the green is an almost straight shot to the Vegas Strip. Keep your dreams of winning big on the back burner for now and enjoy the back 9 first. 
Hole 12 Par 3 - 172 Yards
This par 3 almost got real expensive for me. Wind was pushing a little left to right while we played which sets up real well for this green. The green is fairly narrow and requires a carry the entire way. I pulled out 7 iron off the tee and started it out to the left side of the green. The wind pushed the shot to the right and straight towards the pin. The ball kept rolling towards the pin but came to rest about 2 feet from the pin. It had the heart racing for a minute but I quickly lost that feeling as I pushed the putt and lipped out the birdie. Now that shot isn't even that cool... But hey, avoid the large ravine and play a shot left to right and you may have a chance at besting me here. You for sure could have a better story than I do...
Hole 14 Par 5 - 564 Yards
We both played this par 5 really well, which is probably why it was one of our favorite 5's on the course. The shot from the tee coming out of the trees makes you feel like there is a ton of space out in the fairway. Avoid a worm burner that hits the wooden fence in front of you...this may or may not have happened on hole number 1 to me. There is plenty of room in the fairway but going right will make the shot into the green more difficult. You will be forced to contend with the desert on the right side with your approach shot. A high draw will be your best bet at making this hole score able. I of course didn't follow that direction and flared a weak drive to the right. A nice layup gave me about 100 yards in and I took advantage of it. I stuck it to about 10 feet and then made the putt on this quick, fairly calm green. I believe I stole Kevin's thunder on this one as it was looking like he would take the win on this hole for most of the time. A straightforward par 5 that provides a good scoring opportunity, it's tough to beat it!