Rio Rico Golf Club

The Buzz: This spot in the Arizona desert just 15 miles from the border of Mexico isn’t where you might expect to find a spectacular test of golf created by the late and revered designer Robert Trent Jones Sr. But that’s what you will discover at this 7,119-yard oasis standing at 4,000 feet alongside the Santa Cruz River, which meanders into surrounding hillsides where sunlight casts purple and yellow shadows in the late afternoon, illuminating one of the finest courses in the state. “When laying out the design for Rio Rico, I really felt like I had a classic on my hands,” Jones said when the project was completed in 1971. Rio Rico presents classic Jones trademarks with its rectangular tee boxes, sweeping fairways and doglegs, bunkering that set the standard for the design industry long ago, and greens that vary in width and depth, placing an emphasis on strategic play. This land has historic significance, once serving as a refuge for the U.S. Calvary during the Apache Wars and lying a few miles from the historic Tumacacori Mission established in the late 1600s. The front nine offers a terrific four-hole stretch starting at No. 5. The sixth is the highlight, playing at 414 yards, down, around and up a large hill to an elevated green. The back nine also has plenty of character. Heading home, the par-4 16th plays at 392 yards downhill, but water jutting into the fairway and stretching to the green puts a premium on accuracy. The 17th is a 184-yard par 3 with a lake guarding the right to a tricky, three-tiered putting surface. Water is in play on six holes on the course that has hosted qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur and Open and the PGA and Champions tours. It is one of three Arizona courses designed by Jones, who also created the likes of Spyglass Hill, Hazeltine and Firestone. Burgers and beers are the popular fare after the round at the clubhouse, but plenty more awaits visitors in the surrounding hills of Esplendor Resort. It features updated guestrooms, each with its own private patio or balcony, overlooking panoramic views of the mountains, garden walkways and the Santa Cruz River Valley. Rich jewel tones complement the Spanish-style décor and there is excellent dining available at the San Cayetano Restaurant, which serves continental cuisine.