More like, 3.5 stars. Went here thanks to a Groupon deal. Picked up a foursome pack for $97! Good deal to go and play a course I've never been to before, right? I'm cutting all the bullshit. Starters, Sue & Rob: Awesome people. Answered my questions, advised me to keep calling back during week to get a better tee time. I did, as instructed, and landed a cool early afternoon slot. Perfect day for it, too! Get there a bit early, only have to wait 15 minutes or so for the **UGH*** Fivesome ahead of us. They definitely took a little longer than necessary. But, I am not one to complain, as I love being on the course. So, no worries, there. Fairways were hilly, at times. Was hard for me, personally, to find a nice level spot to land my drives. When I did, the grass was good, not green, but cushy enough to get a good swing through. The rough was actually great. Not too thick or high. Sand traps, trust me, I spent some time there, too. They were "sandy" and fairly easy to get up from. Not packed and hard like others. Greens. Ah, the greens. Fast and bumpy is the phrase I would give them. I normally am a decent, not good, putter. But, these greens felt like they were laid from individual 1' x 2' sod pieces. It was almost like you could see a "grid" pattern on the greens. Idk, maybe it is due to the season. I will try again another day. Everyone that works there was great to us. The beer-cart person was very nice and drove around often enough to where you couldn't go thirsty. The only issue I had was the 4-some behind us. WE, were a 3-some, and were moving at the pace we should've been. Given, we were behind a 5'er. Anyways, these old f*cks decided that we weren't hitting very far and that we were taking too long. And, figured they would yell at us to "Hit the ball already, it's not like you can hit that far!". That's about when the day became a real drag. After a necessary, "STFU" we resumed play. These guys were on our asses, though. And, this for some reason, really got into my head. Usually, asshats like that don't bother me at all. My normal strategy is to go up and give 'em some hell. But, new course, beautiful day, and a desire to stay out of jail kept me in control of myself. Just a note to you future Rio Hondo golfers, enjoy the moments you have out there. You don't have to take everything so seriously. Just chill out and enjoy the weather, fresh air, and sun. Bask in the awesomeness that is the outdoors. Take every shot, one at a time and forget about everything/ everyone else. read more

Really disappointed with the treatment we were given by Scott on 5/3/2020. My party and I were 3 mins late to our tee time and Scott had already canceled our reservation. We tried to explain to Scott that we were unloading and parking, but would like to please play as we traveled quite the distance to be here today (plus golfing was something we were eagerly looking forward to during this pandemic) - and he completely ignored our request plus treated us terribly and gave us so much unnecessary attitude. I would frequently visit this course for both business and pleasure, but will now spread the word of the horrible excuse of customer service offered at this establishment. I won't be returning and neither will my friends or colleagues. read more

Golf range & Staff specific. I recently moved from CT to the downey area. I usually stock up on driving range "tokens" so I don't have to worry about going into the shop after a long day of work. On my first time here I purchased a few jumbo buckets and was issued multiple receipts with codes. Rio Hondo does not give physical tokens, but instead paper receipts with codes. (Ball dispenser has a keypad where you enter code). I never noticed there was a same-day expiration date on the receipts. I went in a week later to get my codes re-issued because they were expired. The attendant on duty was pretty firm about not giving me new codes for the driving range. (Did he think I was trying to redeem used codes?) I'm out ~$30... I don't really care about the small amount that I lost, but am very bothered with the attitude and the unwillingness to do what is right. I golf a few times a month with co-workers and clients. I will be taking my business elsewhere. read more

This review is for their Event Center services, as I still pride myself on having never played a round of golf (if frisbee golf counts, though, guilty as charged). The firm that I work for holds their semi-annual meetings here and it's continually provided the best value for the money of the surrounding conference/event services (especially when compared to hotel banquet pricing!). The facilities are clean, and bathrooms are well-kept, and it's not hard to get to from the 710, 5, 105, and 605 freeways. Parking is easy and plentiful. The breakfast is decent, if not delicious. Scrambled eggs, small pastries/muffins, sausages, and a Tang-esque orange juice combine for an effect that is more cafeteria than restaurant, but edible. The lunch spread we recently had for a smaller meeting, however, was a much better offering and quite good. If you're looking for a place to host a corporate event, it's hard to beat the value here! read more

