Rio Hondo golf tournament

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Another Rio Hondo golf tournament Friday in the books, and this one had a little bit of everything — four birdies, two brutal 3-putts, a lost ball found in a sprinkler depression, and a new putter making its competitive debut. Final score: 77 (+6) at Rio Hondo GC in Downey, CA, as part of the SCGA One Day Series.

Rio Hondo Golf Tournament: Pre-Round Routine

Same routine as every SCGA start this season: 1 hour 45 minutes in the Tesla up to Downey, fully charged the night before. Stopped at Starbucks for oatmeal and a lemon loaf for the drive home, then found the charging station near the course and pulled out the puzzle mat for my 15-minute pre-round stretch routine off the back of the car.

Got to Rio Hondo GC about an hour early. Twenty minutes on the range to warm up, then to the putting green to get a read on the speed and dial in the stroke. Skies were sunny at an 8:30 AM tee time, 75 degrees at the start and climbing to 91 by the time we walked off 18. Round took 4 hours 54 minutes.

One thing I love about the SCGA One Day Series: when you step up to the first tee, the official announces your name and the club you represent before you hit. Small touch, but it makes even a random Saturday morning at Rio Hondo feel like a real event.

Front Nine at the Rio Hondo Golf Tournament: Two Birdies, One Blow-Up

The front nine of this Rio Hondo golf tournament was a mixed bag — sharp iron play mixed with one hole that got away from me completely.

Hole 1 (Par 4, 415 yds): Good drive, 272 yards, just off the fairway right with the ball above my feet. 145 yards in, hit 9-iron long and just missed the green. Chipped to 10 feet, 2-putt bogey.

Hole 2 (Par 4, 271 yds): Drive found the fairway, pin up front at 115 yards. Eased a 50-degree wedge past the flag to 18 feet, 2-putt par.

Hole 3 (Par 5, 492 yds): Drive went left, 266 yards, and ended up behind a tree. From 226 yards with the ball above my feet, I aimed right of the tree expecting a hook off my 7-wood — instead it went straight and clipped a hill near a tall tree. We looked for a few minutes and I started sweating a lost ball before finding it sitting in a sprinkler depression. Free drop, chipped to 9 feet, and made the putt. Birdie.

Hole 4 (Par 5, 534 yds): Drive right at 266 yards with a tree blocking the approach, so I punched a 3-wood down the left side. Ball nearly disappeared in the rough — only the top was visible when we found it. From 88 yards I punched a low shot to 18 feet, chipped to 5 feet, and made the putt for par.

Hole 5 (Par 4, 403 yds): Tee shot came off the toe with an open face and looked out of bounds. Hit a provisional up the middle, then found the original ball on the 8th tee. From 187 yards with tall trees blocking a direct 5-iron line, I went with a 9-wood over the trees. The ball carried long under a tree with hanging branches, 50 feet from the pin. With almost no backswing room under the branches, I chunked the chip short of the green, then chipped again to a spot with a right-to-left break I didn’t account for on the first look. Drained a 15-footer for bogey — a hole that could have easily been a double.

Hole 6 (Par 4, 341 yds): Nice fade off the tee, 275 yards. 66 yards in, 60-degree wedge to 3 feet. Made the putt for birdie.

Hole 7 (Par 3, 162 yds): 8-iron to 21 feet, 2-putt par.

Hole 8 (Par 3, 215 yds): Mishit my 9-wood, 25 feet from the pin. Chunked the chip short, chipped again to 5 feet, missed the putt. Bogey.

Hole 9 (Par 4, 413 yds, #1 handicap): Pushed the drive right against an out-of-bounds fence at 268 yards. Ball was sitting down with a water hazard just off the fairway, so I had to punch out sideways without enough club to reach the water. From 145 yards, a ball landed in the trees behind me mid-downswing, broke my concentration, and I chunked the approach. Took three more shots to get in the hole. Double bogey.

Front nine: 39 (+3) — 2 birdies, 3 pars, 3 bogeys, 1 double bogey.

Back Nine at the Rio Hondo Golf Tournament: Big Drive, Two Costly 3-Putts

The back nine of this Rio Hondo golf tournament round had the shot of the day and the two putts I’d most like back.

Hole 10 (Par 3, 195 yds): Chunked a 5-iron short, pitched to 9 feet, 2-putt bogey.

Hole 11 (Par 5, 491 yds): Drive split the fairway at 277 yards. From 214 yards, hit 9-wood onto the green to 25 feet. 2-putt birdie.

Hole 12 (Par 4, 310 yds, reachable): Drive right at 259 yards under tree branches, limiting my swing. Had to flight one high over a bunker to the green, landed at 21 feet, 2-putt par.

Hole 13 (Par 4, 369 yds): Biggest drive of the day — 301 yards — but well right of the fairway on a hillside, ball above my feet with two tree trunks in front, a fence left, and water right. Chose to go high over the tree from 68 yards and swung as hard as I could. Cleared the tree, landed on the front of the green, 66 feet uphill. Mishit the first putt 12 feet short, missed the comebacker. 3-putt bogey. I hate 3-putts.

Hole 14 (Par 3, 185 yds): 5-iron to 45 feet, 2-putt par.

Hole 15 (Par 5, 495 yds): Bad drive right, 193 yards, into the wrong fairway. Used a 9-wood to get back into position, 147 yards to the pin with the ball above my feet. Went long over the flag, chipped short, 2-putt bogey.

Hole 16 (Par 4, 321 yds): What looked like a perfect 267-yard drive down the middle ended up 2 feet from the water guarding the green. From 54 yards with my feet on the cart path concrete, I stood tall and choked down with an upright 9-iron for a short swing, advancing it about 20 feet. Chipped to 12 feet, 2-putt bogey.

