At first glance, or even second, you probably wouldn’t guess that this is where some of the greatest golfers in the history of the game and many famous celebrities have teed it up, but the Trini Alvarez-El Rio Golf Course is rich with history. The course dates to the early 1930s, although some claim it actually opened in 1929, and was the original site of the Tucson Open, hosting that PGA Tour event 17 times over 18 years. The course was operated as the private El Rio Country Club until 1968 when it was acquired by the City of Tucson for public use.
The city added Trini Alvarez to the name in honor of the late club pro, who ran the course for many years. It features tight fairways, small greens, relatively-flat terrain, two lakes that bring water into play on three holes and is lined with mature trees. El Rio now is the site of a First Tee program, providing on-site instruction and practice facilities for juniors, many of whom lack the financial means to take up the game. In conjunction with that program, a three-hole mini-course was created within the driving range to help introduce kids to golf before graduating to the main course, where separate tees have been added 50-100 yards in front of regular teeing areas.
El Rio, which was designed by William P. Bell (the father of designer William F. “Billy” Bell) was Tucson’s first grassed course. With the help of the PGA Tour, in conjunction with First Tee participation, the course underwent a major restoration project in 2004 that included a new irrigation system and cart paths and restored bunkers, under the direction of renowned designer Ken Kavanaugh. “We wanted to de-modernize El Rio,” Kavanaugh said when the project was completed. “There are few opportunities to play an old-style golf course like this.”
El Rio has just two par-5 holes, the ninth and 18th. The signature hole is the eighth, a 210-yard par 3 to a small green well guarded by bunkers. The 18th is a dogleg right where a power fade can lead to birdie opportunities, unless you fade it too much, as the legendary Jimmy Demaret learned the hard way (more on that later). Famous pros who competed at El Rio also included Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Tommy Bolt, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, “Champagne” Tony Lema, Charlie Sifford and Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Among the celebrities who teed it up here were Harpo Marx, Randolph Scott, Joe Louis, Desi Arnaz, James Garner and Bing Crosby.
Demaret won the title in 1946 and 47, making him the only two-time winner at El Rio, but also had a “claim to shame” in 1952 when he made a 14 on the 18th hole, hitting five tee shots out of bounds. The next year, before the event began, Demaret brought a large sign commemorating the “feat” to the tournament and unveiled it at the 18th tee.
Also in 1952, amateur Frank Stranahan had an 18-foot putt to record what would have been the first 59 in PGA Tour history. He three-putted the hole and settled for a course-record 61. Zaharias made history in 1945 at El Rio, where she finished 42nd, marking the only time a woman has made a cut in a PGA Tour event. In fact, no other woman played in a PGA Tour event again until Annika Sorenstam in 2003 at Colonial. The El Rio clubhouse features a snack bar and grill but no restaurant. Its low green fees make it a favorite of local golfers.