It's such a great looking and challenging course. This place makes me realize that I probably shouldn't be playing golf. Maybe, I should just stick to miniature golf. Or maybe I'll just play a Tiger Woods Golf video game. In any case, the most memorable thing I took away from playing here was eating a hot dog while drinking a Heineken after the 9th hole. Why hasn't anyone told me before how great of a combo beer and hot dogs make?! Beer and hot dogs must be the reason why going to a baseball game is so fun. Because to actually watch baseball...Zzzz. Oops, I mean GO DODGERS! read more

Have only gone to driving range here, so far. It's quiet and its not intimidating for new golfers. Sometimes its annoying when Tiger Woods in the stall next to you wants to correct your grip but here people seem to be focused on their own game. 2-levels, 9 bucks for a large bucket. Want to go back for the twilight rate. FYI--they have a discounted rate for Downey residents. read more

My first golfing experience! Which as you can imagine, was not the easiest. Since I do not know too much about golfing, all I will say is that this is a very nice course, with plentiful parking and just a quick drive from anywhere in LA. I would definitely return to "practice my swing" here. read more

Dragged myself out of bed at 5:00am for the 6:20am tee time. I only get up this early for two things - golfing and fishing. I've played this course about once a year for the past 3 or 4 years, so I have trouble remembering where to keep my tee shots and where to approach the green. Course - medium length - a bit challenging for kids to enjoy. Greens - extremely challenging - they are fast and undulating, with a lot of breaks. I was 3 putting all day. Water - water comes into play on around 5 holes Speed of play - finished the round by 10:00am - so a little over 3 hours for the round Clubhouse - this course has full banquet facilities and puts on a pretty good buffet for Easter and other holidays. My scorecard - broke 90 - so not a great day, but not horrible. read more

Went to an all-day TNR workshop at the event center here, so it's pretty safe to assume I'm not reviewing the rolling greens. The banquet hall we were seated in, where we had our meals, and where all of the presentations were made was pretty nice. Standard white tablecloths, wine glasses, pitchers of water and iced tea, and slightly uncomfortable chairs. The acoustics of the room were decent - presenters probably could have spoken without their mikes and still be heard. The staff were pleasant and accommodating. The bathrooms? Not quite as pleasant. For our workshop alone, there were nearly 150 attendees, and maybe five stalls for us to use in the ladies room on breaks. Needless to say, the TP ran out quickly, and women in line started squirming. Good times. Oh, and when lunch was served, they ran out of plates and there was suddenly this massive back up in food line traffic while everyone waited for them to bring in more plates. Still, it wasn't bad, and there was ample parking for everyone, golfers included. read more

Lots of people on the weekend. They only let you book one week in advance which sucks. We had a 3pm tee time in March and the sun went down around 7:30 so we got in 17 holes. But because there were a lot of ppl, we had to wait a hole in front of us and the people behind us were rushing us, which was pretty annoying. Aside from the nuances of just trying to book this course, the course itself is fun. Pretty wide fairways. I feel like some of the grass is over concrete (i.e: first hole)...my ball landed on what seemed to be grass but it bounced another 20 yards (literally...bounced)... so yeah, that leads me to question how this course was built and what it was built on. The other thing that was kind of weird was there is literally a tower of electricity at one of the holes where you can hear the static noise. Not sure what studies have proven being near electricity like that but I wouldn't say it's a good thing. Difficulty level: 1-10, I'd give it a 6. Some of the greens were tricky (hilly) and there were a lot of sand traps, and as usual trees. But the fairways were wide and the grass was pretty dry and not lush & soft (how you would like to hear your 7 iron swoosh against it). We got a groupon for $96 for 4 people so it was a decent price, but I wouldn't pay full price to come back to this course. read more

