January 2025 – Just played Boca Rio through Thousand Greens and was very impressed. It’s a great course with outstanding conditioning and reminds me of some other Florida faves (CC of Florida and Pine Tree) in that, while it’s fairly typical Florida golf with water hazards and whatnot, it’s unlike many of the FLA courses I don’t like, in that it is not incessantly lined with homes. While I rank it a tier below some of the big name private courses I’ve played in Florida (Concession, The Bear’s Club, Apogee, plus the top resort courses), it’s still a great track and worth a modicum of effort to get on.
About that last point: getting on. As noted, I got on through Thousand Greens. I have been really happy with the app and as my club is somewhat highly rated, I can request some really nice courses. You’d think the courses would be thrilled to have a member host some guests who get to enjoy the course and maybe someday join or at worst throw around some guest fees and food/drink money. Course makes money. Members of other clubs get on without bothering the pro to make a call. Everyone’s happy right? No some courses – Boca Rio being one of them – hate the app. Monterey for example will kick out a member sponsoring through Thousand Greens. I can’t share the name of my host for fear that he will get a letter. I just don’t get it. But our host was awesome and we did get some lunch post round (the fries are great) and enjoyed the club and staff. So if you see Boca Rio on the app, by all means, give it a try.
I swear I’ll talk up Boca Rio in a sec but before I do, and since this is my first review post-inauguration, let’s talk Trump. I don’t talk politics on the course and don’t know my host’s here political leanings but thank God the voting public got this one right. Now if you made it here and don’t want politics or if you’re a liberal who doesn’t want to get your panties in a bunch, I put my political thoughts on the Conservative/Trump win here. So if you do click through be warned or if you are a liberal who WANTS to get your panties in a bunch then be my guest.
Ah but I digress. To the course. As I said, Boca Rio is not the prototypical Florida housing community with a golf course winding its way through. While it was designed and opened during the dark ages of golf course design (late 1940s – 80s), it’s a great Robert Von Hagge course that has tough green complexes and tough bunkering throughout. In fact our host said they call it Bunker Rio and he’s not exaggerating. We started on 12 to work around some foursomes so I’ll try my best to label the photos properly, but liked the track a lot even though I continue to play like crap.
As you see, the entire course, even exterior holes, block off the outside world. Indeed, you are not looking at screened porches and into back windows all day at Boca Rio.
I repeated one here. We played the whites that measure 6,240 yards with a 71.6/139 rating/slope so not a pushover. One is an intimidating drive especially if unlike us it’s your first swing of the morning. 11 handicap, par five but just 445 yards.
The green on two. A 390-yard par four where you literally better hit the green or play well from the sand. The number three handicap.
Didn’t get a photo of the par three third (145 yards) and here’s the approach on the short fourth (310 and 13th handicap).
No photos of five which is a 355-yard par four and here is six. You see it’s pretty tight driving corridors on a lot of the holes and difficult for faders to play too far left to right. This is a 155-yard par three.
Seven is the number one handicap and a long 410-yard par four. Just missed par after a string of doubles.
Eight is a long par five threading through a tight tree corridor. After my just miss par, I served up a nice double here.
Approach on eight.
Missed nine which was a 375-yard par four and here is ten, a 490-yard par five and the 10 handicap.
We finished on 11 and as you see, if you drift off the fairway even a little bit, it’s bunker city.
We started on the 12th hole hence the suddenly appearing dew. Only the 14th handicap, it’s tight though just 320 yards. I thought I was gonna play well as I just missed par here but alas I would suck.
Thirteen is a long par three – 170 yards from the whites into a pretty good breeze. Right is obviously no bueno but I jacked my ball left into the trees. Then the sand. Then barely on. Then a two putt. Ugh.
Thirteen is a hard dogleg left. I couldn’t work my usual fade so left it just outside the pond right. The waste bunker left is tough to clear but the correct angle.
Took more than the usual number of shots around the greens to show off the complexes which were all tough approaches into. Fourteen is a 356-yard par four and the #6 handicap.
Fifteen is a double dogleg monster at 400 yards and the number two handicap.
Missed shooting 16 (475 yards, par five) and here is 17 (140 yards).
And 18 into the clubhouse. Great golf hole (385 yards/8 handicap) and in all a very enjoyable round and a nice ultra-private Florida course (just 150 members) and a great play in the Boca area.
Golf Scrapbook 