Hole 17 (Par 3, 145 yds): Best shot of the day. 9-iron never left the flag, finished 6 inches from the cup. Tap-in birdie.

Hole 18 (Par 4, 420 yds): Drive to 261 yards, middle of the fairway. First time all day the wind was in our face, so I took more club — 7-iron — and hit the green long, leaving a 24-foot downhill putt. Hit the first putt 9 feet past, missed the comebacker. 3-putt bogey to close it out. Not how I wanted to finish.

Back nine: 38 (+3) — 2 birdies, 2 pars, 5 bogeys.

Final Score and Strokes Gained From the Rio Hondo Golf Tournament

Arccos had me at -4.2 strokes gained for the round, exactly flat against my last 10-round average. That number by itself looks discouraging, but the breakdown tells the real story of this Rio Hondo golf tournament round — putting carried me, and approach play from mid-range is what let strokes slip away.

Scoring breakdown for the round: 4 birdies, 5 pars, 8 bogeys, 1 double bogey. Par 3s actually played to a 3.2 average (+0.1 SG/hole) — a genuine strength this round. Par 4s were the leak at 4.7 average (-0.5 SG/hole), and the par 5s came in dead even at 4.8 average.

Driving Stats From the Rio Hondo Golf Tournament: 260 Average, 301-Yard Bomb

This Rio Hondo golf tournament round showed exactly why the speed training matters: average drive of 260 yards with a season-long-drive of 301 yards on hole 13 — a real reminder of why I’ve spent 17 months chasing 115 mph off the tee with the Stack System (still the training program I credit for drives like that one). If you want to see the full progression, check out my Stack System swing speed results.

Fairways hit came in at 38% (15% missed left, 46% missed right), which lines up with a day full of recovery shots from trees, hillsides, and one out-of-bounds scare on 9. If you’re working on your own swing speed after 50, a 301-yard drive at 56 is proof the training is paying off even on a bogey-heavy day.

Approach Play: Where This Rio Hondo Golf Tournament Round Got Away From Me

Approach was the single biggest strokes-gained leak of the day at -2.2 SG, a 2.8-stroke decline from my recent average. Greens in regulation held up fine at 10 of 18 (56%), but the misses were costly — 3 long, 3 short, 2 right, and 0 left.

The real damage came from 50-100 yards, where I lost 1.9 strokes on just 6 attempts, and from the rough in general, where approach shots bled -2.5 strokes across 9 shots. Compare that to tee shots on par 3s, which actually gained 1.1 strokes on 5 attempts. The pattern is clear: when I had a full swing from a clean lie, I was fine. When I had to manufacture a shot from the rough or a half-swing under branches (holes 5, 9, 12, 13, and 16 all had some version of this), the wheels came off.

Short Game at the Rio Hondo Golf Tournament: Chipping Cost Strokes Too

This part of the Rio Hondo golf tournament round is where the round quietly slipped away: short game added another -1.8 strokes gained, a 2.2-stroke decline from recent form. Chips inside 25 yards were the problem — -1.5 strokes gained on 8 attempts, with only a 33% up-and-down rate. The 5, 8, and 16 holes each had a chunked or awkward chip that turned a two-putt par into a bogey. No sand shots played all day, so this was purely a “clean strike under pressure” issue, not a bunker problem.

Putting at the Rio Hondo Golf Tournament: The New Scotty Cameron Makes Its Debut

Putting was the story of this Rio Hondo golf tournament round that kept things from getting away from me completely: +0.5 strokes gained, an 1.8-stroke swing in the right direction from my recent average. Inside 10 feet I was outstanding — +2.1 strokes gained across 19 putts — and I felt it all day, especially the tap-in birdie on 17 that never left the flag.

The two 3-putts on 13 and 18 are what stung. Both came from the 10-25 foot range, where I lost 1.3 strokes gained on the round. 31 total putts, 7 one-putts, 9 two-putts, and those 2 three-putts.

This was also the competitive debut of my new Scotty Cameron 9R putter. Best-feeling putter I’ve ever gamed, and the eye test on the greens backs it up — full review coming in a future article.

What I’ll Remember From This Rio Hondo Golf Tournament

• Putting felt great except for those two 3-putts
• Losing concentration the instant I hear something mid-swing — happened on hole 9 and cost me a double bogey
• 4 birdies in a round with a double bogey is still a round I’ll take
• 91-degree heat by the back nine
• Plantar fasciitis is still very much a factor post-round, especially after 4:54 on the course. Still working through my plantar fasciitis training routine

FAQ: Rio Hondo Golf Tournament Recap

What did you shoot at Rio Hondo GC?
77 (+6) — 39 on the front, 38 on the back, with 4 birdies, 5 pars, 8 bogeys, and 1 double bogey.

What hurt your score the most at Rio Hondo?
Approach play, specifically 50-100 yard wedge shots and any approach out of the rough, cost the most strokes gained (-2.2 SG total). Two 3-putts from 10-25 feet were the other big leak.

What went well in this Rio Hondo golf tournament round?
Putting, by a wide margin — +0.5 strokes gained, an 1.8-stroke improvement over my recent average, plus a 301-yard drive and 4 birdies including a tap-in on 17.

What ball and driver were in play?
TaylorMade Qi4D driver and Callaway Chrome Tour Triple Track, along with a new Scotty Cameron 9R putter making its first competitive appearance.

Next up: the two-day Admiral Baker Club Championship on July 28-29. Recap coming after that one wraps.