This an awesome all around course!!! I am not a regular player and that should say some for my game, which is irregular as well. Hehe. This course offers a lot of challenges but is excellent to learn and improve one's game. This course has a well kept tee boxes and greens, which one has told me are comparative to championship greens. There are plenty of narrow fairways and the roughs are well, the roughs. If you miss the fairways, it can definitely cause you a stroke. You will be faced with long blades of grass that will grab onto you clubs and some holes will have roughs with odd types of lies. If you play this course, it will definitely give you a lot for your money because its not super easy and its not difficult enough that you will just get frustrated. As for the driving range, I really don't like the hitting mats that they have. Too thin and most are curling and can't hold on to the rubber tees. What I love about this course, since its a city managed course, Downey residents get an automatic discount which is a good amount. read more

This place is fantastic if you live in the Downey area or not. Not an intimidating place to play a round. The driving range always has a spot available for players and the second level of the range gives you a bit more privacy if you wanna hang and talk crap with friends. The course is very nice and a bit narrow on the fairways at some holes but the scenery is fantastic. I enjoy playing here as much as possible and sometimes you will find superb deals on Groupon to play here. I found that players are friendly here so give it a shot. read more

5 hour round on a Sun outing for a threesome. Narrow fairways, so hit them straight. Fast greens too. Course is pretty flat and are close together. FORE! Overall not a hard course, so quite a bit of beginners. read more

This is a great golf course. The staff are attentive and the course is usually in good condition.

Great facility. For a muni course it is in great shape. Lots of parking, great clubhouse and grill, and course in great shape. Tee boxes are great, fairways are ok, and greens are in good shape (smooth and not bumpy). Very friendly staff too. The only thing is it is hit or miss on pace of play. It took me 3 hrs to play the front nine but it was only because I was behind an elderly group but the golf shop gave me a nine hole raincheck which they normally don't do. Great course that has some length and is pretty narrow. read more

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I came here for a work related conference and was surprised by the size of the main ballroom. Who knew this much floor space existed at a barely over pitch and put facility? Feeding over 200 people on the other hand was a mild train wreck. The staff managed to bungle a buffet style lunch. Didn't provide drinks or refills to tables. The food was decent but they need to work the kinks out of the conference and banquet service. read more

First off, I'm a superintendent in the golf industry and this course is very nice for the price point. I can tell that they invest in the course as it is kept in good shape. Greens are a bit slow and bumpy but courses generally raise mowing heights in the summer. Tee boxes were fairly flat and water and landscape was kept in good condition. A few things they could add is signs telling you how far hidden water is on certain holes. We got lucky as it was empty when we were playing finished in 4hrs. Overall fun and challenging course for 55$. read more

I feel this is one of the best kept secrets in the Los Angeles area. They do NOT need any of the internet sites to fill tee times. I played this course a few times now and have always been satisfied with my round, albeit my score may show otherwise! The parking is plentiful. The staff is friendly and helpful. The snack bar is actually edible. The conditions are above average. The overall pace of play is very good for a municipal. Rio Hondo is not an easy course. It requires you to think about your next shot and will have you hitting all of your sticks at least once. If you are looking for a driver, wedge and putter type of course - look elsewhere. The greens are quick. Not a blazing fast 11-12 but, I would dare say at least 9-10. Fairways are in decent shape as well as the tee boxes. I think residents of Downey get a discount. I paid $50.00 including cart and always managed to finish the round well under the 5-hour mark. That would also include a quick little lunch at the turn. read more

The course and staff are excellent. The management of the facility, maintenance, restaurant is another story. 3 of the last four weeks the upstairs bathroom with 3 stalls and approx. 4 urinals has been closed for cleaning at the turn. Leaving only a bathroom with one stall and 2 urinals. With only the mens club playing, how does a person keep pace of play moving if you have to wait in line for a toilet? A great place to play as long as you don't have to move your bowels. read more

I setup a golf tournament here for my work and the staff was extremely accomodating. I highly recommend them if you need to put together a relatively inexpensive tourney in not a lot of time. They were really flexible, very responsive to my calls, and I didnt have to pay anything up front. The course itself was in good shape, and the play wasn't slow at all. We had a group of 12 (three 4somes), first group tee'd off at 12:15 and we were all finished by 5:30pm. Im looking forward to playing there again soon, and would schedule another tourney there in a heartbeat. I would give them 5 stars but theyre not on golfnow.com so I have to dock one :-) Every course should be on that site, in my opinion. read more

I'm not in the mood to write a lengthy review, so I will keep this one pretty short and simple. I got my first win on the SCPGA Jr. Tour at Rio Hondo, so, naturally, I like the course :). The layout is flat but not bland. I didn't find it challenging, but most others do. It is narrow but there isn't extreme danger, you're just going into another fairway if you hit it off. In terms of condition, it's pretty nice. The greens are a bit bumpy and could be maintained better, but the fairway is more or less green and doesn't have many dead patches like most SOCal courses do currently. I would recommend coming here. This is the highest review I have ever given a golf course. They gave us a good lunch and a good overall experience. The play was not extremely slow either. Cheers! read more

Only posting another review because it this is the third time this has happened. I rarely complain or post negative reviews but the is out of control. I played Friday morning and there wasn't a beverage cart. That in itself wasn't the bigger issue. I wrote a review a couple months back about how disgusting the restrooms are. I went in before my round on Friday and immediately turned around after opening the stall and walked out. It was so bad. The smell of urine and and once again no toilet paper. Paper towels all over the floor and in next to the toilet. Next time I'll take a picture. I ran up to the first floor restroom and it was the exact same thing. How this place operates like this is beyond belief. I complained to the pro shop and he told me they have nothing to do with restrooms or beverage cart. I'm calling the health department next time and provide them a video detailing how disgusting the restrooms are. Makes me never want to buy food here. Can't imagine what the kitchen looks like. Been coming to Rio for over twenty years. Love the golf course as it's one of the best around. The other side of the service is so poor it makes not want to come back. Oh in addition... I went to hit range balls on Saturday and based on what I saw in the men's restroom downstairs nobody had cleaned the place in over two days‍‍‍#cityofdowney#lacountyhealthdepartment read more

This is one of the few courses around in LA that has always been maintained very well for many years...and so kudos to management. Maybe that's how they justify the $69+ price on the weekend?? But then again...You can find more challenging, better manicured courses, at the same price nd most times for lot less money in OC/Upland areas!!?? Pace of play is always been a problem here and has been for many years :( Never really see any hot deals for this course....or groupons. The lunch deal they offer...well...better then nothing. Greens are nice, driving range decent, overall good hidden gem.. read more

What can i say about this golf course. Well maintained greens and fairways. Fairly narrow off the tee, but keep it on the fairways and u will be rewarded. Greens run true and it's not too hard to read, unlike mountain golf. Bunkers need a little more sand, but that's me being picky. There are a few holes where water comes into play. I would have given this course a 5 star, but the green fees are a little on the high side! Weekday $51 riding weekends $61 riding. Pls don't come to Rio Hondo if ur a hacker as this course is not too easy for a beginner! read more

This place is great BUT! The customer service is terrible! I go just for fun and I don't know much at all. Idk if that's the reason but either way they are very rude ! I've been there a total of 4 times and each time seems to just get worse. Very nice facility tho lol read more

So much fun. Came here on a whim for the driving range. Fairly priced baskets of balls and there were plenty of spots open on a Saturday. Will definitely plan on being back more often! There's also a restaurant and bar that I'd love to try. read more

This course is well maintained for the most part. However, it's summer time, your course needs to make cold water more accessible...

It's nice just gets packed full of none serious pepole Hard to play good round with out getting pissed off at pepole read more

Normally an enjoyable place to play.. By far there are better courses to play around but you can usually rely on decent course conditions. However they can learn something about service.. Not sure how many courses think it's professional to have horrible customer service. Scott clearly needs to learn how to treat his customers. He is rude and disrespectful. Scott thinks it is ok to address issues with his golfers about pace of play over the intercom from the pro shop, instead of walking out and addressing the issue face to face. Scott felt a 2 hour pace during our front 9 was too slow and even though the group behind us was a hole behind.. He would rather issue a refund and tell us to play other courses in the area than simply ask us politely to pick up the pace. Did I mention not once did the Marshall say anything to us on the front 9. He then continued to complain about our group. I remind you this was once again said on the intercom while we made the turn. Real professional Scott! After we made the turn all we did was wait on EVERY shot on the back 9.. And we still finished in 4 hours and 10 minutes!! Most LA golfers know that is rare on a Friday and on a holiday in SoCal! Keep up the good work Scott! I will make sure to pass this info along to everyone that asks about your course! Not to mention everyone in our group works in the golf industry so good job Scott! read more

I came here because the SCGA MAGAZINE rated this as one of the best public courses around. During my fourth round, I finally decided it would be my last. They book five somes pretty close together and I just can't abide that. There are two par 3s back to back and it's just aggravating to sit for so long waiting. 5-6 hour rounds on the weekends are all I've experienced at rio hondo. The managers think they're making more money by overbooking. Guess what? You lose customers that way too. See ya. read more

3.5 hours to play the front nine this morning!!! That was enough - nobody should have to endure a 7-hour round!! Too bad, because the course was challenging, but they loaded it up with 5-somes and dudes who insisted on hitting their 175 yard tee shots from the blue tees. No marshalls on the course. The pro shop did not offer any form of refund when we came to complain. Question: why do they put suggested times on their scorecards? read more

Generally I love this course. Saturday was an epic fail. Upon arriving at 9:20 we were told they were running 15 minutes behind schedule. We teed off nearly 45 minutes late. The greens had been punched and were unplayable. There was no heads up when the time was booked nor when we checked in. No discount was offered. The pace of play was awful. It should not take 5:15 to play Rio Hondo. The fivesomes kill the pace of play. read more

A lovely course... Not too forgiving but not terribly challenging, We played the back 9 started at 6:30 am and finished in a little over 2 hours. Well maintained a little pricey but love the fact that it is local and truth be told you wont find a nicer full course in the immediate area. Overall had a very good time and will definitely be looking to play the full course soon! read more

Just a review of the driving range because I had a couple of hours to kill and I needed the practice. Well maintained and good practice balls to hit. It's covered so you can hit balls in the rain. Only 250 yards so if you hit a decent driver your gonna hit the back screen. Did I mention it's a two level with ramp access to the second level. read more

I played twilight golf here on a Tuesday afternoon, It wasn't busy at all, not much waiting around so we were able to get a good rhythm going. We fit in all 18 holes teeing off at 3:30 and finishing up a little before 8 pm. The course is in pretty good condition, but the green was a little bumpy, they should probably fix the small divots. Overall, I was really impressed with the condition and view of the course, and the club house! There was a decent amount of water hazards, but not too many trees, which made it easier for me when my ball got stuck in the rough. For $32 dollars you can play 18 holes of twilight golf with cart! I'll definitely be coming back here soon! read more

One of the best places to play in L.A. to test how good you think you are. It is a fairly narrow course and it rewards course management on most of the holes. It's always in fantastic shape and the pace of play has always been good. The greens are usually fast and true. It's not a long course but if you are errant with the big stick you're going to have a long day. A great place to play. read more

Decent course for the inner LA area. Good deals can be found online sometimes too. The 4-5 times I've been there I've had good course conditions, decent pace of play, and an overall good time. The restaurant always seems busy, and serves decent food. The cart girl is always nice too. Recommend if you are in the area. read more

Nice course, but terrible course management. Told Marshall about extremely slow group ahead of us, group lied and said they asked if we wanted to play through, twice. Didnt happen. They lagged three+ holes behind. Marshall said we complained, he would not do anything. Held back everyone behind them. Poor management. read more

I have never played golf here, but my son had his first jr. golf lesson here today and he was pleasantly surprised. It was raining all morning but we called ahead and were notified that the golf lessons were still on so we showed up and for one hour my son hit balls and learned a little about golf...in the rain! He came out of class excited and happy so it was a win. I called the pro shop a few times for related questions and everyone was very nice and helpful and friendly. I will update if our experience changes, but so far, so good! read more

I played here for the first time. This is a nice course with several par 5's on it. The fairways are long and narrow though so an amateur like me spend some time in the trees! Still a very nice course. read more